INTRODUCTION TO RELIGIOUS STUDIES
50:840:101:01
T/TH 9:35 am – 10:55 am
Professor Karapanagiotis

50:840:101:02
T/TH 11:10 am – 12:30 pm
Professor Karapanagiotis

This course introduces students to major academic methods for the study of religion and theories about religious belief and practice. It draws on diverse materials from the world’s religions and multiple disciplinary approaches. Topics may include belief systems, morality, sacred literature, myth, ritual, history, gender, ethnicity, and debates about the roles of religion in contemporary life.

INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS
50:840:103:01
M/W 2:05 pm – 3:25 pm
Professor Gilmore-Clough

A general introduction to the basic religious concerns of humanity, and the ways in which religions have developed in Eastern and Western history, giving intellectual, moral, and institutional expression to the meaning of human existence.

INTRODUCTION TO THE BIBLE
50:840:110:01
M/W 6:00 pm – 7:20 pm
Professor Ratzman

Historical and literary exploration of portions of the Tanach (Old Testament) and New Testament that have had the most lasting influence on Western culture. Focus on the meaning of key terms like covenant and evil, biblical authorship, and different ways the text may be interpreted today.

JEWS, CHRISTIANS, AND MUSLIMS
50:840:112:01
T/TH 8:00 am – 9:20 am
Professor Banner

The historical development of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam from the earliest roots in the myths and rituals of the ancient world to their modern forms. The interaction between each tradition and the cultural context in which it emerges and develops. The popular expression of each religion’s beliefs in its holidays, rituals, and legends.

MYTH AND SYMBOL
50:840:123:90
Professor Salyer

Comparative studies of the creation myths and hero myths of selected Eastern, Middle Eastern, European, Native American, and African cultures. Attention given to the religious worldview, the psychological and social implications, and the symbolic forms of expression of each. Various methodologies for the study of myth investigated.

RACE, POLITICS, AND RELIGION
50:840:266:01
M/W 9:35 am – 10:55 am
Professor Miller

This course examines how religion shaped the political and racial priorities of American History. Topics include the role and definition of civil religion, the struggle George Washington had with defining the role of religion in a new republic, the impact of slavery, and the social construction of whiteness.

JUSTICE, FORGIVENESS, AND REPARATIONS
50:840:267:01
T/TH 3:35 pm – 4:55 pm
Professor Ziyad

The course attempts to focus understanding on the relation between the concepts of justice, and its sub-elements of forgiveness and reparations, in the context of recent domestic and international approaches to the righting of historical and intergenerational social wrongs, including enslavement, war crimes, crimes against humanity, apartheid and genocide.

RELIGION AND SCIENCE
50:840:288:01
W 6:00 pm – 8:50 pm
Professor McCauley

This course explores the historic tension between science and religion and analyzes areas of conflict and compatibility. Issues such as cosmology and creation, evolution and human nature, neurology and spirituality are discussed. 

INDEPENDENT STUDY IN RELIGION
50:840:389:01
By Arrangement
Professor Charme

Advanced students pursue a research topic under the direction of a faculty member, culminating in a paper.

INDEPENDENT STUDY IN RELIGION
50:840:390:01
By Arrangement
Professor Karapanagiotis

Advanced students pursue a research topic under the direction of a faculty member, culminating in a paper.