RS 101:1 Introduction to Western Religions
1 unit—CRN #9127
Humanities Core Credit under the old core; Textual Analysis Mode Credit for new core; Required for Religious Studies Major
M W F 10:10-11:00 —Olin 232
Instructor: Ron Mourad
rmourad@albion.edu
(517) 629-0354 (O)/(734) 475-0475 (H)
Office hours: Wednesday 2:30
– 4:00 pm, Friday 2:30 – 4:00 pmCourse Summary:
Contemporary Americans must contend with an unprecedented plurality of religious viewpoints. In this course, we will seek to address this situation responsibly by examining the three dominant
"Western" religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. We will analyze the characteristic beliefs and practices of these three traditions so as to understand and appreciate their similarities and differences. While we will survey the distinctive origins and histories of these religions, we will also study their contact with one another and explore the conditions necessary for dialogue between them. Our approach will be academic rather than confessional or apologetic.Requirements:
1. Attend all classes
2. Read all assigned material and participate actively in class discussions and activities
3. Two exams
4. Two quizzes
5. Field Report (see handout)
Texts:
Willard G. Oxtoby, World Religions: Western Traditions.
Gwilym Beckerlegge, The World Religions Reader
Grading:
Participation: 15%
Exam One: 20%
Exam Two: 25%
Quiz One: 10%
Quiz Two: 10%
Field Report: 20%
RS 102 Introduction to Eastern Religions
1 Unit CRN # 9129
Humanities Core Credit under the old core; Historical & Cultural Analysis Mode Credit for new core; Required for Religious Studies Major
Instructor: Selva J. Raj
MW 1:10-2:30, Vulgamore 204
Office: Vul 216; Phone: 0400
Email: sraj@abion.edu
Description & Objective:
In light of a typology of religious phenomena, this course will critically explore the religious wisdom of the East as represented by Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Shinto, and (time permitting) Confucianism, and Taoism, and expressed in their respective sacred literature, myths, symbols, beliefs, and practices.
In addition to intellectual familiarity with the contents of these traditions, the course aims to inculcate in students a critical appreciation for the religious imagination of a tradition other than one's own.
Texts:
Oxtoby, W. World Religions: Easterns Traditions (ET)
Smith, H. The World's Religions (WR)
Selected Readings & Handouts (HO), Internet Sources (IS) Class Lectures (CL) and Videos (VI)
Evaluation:
Class attendance & participation, quiz, video report, a short research paper (7-10 pages), and two take-home exams (mid-term and final). The following is the breakdown of percentage points for the final grade:
Attendance &
Participation 10%
Quiz 05%
Video Report 10%
Midterm Exam 25%
Research Paper 20%
Final Exam 30%
The research paper must demonstrate the critical use of at least three books. While internet sources may be considered as additional resources, they cannot be counted as substitutes for the books. The paper can be on a topic of your choice on a specific theme related to one of the eastern traditions. You may consult with the instructor on your research topic.
RS 122 History, Literature, and Religion of the New Testament
http://courses.albion.edu/rs122/
1 Unit CRN 9736
MWF 9.10-10.00 Vulgamore 201
Instructor: Sarianna Metso
Fulfills Textual Analysis Mode requirement for new core and Humanities Core requirement under the old core.
Description:
The New Testament is not a single book, but an anthology reflecting different authors, historical circumstances, literary genres, and theological agendas. This course is designed as an introduction to the critical study of this and related literature, and of the Jewish, Hellenistic, and Roman cultural environment that was its background. In the context of this environment, we shall examine how a small group of Jews connected with a prophet named Jesus became a separate religion with its own rituals and literature about one they regarded as ‘Son of God’.
We shall analyze the earliest extant Christian documents (the letters of Paul), the production of ‘gospels’ about Jesus, and the development of the early Christian movement, as reflected both in canonical and extracanonical literature. Our aim in this course is to reconstruct the history, literature, and religion of the first Christians in their various shapes. We shall also explore biblical scholarship as an academic field of the liberal arts, and why every educated person ought to know about its findings of the last 200 years. Our main task, however, is to understand what the New Testament writings may have meant in their original, historical context. Students will read the entire New Testament as well as selected extracanonical documents.
Goals:
1. To acquire a general understanding of the methods and results of modern New Testament scholarship.
2. To practice using the techniques of linguistic and literary criticism (close reading) to interpret New Testament literature.
3. To acquire a basic understanding of the Jewish and Greco-Roman cultures that constitute the environment in which the New Testament developed.
Required Textbooks:
1. Bart D. Ehrman, The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings (2nd ed.; New York: Oxford University Press, 2000).
2. Bart D. Ehrman, The New Testament and Other Early Christian Writings: A Reader (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998).
Evaluation:
Quizzes and/or web summaries 30%
Workbook exercise 20%
Research paper 20%
Two exams 30%
RS 221 The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Origins of Christianity
1 Unit CRN# 9574
Textual Analysis Mode Credit for new core.
