Department of Religious Studies
LAURIE F. MAFFLY-KIPP, Chair
Professors
Yaakov S. Ariel, Jonathan Boyarin, Bart D. Ehrman, Carl W. Ernst, Jodi Magness, Omid Safi, Ruel W. Tyson Jr.
Associate Professors
Laurie F. Maffly-Kipp, Zlatko Plese, Randall Styers.
Assistant Professors
Barbara Ambros, Lauren Leve, Todd Ochoa.
Lecturer
Bennie H. Reynolds.
Adjunct Professors
Philip F. Gura, Jonathan M. Hess, Charles Kurzman, Bruce B. Lawrence (Duke University), Paul W. Meyer, Albert Rabil Jr., Tony K. Stewart (NCSU).
Adjunct Associate Professors
Jason Bivins (NCSU), Barry Saunders, Margaret J. Wiener.
Professors Emeriti
David J. Halperin, Peter I. Kaufman, William J. Peck, James H. Sanford, Jack Sasson, John H. Schutz, John Van Seters.
Introduction
The Department of Religious Studies is dedicated to the study of the world’s religions as historical and cultural phenomena. It examines the history, texts, artifacts, beliefs, values, and rituals of a variety of religious traditions, including Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Inherently interdisciplinary in its approach, religious studies explores these traditions in light of related fields in the humanities and social sciences such as anthropology, classics, archeology, sociology, philosophy, and history. The department offers a wide variety of courses ranging from large lecture classes to advanced seminars, as well as independent studies, an honors thesis program, and a capstone course for all majors (RELI 697). Introductory courses, which are numbered below 200, orient students to the field of religious studies or to major approaches, topics, or issues within that broader field. Intermediate courses are numbered between 200 and 400, and they provide a somewhat more in-depth analysis. Advanced courses, which are numbered above 400, often build on knowledge or skills derived from lower level courses, and they provide opportunities for research-intensive study in particular areas of concentration in the study of religion.
Programs of Study
The degree offered is the bachelor of arts with a major in religious studies. Minors are offered in religious studies, Jewish studies, Christianity and culture, and Islamic and Middle Eastern studies.
Majoring in Religious Studies: Bachelor of Arts
Minimum requirements for the major in religious studies: nine courses, of which six are completed with a grade of C or better, at least three of which must be numbered above 400, including RELI 697, the capstone course on themes and methodologies in religious studies. Majors must take at least one course in each of three of the department’s subfields: religion in the Americas, religion and culture, Asian religions–Islamic studies, ancient Mediterranean religions, and medieval and early modern studies.
Minoring in Religious Studies
Minimum requirements for the minor in religious studies: five courses, four of which must be completed with a grade of C or better, and two of which must be numbered above 400. Minors must take at least one course in two of the department’s subfields: religion in the Americas, religion and culture, Asian religions–Islamic studies, ancient Mediterranean religions, and medieval and early modern studies.
Minoring in Jewish Studies
The undergraduate minor in Jewish studies is intended to provide students with an overview of the beliefs, culture, history, and religion of Judaism and the Jewish peoples in interaction with surrounding cultures, from ancient times to the present. It also offers an opportunity to become more knowledgeable about selected areas of the Jewish experience. All minors are required to take a mandatory core course in Jewish studies, JWST 100/RELI 123 Introduction to Jewish Studies.
Requirements for the Minor in Jewish Studies
The minor consists of five courses, which must be taken in at least two different departments. The minor requires the core course (JWST 100/RELI 123) and four other courses selected from the list below. Of these four courses, one must be a course numbered 400 or higher, and at least one must fulfill the world before 1750 General Education requirement (WB). Additions to this list must be approved by a faculty member who serves on the Planning Board of the Carolina Center for Jewish Studies. Only courses in Modern Hebrew at the fifth-semester level or higher can count as courses toward the minor. Students minoring in both Jewish studies and religious studies must use at least three JWST courses that are not cross-listed with RELI to complete the requirements for the minor in Jewish studies.
• AMST 360 American Life and the Jewish Writer
• AMST/JWST 486 Shalom Y’all: The Jewish Experience in the American South
• AMST/JWST/WMST 253 Jewish Women in America: A Social History
• ASIA/HEBR 305 Advanced Modern Hebrew
• ASIA/HEBR 306 Advanced Modern Hebrew
• ASIA/HIST/PWAD 277 The Conflict over Israel/Palestine
• CLAR/JWST/RELI 110 Archaeology of Palestine in the New Testament Period (WB)
• CLAR/JWST/RELI 512 Ancient Synagogues (WB)
• CMPL 270/GERM 270/JWST 239/RELI 239 German Culture and the Jewish Question.
• ENGL/JWST 289 American Jewish Literature
• GERM 056 Germans, Jews, and the History of Anti-Semitism (This first-year seminar may be taken either for minor credit or for General Education credit, but not for both.)
