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RELIGN M20 - Introduction to Islam
Instructor(s):
Atiyeh Taghiei, Mahsa Pashaei, Muhammad Souman Elah, Lori Pirinjian, Ahmed Alzohairy, Nora Bairamian, Mahade Hasan, Asma Sayeed
(Same as Islamic Studies M20.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Genesis of Islam, its doctrines, and practices, with readings from Qur'an and Hadith; schools of law and theology; piety and Sufism; reform and modernism. P/NP or letter grading.
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RELIGN M40 - Christianities East and West
Instructor(s):
Polina Varfolomeeva, Ronald Vroon
(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.
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RELIGN 101 - History of Study of Religion
Instructor(s):
Simon Joseph
Lecture, four hours. Recommended requisite: History 4. Survey of major modern theories, methods, and approaches to study of religion to situate them within their own historical, philosophical, and social contexts. Critical consideration of changing and contested meanings of term religion and its relationship to such categories as science and magic, as well as to other domains of social experience. Examination of how study of religion has interacted with other academic fields, especially biblical studies, anthropology, sociology, psychology, and evolutionary biology. P/NP or letter grading.
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RELIGN M118B - Kierkegaard and Philosophy of Religion
Instructor(s):
Mark Johnson
(Same as Philosophy M118B.) Lecture, three to four hours; discussion, one hour (when scheduled). Preparation: one philosophy course. Study of selected works of Kierkegaard on philosophy of religion, with emphasis on interpretation of texts. P/NP or letter grading.
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RELIGN M132 - Ancient Egyptian Religion
Instructor(s):
Allison Mccoskey, Charles Rhodes, Solange Ashby
(Same as Ancient Near East M130.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Introduction to religious beliefs, practices, and sentiments of ancient Egypt to study Egyptian religion as coherent system of thought and sphere of action that once served as meaningful and relevant framework for understanding physical reality and human life for inhabitants of Nile Valley. General principles as well as developments through time (circa 3000 BC to 300 CE). Topics include mythology, temple and cult, magic, and personal piety. P/NP or letter grading.
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RELIGN M175 - Topics in Philosophy of Religion
Instructor(s):
Mark Johnson
(Same as Philosophy M175.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Requisite: Philosophy 21 or 22. Intensive investigation of one or two topics or works in philosophy of religion, such as attributes of God, arguments for or against existence of God, or relation between religion and ethics. Topics announced each term. May be repeated for credit with consent of instructor.
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RELIGN 177 - Variable Topics in Religion
Instructor(s):
Joshua Waugh
Concept of happiness is elusive. It is always being strived for, but people often do not know exactly what they are striving for. Religion is one way people try to find structured understanding of how best to live. Sometimes, religion can even offer understanding of what it means to be happy. This is often described as inner peace in popular thought, but religion offers more expansive understanding of how best to live one's life. Examination of wide range of views from ancient Greek philosophers, Indian and Christian mystics, to German idealists and existentialists. Study asks how different views of religion affect ways in which it is possible to achieve good life, and what that good life looks like. Does it come in form of happiness? Or must people sacrifice happiness for sake of something larger than themselves? Importantly, study also asks whether possibility of living good life is reason to follow any particular religion; and how such concerns affect one's evaluation of religious t
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RELIGN 177 - Variable Topics in Religion: Religion and Pursuit of Love
Instructor(s):
Joshua Waugh
Examination of how religious traditions, across both culture and time, have understood and professed love as ultimate ideal. Love comes in many forms: familial, communal, spiritual, erotic, and universal. Each of these are tangled within central nebulous concept that many religions have tried to tease out. Exploration of texts such as Song of Songs, Bhagavad Gita, Dhammapada, and poetry of Rumi and many others to discover how religion attempts to shape the forms of love in one's life. Study considers critiques of religiously framed love, asking whether it fosters empathy and justice or imposes limiting ideals. Drawing on theology, philosophy, literature, and cultural history, students compare traditions while recognizing each one's distinct moral vision. Central questions of study are what it means to love well, and how religious perspectives can help or hinder that pursuit.
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RELIGN M186A - History of Early Christians
Instructor(s):
Simon Joseph
(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.
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RELIGN 191 - Variable Topics Research Seminars: Study of Religion
Instructor(s):
Carol Bakhos
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.
