THOMAS A. TWEED , Chair
Yaakov S. Ariel (48) Judaism and Evangelical Christianity in America, Messianic Movements and Missions, Christian-Jewish Relationship
Bart D. Ehrman (19) New Testament, Early Christianity
Carl W. Ernst (42) Islamic Studies, Sufism, South Asia
Peter I. Kaufman (16) History of Christian Traditions; Patristic, Medieval, and Reformation Studies
Jodi Magness (54) Archaeology of the Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls; Ancient Synagogues
Thomas A. Tweed (47) Asian Religions in America; Theory and Method in the Study of Religion; Catholicism in America; Religion and Transnationalism; Religion and Visual Culture
Ruel W. Tyson Jr. (13) Philosophy and Anthropology of Religion, Ethics and Rhetoric
Laurie Maffly-Kipp (29) History of Religion in America, African American Religion
Zlatko Plese (49) Religion in Late Antiquity
Omid Safi (60)
Barbara Ambros (57) Japanese Religions, East Asian Religions, Buddhism, Religion in Asian Diaspora Communities
Lauren Leve (56) Theravada Buddhism, Ethnographic Methods, South and Southeast Asian Religions
Randall Styers (52) Critical Approaches to the Study of Religion, Modern Western Religious Thought
Philip Gura, Religion and American Literature
Jonathan Hess, Modern Judaism
Paul W. Meyer, New Testament and Early Christianity
Albert Rabil, Renaissance and Early Modern History, Women's Studies
Tony K. Stewart, Vaishnavism and Islam in South Asia
Margaret Wiener, Indonesian Religions
Charles Kurzman, Islamic Movements
Barry Saunders, Ritual Studies and Biomedicine
John W. Dixon Jr.
William J. Peck
David Halperin
James H. Sanford
Jack M. Sasson
John H. Schutz
John Van Seters
The graduate program in religious studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill deals with religion both as a distinctive human experience and as a mode of culture and history. Both orientations define religion as a broad area of human existence, and students are encouraged to explore the tension between those two general approaches. The interests of the department's faculty express the variety of methodological orientations in such study, and faculty members in other departments of the University offer strong interdisciplinary support.
The Graduate School of the University offers two degrees in religious studies, the master of arts and the doctor of philosophy. All students enter at the master's level and, upon successful completion of those requirements, may request to proceed to the PhD.
The MA program introduces students to the general problems and methods in the study of religion. Specific requirements include:
The doctoral program is primarily intended to prepare students for a career in university and college teaching and research in religious studies. It currently offers specialization in American religions, ancient Mediterranean religions, islamic studies, religions of Asia, medieval and early modern studies, and religion and culture.
PhD students should expect to take at least eighteen hours course work beyond the MA level. Other requirements in the doctoral program include:
For further information, write to the Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Religious Studies, CB# 3225, 125 Saunders Hall, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3225; e-mail: religion@unc.edu. Also see the department's Web page at www.unc.edu/depts/rel_stud.
401 [113] BIBLICAL HEBREW (3). A thorough and rigorous introduction to biblical Hebrew, with an emphasis on grammar and vocabulary acquisition. Staff.
402 [114] BIBLICAL HEBREW (3). Prerequisite, RELI 401. A continuation of RELI 401, this course builds vocabulary and grammar through translation of biblical prose. Staff.
403 [115] INTERMEDIATE CLASSICAL HEBREW (3). Prerequisite, RELI 402 or permission of the instructor. Readings in biblical, Mishnaic, and medieval poetry and prose. Staff.
404 [116] INTERMEDIATE CLASSICAL HEBREW (3). Prerequisite, RELI 403 or permission of the instructor. Continuation of RELI 403. Staff.
409 [119] GREEK NEW TESTAMENT (GREK 458) (3). Prerequisite, GREK 221 or equivalent. (On demand.) Staff.
