SPRING 2013

RELG 105 - Introduction to Religion: Bodily Disciplines and Transcendence
CRN 16101    MWF 0130-0220pm
This course explores the many and various ways in which religious traditions engage bodies in the service of personal transcendence. Primary attention is given to Judaism, Christianity and Buddhism, though practices from other traditions are also examined. Readings include primary and secondary source material as well as critical discussions of the body and bodily practices in the contemporary study of religion and other fields. Topics considered include: ascetic, devotional, meditative and healing practices.
Enrollment Limit: 35 Instructor: T. Swan Tuite

RELG 208 - New Testament and Christian Origins
CRN 15547       MWF 1000-1050am
Credits (Range): 3 hours Attribute: 3HU, WR
An introduction to the diverse writings that make up the New Testament. We will examine these texts in the historical context of Judea in the first two centuries CE and also in relation to the earlier writings of the Hebrew Bible. Thematic emphases include the development of the biography of Jesus, the social structure of the Jesus movement, the writings of Paul, and the development of house churches. No previous knowledge of the New Testament is assumed.
Enrollment Limit: 35 Instructor: C. Chapman
Cross List Information This course is cross-listed with JWST 208.

RELG 218 - Christianity in the LateMedieval World: 1100-1600
CRN 14918      MWF 1100-1150am
Credits (Range): 3 hours Attribute: 3HU
An interpretive study of late-medieval Christianity through reform movements from the twelfth-century renaissance to the Protestant and Catholic reformations of the sixteenth century, all of which tried to retrieve an idealized past. Topics include clerical authority and abuse, the role of women, free will, grace, embodiment, asceticism, mysticism, and heresy. The background will be the changing landscape of medieval Europe through urbanization, crusades, plagues, and economic developments.
Enrollment Limit: 35 Instructor: T. Swan Tuite

RELG 226 - Modern Religious Thought in the West: Mid-19th Century to the Present
CRN MWF 1100-1150am
Credits (Range): 3 hours Attribute: 3HU,  WR
This course analyzes our assumptions and judgments about religion in light of the clash of religious and secular frameworks. Topics covered include: debates on the essence of religion; secular and religious responses to alienation and injustice in the industrial age; cultural and religious issues arising from the devastation of the two world wars; and contemporary political theologies.  Thinkers studied include Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Buber, Tillich, Niebuhr and contemporary thinkers. 
Enrollment Limit: 35         Instructor: D. Kamitsuka

RELG 233 - Modern India: Colonialism, Critique, and Conversion
CRN 16018      TR 0130-0245pm
Credits (Range): 3 hours Attribute: 3HU, CD, WR
A study of the effect of colonial rule and social change on Indian religious traditions. We examine theological tracts and debates, mythological and ritual texts, oral traditions, and contemporary novels about religion. Topics include: social mobility and orthodoxy, religious roots of the Gandhian movement for independence, changing rituals within the joint family, religion in the present-day political sphere, and Hinduism overseas.
Enrollment Limit: 35 Instructor: P. Richman

RELG 236 - Japanese Thought and Religion
CRN 11137       MWF 0900-0950am
Credits (Range): 3 hours Attribute: 3HU, CD
A historical survey of the development of Shinto and Buddhism in Japan and the roles they have played in Japanese culture and society. Among the topics to be discussed are the ancient myths of Shinto, the transmission of Buddhism to Japan, the emergence of new forms of Buddhism (i.e., Zen, Pure Land, and Nichiren), and the use of Shinto as a nationalistic ideology.
Enrollment Limit: 55 Instructor: J. Dobbins
Cross List Information This course is cross-listed with EAST 152

RELG 242 - Love and Its Critics
CRN 15548 TR  0930-1050am
Credits (Range): 3 hours Attribute: 3HU
Drawing from theological and philosophical thinkers, this course examines the ethics of love in Western religious traditions with a specific emphasis upon the advocates and critics of self-sacrifice. Readings are drawn from both pre-modern (Aquinas, and Luther) and modern (Barth and Rosenzweig) defenders of love, along with modern critics (Friedrich Nietzsche, naturalistic interpreters, and Freud among others). Finally, the course concludes with response to the love critics (Max Scheler, Simone Weil, Benedict XVI).
Enrollment Limit: 25 Instructor: J. Swan Tuite

RELG 252 - Medieval Jewish Thought: Law, Mysticism, and Philosophy
CRN 16020       TR 0930-1050am
Credits (Range): 3 hours Attribute: 3HU, CD, WR
An interpretive study of main trends in Jewish thought, from the 9th through the 16th centuries. The course will cover post-talmudic developments in Halacha (Jewish law); biblical exegesis; the competing theological systems of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) and philosophical rationalism; and inter-religious influence and polemics. Prerequisites and Notes: Special attention will be paid throughout the course to the interpretation of ritual.
Enrollment Limit: 35 Instructor: A. Socher
Cross List Information This course is cross-listed with JWST 152.

