COURSE OFFERINGS
Spring 2010
 

RELIGIOUS STUDIES 101 Section 1   (1 unit)                MWF 9:10 - 10:00am
Introduction to Western Religions
CRN # 7365
Nancy Weatherwax

Humanities Division Credit; Historical and Cultural Analysis Mode Credit; Required for Religious Studies Major and Minor

Course Description:

This course explores the scriptures, beliefs, practices, history, and ethics of the three major Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. How have these religious traditions shaped life for individuals and communities in the past and present? What do these religious traditions have in common? How do they differ? How have they developed over the centuries? What sorts of diversity do we find within each religious tradition? We will give special attention to the presence and interaction of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in contemporary North America. Our approach will be academic rather than confessional.
 

RELIGIOUS STUDIES 102 Section 1   (1 unit)                MWF 11:10 - 12noon
Introduction to Eastern Religions
CRN # 7367
David Fiordalis

RELIGIOUS STUDIES 102 Section 2   (1 unit)                MWF 12:10 - 1:00pm
Introduction to Eastern Religions
CRN # 7368
David Fiordalis

Humanities Division Credit; Historical and Cultural Analysis Mode Credit; Required for Religious Studies Major and Minor

Course Description:

Religion has always played an important role in the identities of individuals, in society and in politics, but today, as adherents of different religions are coming into closer contact with one another, it is becoming increasingly important to try to understand religious faiths other than our own. This course is an introduction to the religions that have developed in South and East Asia, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, Confucianism, Daoism and Shinto. We will analyze the histories, myths, beliefs and practices of these religious traditions, and note similarities and differences between them.

RELIGIOUS STUDIES 104   (1 unit)                                  T R 10:10 - 11:30am
Introduction to Islam
CRN # 7369
Mark Soileau

Humanities Division Credit; Historical and Cultural Analysis Mode Credit; Fulfills Islamic Religion requirement for Religious Studies Major and Minor.

Course Description:

This course is an introduction to the beliefs and practice of Islam in its various manifestations, with additional emphasis on the history, politics and gender issues which have both influenced and been influenced by Islam. Throughout the course there will be a focus on Islam as it is lived by people, so that students can gain an appreciation of what it is like to live as a Muslim, and we will look at many cultural expressions of Islam. We will also analyze the ways Islam is represented in the news media and on the internet, since these have become the main sources of information – and misinformation – presented on Islam in the United States.

While the course will consist in part of lectures, class discussions are also important, and active participation by students is required. Students will be expected to have read the readings before class, and be ready to discuss them in class. We will make one field trip to a local mosque, and students will be expected to ask questions. Students will also keep a journal to record their impressions of certain readings, websites, other media and the field trip. Students’ grades will be calculated based on a midterm, a final, a term paper, other assignments, the journal and class participation.

RELIGIOUS STUDIES 122   (1 unit)                              MWF 10:10 - 11:00am
History, Literature, and Religion of the New Testament
CRN # 7572
Jocelyn McWhirter

Humanities Division Credit; Textual Analysis Mode credit; Fulfills Biblical Studies Requirement For Religious Studies Majors

Course Description:

This course introduces students to the New Testament as a collection of literary works that interpret first-century Jewish traditions in light of events that affected the first Christians. Such events include life and death of Jesus as well as the spread of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire, the Jewish War, and the persecution of Christians under the Emperor Domitian. We will read six of Paul’s letters, the four canonical Gospels, The Acts of the Apostles, and Revelation. In the process, we will become more competent interpreters of these ancient texts.

RELIGIIOUS STUDIES 204  (1 unit)                              T R  2:10 - 3:30pm
Islam and Modern World
CRN # 7371
Mark Soileau

Humanities Division Credit; Fulfills Global Studies Category Requirement; Fulfills Islamic Religion requirement for Religious Studies Major and Minor.

Course Description:

Islam is the second largest religion in the world, and one that has been increasingly in the news in recent years. Much of this recent interest has been due to terrorist acts perpetrated in the name of Islam and to conflicts in countries with majority Muslim populations. Many of these problems are in turn related to difficulties Islam has faced in incorporating values introduced from the West and to the history of Muslim interaction with the West. This course analyzes Muslim intellectual responses to some of these issues and examines developments in some Muslim countries in the twentieth century. This will help provide students with an understanding of the dynamics behind many of the events that affect our world today.

To learn more about the Major, browse the Major in Religious Studies.