410 [224] ARAMAIC/RABBINIC HEBREW (3). Prerequisites, RELI 403-404 or permission of the instructor. Reading texts in rabbinic Hebrew, or in Biblical and/or Talmudic Aramaic, with appropriate grammatical instruction. Staff.
411 [220] ADVANCED AKKADIAN (3). Readings in literary, epistolary, and juridical texts. Staff.
412 [222] UGARITIC (3). Prerequisites, RELI 403, 404. Readings in the alphabetic texts of Ras Shamra and a study of the elements of Ugaritic grammar. Staff.
413 [112] BIBLICAL COPTIC AND EARLY EGYPTIAN MONASTICISM (3). Prerequisite, permission of the instructor. Coptic, the last stage of Egyptian, a living language in the Roman and Byzantine Period. Thorough grounding in grammar of the Sahidic dialect as a basis for reading biblical, monastic, and gnostic texts. Faculty.
422 [107] TOPICS IN PHILOSOPHICAL PROBLEMS IN RELIGION (3). Prerequisite, senior or graduate standing, or permission of the instructor. The problem of intention, or knowledge of other minds, and the study of alien cultures are central issues. Tyson, Styers.
423 [156] THEORIES OF RELIGION, ETHNICITY, AND RACE, (3). Prerequisite, RELI 140 or permission of the instructor. A methodological inquiry into ethnicity, race, and religion as constituents of personal and communal identity. Emphasis on the implications of these categories for a religiously pluralistic society. Maffly-Kipp.
424 [182] GENDER THEORY AND RELIGION (WMST 424) (3). An examination of contemporary gender theory, with particular focus on its application to the study of religion. Styers.
428 [142] RELIGION AND ANTHROPOLOGY (FOLK 428) (3). Prerequisite, junior/senior or graduate standing. Religion, studied anthropologically, as a cultural, social, and psychological phenomenon in the works of classical and contemporary social thought. Tyson and Peacock.
429 [190] RELIGION AND SOCIETY (SOCI 429) (3). Prerequisite, SOCI 101 or permission of the instructor. Sociological analysis of group beliefs and practices - both traditionally religious and secular - through which fundamental life experiences are given coherence and meaning. Powell.
435 [130] RELIGION, NATURE, AND ENVIRONMENT (ANTH 438) (3). Concepts of nature within religions and a variety of worldwide spiritual traditions. Emphasis on sacred space, place, and pilgrimage as a vital intersection of religion and nature.
440 [140] STUDIES IN AMERICAN RELIGION (3). Prerequisite, permission of the instructor. A consideration of varying topics from the intellectual, literary, social, and cultural dimensions of American religion. Ariel, Maffly-Kipp, Tweed.
441 [148] HISTORY OF RELIGION IN AMERICA TO 1865 (3). An examination of primary sources in the history of American religion from the pre-colonial era to the Civil War. Ariel, Maffly-Kipp.
442 [149] HISTORY OF RELIGION IN AMERICA SINCE 1865 (3). An examination of primary sources in the history of American religion since the Civil War. Ariel, Maffly-Kipp.
443 [153] EVANGELICALISM IN CONTEMPORARY AMERICA (3). Prerequisite, junior or senior standing. Examination of Evangelicalism and its role in American society, politics, and culture. Exploration of its various subdivisions and its relation to such movements as Fundamentalism, Pentecostalism, Revivalism, and Premillennialism. Ariel.
444 [154] GENDER AND SEX IN JUDAISM (JWST 444) (3). This seminar examines the developments in gender roles and in sexuality in contemporary Judaism. Ariel.
445 [155] THE AMERICAN ENCOUNTER WITH ASIAN RELIGIONS (3). A study of intercultural interaction and interreligious encounter focusing on Asian religions in America, 1784 to the present. Tweed.
465 [144] MEDIEVAL SLAVIC CULTURE () (3). Survey of medieval Slavic culture, beginning with Christianization in the ninth and tenth centuries. Themes include Byzantine missions, the replacement of paganism with Christianity, the oral tradition, and Slavic literary relations. Readings in English for non-Slavic concentrators. Staff.