RELG 276 - The Ethics of Conflict Resolution and Peace-Making in Christianity and Islam

TR 300-4:15pm

This course may also count for the concentration in (consult the program or dept. major requirements): Peace & Conflict Stds

Credits (Range): 3 hours Attribute: 3HU, CD
The course offers a comparative introduction to the ethics of conflict resolution and peace-making in the Christian and Islamic traditions by examining normative analysis of conflict, reconciliation and peace-building. In addition to examining philosophical and theological conceptions of conflict and conflict resolution, this course examines the place of religious practice and belief amidst unprecedented international efforts to end violence, injustice, political oppression and economic injustice.    
Enrollment Limit: 25   Instructor:  M. Mahallati

RELG 279 - Approaches to Islamic Art and Architecture
CRN 15965       MWF 1000-1050am
Credits (Range): 3 hours Attribute: 3HU, CD
Examination of Muslim arts and architecture in relationship to the cultural, religious, and sociopolitical values and practices from Europe to South Asia in the period between the seventh and early-nineteenth centuries. Through visual analyses (including AMAM and Library visits), analysis of primary texts, and discussions of modern theories of aesthetics, students will develop an understanding of the theoretical foundations of Muslim art and an appreciation of art’s role in the everyday lives of Muslims.
Enrollment Limit: 30 Instructor: E. Akin-Kivanc    
Cross List Information This course is cross-listed with ARTS 279

RELG 285 - Evangelicalism in the United States
CRN 16022      TR 1100-1215pm
Credits (Range): 3 hours Attribute: 3HU
This course will explore Evangelicalism from its 19th century beginnings to the present, including: its relationship to 19th century moral controversies such as slavery, abolition, women’s rights and temperance movements; the social gospel movement; fundamentalism versus modernism; diversification as a post-WWII movement; evangelism versus social action; and the continuing issues of race, class, and gender. Reformed, Arminian, Anabaptist, Pentecostal, and Holiness traditions will also be explored. Evangelicalism will also be informed by studies from sociology of religion, psychology, and anthropology.
Enrollment Limit: 35 Instructor: A.G. Miller

RELG 304 - History and Literature of the Ancient Near East
CRN 304     M 0230-0420pm
This course may also count for the major in (consult the program or department major requirements): Jewish Studies
Credits (Range): 3 hours Attribute: 3HU, CD, WR
This course uses a tradition history approach to trace the midrashic and inter-textual development of biblical women as their stories are expanded through translation, retelling and homily. The textual traditions examined include the Massoretic Hebrew text, the Greek Septuagint, the Aramaic targums, the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, and early Jewish and Christian commentary. The evolving biographies include those of Eve, Rebekah, Dinah, Jezebel, and Ruth. Readings will be in English.
Enrollment Limit: 15 Instructor: C. Chapman         Consent of the Instructor Required? Yes

RELG 321 - Buddhism & Orientalism
CRN 16025       M 0230-0420pm
This course may also count for the major in (consult the program or depart major requirements):East Asian Studies
Credits (Range): 3 hours Attribute: 3HU, CD, WR
An examination of Buddhism’s 19th and 20th century image as refracted through Western fascination with it and Asian reinterpretation of it in the context of colonialism, modernization, and Asia’s encounter with the West. The course will survey Westerners’ discovery and perception of Buddhism in various parts of Asia, but will quickly focus on Japan as a primary setting in which Buddhism’s modern reinterpretation occurred.
Enrollment Limit: 15       Instructor: J. Dobbins       Consent of the Instructor Required? Yes

RELG 336 - The Body, Gender, and Christian Mysticism
CRN 16104      W 0630-0830pm
Credits (Range): 3 hours Attribute: 3HU, WR
This seminar examines medieval Christian mysticism through an exploration of representative primary texts and recent appropriations. Special attention is given to the role of gender in the production and interpretation of women’s mystical texts as well as the problems and prospects identified with the body and language for relating to the divine.
Enrollment Limit: 15 Instructor: T. Swan Tuite Consent of the Instructor Required? Yes

