RELIGION

 

The study of religion is the study of people — an innumerable multitude from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues, and ages and cultures and political affiliations, who believe certain things about the world in which they live (or have lived), and because of that belief, behave in certain ways.  They have done all the things people have always done: they have celebrated times and seasons with music and dance, food and drink; they have waged war and made peace; they have gazed into the heavens and climbed mountains; they have made laws and tried to enforce them; they have wondered, as we all still wonder, about the great mysteries of life and death, and the beginning and end of the world, and about our own human nature.  The study of religion is about all these things.  And let no one try to pretend that he or she is unaffected by these matters.  Because when all the rest has been cleared away, the fact of our mortality will remain to tantalize us until it is too late for it to matter.

 

- Eric J. Sharpe

University of Sydney

Introduction to

 Religious Inquiry

 

 

Religion 100    10:00 - 10:50 a.m.  MWF Dr. Baldwin

#21652              3 Credits                           

 

This course is designed to introduce those students with little or no experience in studying religion as an academic discipline to the methods, vocabulary and tools used to study religion.  We will examine the basic questions religion asks as well as the “answers” provided by major world religions; that is their sacred texts, traditions, rituals, customs and ethics.  In addition, students will learn the basic language of religious thought as well as the academic approach to reading sacred texts, including the tools of the historical-critical method used by biblical scholars.

 

Another goal of the course is to encourage students to exam and pursue their own religious journey by observing the interplay between their own religious narratives and those of others.  The atmosphere will be one that is “contemplative,” that is, one that gives each student space to examine his or her own assumptions, learn to separate the beliefs of faith from the objective study of religion and develop the religious imagination.   Students who enter this course will be expected to commit themselves to small group communities within the classroom.

 

This course will be initially closed to all students except Freshman, but will open up as space allows.  If you are a student who has never taken religion courses at the university, and would like to have this foundational course,  please see the instructor.

 

Introduction to Religion (West)

 

 

Religion 101        11:00 - 12:15 p.m.  TR Dr. Miller

#31500                  3 Credits                        

 

 

What does it mean to be Jewish? Who are the Muslims? Do all Christians believe the same thing? Scattered across the world are approximately three billion people who claim allegiance to one of these three ancient monotheistic faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Few people, however, have more than a cursory understanding of any of these religions. This course will begin answering some of the questions one might have about Judaism, Christianity, and Islam by  introducing the student to the history, beliefs, and practices of each religion. We will also explore the important religious literature associated with each faith. By the end of the semester, we should have a better awareness of the variety of religious expressions that make up our world, as well as a greater appreciation of our own religious beliefs.

 

 

Old Testament

 

 

Religion 220     2:00 - 3:15 p.m.  TR   Dr. Miller

#21679               3 Credits                     

 

 

There are few books that have influenced western culture more than the Old Testament/ Hebrew Bible. It is one of the most remarkable and exciting collections of literature available to us from the ancient world. It is more than merely a religious book ‑ deemed sacred by Christians and Jews. It is also a vast patchwork of stories, poems, speeches, laws, anecdotes, proverbs, songs, and other literary expressions that chronicle the life, loves, and pain of people not unlike us ‑ at least at the basic level of human experience, at the level of hopes and fears. The course will introduce the student to this amazing body of literature by paying special attention to reading the Old Testament/ Hebrew Bible in its literary, historical, social, and religious contexts. At the end of the semester, students will have acquired the critical tools necessary to read more competently and to understand better this ancient text.

 

 

 

Early Christian Traditions

 

Religion 228     11:00 - 11:50 a.m. MWF           Dr.Baldwin

#21687               3 Credits

 

Is modern Christianity what Jesus really intended?  Are the doctrines of the trinity, Jesus as God, and salvation of the soul from hell the teachings of Jesus or are they the result of political and social forces? These are the questions contemporary Christian thinkers are asking in an effort to reexamine Christianity and its potential for impact in our world today.  Maybe these are the questions that intrigue you as well. 

 

As the title implies, this course looks at the development of early Christian traditions; that is, the religious beliefs and practices that give Christianity its distinctiveness.  By tracing the religious, philosophical, social and cultural influences of the first 1300 years, students learn how these forces shaped the message of Jesus into a system of organized religious dogma and political power.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction to Judaism

 

Religion 247  9:30 - 10:45 a.m.  TR                   Dr. Carson

English 369  (Students may enroll under either course number)

#31810            3 Credits

 

This is an interdisciplinary adventure, involving two interwoven threads of inquiry

1) comparative study of Jewish Theology and Philosophy (our focus will be the diversity *within* Jewish tradition across time, but with a special emphasis on the 20th century)  and,

2) study of the ways that Jewish writers and artists have used Jewish religious ideas, symbols and texts in their creative work.

Our readings will include

--  Selections from the Tanakh  (Hebrew Bible)Genesis, Exodus,  Job, Isaiah  (we'll read these as theological literary works)

--  Readings from the Talmud (in translation, but Hebrew students welcome!)

--  Jewish philosophy including Philo, Hillel, Martin Buber, Franz  Rosenzweig, Hannah Arendt, Abraham Heschel,  Susan  Heschel, Milton Steinberg, Judith Plaskow, Marc Ellis

 --  novels and short stories, including the work ofAllegra Goodman, Chaim Potok, Elie Wiesel,  Abraham Cahan, and a selection of contemporary American, European and Israeli writers.

-- We will also work with a couple of films and selected visual artists.

    This course will interest students who already have strong backgrounds in religious studies and/or  literary analysis,  but is also a good place for students new to the academic study of religion or new to the study of literature. 

The basic requirement is that you are prepared to do much reading and complex thinking, and that you bring good intellectual energy to your work.     

East and West in Religions

 

Religion 250     9:00 - 9:50 a.m.  MWF  Dr. Lowe

#21695               3 Credits

 

The assumption underlying this course is that religion provides one of the best "windows" into the thoughts and values of the peoples of the world.  To get this insight into other cultures and worldviews, we will look at some of the most important expressions of the human religious impulse found in both the East and the West.  For the western part of the course, we will examine Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; for the eastern component, we will look at Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism.

 

The class will utilize lectures, discussions, guest speakers, slides, and videos, to get to the heart of our subject matter.  Our first week will be spent considering the methods scholars use to analyze religious beliefs and practices and the categories of understanding that have traditionally been employed in the academic study of religion. (Some of these may be found inadequate for our purposes‑‑including "eastern" and "western"!)  After this introduction we will focus on the historical development and current practices and beliefs of the traditions in question.  A paperback textbook will be assigned to provide basic introductions to the religions; later, we will read and discuss primary texts (Bible, Qur'an, Dhammapada, etc.) so that we may gain a sense of how the believer in each of these faiths might see the world.

Jesus in Gospel and History

 

 

Religion 300     5:30 - 8:00 p.m. T          Dr. Miller

#21709               3 Credits                        

 

 

This course invites you to enter into a study of some of the significant interpretations of Jesus of Nazareth that have developed in various religious and cultural contexts over nearly two thousand years. We will begin by examining the ancient records of the life and teaching of Jesus ‑ both the canonical stories (Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John) and those gospels that did not meet with official approval (e.g., Thomas, Peter, and James). We will also explore some of the more interesting modern interpretations of the Jesus story in the movies (e.g., "Jesus of Montreal"), in literature (e.g., The Last Temptation of Christ), and in the visual arts (e.g., Andres Serrano's controversial portrait of Christ on the cross).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                     Mysticism

 

 

Religion 305     10:00-10:50 MWF            Dr. Lowe

#21717               3 Credits                           

 

The subject matter for this course is the enormous field of human religious and spiritual experience.  We will look at such phenomena as

shamanic voyages and trance states, Native American spirituality, near‑death experiences (Do we all become mystics when dying?), drug‑induced states of consciousness, Christian mysticism, Asian meditative states and enlightenment experiences, etc.  By the end of the

course, students should have a clearer awareness of the range of states the human nervous system is capable of supporting and have some sense of

the importance that these "altered states" have held, and still hold, for societies around the world.