• HIST/JWST/PWAD 262 History of the Holocaust
• JWST/SLAV 469 Coming to America: The Slavic Immigrant Experience in Literature
• JWST/PLSH 412 20th-Century Polish Culture
• JWST/PWAD/SLAV 465 Literature of Atrocity: The Gulag and the Holocaust in Russian and East European Literature
• JWST/RELI 103 Introduction to Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Literature (WB)
• JWST/RELI 106 Introduction to Early Judaism (WB)
• JWST/RELI 107 Introduction to Modern Judaism
• JWST/RELI 143 Judaism in Our Time
• JWST/RELI 205 Legends of Genesis (WB)
• JWST/RELI 206 Prophecy and Divination in Ancient Israel and Judah (WB)
• JWST/RELI 243 Introduction to American Judaism
• JWST/RELI 343 Religion in Modern Israel
• JWST/RELI 444 Gender and Sexuality in Contemporary Judaism
• JWST/RELI 503 Exploring the Dead Sea Scrolls (WB)
• JWST/RELI 602 What Are the Holy Scriptures? The Formation of the Hebrew Canon (WB)
• JWST/SLAV 464 Imagined Jews: Jewish Themes in Polish and Russian Literature
• RELI 109 History and Culture of Ancient Israel (WB)
• RELI 605 Joseph–King of Dreams: Joseph in Bible and Tradition (WB)
• RELI 608 The Messiah and the Apocalypse (WB)
Minoring in Christianity and Culture
The undergraduate minor in the study of Christianity and culture is an interdisciplinary curriculum in the humanities, arts, and social sciences that aims to refine students’ understanding of the cultural, social, and political influence of Christianity.
The minor requires the completion of five courses, including at least one course from each of the following categories:
• Core: RELI 161 or 209
• Ancient, medieval, or early modern Christianity
• Christianity in the modern world
For a list of all approved courses in each of these three categories, see the Christianity and culture Web site: www.christianityculture.unc.edu/minor_000.htm.
Minoring in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies
The undergraduate minor in Islamic and Middle Eastern studies (ISME) is intended to offer students access to two complementary perspectives, the transregional study of Islam and Muslim societies in interaction with surrounding cultures, and the Middle East as a complex region seen through multiple disciplinary approaches.
The minor consists of five courses, which must be taken in at least two different departments; at least one course must be from the Department of Religious Studies, and at least one course must be at an advanced level (400 and above).
The two required core courses for the minor are the following:
• Introduction to Islamic Civilization: HIST 183 or RELI 180, both of which cover material from the seventh century to 1500
• One of the following three courses: RELI 181 Later Islamic Civilization and Modern Muslim Cultures, HIST 139 Later Islamic Civilization and the Modern Muslim World, or HIST 276 The Modern Middle East
Three of the five required courses in the minor (including the core courses) must be selected from one of two subject categories—either Islamic studies or Middle Eastern studies—as indicated by the two lists of approved courses below. The other two courses must come from the other category.
A single language course at level 5 or higher in Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, or Turkish can count as a course toward the minor. Up to two courses in Islamic and Middle East studies at Duke University may count toward the minor if approved by the director of the Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim Civilizations.
Requirements for the Minor in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies
• ARAB/ASIA/RELI 681 Readings in Islamicate Literatures
• ART 450 City as Monument
• ART 458 Islamic Palaces, Gardens, and Court Culture
• ART/ASIA 154 Introduction to Art and Architecture of Islamic Lands (8th–16th c. CE)
• ART/ASIA 561 Art and Society in Medieval Islamic Spain and North Africa
• ASIA/FREN/INTS 451 Orientalist Fantasies and Discourses on the Other
• ASIA/HIST 135 History and Culture of Hindus and Muslims: South Asia to 1750
• ASIA/HIST 136 History of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh: South Asia since 1750
• ASIA/HIST 138 History of Muslim Societies to 1500
• ASIA/HIST 139 History of Muslim Societies since 1500
• ASIA/INTS 452 Muslim Women in France and the United States
• ASIA/RELI 180 Introduction to Islamic Civilization
• ASIA/RELI 181 Modern Islamic Civilization
• ASIA/RELI 581 Sufism
• ASIA/RELI 582 Islam and Islamic Art in South Asia
• ASIA/RELI 584 Qur’an as Literature
• GEOG/INTS 448 Transnational Geographies of Muslim Societies
• GERM/RELI 218 Christianity and Islam in the Middle Ages
• PWAD/RELI 481 Religion, Fundamentalism, and Nationalism
• RELI 064 First-Year Seminar: Reintroducing Islam
• RELI 480 Modern Muslim Literatures
• SOCI 419 Sociology of the Islamic World
Middle East Courses
• ARAB 150 Introduction to Arab Culture
• ARAB 151 Survey of Arabic Literature
• ARAB 350 Women and Leadership in the Arab World
• ARAB 433 Medieval Arabic Literature in Translation
• ARAB 434 Modern Arabic Literature in Translation
• ARAB 452 Imagining Palestine
• ARAB 453 Film, Nation, and Identity in the Arab World
• ASIA 050 First-Year Seminar: Real World Arabic
• ASIA 051 First-Year Seminar: Cultural Encounters: The Arabs and the West
• ASIA/GEOG/INTS 447 Gender, Space, and Place in the Middle East
• ASIA/HIST 276 Modern Middle East
• ASIA/HIST 277 The Conflict over Israel/Palestine
• ASIA/HIST 536 Revolution in the Modern Middle East
• ASIA/HIST 538 The Middle East and the West
• ASIA/HIST/PWAD 275 History of Iraq
• ASIA/HIST/WMST 537 Women in the Middle East
• ASIA/INTS 455 Arabs in America
• ASIA/RELI 583 Religion and Culture in Iran, 1500–Present
• GEOG 059 First-Year Seminar: Space, Identity, and Power in the Middle East
• JWST/RELI 343 Religion in Modern Israel
Honors in Religious Studies
Students majoring in religious studies (including double majors) with a grade point average of 3.3 or above in department courses and 3.2 GPA overall may choose to do an honors thesis. Candidates for graduation with honors in religious studies are to be enrolled in RELI 691H in the fall and 692H in the spring semester of their senior year. Consult the department’s director of undergraduate studies for details.