RELG 353 - Moses Maimonides: Philosophy and Law
CRN 16026        R 0100-0250pm
This course may also count for the major in (consult the program or department major requirements):Law & Society
Credits (Range): 3 hours Attribute: 3HU, CD, WR
Moses Maimonides (1135-1204) is the pivotal thinker of the Jewish middle ages. He is the author of the most influential work of Jewish philosophy, The Guide of the Perplexed, and the most comprehensive code of Jewish law, the Mishneh Torah. These works have engendered both controversy and commentary from the 12th century through the 20th century. This seminar will focus on selected Maimonidean texts together with classical commentaries and modern scholarship.
Enrollment Limit: 15 Instructor: A. Socher Consent of the Instructor Required? Yes
Prerequisites & Notes All readings in English.
This course is cross-listed with JWST 353

RELG 367 - Theologies of Abortion
CRN 15770      T 0100-0250pm
Credits (Range): 3 hours Attribute: 3HU, CD, WR
This seminar explores a spectrum of theological approaches on abortion from Roe v. Wade to today. Topics to be studied include: the role of extremist religious groups in abortion clinic violence; how Protestant and Catholic pro-life theologies clash over issues of sex and gendered sexuality; debates about the question of when life begins and “fetal personhood”; how race shapes pro-choice and pro-life positions in relation to the bodies of religious women of color.
Enrollment Limit: 15 Instructor: M. Kamitsuka Consent of the Instructor Required? Yes

RELG 400 - Senior Capstone Colloquium
CRN 14481      W 0230-0420pm
Credits (Range): 3 hours Attribute: 3HU, WR
This colloquium is a team-taught advanced course where students work on a substantive independent research project while also participating in a colloquium setting to discuss the research process and engage in peer review and interdisciplinary exchange with department faculty. Required for majors declaring in or after the academic year, 2008-09.
Instructor: C. Chapman, J. Dobbins, D. Kamitsuka, M. Kamitsuka, M. Mahallati, A.G. Miller, P. Richman,
J. Swan Tuite Consent of the Instructor Required? Yes

 

DRAFT - 2013 FALL RELIGION COURSES

RELG 102     Introduction to Religion: Roots of Religion in the Mediterranean World
Attribute: CD
This course introduces students to the academic study of religion and provides a historical framework for understanding the development and central ideas of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, beginning from their origins in the Mediterranean region. The foundation of the course will be close reading of primary texts, both the sacred texts of each tradition and reflections on these texts by classical interpreters from the second century to the medieval period.
Enrollment Limit: 35 Instructor: C. Barnes

RELG 108     Introduction to Religion: Women & Western Tradition
This course may also count for the major in (consult the program or department major requirements) :  Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies
Attribute: CD
An introduction to Judaism, Christianity and Islam that focuses on women’s experiences and gender roles. This course will examine representations of women in sacred texts; primary sources by and about women from various historical periods, and contemporary feminist voices within each religious tradition. Topics to be investigated include: rabbinic teachings on biblical women, the role of women in early Christian heretical movements, discourses of the veil in Islam.
Enrollment Limit: 35 Instructor: M. Kamitsuka

RELG 205     Introduction to the Hebrew Bible in its Ancient Near Eastern Context
Attribute: CD
An introduction to the literature and history of ancient Israel as contained within the Hebrew Bible and to the methods of interpretation used by modern scholars to understand this ancient text. This course introduces the student to the skill of a close and critical reading of ancient texts and of modern scholarly interpretations of those texts. Thematic emphases will include the emergence of monotheism, the divine human relationship, the mediation of priest, prophet and king, and issues of canon.
Enrollment Limit: 40      Instructor: C. Chapman This course is cross-listed with JWST 205.

RELG 217     Christianity in the Early Medieval World: 150-1100
An interpretive study of the development of Christianity in the Greek east and Latin west, this course will focus on early medieval articulations of the relationship between God and the world through debates on corporeality, evil, martyrdom, asceticism, knowledge of God, and salvation. These debates will be contextualized and conceptualized through the historical developments of monasticism, mysticism, iconography, Christology, heresy, and Christianity as an imperial religion.
Enrollment Limit: 35 Instructor: C. Barnes

RELG 231 - Rituals, Asceticism, and Devotion in Classical Hinduism
Attribute: CD
A study of the Hindu tradition in India, from its origins to the development of the later devotional movements. Textual study focuses on ritual hymns, renunciatory texts, devotional poems, and classical mythology. Attention is also paid to analysis of religious practices, especially as they vary according to social location and gender of adherents. Societal aspects of Hinduism to be explored include religious constructions of “caste,” notions of religious kingship, and gendered perceptions of the divine. The last section looks at the ways in which the early Buddhist movement developed out of Hindu roots.
Enrollment Limit: 35 Instructor: P. Richman

