UCLA
CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF RELIGION(Same as Slavic M40.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Survey of three major historical branches of Christianity--Eastern and Oriental Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, and Protestantism, contrasting how history, dogma, culture, and community structures develop in those three traditions. P/NP or letter grading.
(Same as South Asian M60.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Introduction to religions of classical India--Vedic, Brahmanical, Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist--paying equal attention to change and continuity, with emphasis on chronological development. P/NP or letter grading.
(Same as Iranian M105B.) Lecture, three hours. Readings in English. Analysis of major writings by Báb, Bahá'u'lláh, and 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Emphasis on mystical and social principles. May be taken independently for credit. P/NP or letter grading.
(Same as Islamic Studies M115.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Students gain familiarity with historical cases and modes of interaction between Muslims and non-Muslims in plural societies. Consideration of axis questions such as how does Qur'an reflect religious plurality; how does it situate Islam vis-à-vis its alternatives; what encounters did rapid expansion of Islam bring about in diverse societies; how did Islam and other religions change through debate, war, and exchange of ideas; what roles has political power played in conditioning interreligious interaction; how have conversion and hybridity affected what it means to be Muslim; what is different about interreligious interactions in secular states and societies; and how is past invoked to justify opinions and policies today. Investigation of these questions by conducting microstudies: close readings of sources through theoretical lens. P/NP or letter grading.
Lecture, four hours. Examination of complex relationship between religious traditions and various media (e.g., print, film, photography, television, radio, and electronic) as they have intersected in specific historical and cultural contexts. Illumination of role of media in forming and expressing religious ideas, practices, and identities. Topics may include representations of religious groups, visual and aural piety, identity formation, interreligious conflict, religious education, and use of media technologies for propaganda or proselytizing purposes. Historical, sociological, and anthropological approaches used in concert with various methodologies current within media studies. P/NP or letter grading.
(Same as Japanese CM160.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Knowledge of Japanese not required. Development of Buddhism in Japan in its cultural context, with emphasis on key ideas and teachings. Letter grading.
(Same as History M174E.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour (when scheduled). Designed for juniors/seniors. Examination of interplay of factors that, from Christian missionaries to Islamic madrasa schools and colonial rebellions, gave shape to multifaceted Muslim reformation in context of colonial modernity. P/NP or letter grading.
(Same as Philosophy M152B.) Lecture, three to four hours; discussion, one hour (when scheduled). Preparation: one philosophy course. Exploration of philosophical issues raised by topic of evil actions and/or evil people. Issues may include nature of evil, problem of evil and theodicies, responsibility for evil and problem of free will, causes and motivations for evil action, and variant responses to evil such as forgiveness and punishment. P/NP or letter grading.
(Same as History M185F.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour (when scheduled). Designed for juniors/seniors. Christian movement from its origins to circa 160 CE, stressing its continuity/discontinuity with Judaism, various responses to Jesus of Nazareth, writings produced during this period, movement's encounters with its religious, social, and political world, and methods of research. P/NP or letter grading.
Seminar, four hours. Preparation: completion of preparation for major courses and at least half of upper-division courses required for major (including theory and method courses). Designed for senior majors. Seminar on central method and/or theme in study of religion. Refinement and integration of this knowledge by means of close reading and analysis of primary documents, debating contested issues, and researching and writing original paper. P/NP or letter grading.
(Same as Asian M60W.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Enforced requisite: English Composition 3 or 3H or English as a Second Language 36. Not open for credit to students with credit for course M60A. Knowledge of Asian languages not required. General survey of Buddhist worldview and lifestyle, with focus on those religious doctrines and meditative practices most essential to various Asian traditions of Buddhism. Particular attention to problems involved in study of religion. Satisfies Writing II requirement. Letter grading.
Examination of interplay between religion, fascism, and antifascism in Europe and U.S. as it sprang up in three distinct eras: early model of fascism (emergence of KKK in U.S.), full-scale fascism (Shoah), and present fascist creep on both sides of Atlantic. Religion has played integral role on both sides of power dynamic. In all three stages, examination of religious ideologies used to defend fascist and antifascist practices, as well as lived movements of religious communities. Study delves into background underlying today's increasingly tense milieu in order to better understand how its politics are inextricably tied up in religious expression.