480 [086] MODERN MUSLIM LITERATURE (3). Stresses the diversity of modern Islamic experience by examining the works of various Muslim authors. Genres may include travelogues, memoirs, novels, sermons, and treatises, among others. Staff.
481 [120] RELIGION, FUNDAMENTALISM, AND NATIONALISM (PWAD 481) (3). An exploration of explosive combinations of religion and politics in the Iranian revolution, the Palestinian movement, Hindu nationalism in India, and Christian fundamentalism in America. Ernst.
490 [161] SELECTED TOPICS IN THE STUDY OF ASIAN RELIGIONS (3). Prerequisite, permission of the instructor. A close examination of a selected topic in Asian religions. Staff.
502 [121] MYTHS AND EPICS OF THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST (FOLK 502) (3). Prerequisite, permission of the instructor. An examination of Babylonian, Canaanite, Egyptian, Hittite, and Sumerian texts from the pre-biblical era, focusing on representative myths, epics, sagas, songs, proverbs, prophecies, and hymns. (Alternate years.) Staff.
503 [122] EXPLORING THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS (3). A comprehensive introduction to the Dead Sea Scrolls and the different Jewish groups connected with them. Staff.
512 [111] ANCIENT SYNAGOGUES (CLAR 512) (JWST 512) (3). Prerequisite, RELI 605 or permission of the instructor. Ancient synagogues in Palestine and the Diaspora from the Second Temple period to the seventh century A.D. Magness.
522 [186] NINETEENTH-CENTURY CRITIQUES OF RELIGION (3). Prerequisite, permission of the instructor. An exploration of influential nineteenth-century critiques of religion, including texts by such thinkers as Feuerbach, Marx, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Stanton, Douglass, and Freud. Styers.
525 [311] SEMINAR IN RELIGION AND LITERATURE (3). Prerequisite, permission of the instructor. Topics vary. Saunders.
528 [187] RITUALS AND RHETORICS OF RELIGION (3). Prerequisite, permission of the instructor. Examination of ritual, allegory, and symbol as modes of religious expression in cultic and literary contexts. Tyson.
534 [191] RELIGIOUS ETHICS AND ISSUES IN CONTEMPORARY MEDICINE (3). Prerequisite, senior or graduate standing. Examination of religious-ethical dimensions of such issues as the dying patient, organ transplants, abortion, prolongation of life, and experimentation on human beings, drawing on theory from the traditional Western religions and the social sciences. Staff.
540 [152] MORMONISM AND THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE (3). Prerequisite, RELI 140 or permission of the instructor. Exploration of the history, beliefs, and practices of Mormons. Will include visits to Latter-day Saints' services, guest speakers, and discussion of race and gender in the contemporary church. Maffly-Kipp.
581 [171] SUFISM (3). Prerequisite, permission of the instructor. A survey of Islamic mysticism, its sources in the Qur'an and the Prophet Muhammad, and its literary, cultural, and social deployment in Arab, Persian, Indic, and Turkish regions. Ernst.
582 [172] ISLAM IN SOUTH ASIA (3). A survey of the formation of Islamic traditions in the subcontinent from the eighth century to the present, with emphasis on religion and politics, the role of Sufism, types of popular religion, and questions of Islamic identity. Ernst.
583 [173] RELIGION AND CULTURE IN IRAN (ASIA 583) (3). Iran from the rise of the Safavid empire to the Islamic Republic. Topics include Shi'ism, politics, intellectual and sectarian movements, encounters with colonialism, art and architecture, music, and literature. Ernst.
591 [174] CHINESE WORLD VIEWS (ANTH 574) (ASIA 574) (3). An approach to Chinese history, literature, science, and society through an exploration of a few pervasive cultural themes. Chinese sources in translation and Western anthropological and philosophical sources are used. Staff.