RELG 235 - Chinese Thought & Religion
Attribute: CD
A historical survey of the three major religious and philosophical traditions of China: Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Attention is given to how each comprehends the universe and translates its ideal into philosophical thought, religious practice, and social and moral imperative. Interaction and mutual borrowing among the three will be examined to show how each was changed or inspired by the others and evolved under their influence.
Enrollment Limit: 55 Instructor: J. Dobbins Cross List Information This course is cross-listed with EAST 151

RELG 241 - Principle Vices
What makes a particular behavior or practice vicious? Why are these vices seen as so destructive and a ‘death to the soul’? This course examines theological and philosophical discussions as well as cinematic and literary representations of the traditional list of seven deadly sins (wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony) in order to further understand vice. Readings are drawn from classic religious sources across religious traditions as well as psychology, sociology and literature.
Enrollment Limit: 35 Instructor: J. Swan Tuite

RELG 250 - Introduction to Judaism
This course may also count for the major in (consult the program or department major requirements) :  Jewish Studies
Attribute: CD
A theoretical introduction to Judaism as a religious system. Special attention will be paid to the historical development of the religion through interpretation of traditional texts and ritual practices.
Enrollment Limit: 35        Instructor: A. Socher Cross List Information This course is cross-listed with JWST 150
RELG 263 - Roots of Religious Feminism in North America
Attribute: CD
This course analyzes the religious views underpinning women’s literature, political advocacy, public speaking, and social reform work from colonial days to the 1970s, with a focus on primary sources. Students will apply the knowledge and methodology acquired during the course to pursue their own research interests in women’s religious history in North America. No previous study of religion, U.S. history, or gender theory is necessary.
Enrollment Limit: 35 Instructor: M. Kamitsuka

RELG 270 - Islam
Attribute: CD
This course surveys Islam in its religious, intellectual, historical, socio-political and institutional dimensions. It provides an overview of Muslim religious traditions for purposes of further historical study and for understanding contemporary Muslim societies. Topics covered include elements that constitute Muslim traditions, cultures and identities, such as: pre-Islamic Arab society and surrounding Persian and Roman civilizations, the Prophet and the Qur’an, Islamic theology, law, devotional rituals, arts and literatures, mysticism, mosque and madrasa.
Enrollment Limit: 35 Instructor: J. Mahallati

RELG 284 - The History of the African-American Religious Experience
This course may also count for the major in (consult the program or department major requirements):
Africana Studies
Attribute: CD
An introduction to the religious movements and institutions of African Americans from the period of slavery to the present. Various topics include African religions; slave religion; independent black Protestant churches; gender and race relations in American church life; politics in black churches; missionary efforts to Africa and the Caribbean; Islam, Judaism, Catholicism, Pentecostalism; the civil rights movement; modern role of religion in African-American life. 
Enrollment Limit: 35 Instructor: A.G. Miller

RELG 322 - Seminar: Pure Land Buddhism
This course may also count for the major in (consult the program or dept major requirements): East Asian Studies
Attribute: CD, W-Int
Unlike many forms of Buddhism, Pure Land is primarily devotional in outlook and practice. This seminar examines its origins and development, particularly in Japan. Topics include devotional practices in early Buddhism, the Pure Land scriptures, religious practices such as visualization meditation and chanting the Buddha’s name, and the teachings of Honen, Shinran, and Ippen.
Enrollment Limit: 15 nstructor: J. Dobbins Consent of the Instructor Required: Yes

RELG 343 - Selected Topics in Modern and Contemporary Religious Thought: Imagining God
Attribute: W-Int
A critical analysis of a significant problem in modern and contemporary religious thought, examined through the writings of selected philosophers of religion and theologians. Topic for 12-13: Imagining God. This seminar focuses on contemporary interpretations of the being and nature of God in light of: current scientific theories about the origins of the universe and evolution; debates regarding an adequate ecological theology, the problem of evil (theodicy), and the challenge of global interreligious dialogue among theist and nontheist philosophers and religious thinkers.
Enrollment Limit: 15 Instructor: D. Kamitsuka Consent of the Instructor Required: Yes

RELG 346 - Nietzsche and Religious Ethics
Attribute: W-Int
This seminar examines Nietzsche’s work and its legacy for contemporary religious ethics. The first part of the course consists in close readings of Nietzsche in the context of his primary philosophical and theological interlocutors. The second part of the course surveys contemporary engagements with Nietzsche’s work. Topics considered include: genealogy and tradition (Michel Foucault and Alasdair MacIntyre); narrative and imagination (Ludwig Feuerbach and Grace Jantzen); and morality critics (Annette Baier and Charles Taylor).  
Enrollment Limit: 15 Instructor: J. Swan Tuite Consent of the Instructor Required: Yes