 

         Guest speakers from a variety of spiritual traditions will be invited to class to share their experiences and insights.  Lectures, videos, and

classroom discussions will be used to enhance our understanding of the states of consciousness encountered and the various methods and models

that have been developed by scholars to study and make sense of them.

 

 

 

 

Philosophy and Religion in China and Tibet

 

Religion 315       1:00 - 1:50 p.m.  MWF   Dr. Lowe

#21725                 3 Credits                          

 

 

In this course we will examine the great philosophical and religious systems that have developed in China over the last three thousand years.  Starting with the oracle bones of the Shang dynasty and ending with the contemporary religious scene in the P.R.C. and Taiwan, we will dally along the way with Confucius and his followers, Lao tzu and Chuang tzu, Buddhist missionaries and wonderworkers, drunken mystical poets, millennial religious revolutionaries, Taoist seekers of immortality, and the dialectical materialism of Mao Zedong.  Since the governments of both the P.R.C. and Taiwan claim Tibet, we will also examine the teachings and practices of Vajrayana Buddhism, Tibet’s distinctive contribution to the world’s spirituality.

The western academic categories of philosophy and religion are of only limited usefulness in studying China; much of the material we will study could be classified in either discipline, depending upon one’s definitions and preferences.  The Chinese literati have traditionally viewed intellectually respectable beliefs as zhe xue, or philosophy, and have classified less refined, popular beliefs as “people’s superstitions.”  Between these extremes, there are the beliefs known as zong jiao, “religion,” a term that the Chinese borrowed from the Japanese in recent times.  For this course, both western and Chinese classifications are interesting but irrelevant; we will study nearly every belief or practice that attempts to provide meaning for human life.                

 

Death and Dying

 

Religion 345   7:00 - 9:20 p.m.  T       Dr. Lindholm

#21733                 3 Credits

 

 

An examination of various perspectives and problems surrounding death and dying – particularly in modern, affluent countries.   Philosophical and religious views on the meaning of death; historical and multicultural traditions and practices connected with death; medical, psychological, and sociological problems and trends surrounding dying in the modern age – all will be reviewed in this survey course. Other more specific problem areas and topics will include:   theories concerning a “mature concept of death,” facing terminal illness, medical interventions in dying, suicide and high risk life-styles, violent death in the modern world (crime, war, terrorism, natural disasters), discussions and conflicting explanations of “after death” experiences and other religious and quasi-religious phenomena.

 

  Death and dying are not, most prominently, academic fields to study; they are important, often stark, sometimes wrenching, hopefully in some sense fulfilling, human realities.  Some people will be in this course to satisfy academic interests, some to gain professional expertise or credentials, some to reach some personal peace with private emotions and events.  Students will be expected to respect all these interests in this class.

 

Visiting speakers may participate in some classes.  Two major essay tests; @25 in-class and homework assignments concerning weekly readings.

 

 

 

Teaching Methods in Religion

 

Religion 399       3:00 - 5:30 p.m.  W      Dr.Baldwin

#21741*               3 Credits                              

 

 

In this course, students will actually be involved in developing a model of teaching and learning religious studies that is based on small group "trothed" or covenanted peer group communities.  Together we will read fundamental texts and articles on teaching, design classroom exercises together and actually do "hands on" teaching with the undergraduate class, RELS 100, "Introduction to Religious Inquiry."  The major project of this course is to design a cooperative handbook which we will use in future RELS 100 classes.  We will concentrate particularly on how students learn and how they might experience transformation of the religious imagination.

 

Although we will meet most Wednesday afternoons, students in this course will be involved in RELS 100 so you must leave the Monday and Wednesday 10 - 1050 a.m. slot open as well as the Wednesday afternoon slot.  On the weeks we do significant work in the classroom, we will not meet on Wednesday afternoons.

 

 

By permission of the instructor only.