TR 1.10-2.30 pm Vulgamore 301
Instructor: Sarianna Metso
Description:
The Dead Sea Scrolls belong to the most important archaeological findings of the past century. The ancient library of a Jewish group called the Essenes, contemporary with the life of Jesus of Nazareth, is shedding significant new light on the textual history and formation of the Old Testament as well as the historical and theological backgrounds of the New Testament.
This course will introduce students to the Dead Sea Scrolls and their contribution to our understanding of the Bible and particularly of Jesus of Nazareth and the early Church. The course will provide a survey of the Scrolls, a brief history of the period in which the Scrolls were written, and a presentation of the various ways in which scholars have interpreted them. The course will also include in-depth study of selected texts and themes that shed light on life and teachings of Jesus, the Gospels, and the letters of Paul. The course will conclude with a discussion of the use of the Scrolls and related literature for Old and New Testament interpretation.
Goals:
1. To acquaint the students with the historical interconnection of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the world of the Bible.
2. To enable the students to see the relevance and value of the Dead Sea Scrolls and other intertestamental literature for understanding the text of the Bible.
3. To develop skills in reading biblical and other ancient literature in their own historical, literary and theological contexts.
4. To understand how the Scrolls and the New Testament interpreted the Hebrew Bible.
5. To acquaint the students with the various Jewish groups and theological emphases of the intertestamental period that are relevant for the study of early Christianity.
Required Textbooks:
1. James C. VanderKam, The Dead Sea Scrolls Today (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995).
2. Geza Vermes (ed.), The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English (New York, N.Y.: Allen Lane / The Penguin Press, 1997).
3. The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha (New York: Oxford University Press, 1991).
Evaluation:
1. Attendance and participation 15%
2. Midterm exam 20%
3. Research paper 35%
4. Final exam 30%
RS 289 Faith and Reason
1 Unit CRN# 9575
TR 3.10-4.30 pm Vulgamore 103
Instructor: Ron Mourad (rmourad@albion.edu)
(517) 629-0354 (O)/(734) 475-0475 (H)
Office hours: Wednesday 2:30
– 4:00 pm, Friday 2:30 – 4:00 pmCourse summary:
This course explores epistemology, or the theory of knowledge, as it applies to religious belief. What is the nature and source of religious belief, and is it irrational? Is there a difference between faith and belief? Is there a conflict between Christian and scientific beliefs? We will examine several classic answers to these questions from thinkers such as Thomas Aquinas, Blaise Pascal, and John Locke. We will also carefully consider the defense of religious knowledge propounded by Alvin Plantinga, a contemporary philosopher of religion.
Requirements:
1. Attend all classes.
2. Read all assigned material and participate actively in class discussions.
3. Two short papers (minimum 1500 words each - approximately 6 typed pages).
4. Once in the semester you must present a response to the day
’s reading and lead class discussion.5. One final exam.
Texts:
Paul Helm, ed. Faith and Reason.
Alvin Plantinga. Warranted Christian Belief.
Grading:
Papers: 25%/each
Final: 25%
Presentation: 10%
Participation: 15%
RS 311 Religion and Ecology
1 Unit CRN# 9131
Fulfills Environmental Category Requirement
Instructor: Selva J. Raj
MW 11:10-12:30, Vulgamore 202
Office: Vul 216
; Phone: 0400Email: sraj@abion.edu
Description & Objective:
The relation between religion and ecology has attracted the attention of scholars and students of religion. The course will critically examine the relation between humans, the natural and the sacred in selected religious traditions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Chinese Religions, the Native American Religion, Christianity and Judaism. We will ask throughout the course how and if the different ways individuals and religious communities define and value nature and its relation to the sacred affect their actual uses and treatment of their surroundings. We will also examine some examples of the contemporary eco-religion discussion such as ecotheolgy, ecofeminism, and deep ecology.
Texts:
Kinsley, D. Religion and Ecology (RE)
Tucker, M.E. & Grim, R. (eds) Worldviews and Ecology (WE)
Religion & Ecology Course Pack (CP)
Class lectures (CL), Video (VI), Class Discussion (CD), Presentation (P)
Course Format & Reading Assignments:
Designed primarily to be a seminar-type course, this course demands active and full participation of students by way of reading assignments, class presentation, and leading discussions. One’s final grade will be determined, among others, by one’s regular and informed participation in and contribution to class discussions. Each student will lead one class discussion and make one class presentation.
Hence, keeping up with daily reading assignments is crucial. You are required to come prepared for each class. Keep an open and critical mind as we study beliefs and practices that might be quite different from your own.