RELG 102     Introduction to Religion: Roots of Religion in the Mediterranean World
Attribute: CD
This course introduces students to the academic study of religion and provides a historical framework for understanding the development and central ideas of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, beginning from their origins in the Mediterranean region. The foundation of the course will be close reading of primary texts, both the sacred texts of each tradition and reflections on these texts by classical interpreters from the second century to the medieval period.
Enrollment Limit: 35 Instructor: C. Barnes

RELG 108     Introduction to Religion: Women & Western Tradition
This course may also count for the major in (consult the program or department major requirements) :  Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies
Attribute: CD
An introduction to Judaism, Christianity and Islam that focuses on women’s experiences and gender roles. This course will examine representations of women in sacred texts; primary sources by and about women from various historical periods, and contemporary feminist voices within each religious tradition. Topics to be investigated include: rabbinic teachings on biblical women, the role of women in early Christian heretical movements, discourses of the veil in Islam.
Enrollment Limit: 35 Instructor: M. Kamitsuka

RELG 205     Introduction to the Hebrew Bible in its Ancient Near Eastern Context
Attribute: CD
An introduction to the literature and history of ancient Israel as contained within the Hebrew Bible and to the methods of interpretation used by modern scholars to understand this ancient text. This course introduces the student to the skill of a close and critical reading of ancient texts and of modern scholarly interpretations of those texts. Thematic emphases will include the emergence of monotheism, the divine human relationship, the mediation of priest, prophet and king, and issues of canon.
Enrollment Limit: 40 Instructor: C. Chapman This course is cross-listed with JWST 205.

RELG 217     Christianity in the Early Medieval World: 150-1100
An interpretive study of the development of Christianity in the Greek east and Latin west, this course will focus on early medieval articulations of the relationship between God and the world through debates on corporeality, evil, martyrdom, asceticism, knowledge of God, and salvation. These debates will be contextualized and conceptualized through the historical developments of monasticism, mysticism, iconography, Christology, heresy, and Christianity as an imperial religion.
Enrollment Limit: 35 Instructor: C. Barnes

RELG 231 - Rituals, Asceticism, and Devotion in Classical Hinduism
Attribute: CD
A study of the Hindu tradition in India, from its origins to the development of the later devotional movements. Textual study focuses on ritual hymns, renunciatory texts, devotional poems, and classical mythology. Attention is also paid to analysis of religious practices, especially as they vary according to social location and gender of adherents. Societal aspects of Hinduism to be explored include religious constructions of “caste,” notions of religious kingship, and gendered perceptions of the divine. The last section looks at the ways in which the early Buddhist movement developed out of Hindu roots.
Enrollment Limit: 35 Instructor: P. Richman

RELG 235 - Chinese Thought & Religion
Attribute: CD
A historical survey of the three major religious and philosophical traditions of China: Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Attention is given to how each comprehends the universe and translates its ideal into philosophical thought, religious practice, and social and moral imperative. Interaction and mutual borrowing among the three will be examined to show how each was changed or inspired by the others and evolved under their influence.
Enrollment Limit: 55 Instructor: J. Dobbins Cross List Information This course is cross-listed with EAST 151

RELG 241 - Principle Vices
What makes a particular behavior or practice vicious? Why are these vices seen as so destructive and a ‘death to the soul’? This course examines theological and philosophical discussions as well as cinematic and literary representations of the traditional list of seven deadly sins (wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony) in order to further understand vice. Readings are drawn from classic religious sources across religious traditions as well as psychology, sociology and literature.
Enrollment Limit: 35 Instructor: J. Swan Tuite

RELG 250 - Introduction to Judaism
This course may also count for the major in (consult the program or department major requirements) :  Jewish Studies
Attribute: CD
A theoretical introduction to Judaism as a religious system. Special attention will be paid to the historical development of the religion through interpretation of traditional texts and ritual practices.
Enrollment Limit: 35        Instructor: A. Socher      Cross List Information This course is cross-listed with JWST 150

RELG 263 - Roots of Religious Feminism in North America
Attribute: CD
This course analyzes the religious views underpinning women’s literature, political advocacy, public speaking, and social reform work from colonial days to the 1970s, with a focus on primary sources. Students will apply the knowledge and methodology acquired during the course to pursue their own research interests in women’s religious history in North America. No previous study of religion, U.S. history, or gender theory is necessary.
Enrollment Limit: 35 Instructor: M. Kamitsuka