Special Opportunities in Religious Studies
Departmental Involvement
The Carolina Association for Religious Studies (CARS) is a club for religious studies majors.
Study Abroad
Professor Jodi Magness directs archaeological excavations in Israel during the summer. Students are welcome to participate.
Professor Omid Safi leads the summer study abroad program in Turkey. All students are welcome to participate. No knowledge of Turkish is necessary.
Undergraduate Awards
The department presents two awards at the end of each aca- demic year: the Bernard Boyd Fellowship and the Bernard Boyd Memorial Prize.
Graduate School and Career Opportunities
Those wishing to proceed to graduate study in religion should consult with the director of undergraduate studies about studying two or more languages in which the sacred literatures of the world have been written, as well as the modern languages of scholarship. In addition to the language courses offered by this department, UNC–Chapel Hill offers courses in Greek, Modern Hebrew, Chinese, Japanese, Hindi-Urdu, Latin, Arabic, Sanskrit, Persian, Bengali, and Tamil.
Students majoring in religious studies often choose to pursue an M.A. or Ph.D. in religious studies or other related fields in the humanities and social sciences. Some of the graduates of the program go on to professional schools in law, medicine, divinity, or journalism. Each year the department awards a fellowship to a graduating religious studies major who is planning to do graduate study in religion at another institution.
Contact Information
Undergraduate Studies Program Assistant, Department of Religious Studies, CB# 3225, 125 Saunders Hall, (919) 962-5666. Web site: religion.unc.edu.
RELI
060 [006E] First-Year Seminar: Religion and Racism (3). How does religion become a source of ethnic or racial prejudice among religious practitioners? When does prejudice against religious persons constitute a form of racism? This class explores answers to these questions by examining the connections between religion and racism in modern societies like the United States and South Africa.
061 [006F] First-Year Seminar: Religion, Magic, and Science (3). This course explores the ways in which religion, magic, and science are defined in the modern world and the different forms in which supernaturalism circulates within contemporary culture.
063 First-Year Seminar: The Archaeology of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls (3). In this seminar students learn about the Dead Sea Scrolls, ancient manuscripts dating to the time of Jesus from caves around the site of Qumran by the Dead Sea. They include early copies of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and sectarian works of the Jewish community that lived in Qumran.
064 [006J] First-Year Seminar: Reintroducing Islam (3). An introduction to the Islamic religious tradition, focusing on major themes of Islamic religious thought and bringing out both traditional spirituality and the critical issues confronting Muslims today.
065 First-Year Seminar: Myth, Philosophy, and Science in the Ancient World (3). This course examines the conflicting ways in which ancient myth, science, and philosophy explained creation of the universe, origins of mankind, nature of dreams, and foundations of culture.
066 First-Year Seminar: Buddhism in America: From the Buddha to the Beastie Boys (3). Introduces students to Buddhism and traces its history in the United States, highlighting the period since 1965. It focuses on immigrants, converts, and the cultural influence of Buddhism in America.
067 First-Year Seminar: Nature, Culture, and Self-Identity: Religion in the Construction of Social Life (3). This course explores how different religious traditions conceive of human nature and cultural personhood, and the ways that these understandings are reflected in diverse forms of personal identity and public life.
068 First-Year Seminar: Charisma in Religion, Science, Poetry Studies in the Entrepreneurial Imagination (3). A comparative examination of prophet, scientist, and poet as critics and creators of the entrepreneurial outlook and sensibility in individuals and organizations with special attention to innovator’s dilemmas.