592 [176] RELIGIOUS CONFLICT AND NARRATIVE IN INDIA (HNUR 592) (3). Historical causes of violence between Hindus and Muslims in modern India. Short stories, poetry, and novels in translation are used to explore how conflicts over religious sites, religious conversion, image worship, and language use contributed to a sense of conflicting religious identity. Staff.
602 [126] WHAT ARE HOLY SCRIPTURES? THE FORMATION OF THE HEBREW CANON (3). The course traces the canonical process which led to the Hebrew Bible and the Greek Old Testament. Staff.
605 [110] JOSEPH - KING OF DREAMS: JOSEPH IN BIBLE AND TRADITION (3). A study of the Joseph story as preserved in Genesis 37-50 and interpretative history in Early Judaism. Staff.
607 [127] PROBLEMS IN EARLY CHRISTIAN LITERATURE AND HISTORY (3). Prerequisite, one of the following: RELI 104, 207, or 208, or permission of the instructor. Ehrman.
608 [123] THE MESSIAH AND THE APOCALYPSE (3). Ideas concerning the Messiah and the end of the world held by Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Emphasis on the beginning of the Christian era. (Alternate years.) Staff.
617 [129] DEATH AND AFTERLIFE IN THE ANCIENT WORLD (3). Prerequisites, RELI 103, 104, 106, 161, 209 or permission of the instructor. Examination of practices and discourses pertaining to death and the afterlife in ancient civilizations of the Near East, Greece, and Rome. Plese.
681 [179] READINGS IN ISLAMIC LITERATURE (3). Prerequisite, permission of the instructor. Study of selected religious, literary, and historical texts in Arabic, Persian, or Urdu. On demand. Staff.
688 [288] OBSERVATION AND INTERPRETATION OF RELIGIOUS ACTION (3). Prerequisite, permission of the instructor. Exercises in learning to read the primary modes of public action in religious traditions: sermons, testimonies, rituals, prayers, etc. Primary focus on construction and interpretation of texts from field observation. Tyson.
700 [200] PRO-SEMINAR IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES (3). Prerequisite, graduate standing in religious studies or permission of the instructor. A basic problems and methods course required of all graduate students in Religious Studies. Staff.
702 [241] RELIGION AND LITERATURE OF ISRAEL (3). A study of the religious traditions in ancient Israelite literature from the twelfth through the second centuries BCE. Staff.
704 [266] READINGS IN RELIGIONS OF THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST (3). Focusing on the Mediterranean religions before Alexander, the course consists of readings of original documents in translation, illustrating theology and cult, as well as on the major history of religions interpretations. Staff.
707 [227] EARLY CHRISTIAN HISTORY AND LITERATURE (3). Prerequisite, permission of the instructor. A critical study of the history and literature of early Christianity from Paul to Irenaeus, with texts to be read in the original languages. Ehrman.
712 [263] EARLY JEWISH HISTORY AND LITERATURE (3). Prerequisite, permission of the instructor. An examination of the main varieties of pre-rabbinic Judaism: Hellenistic Judaism, apocalyptic Judaism, and the Judaism of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Staff.
718 [226] READINGS IN GRECO-ROMAN RELIGION (3). Prerequisite, permission of the instructor. Opportunity for reading of ancient documents representing the more important religious trends of the Greco-Roman world. Ehrman.
720 [244] CRITICAL AND COMPARATIVE LINEAGES IN RELIGION AND CULTURE (3). Exploration of intellectual lineages shaping the contemporary study of religion and culture. Tyson, Saunders, Styers.
721 [247] THEORIES OF RELIGION AND CULTURE (3). Prerequisite, permission of the instructor. Studies in early modern, Enlightenment, and Romantic political, philosophical, and literary texts. Saunders, Styers.
723 [240] CRITICAL APPROACHES TO RELIGION AND CULTURE (3). Prerequisite, graduate standing in Religious Studies, or permission of the instructor. Exploration of various forms of contemporary critical thought (including gender theory, critical race theory, and post-colonial studies) in order to assess the value of these critical tools for the study of religion. Styers.