RELG 270 - Islam
Attribute: CD
This course surveys Islam in its religious, intellectual, historical, socio-political and institutional dimensions. It provides an overview of Muslim religious traditions for purposes of further historical study and for understanding contemporary Muslim societies. Topics covered include elements that constitute Muslim traditions, cultures and identities, such as: pre-Islamic Arab society and surrounding Persian and Roman civilizations, the Prophet and the Qur’an, Islamic theology, law, devotional rituals, arts and literatures, mysticism, mosque and madrasa.
Enrollment Limit: 35 Instructor: J. Mahallati

RELG 284 - The History of the African-American Religious Experience
This course may also count for the major in (consult the program or department major requirements):
Africana Studies
Attribute: CD
An introduction to the religious movements and institutions of African Americans from the period of slavery to the present. Various topics include African religions; slave religion; independent black Protestant churches; gender and race relations in American church life; politics in black churches; missionary efforts to Africa and the Caribbean; Islam, Judaism, Catholicism, Pentecostalism; the civil rights movement; modern role of religion in African-American life. 
Enrollment Limit: 35 Instructor: A.G. Miller

RELG 322 - Seminar: Pure Land Buddhism
This course may also count for the major in (consult the program or dept major requirements): East Asian Studies
Attribute: CD, W-Int
Unlike many forms of Buddhism, Pure Land is primarily devotional in outlook and practice. This seminar examines its origins and development, particularly in Japan. Topics include devotional practices in early Buddhism, the Pure Land scriptures, religious practices such as visualization meditation and chanting the Buddha’s name, and the teachings of Honen, Shinran, and Ippen.
Enrollment Limit: 15 nstructor: J. Dobbins Consent of the Instructor Required: Yes

RELG 343 - Selected Topics in Modern and Contemporary Religious Thought: Imagining God
Attribute: W-Int
A critical analysis of a significant problem in modern and contemporary religious thought, examined through the writings of selected philosophers of religion and theologians. Topic for 12-13: Imagining God. This seminar focuses on contemporary interpretations of the being and nature of God in light of: current scientific theories about the origins of the universe and evolution; debates regarding an adequate ecological theology, the problem of evil (theodicy), and the challenge of global interreligious dialogue among theist and nontheist philosophers and religious thinkers.
Enrollment Limit: 15 Instructor: D. Kamitsuka Consent of the Instructor Required: Yes

RELG 346 - Nietzsche and Religious Ethics
Attribute: W-Int
This seminar examines Nietzsche’s work and its legacy for contemporary religious ethics. The first part of the course consists in close readings of Nietzsche in the context of his primary philosophical and theological interlocutors. The second part of the course surveys contemporary engagements with Nietzsche’s work. Topics considered include: genealogy and tradition (Michel Foucault and Alasdair MacIntyre); narrative and imagination (Ludwig Feuerbach and Grace Jantzen); and morality critics (Annette Baier and Charles Taylor).  
Enrollment Limit: 15 Instructor: J. Swan Tuite Consent of the Instructor Required: Yes

RELG 373 - Islamic Mystic Traditions and Literature
Attribute: CD, W-Int
This seminar examines Sufism as both an esoteric and a devotional tradition, along with its relevance to modern Muslim life. Topics covered include the theory and history of ascetic movements, Sufi schools and institutions from classical to the modern times. Emphasis will be on reading and discussing selective and representative prose and poetry produced by great Sufi masters such as Ibn Arabi, Attar and Rumi as well as literary figures like Sa?di and Hafez. The course will also explore experiential, artistic and musical dimensions of Sufi-oriented religiosity.
Enrollment Limit: 15 Instructor: J. Mahallati Consent of the Instructor Required: Yes

RELG 387 - Religion and U.S. Social Welfare Policy and Social Work Practice: A Historical Perspective
Attribute: W-Int
This course will focus on the religious origin of social welfare institutions within the USA, including Protestant, Catholic and Jewish traditions (Jewish sects, African American congregations, and conservative Protestant movements, to name a few), which provided material, financial, and spiritual supports. Given the constitutional clause of the separation between church and state, religious institutions established voluntary institutions that provided social supports. This course will also have a service-learning component.
Enrollment Limit: 15 Instructor: A.G. Miller Consent of the Instructor Required? Yes

RELG 401     Capstone Research Methods  (Formerly RELG 300)
Attribute: W-Int
Complete Capstone Research Methods (RELG 401) in the first semester of the senior year.  Students must have completed at least one 200-level course in two of the three general approaches to the study of religion as a prerequisite for RELG 401.  RELG 401 is normally taken in fall semester of senior year.  Students are strongly encouraged to have completed an advanced 300-level seminar before taking RELG 401.  In this course, students learn productive strategies for research and work toward a first draft of their capstone project.

