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Course Criteria
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3.00 Credits
A study of the life and thought of John Wesley followed by a survey of the leading people, organizations, ideas and practices of the Wesleyan tradition in America.
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3.00 Credits
Religions evolve over time. In the twenty-first century Buddhists are developing ways of thinking and approaches to life that are explicitly intended to be relevant to people throughout the world. