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| Religious
Studies Courses |
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Religious Studies courses satisfy Area 3 of the Breadth of Study Requirements.
CM 10. Introduction to Asian Religious Traditions.
Mr. Michon. Historical study of major Eastern religious traditions in India,
China and Japan. Comparative methodology used to examine significant themes in
each of these religious traditions. (HRT I)
CM 15. Myth and Religion.
Mr. Michon. Interrogates myth, and how it has been understood in ancient and
contemporary societies. Offers a historical survey of various types of myths and
the academic understandings of them. Models of understanding applied to myths
from ancient Babylonian, Greek, Australian, Indian, and Native American
traditions. A redefinition of myth is offered for students to apply this to
contemporary discourse. (HRT II)
16. The Life Story of the Buddha.
Zhiru. Studies the making of religious biography through the example of the
historical Buddha Sakyamuni. Critically examines an array of textual and visual
genres consisting of canonical and non-canonical Buddhist texts, visual
manifestations, ritual enactments and film representations. These multiple
perspectives will reveal the significance of the life/lives of the Buddha in the
daily religious life of Buddhist communities. (HRT I)
20. The Biblical Heritage.
Ms. Runions. The Bible is hugely important for the formation and ongoing
structure of U.S. American culture, and yet all too often it is read very
superficially, or in ways that make manifest layered assumptions about its
religious meaning. This course introduces the diverse texts that make up the
Bible. Students will explore the texts through careful reading and critical
analysis, using a variety of interpretive strategies, including historical,
literary, and ideological critical analyses. Students will be asked to engage
critically with the biblical text, with their own interpretations of the texts,
as well as with scholarly works about the Bible. (HRT II, MES)
CM 21. Jewish Civilization.
Mr. Gilbert. Through readings from classical Jewish texts (Bible, Talmud,
Midrash, philosophy, mysticism), popular literature (e.g., memoirs, short
stories), and contemporary scholarship, the course explores the history of Jews
and Jewish communities, major textual and intellectual traditions that have
defined Jewish life, and the various constructions of Jewish identity
articulated through its texts, beliefs, and practices. (HRT II, MES)
CM 22. Introduction to Western Religious Traditions.
Staff. Drawing on historical and contemporary sources, this course is a study of
major Western traditions, including Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Comparative
methodology used to examine significant themes and issues in each religious
tradition. (HRT II, MES)
CM 37. History of World Christianity.
Staff. The history of Christianity from Jesus to the present. The origins of
Christian doctrine, the canon of Scripture, orthodoxy vs. heresy, rise of the
papacy, monasticism, scholasticism, mysticism, the Crusades, church-state
debates, Catholic-Orthodox/Christian-Muslim/Christian-Jewish conflicts, the
Reformation, missions, Protestant denominationalism, Christian liberalism,
fundamentalism, Pentecostalism, liberation theology and struggles over
indigenization, autonomy and colonialism in Africa, Asia and Latin America. (HRT
II, MES)
40. Religious Ethics.
Ms. Eisenstadt. What is ethics? Is it the study of the best way to live, or of
how best to serve others? Are these things the same or different? To whom and
for whom am I responsible? Where do these responsibilities come from? What do
the various religious traditions of the world have to say about these questions?
To what extent do they lay claim to the question of ethics, a question on which
the philosophical traditions also have a lot to say? Are such claims legitimate?
Do religious traditions generally say the same thing about morality, or do they
differ on ethical fundamentals? In this course we begin to think about these
difficult questions, through a careful study of selected texts. (PRT)
CM 41. Morality and Religion.
Staff. (PRT)
42. The Art of Living.
Mr. Smith. Considers the possibility of a human life itself as a religious
practice of aesthetic creativity. By tracking exemplars in the Western tradition
in both art and theory, investigates the potential for living such a life
successfully, the discipline required to do so and the hazards that it faces. (PRT)
CM 43. Introduction to Religious Thought.
Mr. Davis. A study of such concepts as creation, evil, and the nature of God in
recent and contemporary monotheistic traditions.
60. Feminist Interpretations of the Bible.
Staff. Sampling from various literary families of the Bible, this course will
carry out feminist analysis of biblical texts and explore their feminist
interpretations and their political motivations. Through the exploration of
different feminist perspectives, methods, contexts and social locations, the
course will underline how these various factors shape feminist interpretations
of the Bible. (CWS, HRT II)
SC 61. New Testament and Christian Origins.
Mr. Jacobs. Students will examine the New Testament and other Christian
literature of the first and second centuries in the context of the history,
culture, religion, and politics of the late ancient Mediterranean. The course
will emphasize analytical reading, the varieties of early Christian expression
and experience, and key scholarly and theoretical issues. (HRT II, MES)
80. The Holy Fool: The Comic, the Ugly, and Divine
Madness.
Mr. Smith. Themes surrounding the ridiculous, the repulsive, and the
revolutionary will be considered in the light of conceptual hallmarks of divine
madness. As socio-political strategies that signal and figure forms of decay and
death, both comedy and ugliness are the skilled means we will examine through
which holy fool constantly reintroduces us to the contingencies and
discrepancies of the world. (PRT)
CM 84. Religion, Race, and the Civil Rights Movement.
Mr. Espinosa. This course examines the influence of religion on the origins and
ideological development of white supremacy and the pan-ethnic civil rights
movement in the United States. It explores the faith-based civil rights
struggles in the African American, Mexican American/Chicano, and American Indian
(AIM) civil rights movements. It will do so by analyzing how Protestants,
Catholics, Muslims, and practitioners of Native American religions such as
Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, César Chávez, Ralph Abernathy, Reies López
Tijerina, Dolores Huerta, Dennis Banks, and others drew on their religious
ideologies, symbols, texts, and counter-narratives in their struggles for civil
rights and social justice in post-1950 America. (CWS)
SC 90. Early Christian Bodies.
Mr. Jacobs. In this course we will explore physical religious behavior,
understandings of the human body, and interpretations of bodily experience among
early Christian men and women. The course will emphasize critical analysis of
primary sources, secondary scholarship, and contemporary theoretical approaches
concerning gender, sexuality, martyrdom, pilgrimage, asceticism, virginity,
fasting, and monasticism. (HRT II, MES)
SC 91. Heretics, Deviants, and “Others” in Early
Christianity.
Mr. Jacobs. How did the concepts of "correct" belief and behavior, as well as
"heresy" and "deviance," develop and exert authority out of the diversity in
early Christianity? This course will examine the evidence for several debates
and notorious dissenters. Topics include traditional and revisionist views of
the nature of "orthodoxy" and "heresy," social theory as a tool for interpreting
ancient sources, the rhetorical "construction" of otherness, and the use of
violence by ecclesiastical and civil authorities. A. Jacobs (HRT II, MES)
SC 92. Varieties of Early Christianity.
Mr. Jacobs. Through study of ancient texts and monuments, this course explores
the diverse forms of Christianity that arose in the first six centuries CE. We
will pay particular attention to political, cultural, and social expressions of
early Christianity, including: martyrdom, asceticism, religious conflict (with
Jews, pagans, and heretics), and political ideology. (HRT II, MES)
SC 93. Early Christianity and/as Theory.
Mr. Jacobs. Why do scholars of early Christianity so often turn to theories
developed in modern contexts, and why do modern theorists so often use ancient
Christianity as a testing ground? We will examine this cross-fascination in the
realms of sociology, anthropology, Marxism, psychoanalysis, feminism,
postcolonialism and queer theory.(HRT II)
100. Worlds of Buddhism.
Zhiru. An introduction to Buddhism as a critical element in the formation of
South, Central, Southeast and East Asian cultures. Thematic investigation
emphasizing the public and objective dimensions of the Buddhist religion. Topics
include hagiography, gender issues, soulcraft, statecraft and the construction
of sacred geography. (HRT I)
CM 102. Hinduism and South Asian Culture.