069 First-Year Seminar: Gender and Sexuality in Contemporary Judaism (3). Taking a global perspective, the course compares the manners in which Jewish communities in America, Israel, Europe, Asia, and Africa have accommodated themselves to the changing norms in gender and sexuality in the last generation.
070 [006E.2] First-Year Seminar: Jesus in Scholarship and Film (3). This seminar explores the ways the historical Jesus has been portrayed in the writings of modern scholars and films of the 20th and 21st centuries.
071 [006E.3] First-Year Seminar: Ethics and the Spirit of the New Capitalism (3). What does it mean to be ethically literate in the age of information technology? Philosophical and historical inquiries into organizational practices and styles of life.
072 First-Year Seminar: Apocalypse Now? Messianic Movements in America (3). This course explores the messianic idea in America as well as the messianic movements that have been active in the nation’s history and their interaction with American society and culture.
073 First-Year Seminar: From Dragons to Pokemon: Animals in Japanese Myth, Folklore, and Religion (3). This course examines the cultural construction of animals in Japanese myth, folklore, and religion.
074 First-Year Seminar: Person, Time, and Religious Conduct (3). Within the vast field of activity called “religion,” this course examines how people and societies give meaning to the relation between human organisms and the universe in time and space.
101 [010] Introduction to Religious Studies (3). An introduction to the academic study of religion that considers approaches to the interpretation of religion and includes study of several religious traditions.
103 [021] Introduction to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Literature (JWST 103) (3). By providing guidance in the historical, geographical, and faith contexts, as well as the literary art involved in the production and crafting of this great literature, the course helps students understand the Hebrew scriptures which have been a source of enjoyment, inspiration, and spiritual direction for centuries.
104 [022] Introduction to New Testament Literature (3). This course introduces students to New Testament literature and to the faith of the early Christian communities, focusing on Jewish and Greco-Roman background, the development of the gospel traditions, the life and ministry of Jesus, the ministry of Paul, the post-Pauline era, and the literature of the Johannine circle.
105 [023] Religions of the Greco-Roman World (3). An introduction to religions and the religious life of the ancient world (1000 BCE–300 CE) in various cultural settings: Greek cities, cosmopolitan Hellenistic kingdoms in Egypt and Syria, and the Roman Empire.
106 [024] Introduction to Early Judaism (JWST 106) (3). This course surveys Jewish history and religion during the Second Temple and Rabbinic periods, from the destruction of the First Jewish Temple (Solomon’s Temple) in 586 BCE to the Muslim conquest of Palestine (640 CE).
107 [034] Introduction to Modern Judaism (JWST 107) (3). The course offers a comprehensive understanding of the development of Judaism from the late Middle Ages to contemporary times.
109 [056] History and Culture of Ancient Israel (3). An examination extending from Hebrew origins to the Babylonian exile and including political history as well as social and religious institutions.
110 [028] The Archaeology of Palestine in the New Testament Period (CLAR 110, JWST 110) (3). This course surveys the archaeology of Palestine (modern Israel and Jordan) from the Persian period (ca. 586 BCE) to the Muslim conquest (640 CE).
117 [020] Culture of the Ancient Near East. (3). A consideration of the cultural and religious milieu of the second millennium BCE as it sheds light on biblical origins.
121 [031] Introduction to Religion and Culture (3). An introductory course that explores relations between religion and culture through the examination of social theory and the analysis of case studies. The case studies focus on such issues as visual culture, ritual, media, gender, and politics.
122 [035] Introduction to Philosophical Approaches to Religion (3). An introduction to philosophical approaches to the study of religion, exploring such topics as religious language and experience, the problem of evil, the relation between religious belief and practice, and issues of religious diversity.
125 Heaven and Hell (3). This course will explore cultural development and significance of religious notions of an afterlife. Are they coherent? What alternative notions of life after death can we imagine?
126 [032] Philosophy of Western Religion (PHIL 134) (3). See PHIL 134 for description.
127 [033] The Claims of Science and Religion (3). The proposition that God exists is treated as a scientific hypothesis. Evidence for and against the hypothesis. The status of other minds and free will in science and religion. Conflicting views about creation, revelation, miracles, and prayers.
134 [037] Introduction to Religious Ethics (3). A study of the nature, methods, and aims of ethics as seen in exemplary persons and actions with emphasis on religious and social context and contemporary problems.
135 [088] Technology, the Self, and Ethical Problems (3). Problems in the study of ethics in the new worlds of information technology.
140 [029] Religion in America (3). An introduction to the history, themes, and issues in American religion from the precolonial period to the present.
141 [045] African American Religions (3). Survey of the historical development of various African American religious traditions, with emphasis on folk spirituality, gender issues, black nationalism, and the role of the church in the black community.
142 [046] Catholicism in America (3). An introduction to Roman Catholicism in the United States.
