Courses of Instruction

Course Categories (For Students Under Older Major/Minor Requirements)

Course Descriptions

GREE 10053 First Semester College Greek (Hellenistic). An introduction to the grammar of ancient Greek, utilizing as the basis of study the elements of the Hellenistic Greek of the first century A.D. found in the best known documents of the period, the New Testament.

GREE 10063 Second Semester College Greek (Hellenistic). HELLENISTIC Prerequisite: GREE 10053 or its equivalent. Continuation of GREE 10053. In the second half of the semester, students will read from the New Testament Gospels.

GREE 20053 Third Semester College Greek (Hellenistic). Prerequisite: GREE 10053 and 10063 or equivalent. Further study of Hellenistic Greek grammar, through extensive reading in the New Testament, especially the letters of Paul.

GREE 20063 Fourth Semester College Greek (Hellenistic). Prerequisite: GREE 20053 or equivalent. Continuation of GREE 20053, with reading and interpretation of the New Testament and other Hellenistic texts.

GREE 40970 Directed Studies in Greek. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Opportunity for independent study of Hellenistic text. (1-6 semester hours.)

RELI 10003 Understanding Religion: The Bible. This course considers historical, comparative and methodological issues in the study of religion by focusing on the background and contents of the Hebrew and Christian Bibles and ways these foundational texts inform later Judaism and Christianity.

RELI 10013 Understanding Religion: The World's Religions. This course considers historical, comparative and methodological issues in the study of religion by focusing on some foundational texts, figures and ideas in major world religions.

RELI 10023 Understanding Religion: Communities. This course introduces students to the vital role of religion in human experience by considering historical, comparative and methodological issues in the study of religion with reference to rituals, institutions, texts, figures, and beliefs in major world religions. Credit cannot be given for both RELI 10013 and 10023.

RELI 10033 Understanding Religion: Texts and Ideas. This course introduces students to the vital role of religion in human experience by exploring literary, historical, cultural dimensions of religion texts, patterns of belief, and related ritual and ethical practices. Credit cannot be given for both RELI 10003 and 10033.

RELI 10043 Understanding Religion: Society and Culture. This course introduces students to the vital role of religion in human experience. Through case studies, readings, lectures, and multimedia demonstrations, students will learn about the various relations between religion, culture, and society. Credit cannot be given for both RELI 10013 and RELI 10043.

RELI 10433 Freshman Seminar in Religion. Topics may vary each time it is offered.

RELI 10533 Freshman Seminar in Religion. Topics may vary each time it is offered.

RELI 20123 New Testament Literature and Life. An introduction to the writings in the New Testament with special attention to the content of the individual books, together with an understanding of the beginnings of the Christian faith seen through the study of the Gospels and the initial development of the Christian movement.

RELI 20443 Faith and Ethical Leadership. What's religion got to do with making moral decisions? In this introduction to religious ethics, students learn how to deepen their capacity to make moral choices by thinking about the interrelationship of modes of decision-making, social analyses and faith commitments. Then, using case studies, students explore how Muslims, Christians and Jews can provide moral leadership in civic discourse regarding ethical issues from pre-marital sex to economic justice.

RELI 20503 Africa and the African Diaspora: History, Religion, and Culture. This class examines the origins and impact of African civilization, focusing on the worlds of traditional religions, Islam and Christianity in Africa; colonialism, anti-colonial struggles, independence, and post-colonialism; African studies in Western Scholarship; and issues affecting modern Africa.

RELI 20513 Africa and the African Diaspora: History, Religion, and Culture. Building on RELI 20503, this class examines West African religious traditions, the 'involuntary diaspora' to the New World, as well as 'creole' religions and culture within the Caribbean. In concludes with an account of the rise of the African Independent Churches; the place of women in North African Islam; the presence of Rastafari in Ghana, and the continuing clash of traditional African and Western cultures.

RELI 20523 Sophomore Seminar: Finding the Founders: Lives of Confucius, the Buddha, and Jesus. Prerequisite: Religion major or permission of instructor. Must have completed introductory religion course. This course considers the founders of three important religious traditions, both in their own right and as examples of what happens during the creation of a religious tradition. After considering the question "what is religion?" we turn to reports of the lives of Confucius, the Buddha, and Jesus Christ. We will inquire into how their cultural context shapes them, and how our cultural upbringing shapes the way we look at them.

RELI 20643 Sophomore Seminar: Thinking About Christian Faith. Prerequisites: Religion major or permission of instructor. Must have completed an introductory Religion course. An introduction to theological reading, thinking, and writing through an exploration of major doctrines in Christian theology. Nineteenth- and twentieth-century developments, such as the rise of historical thinking and its impact on Christology, the rise of scientific thinking and its impact on the doctrine of creation, and the rise of postmodern thinking and its impact on Christian views of other religions will be emphasized. Class procedure will be seminar discussion of assigned readings.

RELI 20703 Leadership in Ministry. Prerequisite: Religion major or minor, or departmental permission. Introduces the role of the minister and outlines his/her responsibilities. Special emphasis on preaching, religious education (including youth work) and pastoral care.

RELI 20803 Sophomore Seminar: Myth and Ritual on Film. Through course readings and screenings, students will see how films are created in ways strikingly similar to the ways religious rituals and myths are created. Films screened include The Matrix, The Wizard of Oz, Apocalypse Now, and Before the Rain.

RELI 30003 Honors Seminar in Religion. Creative dialogue between religion and other disciplines of learning, or aspects of culture.

RELI 30113 Jesus and the Gospels. A careful look at early Christian gospels, including Thomas, and at how scholars construct a historical Jesus from them.

RELI 30123 Paul and the Early Church. The developing origins of Christianity, with particular emphasis on Paul and his influence.

RELI 30133 Religion and the Search for Meaning in the Old Testament. Study of the biblical books of Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Job within their own socio-historic contexts as a basis for investigating some of the fundamental questions of human religious experience, including the function of worship, the relationship of reason and faith, the problem of evil, and the bases of ethical behavior.

RELI 30143 Love and Sex in the Biblical World. Prerequisite: RELI 10003, 10013, or permission of instructor. A study of male-female relationships in Israel's history, literature and religion, with attention to the relevance of biblical values to today's society.

RELI 30153 How to Read the Bible: Story and Politics. Prerequisite: RELI 10003, 10013, or permission of instructor. Explores distinctive characteristics of biblical narrative and investigates why readers produce different interpretations of biblical stories. It asks how social structures and value systems, ancient and modern, affect texts and interpreters.

RELI 30163 The Bible at the Movies. Prerequisite: RELI 10003, 10013, or permission of instructor. Examines movies based on biblical stories to see how the Bible may be interpreted in words and visual images. Investigates how the Bible's authority is used to promote particular religious, moral, social, and political values in popular culture.

RELI 30303 Christian Ethics. An introduction (beginning with the Bible) to major perspectives, with particular focus on developments since the Reformation. The student will argue a contemporary issue from a historical perspective.

RELI 30323 Christian Tradition: Emergence to the Renaissance. A study of developments in Christian thought, practice, and institutions from the beginnings of the church through the 15th century.

RELI 30333 Christian Tradition: Reformation To Modernity. A study of developments in Western Christianity from the 16th century Reformation to the 20th century, with attention to issues of theology, institutions, and practices. Does not include religion in America.

RELI 30343 Black Religion in United States. Explores the relationship between "race" and religion, and surveys African-American religious history in the United States, from the religious commitments of enslaved Africans to contemporary American black people's faiths.

RELI 30413 Contemporary Catholicism. Roman Catholicism in the modern period with particular attention given to the Second Vatican Council and its intellectual and institutional implications. There will be some emphasis on American Catholicism.

RELI 30433 Christianity and Contemporary Social Issues. Critical study of the relationship of Christianity to the formation of social values, to participation in national and international ethical discourse, and to participation in popular culture in America

RELI 30443 Religion and Politics in Latin America: The Cross and the Sword. Study will focus on the traditional and newly-emerging interaction of Judeo-Christian ideas and institutions with the society and politics of certain Latin American countries. In comparison, the cultural bases of North American presuppositions about religion and politics will also be explored. (Also taught as POSC 30503).

RELI 30453 Sects and Cults in American Religion. The categories "sect" and "cult" in religion studies, with illustrations from existing groups, both within and outside the Christian tradition, e.g., Hasidic Judaism, Jehovah's Witnesses, Christian Science, Baha'i, the Amish, and Mormonism.

RELI 30463 Being Latina/o and Religious in the U.S.. This course will investigate the variety of religious life found among U.S. Latina/os, looking beyond misconceptions, generalizations and stereotypes.

RELI 30513 Hindu Religious Perspectives. An exploration of the diverse strands of the Hindu religious tradition (ritual, philosophical, devotional) from the Vedic period to the modern day.

RELI 30523 East Asian Religious Perspectives. Examines the development of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism. The course will explore the religious worldviews of these East Asian traditions in historical and cultural context, as well as issues relating to the comparative study of religions.

RELI 30533 Buddhism: Thought and Practice. The development of Buddhism in India, Southeast Asia, Tibet, China, Japan, and North America. Material will range from the Buddha's life to contemporary forms of Buddhism in America.

RELI 30543 Islam. The Islamic religious tradition from 7th century Arabia to current resurgence, including social, theological, and mystical dimensions. Topics include Muslim views of Allah, revelation the Qur'an, and the Prophet Muhammad. Islam's encounter with "modernity" will also be addressed.

RELI 30553 African Religions. Explores the worldviews, beliefs and practices of African Traditional Religions. Also examines the impact of Christianity and Islam on African Traditional Religions since the colonial period.

RELI 30563 Judaism. The course is an introduction to many of the historical forms and manifestations of Judaism. The goal of this course is to examine Judaism conceptually, considering topics such as literature, politics, art, history and ritual, and to provide the student with a conceptual basis that will facilitate the comparison of Judaism with other world religions.

RELI 30573 Daoism and Chinese Religions. This course explores the development of the Daoist tradition in the context of Chinese popular religions. We will study early Daoist communities, texts, and practices to advance our understanding of such religious themes as: the body and the cosmos; magical medicine; immortality practice; ritual; scripture and revelation; apocalypticism; and the relationship between "classical" and "popular" religious traditions.

RELI 30633 Philosophy of Religion. Prerequisite: PHIL 10003 or any religion course. This course is centrally concerned with issues relating to the rationality and justification of religious convictions. There is also an interest in the coherence of religious concepts. Various philosophical models for understanding and evaluating religious convictions and practices are examined and applied.

RELI 30643 God in Modern Thought. Prerequisite: 3 semester hours of Religion or Philosophy. An exploration of ideas of God as they have developed in Western theology and philosophy since the 17th century. The relation between these ideas and current models for thinking about God will be stressed.

RELI 30673 Anthropology and Religion. Prerequisites: ANTH 20623, RELI 10023 or RELI 10043 or consent of the instructor. Anthropological findings in the comparative study of religion and culture across a broad range of societies. Studies of sacred experience, myth, ritual, magic, witchcraft, religious language, gender and religion, healing, and relationships between social and religious change.

RELI 30683 Sociology of Religion. Prerequisite: SOCI 20213; SOCI 20223 or permission of instructor. An introduction to understanding the role of religion in society and to sociological methods for the study of religion. The course will introduce theories and research pertaining to types of religious experience, conversion and commitment, denominationalism, secularization and fundamentalism. Class, gender, race and ethnicity will also be addressed as they influence religion in society. (Offered as RELI or SOCI credit.)

RELI 30713 Women and Womanhood in Western Religion. An exploration of the ways Christianity, Judaism, and Islam have helped to shape Western attitudes toward women. The lives of representative women and their influence will be examined in some detail; readings from religious thinkers on the nature of woman will be studied.

RELI 30723 Religion and Science. An exploration of the ways of knowing utilized in religion (particularly the Judeo-Christian heritage) and in science, and how these ways of knowing relate.

RELI 30733 Mysticism. Prerequisite: RELI 10003, 10013 or permission of instructor. An examination of concepts of mysticism and mystical experience. Examples will be drawn from Christian, Hindu, and Buddhist sources.

RELI 30743 Religion, Art and Visual Culture. This course examines interactions between religious practices and the visual arts in cross-cultural settings. Looking at visual art media such as architecture, painting, film, landscape, gardens, and calligraphy, the course will situate these media in specific religious traditions and practices including Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

RELI 30773 India: Texts and Traditions. (ENGL 30773) A consideration of selected classic works of religious and literary imagination in Indian culture. Versions and interpretations of the Hindu epics Mahabharata and Ramayana will be examined in translation.

RELI 30783 Religion and Environmental Ethics. Explores the ethical challenge of increased competition for world resources. Examines how changing religious understandings of stewardship, fairness and rights shape moral choice in issues like distribution of goods, care of nature and population shifts.