RELG 402 Capstone Colloquium  (Formerly RELG 400)  Offered SPRING 2014 
Attribute: W-Int
Complete Capstone Colloquium (RELG 402) in the second semester of the senior year.  RELG 401 is a prerequisite for RELG 402.  In this team-taught advanced course, students work in a colloquium setting to discuss the research process and produce an independent capstone project.  Only students who have completed the RELG 401/ RELG 402 sequence may be considered for Honors.

RELG 405 Capstone Seminar in Religious Studies (NEW Course)  Offered SPRING 2014 
Attribute: W-Int
As an alterative to RELG 401/402, complete Capstone Seminar in Religious Studies (RELG 405) in the second semester. This alternative capstone-experience course enables seniors to reflect upon, and apply in a wide variety of settings, what they have learned about the academic study of religion in light of their own coursework in the major. The seminar includes short papers, workshops, and oral presentations, but students do not complete a capstone project. 

 

Below Information is for the 2012-2013 Academic Year ONLY

RELIGION
Albert G. Miller, Associate Professor; Department Chair
Esra Akin, Visiting Assistant Professor and Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow
Joyce K. Babyak, Associate Professor
Corey Barnes, Assistant Professor
Cynthia R. Chapman, Associate Professor
James C. Dobbins, Fairchild Professor
David G. Kamitsuka, Associate Professor
Margaret D. Kamitsuka, Associate Professor
Mohammad Mahallati, Presidential Scholar in Islamic Studies
Paula S. Richman, Danforth Professor
Abraham P. Socher, Associate Professor
James Swan Tuite, Visiting Assistant Professor
Teresa Swan Tuite, Visiting Assistant Professor

The Religion major is designed to serve as a focus of a liberal arts education for the general student and as a pre-professional foundation for those pursuing the study of religion beyond the baccalaureate degree. While offering a broad curriculum in the study of religion, the major also affords an opportunity for concentrated study in particular religious traditions and specific areas of religious thought and practice. Students who contemplate graduate study in religion or professional study in seminary or rabbinical school after graduation are advised to consult with the chair or other members of the department as early in their undergraduate careers as possible.

Approaches to the academic study of religion have developed in engagement with a host of historical factors. Understanding religious studies as an academic discipline requires an appreciation of the intersections and divergences among a variety of approaches. In our major, we focus on the following three influential general approaches:

• The tradition-based approach to the study of religion predates the “invention” of the Western academic study of religion in the 19th century, but continues to be vitally important for the academic study of Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism in our curriculum. Religious tradition-based approaches provide the means for in-depth study of the synchronic and diachronic aspects of religions in global contexts. This approach includes historical, textual, and ethnographic methods of investigation.

• The modern-culture-based approach to the study of religion emerged with the development of modern religious thought in the West and modern religious social ethics. This approach initially focused on modern Western philosophical questions of metaphysical and moral truth and meaning but has expanded to include issues arising from other forms of critical theory such as gender theory and postcolonial theory.

• The geographical religion-based approach analyzes religious forms of life in terms of the history and cultures of a region. Oftentimes historical, anthropological, and archeological frameworks and methods are employed by this approach. This approach has been influential in the modern academic study of ancient Near Eastern religions (including biblical studies) and in the study of East Asian, South Asian, and African religions, and religions of the Americas—previously underrepresented in religious studies.

Some courses in the Religion Department are cross-referenced or cross-listed with, or generally fulfill requirements of, other programs of study in the College—e.g., African American Studies; East Asian Studies; Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies; Jewish Studies; and Law and Society. Courses offered in the department are grouped in the following categories:

First-Year Seminars and 100-level Courses.
First-year seminars and lecture courses at the 100 level are intended primarily for non-majors. First-year seminars are writing intensive and focus on the essential skills of reading, analysis, writing, and discussion. The 100-level Introduction to Religion courses are intended to introduce students to at least three religious traditions. In a few colloquia for first- and second-year students are offered in varying years.

200-Level Courses.
Most 200-level courses serve as “gateways” to our major in that they are designed to introduce students to one or more general approach (described above) and disciplinary subfield in the academic study of religion. In addition, 200-level courses are where the breadth and concentration for the major are acquired. The particular focus of each 200-level course is indicated more fully in the course descriptions below.

300-Level Seminars.
Advanced 300-level seminars are primarily intended for Religion majors and minors who have completed at least one 200-level course in the applicable subfield.