143 [078] Judaism in Our Time (JWST 143) (3). An examination of Judaism in its two major centers, demonstrating how different social and cultural environments shape very different interpretations and practices of the Jewish tradition.
161 [027] Introduction to the History of Christian Traditions (3). Analysis of continuities and innovations in the history of Western Christian traditions.
163 [030] Critical Issues in Western Religious Thought (3). A consideration of major questions within and about religious thought.
165 [040] Mysticism (3). Comparative study of mysticism in several religious traditions, Eastern and Western.
166 [043] Ideals, Cultures, and Rituals of the University (3). Permission of the instructor. A religious studies approach to the rituals, cultures, and disciplines of the university, assessing the ways in which explanatory ideals are embedded, changed, and promoted.
180 Introduction to Islamic Civilization (ASIA 180) (3). A broad, comprehensive, and interdisciplinary introduction to the traditional civilization of the Muslim world.
181 Later Islamic Civilization and Modern Muslim Cultures (ASIA 181) (3). A broad interdisciplinary survey of the later Islamic empires since the 15th century and their successor societies in the modern Muslim world.
183 [039] Asian Religions (ASIA 183) (3). An introduction to major religions of south Asia and east Asia, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Shintoism.
187 [038] Arab Histories (ASIA 187, HIST 187) (3). Introduction to the sociocultural, political, economic, and religious history of the Arab Middle East. May include discussion of the meaning of Arab history to contemporary residents of the Middle East.
192 [048] Contemporary Middle East (ASIA 192, INTS 192) (3). Interdisciplinary introduction to the religions, politics, economics, societies, and cultures of the contemporary Middle East. Topics may vary.
199 [099] Topics in the Study of Religion (3). Permission of the instructor. Subject matter will vary with instructor but will always be focused on a particular problem or issue.
205 Legends of Genesis (JWST 205) (3). A study of the patriarchal narratives preserved in the book of Genesis as it is illuminated by recent discoveries in the cultures of the ancient Near East.
206 [057] Prophecy and Divination in Ancient Israel and Judah (JWST 206) (3). An examination of prophecy and divination in the Israelite-Jewish traditions and in their environments, including an analysis of the major biblical prophets.
207 [058] Jesus in Myth, Tradition, and History, 30–200 CE (3). An analysis of the variety of traditions used in the first two centuries to portray Jesus, focusing on the reasons for this variety and the historical and literary problems it presents.
208 [059] The Birth of Christianity (3). An analysis of the origin of the Christian church and its early expansion, with particular emphasis on the problems evident in the shift from a Jewish to a Gentile framework. Paul’s role in defining and resolving the issues is considered in detail and evaluated in the light of subsequent events.
209 [061] Varieties of Early Christianity (3). A study of various forms of Christianity in the second and third centuries (e.g., Gnosticism, Marcionism, Montanism), focusing on their polemical relationship to orthodox Christianity.
217 [052] Gnosticism (3). A comprehensive survey of ancient Christian Gnosticism, one of the earliest and most long-lived branches of early Christianity, with principal readings drawn from the famous “Nag Hammadi Library.”
218 Christianity and Islam in the Middle Ages (GERM 218) (3). See GERM 218 for description.
222 [138] Modern Western Religious Thought (3). Prerequisite, PHIL 134 or RELI 122, 126, 140, 161, or 163. Representative themes and approaches in the work of modern Western religious thinkers.
232 Shrines and Pilgrimages (3). An introduction to the study of shrines and pilgrimage in multiple cultural contexts.
234 [047] Historical Sociology of Christianity (SOCI 140) (3). See SOCI 140 for description.
235 [053] Place, Space, and Religion (3). A consideration of the attitudes toward place and space as they are expressed in religious ritual and artifact.
236 [087] Religious Things (3). An introduction to religion and visual culture in the United States. The course focuses on painting, ritual objects, and architecture.
239 [085] German Culture and the Jewish Question (GERM 270, JWST 239) (3). See GERM 270 for description.
240 [068] Religion, Literature, and the Arts in America (3). A study of religious ideas and cultural forms in America through an examination of a variety of genres including novels, poetry, essays, and sermons.
241 [073] Messianic Movements in American History (3). The course examines messianic movements in American history raising the questions, What has been the impact of such movements on the nation? What makes America particularly conducive to such movements?
242 [074] New Religious Movements in America (3). An introduction to new religious movements in the United States, with emphasis on the nature of conversion and the role of founders.
243 [044] Introduction to American Judaism (JWST 243) (3). Course provides a comprehensive introduction to American Judaism, its various movements, institutions, theological, and liturgical characteristics, as well as its standing within the larger framework of religious life in America.
244 [081] Gender and Sexuality in Western Christianity (WMST 244) (3). An examination of the development of teachings on issues of gender and sexuality through the history of Western Christianity, with particular focus on contemporary controversies.
283 [066] The Buddhist Tradition: India, Nepal, and Tibet (ASIA 300) (3). Historical inquiry into the development of Buddhism.