734 [245] STUDIES IN THE RHETORIC OF IMAGES (3). Prerequisite, permission of the instructor. Selected readings on image production, exhibition, and interpretation, with consideration of different ritual and cultic settings. Saunders.
735 [246] CRITICAL WORKS IN RELIGION AND LITERATURE (3). Prerequisite, permission of the instructor. Textual analysis of several theoretical and literary works dealing with selected problems in religion and literature. Staff.
740 [202] APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF AMERICAN RELIGIONS (3). Prerequisite, graduate standing in Religious Studies or permission of the instructor. Consideration of methods, theories, and interpretations that have been influential in the study of American religion. Tweed.
741 [203] THEMES IN AFRICAN AMERICAN RELIGIOUS HISTORY (3). Prerequisite, graduate standing in Religious Studies or permission of the instructor. A historical and thematic survey of the religions of African Americans from the precolonial era to the present. Maffly-Kipp.
742 [204] RELIGION AND LITERATURE IN AMERICA (3). Prerequisite, graduate standing in Religious Studies or permission of the instructor. A study of the religious tradition in American literature from the Puritan period to the present. Staff.
743 [205] CURRENT TRENDS IN AMERICAN JUDAISM (3). The course aims at examining the current developments in American Judaism: cultural, spiritual, liturgical, as well as social and institutional. Ariel.
744 [248] READINGS IN AMERICAN RELIGION TO 1865 (3). An examination of primary sources in the history of American religion from the precolonial era to the Civil War. Ariel, Maffly-Kipp.
745 [249] READINGS IN AMERICAN RELIGION SINCE 1865 (3). An examination of primary sources in the history of American religion since the Civil War. Ariel, Maffly-Kipp.
746 [314] THE CHRISTIAN-JEWISH ENCOUNTER IN AMERICA (3). Course examines the Christian-Jewish encounter in America from the seventeenth century to the present. Analyzes both theological and social interactions. Ariel.
760 [207] APPROACHES TO MEDIEVAL AND EARLY MODERN STUDIES (3). Prerequisite, graduate standing in religious studies or permission of the instructor. An introduction to the problems and methods in the study of medieval and early modern religion in the West. Kaufman.
780 [277] METHODS IN ISLAMIC STUDIES (3). Principal topics will include: the history of Islamic studies in relation to Orientalism, area studies, and religious studies; problems of anti-Islamic bias and stereotypes; use of textbooks, primary sources, novels, films, and the Internet; teaching the Qur'an; the Muslim presence in Europe and America; contemporary reflection on classical sources; modern Muslim thinkers; gender studies; and other related subjects. (Gateway course.) Ernst.
781 ANTHROPOLOGY OF ISLAM (3). Survey of anthropological and ethnographic approaches to Muslim societies with an emphasis on the multiple cultural locations of Islam, in contrast with the Orientalist definition of Islam as a purely textual religion. Staff.
801 [305] SEMINAR IN BIBLICAL STUDIES (3). Topics vary; consult the department. Ehrman.
807 [306] HELLENISTIC RELIGIOUS TEXTS IN GREEK (3). Studies in Greek texts drawn from early Christianity, Judaism, and other religions of the Greco-Roman World. Ehrman.
808 [268] THE APOSTOLIC FATHERS (3). Prerequisites, Greek and permission of the instructor. A study of selected works of the Apostolic Fathers, including Barnabas, Ignatius, and Polycarp. Ehrman.
809 [275] TEXTUAL CRITICISM OF THE GREEK BIBLE (3). Prerequisites, Greek and permission of the instructor. Reconstruction; application of text-critical principles. Ehrman.
810 [223] READINGS IN EARLY JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN APOCALYPTIC (3). Prerequisite, permission of the instructor. Readings from apocalyptic texts in the original languages. Staff.
812 [231] DIASPORA JUDAISM (CLAR 812) (3). Prerequisite, graduate standing or permission of the instructor. Seminar examines the evidence for the ancient Jewish communities of Egypt, Rome, Asia Minor, and Mesopotamia. Magness.