RELG 300 – Approaches to the Academic Study of Religion.
The overarching learning objective of this course is to train students in the skills necessary for doing primary research in the academic study of religion, particularly in light of the three general approaches to the study of religion of the major. This course will culminate in the development of a prospectus for the student’s Senior Capstone Project along with the relevant subfield literature review.

RELG 400 – Senior Capstone Colloquium.
The colloquium is a team-taught course for senior religion majors only, designed to facilitate independent research that deepens and synthesizes student learning in the major. Students complete their capstone project while also participating in a colloquium setting to discuss the research process and engage in peer-review and interdisciplinary exchange with department faculty.

Major
Before declaring the major in Religion, students must complete the following forms, in consultation with an advisor (a continuing faculty member in the department): a Plan for the Major and a Majors Checklist (available on Blackboard) and the Declaration of Major form (available from the Office of the Registrar). The Plan for the Major should describe the student’s intentions and goals for the major as well as a strategy for achieving those goals. The student and advisor should re-visit the Plan for the Major several times during the student’s work in the department and revise it as appropriate.

The Religion major consists of a minimum of 30 credit hours in the department. Under ordinary circumstances, no more than one first-year seminar or colloquium for first- and second-year students and one of the nine “Introduction to Religion” (RELG 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108 and 109) courses may be counted in the 30 hours required for the major.

Students majoring in Religion must complete the following:

1. At least one course in each of the three general approaches to the academic study of religion.

The tradition-based approach:
• Judaism (250, 251, 253, 258)
• Islam (270, 272, 273)
• Christianity (217, 218, 228)
• Hinduism (231)

The modern-culture-based approach:
• Modern Religious Thought in the West (225, 226, 227)
• Religious Social Ethics (242, 243, 244, 245, 246)
• Gender & Religion (247, 261, 262)

The geographical region-based approach:
• Ancient Near East (202, 205, 208, 210)
• East Asia (235, 236)
• South Asia (233)
• Modern North America (263, 282, 283, 284)

2. Take one 200-level course in at least four of the subfields represented in our major. (Courses identified under the general approaches requirement may also count toward this subfield requirement.)

• American Religious History (282, 283, 284, 285)
• East Asian Religions (235, 236)
• Religious Social Ethics (242, 243, 244, 245, 246, 247, 249)
• Gender and Religion (261, 262, 263, 247)
• History of Christianity (217, 218)
• Islam (270, 272, 273, 274)
• Jewish and Christian Scriptures (202, 205, 208)
• Judaism (250, 251,253, 258)
• Modern Religious Thought in the West (225, 226, 227)
• South Asian Religions (231, 233, 234)

3. Take at least one additional 200-level course in one of the four subfields, thus forming a subfield concentration (along with a 300-level seminar).

4. Take at least one 300-level seminar. Majors will normally take the seminar within their subfield concentration.

5. Take Approaches to the Academic Study of Religion (RELG 300) no later than first semester of the senior year. Students must have completed at least one 200-level course in two of the three general approaches to the study of religion as a prerequisite for RELG 300. RELG 300 is normally taken in Fall semester of senior year. Students are strongly encouraged to have completed an advanced 300-level seminar before taking RELG 300. Students wishing to enroll in RELG 300 before their seventh semester require the recommendation of their major advisor.

6. Take the Senior Capstone Colloquium (RELG 400). RELG 300 is a prerequisite for RELG 400. The Senior Capstone Colloquium is a team-taught advanced course where students work on a substantive independent research project while also participating in a colloquium setting to discuss the research process and engage in peer-review and interdisciplinary exchange with department faculty.

7. Students planning graduate or professional study in Religion are encouraged to take at least one year of foreign or classical language study at the college level.

Minor
The minor in Religion consists of 5 courses, totaling at least 15 hours. One of these courses must be a 300-level seminar.

Minimum Grade
Students must earn a C– or higher in any Religion course they wish to count for the major or minor.

Transfer of Credit
Students wishing to transfer credit toward the Religion major are advised to provide the department with as much information about the transferred course as possible (including the syllabus, papers, and exams). The department will not normally count more than six hours of transfer credit toward the major and does not normally accept transferred courses to satisfy distribution requirements in the major. Students should seek preapproval from the Chair for coursework they intend to take elsewhere and transfer to Oberlin.

Honors
Students will be considered for honors based on their performance in the major, the quality of their senior capstone project, and an oral examination. Please consult with the Chair of the department for further information about honors.

Winter Term
Faculty in the Religion Department sponsor a wide variety of Winter Term projects, particularly projects related to their areas of scholarly expertise. Students planning projects are invited to approach individual faculty members to discuss their ideas and plans.