284 [067] The Buddhist Tradition: East Asia (ASIA 284) (3). An examination of the development of Buddhism after its importation to East Asia.
285 The Buddhist Tradition: Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka (ASIA 285) (3). This course explores the Theravada school of Buddhism and themes in the social, cultural, and political lives of the Theravada Buddhist countries of Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka.
286 Premodern Japanese Religions (ASIA 301) (3). Historical survey of the major premodern religious traditions in Japan: Shinto, Buddhism, Shugendo, and Christianity.
287 Japanese Religions after 1868 (ASIA 302) (3). Survey of the major religious traditions in modern and contemporary Japan: Shinto, Buddhism, and the New Religions.
288 Chinese Religions (ASIA 303) (3). Historical introduction to Chinese religions: Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, and folk religion.
321 [180] Topics in Religion and Culture (3). Permission of the instructor. Advanced undergraduate seminar in religion and culture. Topics vary.
323 [080] Social Theory and Cultural Diversity (3). Introduction to basic thinking about cultural difference (race, gender, nationality, religion, etc.). The course encourages students to examine the ways paradigms shape how we act, think, and imagine as members of diverse cultures in the United States.
325 [146] Religion, Magic, and Science (3). Critical exploration of the ways in which religion, magic, and science have been constructed as distinct domains of knowledge in the West since the late 19th century.
328 [160] Topics in Comparative Religion (3). Cross-cultural investigation of specific issues in the history of religions (e.g., pilgrimage, religious biography, new religions).
338 [188] Religion in American Law (3). An exploration of the position of religion in American legal and social theory, with particular focus on jurisprudence under the First Amendment.
340 [071] Liberal Tradition in American Religion (3). An examination of the growth of liberal theological expressions, such as rationalism, romanticism, and modernism, from the early 18th century to the present.
341 [072] Evangelical Tradition in America (3). An attempt to define the historical, sociological, and constitutional dimensions of Protestant evangelicalism in Britain and America.
342 [090] African American Religious Experience (AFAM 342, ANTH 342, FOLK 342) (3). Permission of the instructor. An introduction to the diversity of African American beliefs, experiences, and expressions from the colonial era to the present. Exploration will be both historical and thematic.
343 [079] Religion in Modern Israel (JWST 343) (3). Examines the major religious groups that operate in the state of Israel and influence its social and cultural development; analyzes the relationship among religion, state, and society in Israel.
345 Black Atlantic Religions (3). This course is an introduction to Black Atlantic discourses from ethnographic and religious studies perspectives. Readings will privilege African-inspired performance and aesthetic forms as these are produced in religious practice.
365 [136] Studies in Christian Theologies and Theologians (3). Permission of the instructor. An investigation of one writer or school in the history of Christian theology as an example of typical methods, positions, and problems within the tradition.
366 [169] Medieval Religious Texts (3). Permission of the instructor. Restricted to students with a reading knowledge of Latin. Readings in one or two major texts in Latin that permit close study of several issues in the development of Christian life and thought during the Middle Ages.
367 [137] The Art of Devotion in Medieval and Early Modern Europe (3). Prerequisites, RELI 161 and 163. Permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisites. This course examines creative expression at the service of religious belief from 1000 to 1700. Poetry, drama, art, architecture, and music will be the texts to understand the religious culture of this rich period.
371 [194] Women Mystics (WMST 371) (3). An investigation of the forms, characteristics, and variety of the mystical experiences of women.
375 [317] The Archaeology of Cult: The Material Culture of Greek Religion (CLAR 375) (3). This course examines the archaeological context of Greek religion, cults, and associated rituals from the Bronze Age until the Hellenistic period with emphasis on urban, rural, and panhellenic sanctuaries, and methods of approaching ancient religion and analyzing cult practices.
401 [113] Biblical Hebrew (3). Introduction to the grammar and exegesis of biblical Hebrew.
402 [114] Biblical Hebrew (3). Prerequisite, RELI 401. Permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite. Continuation of RELI 401.
403 [115] Intermediate Classical Hebrew (3). Readings in biblical, Mishnaic, and medieval poetry and prose.
404 [116] Intermediate Classical Hebrew (3). Continuation of RELI 403.
409 [119] Greek New Testament (GREK 409) (3). Prerequisite, GREK 222. Permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.
410 [224] Aramaic/Rabbinic Hebrew (3). Prerequisites, RELI 403 and 404. Permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisites. Reading texts in rabbinic Hebrew or in Biblical and/or Talmudic Aramaic, with appropriate grammatical instruction.
411 [220] Advanced Akkadian (3). Prerequisites, RELI 403 and 404. Readings in literary, epistolary, and juridical texts.
412 [222] Ugaritic (3). Prerequisites, RELI 403 and 404. Readings in the alphabetic texts of Ras Shamra and a study of the elements of Ugaritic grammar.