Mr. Michon. Explores the main ideas, practices and cultural facets of Hinduism
and Indian culture. Emphasis on the development of the major strands of
Hinduism, the caste system, yoga and Hindu relations with Sikhs, Muslims and the
West. (HRT I)
103. Religious Traditions of China.
Zhiru. Surveys vast range of religious beliefs and practices in Chinese
historical context. Examines the myriad worlds of Buddhism, Daoism and
Confucianism, and meets with ghosts, ancestors, ancient oracle bones, gods,
demons, Buddhas, imperial politics, social customs and more, all entwined in
what became the traditions of China. (HRT I)
104. Religious Traditions of Japan. Zhiru. (HRT
I)
PZ 106. Zen Buddhism.
Mr. Parker. (HRT I)
117. The World of Mahayana Scriptures: Art, Doctrine
and Practice.
Zhiru. Examines Mahayana Buddhist scriptures in written texts and through their
visual representations and the spiritual practices (e.g., ritual, meditation,
pilgrimage) they inspired. Doctrinal implications will be discussed, but
emphasis will be on the material culture surrounding Mahayana scriptures. (HRT
1)
PZ 119. Religion in Medieval East Asia. Mr.
Parker. (HRT I)
CM 120. The Life of Jesus.
Mr. Gilbert. A survey of the issues surrounding scholarly study of the life of
Jesus. Readings from the gospels and from ancient, modern and contemporary
constructions of the life of Jesus. The gospels will be studied with emphasis on
their dating, sources, relationships to each other, literary structure and
theological meaning. (HRT II, MES)
SC 121. The Pauline Tradition.
Staff. Examination of letters of Paul in social, cultural and religious settings
and later writings, both biblical and non-biblical, from early Christian
literature claiming to represent the thought of Paul. Special attention given to
women’s role in Pauline communities and impact of Pauline theology on women’s
lives and spiritual experiences. (HRT II, MES)
CM 122. Biblical Interpretation.
Mr. Gilbert. (HRT II, MES)
124. Myth in Classical Religious Traditions.
Staff. (HRT II)
128. The Religion of Islam.
Ms. Kassam. (HRT II, MES)
CM 129. Formative Judaism.
Mr. Gilbert. A survey of Jewish history, literature, thought, and practice from
the early Second Temple period (500 BCE) to the early Middle Ages (1000 CE).
Particular attention will be given categories central to the formation of
classical Judaism: modes of biblical interpretation, the role and authority of
rabbis, the function of halakha (Jewish law), synagogue, philosophy, and
mysticism. (HRT II, MES)
130. Convivencia: Religious “Tolerance” in Medieval
Spain.
Mr. Wolf. A critical, nuanced look at the idea that Muslims, Christians, and
Jews lived together in relative harmony in Spain under Muslim rule between the
8th and 11th centuries, and benefited from their interactions with one another.
This romantic notion, which has gained traction in the wake of 9/11, will be
evaluated in light of actual historical evidence. (HRT 1, MES)
CM 131. Synagogue and Church.
Mr. Gilbert. A survey of early Jewish synagogues and Christian churches,
primarily through their art and architecture. The course will explore the
contributions archaeological data make to the understanding of Judaism and
Christianity and how each religious tradition physically and ideologically
constructs sacred space. (HRT I, MES)
132. Messiahs and the Millennium.
Ms. Runions. Course traces the origin and development of apocalyptic thought,
studies those who have espoused apocalyptic ideas and led millennial
communities, and surveys contemporary responses to the "end of time." Special
attention is paid to the way that apocalyptic thought has particular aspects of
U.S. culture. (HRT II, MES)
133. Modern Judaism.
Ms. Eisenstadt. A survey of Jewish history, literature, thought, and practice
from 1000 C.E. to the present, exploring the changing self-understanding of Jews
against the background of the birth and development of the modern world, and
focusing on the European ghetto, Haskalah, Hasidism, denominational schisms,
early Zionism, and the events that heralded the development of modern
antisemitism. (HRT II, MES)
CM 135. Jerusalem: The Holy City.
Mr. Gilbert. Survey of the religious, political, and cultural history of
Jerusalem over three millennia as a symbolic focus of three faiths: Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam. Focus on the transformation of sacred space as
reflected by literary and archaeological evidence by examining the testimony of
artifacts, architecture, and iconography in relation to the written word. Study
of the creation of mythic Jerusalem through event and experience, and discussion
of the implications of this history on Jerusalem’s current political situation.
(HRT II, MES)
CM 136. Religion in Contemporary America.
Mr. Espinosa. Examines themes and controversies in religion in American culture
since the 1950s. Topics include the changing religious landscape of America; the
civil rights movement; the peace movement; feminism and religion; separation of
church and state; religion and politics, particularly fundamentalism and
compassionate conservatism; and religious terrorism. (HRT II, CWS)
CM 137. Jewish-Christian Relations.
Mr. Gilbert. Examines relations between Jews and Christians from antiquity to
the present and the ways in which Jews and Christians have thought about the
other. How theological, social, political and racial concepts contributed to the
development of anti-Semitism; how Jews have understood Christians and responded
to Christian religious and social claims about Jews; and what attempts have been
made throughout history, but particularly since the Holocaust, to establish more
constructive relations. (HRT II, MES)
CM 138. American Religious History.
Mr. Espinosa. Examines the role that religion has played in the history of the
United States and asks students to explore critically how peoples and
communities in various places and times have drawn upon religion to give meaning
to self, group and nation. Covers a wide range of religious traditions, as well
as regional, denominational and racial-ethnic dimensions within these groups. (CWS)
Same course as CM HIST 153.
139. Benjamin, Blanchot, Levinas, Derrida:
Contemporary Continental Jewish Philosophy.
Ms. Eisenstadt. These philosophers all object to the totalizing nature of the
philosophy of history, which, as they see it, has dominated modern thought. We
examine the way they critique or replace it with a philosophy of
language-translation, dialogue, writing in which theorizing arises from the
relation of same and other. (PRT, CWS)
140. The Idea of God: Modern Theologies of Belief.
Mr. Irish. An exploration and assessment of 20th-century European and North
American theologians. How do they describe the human condition? Are their
descriptions convincing? Do their ideas of God, religion and morality match our
own? Are they asking questions we would ask, and do their responses give
expression to our beliefs, religious or secular? (PRT)
141. The Experience of God: Contemporary Theologies of
Transformation.
Mr. Irish. An exploration and assessment of African-American, Asian, ecological,
feminist, liberation and process theologies. What do these theologies have in
common? How do they differ? Do they speak from our experience? What insights do
they have for our pluralistic, multicultural society? (PRT)
142. The Problem of Evil: African-American Engagements
With(in) Western Thought.
Mr. Smith. Thematically explores the many ways African Americans have
encountered and responded to evils (pain, wickedness and undeserved suffering)
both as a part of and apart from the broader Western tradition. We will examine
how such encounters trouble the distinction made between natural and moral evil,
and how they highlight the tensions between theodicies and further ethical
concerns. (CWS, PRT)
CM 143. Philosophy of Religion.
Mr. Davis. Can God’s existence be proved? Is religious faith ever rationally
warranted? Are religious propositions cognitively meaningful? Can one believe in
a good, omnipotent God in a world containing evil? Readings from historical and
contemporary sources. (PRT)
CM 144. Life, Death and Survival of Death.
Mr. Davis. A study of philosophical and theological answers to questions about
death, the possibility of life after death and the meaning of life. (PRT)
CM 145. Religion and Science.
Staff. Examines historical encounters between science and religion and provides
a systematic analysis of their present relationship. Goal is to produce an
appropriate synthesis of science and religion. Evolution, mechanism,
reductionism, indeterminacy, incompleteness and the roles of faith and reason in
science and religion. (PRT)
CM 146. The Holocaust.
Staff. (HRT II)
148. Sufism.
Ms. Kassam. What is the Muslim mystics’ view of reality? How is the soul
conceptualized in relation to the divine being? What philosophical notions did
they draw upon to articulate their visions of the cosmos? How did Muslim mystics
organize themselves to form communities? What practices did they consider
essential in realizing human perfection? (PRT, MES)
149. Islamic Thought.
Ms. Kassam. Examines various facets of Islamic thought with respect to religious
authority, political theory, ethics, spirituality and modernity. Addresses these
issues within the discussions prevalent in Islamic philosophy, theology and
mysticism, and, where available, their modern representatives. (PRT, MES)
151. Spirit Matters: In Search of a Personal Ecology.
Mr. Irish. (PRT)
152. Ritual and Magic in Children’s Literature.
Ms. Eisenstadt. Many children’s stories describe a passage from immaturity to
individuality and responsibility, and facilitate such a passage in their
readers. We study this pattern in various works with a focus on the role of
ritual and magic. Our purpose is to arrive at a critical awareness of how the
stories work, and to speculate on the residue they leave on our religious sense
and hermeneutics. (CWS)
CM 153. Religion and American Politics.
Mr. Espinosa. This seminar will explore major debates and controversies in
American religions and politics from the colonial period to the present. Special
attention will be paid to debates about the impact of religion on the
Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence,
African-American and Latino Civil Rights movements, the Christian Right,
Church-State debate, and religion and political views of women, seculars,
Blacks, Latinos, Jews, and Muslims. (CWS)
154. Life, Love and Suffering in Biblical Wisdom and
the Modern World.
Ms. Runions. In this course we look at the wisdom literatures of the Hebrew
Bible (Proverbs, Job, Qohelet) in their the ancient Near Eastern and literary
contexts, and then alongside what might be considered latter-day wisdom
literature, that is, works by twentieth-century writers influenced by
existentialism (Simone de Beauvoir, Elie Wiesel, and Tom Stoppard). We will read
biblical texts first for themselves, and then alongside more recent works,
discussing the themes of love, suffering, evil, absurdity, and action as they
appear in both sets of texts. Attention will also be paid to the issues at stake
in textual interpretation, and the degree to which the contemporary texts are
afterlives of the ancient texts. (CWS, MES)
155. Religion, Ethics and Social Practice.
Mr. Irish. How do our beliefs, models of moral reasoning and communities of
social interaction relate to one another? To what extent do factors such as
class, culture and ethnicity determine our assumptions about the human condition
and the development of our own human sensibilities? Discussion and three- to
six-hour-per-week placement with poor or otherwise marginalized persons in the
Pomona Valley. (PRT)
157. Philosophical Responses to the Holocaust.
Ms. Eisenstadt. According to some thinkers, the event of the Holocaust has
called into question all of the Western thought that preceded it. In this
course, we examine this claim, focusing on the question of whether, after the
Holocaust and similar contemporary horrors, theology and philosophy must change
in order to speak responsibly. Thinkers taken up include Arendt, Fackenheim,
Browning, Bauman, Spiegelman, Voegelin, Adorno, Jabes, and Levinas. (PRT)
158. Introduction to Jewish Mysticism.
Ms. Eisenstadt. Close reading of selections from various texts of medieval
Jewish mysticism in translation, including the Zohar, Abulafia, Cordovero, Luria,
and the Hasidim. (HRT II, PRT, MES)
CM 159. Researching the Holocaust: Historical and
Philosophical Perspectives.
Staff. (CWS)
SC 160. Feminist Interpretations of the Gospels.
Staff. (CWS, HRT II)
CM 161. Gurus, Swamis, and Others.
Ms. Humes. (CWS, HRT I)
162. Modern Jewish Philosophy.
Ms. Eisenstadt. (CWS, PRT, MES)
CM 163. Women and Gender in the Jewish Tradition.
Mr. Gilbert. Examines representation of women and gender in Jewish tradition and
how women from biblical period to present have experienced Judaism. Attention to
articulation of these issues in biblical and rabbinic texts, influence these
texts have had on Jewish attitudes and practices, particular religious
activities practiced by women, and opportunities and questions raised by
developments in contemporary Judaism including liturgical revisions and
ordination of women as rabbis. (CWS, MES)
164. Engendering and Experience: Women in Islamic
Traditions.
Ms. Kassam. Explores the normative bases of the roles and status of women and
examines Muslim women’s experience in various parts of the Muslim world in order
to appreciate the situation of and the challenges facing Muslim women. (CWS, MES)
PZ 165. Sex and Religion.
Mr. Zuckerman. (CWS)
166A,B. Comparative Studies in Religion.
Staff.
166A. The Divine Body: Religion and the Environment.
Ms. Kassam. Sallie McFague calls the universe, and hence the earth, the Body of
God. How are we treating such a body? How have our religions treated the earth?
Is our environment at risk, and if so, due to what factors? Are religions part
of the problem or part of the solution with respect to sustaining and possibly
nurturing our environment? (CWS, PRT)
CM 166B. Religion, Politics and Global Violence.
Mr. Espinosa. Examines the critical intersection of religious ideology, rhetoric
and values to justify acts of violence and calls for peace and reconciliation in
the name of God. Explores case studies that include attention to conflicts in
Europe-Northern Ireland and Bosnia/Serbia; the Middle East-Israel-Palestine and
Iraq; Southeast Asia-Indonesia; the Indian Subcontinent-India-Pakistan;
Africa-the Sudan and Rwanda. Spring 2010 (CWS, PRT)
PZ 167. Theory and Practice of Resistance to
Monoculture.
Mr. Parker. (CWS)
PZ 168. Culture and Power.
Mr. Parker. (CWS)
SC 169. The Church of the Poor in Latin America.
Ms. Forster. Since the advent of liberation theology, the church in Latin
America has become a deeply fractured institution. A look at the powerful
currents that have swept Catholicism and nourished social movements for justice
“on earth as well as in heaven.” (CWS)
SC 170. Women and Religion in Greco-Roman Antiquity.
Mr. Jacobs. (CWS, HRT II)
CM 171. Religion and Film.
Mr. Espinosa. (CWS)
172. Celluloid Bible: Hollywood, the Bible, and Ideology.
Ms. Runions. The Bible
appears in film as subject matter, as cultural reference point, and as subtext.
Its appearance in film is not neutral, rather it positions viewers either to
accept or reject societal systems of dominance. We examine how popular film both
takes up and modifies biblical content and symbolism, and to what end. In
learning to interpret biblical allusions, subtexts, and narratives in film, we
will consider how the Bible is used to uphold, as well as to critique, hegemonic
norms within U.S. American society. Readings in critical theory will provide an
ideological critical framework in which to understand the interplay between the
Bible, film, and society. We will consider films such as, The Passion of Christ,
Last Temptation of Christ, The Ten Commandments, The Da Vinci Code, David and
Bathsheba, Remember the Titans, Stargate, Menace II Society, Fried Green
Tomatoes, Three Kings, The Handmaid's Tale, Pleasantville, The Hunted, Magnolia,
Dracula, The Devil's Advocate, Pulp Fiction, Men in Black (subject to
change).(CWS, HRT II)
CM 173. U.S. Latino Religions and Politics.
Mr. Espinosa. Examines the critical impact of religion on Latino politics and
civic activism in the United States. Special attention will be paid to religion
and the Chicano movement, Cesar Chavez, farmworkers struggle, Reies Lopez
Tijerina’s land grant struggle, the Sanctuary movement, and the Elian Gonzalez
controversy. This will be followed by analyses of how Latino Catholic, Mainline
Protestant,Evangelical, and Pentecostal religious affiliation has shaped Latino
party affiliation, presidential voting, and church-state and social attitudes. (CWS)
CM 174. Religion and the American Presidency.
Mr. Espinosa. Examines the critical impact of religion on the Founding Fathers,
the Constitution and the American presidency through histories, biographies,
film, and primary source documents. Exploration of how religious symbols,
sensibilities, values and world-views have shaped the domestic and/or foreign
policies of Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Lincoln, JFK, Carter, Reagan, Bush
Sr., Clinton and Bush Jr. (CWS)
CM 175. Visions of the Divine Feminine in Hinduism and
Buddhism.
Staff. (CWS)
177. Gender and Religion.
Ms. Runions. his course examines the complicated intersections of gender and
religion. Neither gender, nor religion are straightforward categories, as the
literature on each attests, and must be theorized as categories with particular
histories and cultural contexts. This course will look at the ways in which
"gender" and "religion" interact within various historical and cultural contexts
to reinforce, contradict, and also resist traditional notions of gender and
religious experience. Attention will be paid to how religion affects experiences
of gender; and how gender affects experiences of religion. More specifically, we
will explore the way in which the intersection of gender and religion affects
understandings, experiences, and negotiations of religious origins, personal
identities, religious experiences, agency, body shapes, images and disciplines,
sexuality, race relations, cultural appropriations, and power structures. (CWS)
178. The Modern Jewish Experience.
Ms. Eisenstadt. Focusing on the relationship of Judaism to contemporary culture,
the course takes up such issues as anti-Semitism, assimilation, Zionism, Jewish
self-hatred, feminist Judaism, queer Judaism and Judaism in postmodern
philosophy. Texts read will be drawn from a wide range of genres. (CWS, HRT II,
MES)
HM 183. Ghosts and Machines.
Ms. Dyson. Explores the interrelations between occult mediumship, modern media
and technology in Europe and the United States from the nineteenth century
through the present. Topics for the course include: ghostly visions and magic
lantern phantasmagoria; American spiritualism and the telegraph; phrenology and
rise of the archive; psychical research and stage magic; radio’s disembodied
voices; and spirit photography and therapeutic light therapies; psychic
television; magic on film.
184. Queer Theory and the Bible.
Ms. Runions. This course will look at how the Bible can be read productively
through queer theory. We will examine biblical passages that are central to
prohibitions on homosexuality, and the larger discourses of heteronormativity
(constructed around gender, sexuality, class, national identity, state
formations, kinship, children etc.) in which homophobic readings of the Bible
emerge. We will also look at the ways in which these discourses and the
identities they shore up can be "queered," as well as at biblical texts that can
be read as queer friendly. This process of queering will allow and require us to
approach the biblical text in new ways.(CWS, HRT II)
Integrative Courses, Independent Study and the Senior Thesis
180. Interpreting Religious Worlds.
Mr. Smith. Required for all majors and minors. Examines some current approaches
to the study of religion as a legitimate field of academic discourse. Provides
an introduction to the confusing array of “isms” encountered nowadays in those
debates over theory and method in the humanities and social sciences that
concern the scholarly study of religion.
190. Senior Seminar in Religious Studies.
Ms. Kassam. Required for all senior majors. Advanced readings, discussion and
seminar presentations on selected areas and topics in the study of religion.
191. Senior Thesis.
Staff. Required of all senior majors in Religious Studies.
Each semester.
99/199. Reading and Research.
Staff. A reading and research program for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite:
permission of instructor. 99, lower-level; 199, advanced work. Course or
half-course. May be repeated. Each semester. (Summer Reading and Research taken
as 98/198.)
Related Courses
ID 20. Science and Religion: Friends, Enemies, or Strangers? (PRT)
ANTH 120. Altered States of Consciousness.
ANTH 150. Religion, Myth and Ritual (PRT)
ENGL 80. Bible as Literature (HRT II)
CLAS 52a,b. Biblical Hebrew
MUS 89a. The Islamic Voice.
CM ARBC 001. Introductory Arabic
CM ARBC 002. Continuing Introductory Arabic
CM ARBC 033. Intermediate Arabic
CM HIST 56. Middle East: Ottomans to the Present. (MES, HRT 1 or II)
CM HIST 165. Middle East in Modern Times. (MES)
HM HIST 131. The Jewish Experience in America (HRT II, CWS)
PZ ANTH 88. China: Gender, Cosmology, and the State. (HRT I, CWS)
PZ CLAS 121. Classical Mythology. (PRT)
PZ HIST 173. Religion, Violence, and Tolerance, 1450–1650. (HRT II)
PZ PHIL 84. Islamic Philosophy. (MES)
PZ SOC 114. Sociology of Religion. (CWS)
SC ANTH 25. Anthropology of the Middle East. (HRT I, CWS, MES)
SC ANTH 87. Contemporary Issues: Gender and Islam. (HRT I, CWS, MES)
SC PHIL 170. Philosophy of Religion. (PRT)
CGU REL 410. The Qur’an and Its Interpreters. (MES, PRT)
CGU REL 425. Survey of Islamic Theology, Philosophy and Mysticism. (MES, PRT)
CGU REL 432. Islam in the American Mosaic. (MES, HRT I or II)
CGU REL 436. Islamic Law and Legal Theory. (MES)
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