813 [302] READINGS IN TALMUD (3). Prerequisite, permission of the instructor. An introduction to the study of the Babylonian Talmud in the original Hebrew and Aramaic, with the traditional commentaries. The emphasis is on understanding Talmudic logic. Staff.
814 [264] PROBLEMS IN RABBINIC HISTORIOGRAPHY (3). Prerequisite, RELI 712 or permission of the instructor. Examination of the methodological problems of using rabbinic materials as sources for the history of Judaism in the period after 70 CE. Staff.
817 [229] ANCIENT RHETORIC AND EARLY CHRISTIANITY (3). Prerequisite, permission of the instructor. Survey of the development of rhetorical theory and practice through the Hellenistic and Roman Period. Explores the connection between rhetorical tradition and early Christian literature. Plese.
818 [307] THE GNOSTIC SCRIPTURES (3). Prerequisite, RELI 413 or permission of the instructor. Close reading and interpretation of ancient gnostic texts found near Nag Hammadi in Egypt. Plese.
819 [262] ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY AND EARLY CHRISTIANITY (3). Prerequisite, proficiency in Greek and/or Latin. Survey of the Hellenistic schools of philosophy and their impact on early Christian theories of the universe, ethics, cultural history, and salvation. Staff.
821 [310] SEMINAR IN RELIGION AND CULTURE (3). Prerequisite, permission of the instructor. Topics vary; consult the department. Tyson, Saunders, Styers.
823 [309] POST-COLONIAL APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF RELIGION (3). Prerequisite, permission of the instructor. An examination of major themes in contemporary post-colonial thought, and the application of this work to the study of religion. Styers.
835 [313] SPACE, PLACE, AND RELIGION (3). This interdisciplinary graduate seminar focuses on religion, space, and place in the United States. Tweed.
838 TOPICS IN RELIGION AND LAW (3). This course examines selected themes in legal and social theory relating to the position of religion in contemporary American society. Styers.
840 [303] SEMINAR IN AMERICAN RELIGION (3). Topics vary. May be repeated for credit. Maffly-Kipp, Tweed, Ariel.
841 [304] RELIGION AND SOCIAL ISSUES IN AMERICA (3). Historical analysis of the relationship between religious developments and social issues in America. Topics may include economics, politics, and social reform. Maffly-Kipp.
842 [312] RELIGION AND CULTURAL CONTACT IN AMERICA (3). Examination of religion in America through instances of intercultural contact. Topics vary. Maffly-Kipp.
843 [206] ROMAN CATHOLICISM IN AMERICA (3). A seminar on Roman Catholicism in the United States that also considers developments elsewhere in the Western hemisphere. Focus is on ritual practice and visual culture. Tweed.
866 [269] MEDIEVAL RELIGIOUS TEXTS (3). Prerequisite, permission of the instructor. Selected texts which illumine significant aspects of medieval religious culture are read in the original languages. Kaufman.
867 [270] TEXTS OF THE CATHOLIC AND PROTESTANT REFORMATIONS (3). Prerequisite, permission of the instructor. Selected texts which illumine significant aspects of the Catholic and Protestant Reformations are read in the original languages. Kaufman.
870 [308] METHODS AND TOPICS IN THE STUDY OF WESTERN RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS (3). Prerequisite, permission of the instructor. Exploration of one enduring issue in the history of the Western Christian tradition. The instructor selects several case studies that illustrate both the topic and the developments within traditions. Staff.
890 [299] TOPICS IN THE STUDY OF RELIGION (3). Prerequisite, graduate standing in religious studies or permission of the instructor. Topics vary. Staff.
900 [325] READINGS AND RESEARCH (3). Prerequisite, permission of the instructor. Staff.
990 PRELIMINARY PREPARATION (Var.).
993 [393] MASTER'S THESIS (3 or more). Staff.
994 [394] DOCTORAL DISSERTATION (var.). Staff.