413 [112] Biblical Coptic and Early Egyptian Monasticism (3). Coptic, the last stage of Egyptian, a living language in the Roman and Byzantine period. Thorough grounding in the grammar of the Sahidic dialect as a basis for reading biblical monastic and Gnostic texts.
421 Religion and Science (3). This course explores the complex relation between religion and science in the modern world. Public disputes over teaching evolution in American schools serve as a central case study of this.
422 [107] Topics in Philosophical Problems in Religion (3). Permission of the instructor. Seniors or graduate students only. Topic varies.
423 [156] Ethnicity, Race, and Religion in America (3). Prerequisite, RELI 140. Permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite. A theoretical inquiry into ethnicity, race, and religion as constituents of personal and communal identity. Emphasis on global migrations, colonial and postcolonial relations, diasporic communities, and issues of religious pluralism.
424 [182] Genders and Theories in the Study of Religion (WMST 424) (3). An examination of contemporary gender theory, with particular focus on its application to the study of religion.
425 [036] Psychology of Religion (3). A critical exploration of the concept of religious experience as defined by such authors as William James and Sigmund Freud.
428 [142] Religion and Anthropology (ANTH 428, FOLK 428) (3). See ANTH 428 for description.
429 [190] Religion and Society (SOCI 429) (3). See SOCI 429 for description.
438 [130] Religion, Nature, and Environment (ANTH 438) (3). See ANTH 438 for description.
440 [140] Studies in American Religion (3). Permission of the instructor. A consideration of varying topics from intellectual, literary, social, and cultural dimensions of American religion.
441 [148] History of Religion in America to 1865 (3). An examination of primary sources in the history of American religion from the precolonial era to the Civil War.
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.
443 [153] Evangelicalism in Contemporary America (3). Juniors or seniors only. 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.
444 [154] Gender and Sexuality in Contemporary Judaism (JWST 444) (3). The seminar examines the developments in gender roles and in sexuality in contemporary Judaism.
445 [155] Asian Religions in America (ASIA 445) (3). A study of intercultural interaction and interreligious encounter focusing on Asian religions in America, 1784 to the present.
454 The Reformation (HIST 454) (3). See HIST 454 for description.
463 [465] Medieval Slavic Culture (SLAV 463) (3). See SLAV 463 for description.
480 [086] Modern Muslim Literatures (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.
481 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.
487 Mountains, Pilgrimage, and Sacred Places in Japan (ASIA 487) (3). This course explores the role that mountains and pilgrimage have played in Japanese cosmology and how they relate to methodology of studying place and space.
488 Shinto in Japanese History (ASIA 488) (3). This course discusses the development of Shinto in Japanese history and covers themes such as myths, syncretism, sacred sites, iconography, nativism, religion and the state, and historiography.
490 [161] Selected Topics in the Study of Asian Religions (3). Permission of the instructor. A close examination of a selected topic in Asian religions.
502 [121] Myths and Epics of the Ancient Near East (FOLK 502) (3). Permission of the instructor. An examination of Babylonian, Canaanite, Egyptian, Hittite, and Sumerian texts from the prebiblical era, focusing on representative myths, epics, sagas, songs, proverbs, prophecies, and hymns.
503 [122] Exploring the Dead Sea Scrolls (JWST 503) (3). A comprehensive introduction to the Dead Sea Scrolls and the different Jewish groups connected with them.
512 [111] Ancient Synagogues (CLAR 512, JWST 512) (3). Prerequisite, RELI 110. Permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite. This is a course on ancient synagogues in Palestine and the Diaspora from the Second Temple period to the seventh century CE.
522 [186] 19th-Century Critiques of Religion (3). Permission of the instructor. An exploration of influential 19th-century critiques of religion, including texts by such thinkers as Feuerbach, Marx, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Stanton, Douglass, and Freud.
524 Ethnographic Approaches to Contemporary Religion (3). Considers key ethical, epistemological, and methodological problems in the ethnographic study of contemporary religion(s). Explores innovations in project design, research, and textual strategies through the lens of exemplary new works.
525 [311] Seminar in Religion and Literature (3). Seminar topic varies.
528 [187] Rituals and Rhetorics of Religion (3). An examination of ritual, allegory, and symbol as modes of religious expression in cultic and literary contexts.
534 [191] Religious Ethics and Issues in Contemporary Medicine (3). Seniors or graduate students only. 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.
540 [152] Mormonism and the American Experience (3). Prerequisite, RELI 140. Permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite. 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.
574 [591] Chinese World Views (ANTH 574, ASIA 574) (3). See ANTH 574 for description.
580 [091] African American Islam (AFAM 580) (3). An historical examination of African American Islam in the United States. Explores the intellectual, cultural, social, and political roots of black Islam in addition to its diverse doctrinal, ritual, and institutional manifestations.
581 [171] Sufism (ASIA 581) (3). 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.
582 [172] Islam and Islamic Art in South Asia (ASIA 582) (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.
583 [173] Religion and Culture in Iran, 1500–Present (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, literature.
584 The Qur’an as Literature (ASIA 584) (3). A nontheological approach to the Qur’an as a literary text, emphasizing its history, form, style, and interpretation.
592 [176] Religious Conflict and Narrative in India (HNUR 592) (3). See HNUR 592 for description.
602 What Are the Holy Scriptures? The Formation of the Hebrew Canon (JWST 602) (3). The course traces the canonical process that led to the Hebrew Bible and the Greek Old Testament.
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 its interpretative history in early Judaism.
607 Problems in Early Christian Literature and History (3). Prerequisite, RELI 104, 207, or 208. Permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.
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.
617 [129] Death and Afterlife in the Ancient World (3). Examinations of practices and discourses pertaining to death and the afterlife in the ancient civilizations of Near East, Greece, and Rome.
681 [179] Readings in Islamicate Literatures (ARAB 681, ASIA 681) (3). Permission of the instructor. Study of selected religious, literary, and historical texts in Arabic, Persian, or Urdu.
688 [288] Observation and Interpretation of Religious Action (ANTH 688, FOLK 688) (3). Permission of the instructor. Exercises (including field work) in learning to read the primary modes of public action in religious traditions, e.g., sermons, testimonies, rituals, and prayers.
691H [097] Honors in Religious Studies (3). Permission of the director of undergraduate studies. Required of all students reading for honors in religious studies.
692H [098] Honors in Religious Studies (3). Permission of the director of undergraduate studies. Required of all students reading for honors in religious studies.
697 [101] Capstone: Undergraduate Seminar (3). Majors only. Concentrating on a different theme each year, this departmental seminar introduces the different areas and approaches in religious studies.
JWST
101 Elementary Modern Hebrew I (HEBR 101) (3). See HEBR 101 for description.
102 Elementary Modern Hebrew II (HEBR 102) (3). See HEBR 102 for description.
103 [021] Introduction to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Literature (RELI 103) (3). See RELI 103 for description.
106 [024] Introduction to Early Judaism (RELI 106) (3). See RELI 106 for description.
107 [034] Introduction to Modern Judaism (RELI 107) (3). See RELI 107 for description.
110 [028] The Archaeology of Palestine in the New Testament Period (CLAR 110, RELI 110) (3). See RELI 110 for description.
143 [078] Judaism in Our Time (RELI 143) (3). See RELI 143 for description.
203 [003] Intermediate Modern Hebrew I (HEBR 203) (3). See HEBR 203 for description.
204 [004] Intermediate Modern Hebrew II (HEBR 204) (3). See HEBR 204 for description.
205 Legends of Genesis (RELI 205) (3). See RELI 205 for description.
206 [057] Prophecy and Divination in Ancient Israel and Judah (RELI 206) (3). See RELI 206 for description.
239 [061] German Culture and the Jewish Question (GERM 270, RELI 239) (3). See GERM 239 for description.
243 [044] (RELI 243) Introduction to American Judaism (3). See RELI 243 for description.
253 [053] A Social History of Jewish Women in America (AMST 253, WMST 253) (3). See AMST 253 for description.
262 [050] History of the Holocaust: The Destruction of the European Jews (HIST 262, PWAD 262) (3). See HIST 262 for description.
289 [049] Jewish American Literature and Culture of the 20th Century (ENGL 289) (3). See ENGL 289 for description.
305 Advanced Modern Hebrew I (HEBR 305) (3). See HEBR 305 for description.
306 Advanced Hebrew II (HEBR 306) (3). See HEBR 306 for description.
343 [079] Religion in Modern Israel (RELI 343) (3). See RELI 343 for description.
412 [112] 20th-Century Polish Literature and Culture (PLSH 412) (3). See PLSH 412 for description.
444 [154] Gender and Sexuality in Contemporary Judaism (RELI 444) (3). See RELI 444 for description.
464 [164] Imagined Jews: Jewish Themes in Polish and Russian Literature (SLAV 464) (3). See SLAV 464 for description.
465 [165] Literature of Atrocity: The Gulag and the Holocaust in Russia and Eastern Europe (PWAD 465, SLAV 465) (3). See SLAV 465 for description.
469 [169] Coming to America: The Slavic Immigrant Experience in Literature (SLAV 469) (3). See SLAV 469 for description.
486 [086] Shalom Y’all: The Jewish Experience in the American South (AMST 486) (3). See AMST 486 for description.
503 [122] Exploring the Dead Sea Scrolls (RELI 503) (3). See RELI 503 for description.
512 [111] Ancient Synagogues (CLAR 512, RELI 512) (3). See RELI 512 for description.
602 What Are the Holy Scriptures? The Formation of the Hebrew Canon (RELI 602) (3). See RELI 602 for description.