RELI 30793 Religion, Sports and U.S. Culture. Studies sports to explore meaning and definition of religion, and examines role of sports in shaping U.S. faith and life from the seventeenth century to the present.

RELI 30813 Black Religions and Black Literature. This course explores the religious themes found within black literature for the purpose of developing new interdisciplinary methods and validating the use of black literary analysis for the study of black religion. The course introduces interdisciplinary methods and approaches to religious inquiry about the nature and meaning of God, religious experiences, community, and culture. Particular attention will be given to the black woman's literary tradition.

RELI 30823 Jesus in Fiction and Film. Over the past fifty years many creative writers and movie makers have attempted portraits of Jesus and Christ-figures in fiction and film. This course will identify the christological themes in these portraits and examine their importance for the development of contemporary Christian theology.

RELI 30833 Theology and Literature. This course probes the Christian theological themes (the reality of God, the person and work of Jesus Christ, the relationship between good and evil, the life and mission of the Church, and the idea of life after death) expressed in various works of post-1945 fiction and the Christian theological tradition.

RELI 30843 Latina Feminist Religious Thought. In this course we will investigate and analyze discourses put forward by Latinas within the religious/theological field and how they fit the larger picture of Latina Feminisms in the United States.

RELI 30853 Women in American Religion. Explores the experiences of women in American religion with attention to the interplay between women's religious identities and their roles in the work force, families, and racial, ethnic and/or minority groups. Readings will be drawn from historical, sociological and theological works.

RELI 30873 Islam in America. Explores the growth and spread of Islam in America. Introduces students to different Islamic groups and how they relate to each other. Discusses Muslims' responses to different challenges and criticism of Islam and Muslims by the media. Explains the roles of African Americans and women in Islamic institutions in America.

RELI 30883 Literary Images of God. Prerequisite: RELI 10003, 10013, or permission of instructor. This course examines the nature and activity of God from a variety of literary perspectives. One focus is a study of God as the protagonist of a classic of world literature, namely, the Hebrew Bible. Another focus is that of God in contemporary novels, short stories, and memoirs.

RELI 30893 Caribbean Religions. Beginning with an historical account of the origins and development of religions in the Caribbean, this course views the Neo-African traditions of Vodoun, Shamanism, Santeria, Rastafarianism, and Obeah through the prism of contemporary Caribbean literature.

RELI 30970 Directed Study: Religion. Directed Study in Religion.

RELI 40003 Senior Honors Research Paper. To be written under the tutorial leadership of members of the faculty.

RELI 40130 Issues in Biblical Interpretation. Prerequisite: RELI 10003 or permission of instructor. Examination of issues that arise from the interpretation of biblical texts. The particular issues studied will be chosen from areas of current interest or from methodological considerations (such as contemporary hermeneutics, biblical theology and ethics, or critical methodologies). (3-6 semester hours)

RELI 40313 The History of Religion in America. A survey of the major events and developments in religion in the United States, taking into account the development of institutions and thought patterns in terms of their interaction with the American context.

RELI 40603 Senior Seminar. Prerequisite: Senior standing and 12 hours in Religion. Capstone seminar exploring selected issues, themes, or methods in the academic study of religion.

RELI 40613 Constructive Global Ethics. A critical study of ethical inquiry in a pluralistic world by focusing on proposals for a global ethic, scholarship on interreligious dialogue and research in comparative religious ethics. Students write proposals for promoting moral consensus on an international issue.

RELI 40700 Religion in Geographical Context. A seminar dealing with a significant topic such as religion in art, church history, or contemporary issues, conducted in appropriate locations in this country or abroad. Specific topic will be defined as course is scheduled. Admission to course through application by announced deadline. (1-6 semester hours)

RELI 40733 Church and State Relations in America. The relationships between religious institutions and civil authority in America. While providing a historic context for the study, the course is primarily issue-oriented, dealing with such topics as prayer and Bible reading in public schools, state aid to parochial schools, conscientious objection to military service, Sunday closing laws, and taxation of churches.

RELI 40900 Projects in Religion. Assigned special problems in religion. (1-3 semester hours)

RELI 50130 Seminar in Biblical Studies. Prerequisite: approval of instructor. A particular topic in Biblical Studies will be selected for detailed study. (3-6 semester hours)

RELI 50970 Directed Study in Religion. 1 - 6 semester hours