Evaluation:
Class attendance & participation, leading one class discussion with another student, one individual presentation, two critical papers (7 pages each), and a final exam. The following is the breakdown of percentage points for the final grade:
Attendance &Participation 10%
Class Discussion 10%
Presentation 15%
2 Critical Papers 40%
Final Exam 25%
RS 320 Gender and Biblical Interpretation
1 Unit CRN# 9576
Fulfills the Gender Category Requirement
Instructor: Sarianna Metso
MW 2.10-3.30 pm Robinson 107
Description
What happens when we read the Bible as women and as men? Reflecting a patriarchal world, written by men, and until very recently interpreted by almost exclusively by men—what does this book have to offer to its readers today? How do women and men, on the basis of their different life experiences, approach and interpret the Bible?
This course provides a study of the representation of gender in biblical texts, with attention to their historical and contemporary significance. A variety of methods will be employed (historical, socio-cultural, literary, feminist, theological) to explore ancient texts through a variety of perspectives that are shaped by gender. We will question, for example, what role language and literature play in the articulation of gender constructs in a culture.
The recognition that a text is an expression of meaning by and for another culture and in another time and place evokes the need to critically assess the social and political functions of ancient texts. No reading of a text is neutral or objective; readings that claim to be objective are usually biased in the favor of the dominant group. Therefore, questions about power relations will be of special interest in this course.
This course will give students an opportunity to become more familiar with many sections of the Bible that have been influential in shaping our depictions of the roles of men and women, and to begin to understand how Judaism and Christianity find their roots in these biblical texts. The focus in this course is on biblical stories and their use of male and female imagery, for biblical narratives, in particular, have had considerable cultural impact.
There are no pre
requisites for this course.G
oals:1. To become acquainted with some of the principal methods of biblical interpretation in the Jewish and Christian traditions.
2. To discover the indicators by which biblical texts show that they are products of androcentric, patriarchal societies, and to critique the gender constructs in those societies.
3. To discover the cultural functions of biblical literature, both in the cultures that produced the literature and in contemporary cultures.
4. To explore the relationship between biblical perspectives on gender relationships and the religious authority of the Bible. We will be concerned with questions such as: Does the Bible teach a specific hierarchy and prescribed roles for men and women? Can the Bible itself be a liberating resource of role-oppressed women and men.
5. To develop strategies for formulating and addressing gender-nuanced questions.
6. To reflect on the role that religious traditions play in the lives of Jewish and Christian women and men, on the varieties of questions and approaches that feminist scholars, for example, bring to the biblical text, and on the reciprochal relationship of tradition and critique in religion.
7. To reflect on the importance of inductive study of texts, of becoming more aware of one’s own experience and the questions one brings to the text, and of various factors impinging on the interpretive process, such as the life experience and social context of both the individual interpreter and of the interpreting community.
Required Textbooks:
1. Dana Noland Fewell and David M. Gunn, Gender, Power and Promise: The Subject of the Bible’s First Story (Nashville: Abingdon, 1993).
2. Elizabeth Schüssler Fiorenza (ed.), Searching the Scriptures: A Feminist Introduction (New York: Crossroad, 1993).
3. Carla Ricci, Mary Magdalene and Many Others: Women Who Followed Jesus (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1994).
5. Jane Prague Zones, Taking the Fruit: Modern Women’s Tales of the Bible (San Diego: Woman’s Institute for Continuing Jewish Education, 1981).
4. Carol A. Newsom and Sharon H. Ringe (eds.), Women’s Bible Commentary (Expanded edition; Louisville: Westminster John Knox press, 1994).
6. Alica Odgen Bellis, Helpmates, Harlots, and Heroes: Women’s Stories in the Hebrew Bible (Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1994).
Evaluation:
1. Attendance, participation, and homework 30%
2. Midterm exam (take-home) 30%
3. Term paper 40%
RS 334 Philosophy of Religion
1 Unit CRN # 9735
Instructor: Ron Mourad (rmourad@albion.edu)
MWF 1.10-2.00 Vulgamore 302
Course summary:
This course will examine several classic problems in the philosophy of religion and allow students the opportunity to answer some of these important questions for themselves. We will ask about the nature of God, the arguments that might be offered for God
’s existence, and whether human language can adequately refer to God. We will also discuss the religious problems of evil and suffering, miracles, and the afterlife. A variety of modern and contemporary philosophers of religion will be our conversation partners.Requirements:
1. Attend all classes.
2. Read all assigned material and participate actively in class discussions.
3. One short paper (minimum 1500 words -- approximately 6 typed pages).
4. One 20-minute presentation identifying a position taken by one of our authors and offering one or more arguments for or against it.
5. 2 in-class exams.
Texts:
Michael Peterson, et al. Reason and Religious Belief: An Introduction to the Philosophy of
Religion, 2nd Edition
Michael Peterson, et al. Philosophy of Religion: Selected Readings, 2nd Edition
Grading:
Paper: 25%
Midterm: 25%
Final: 25%
Presentation: 10%
Participation: 15%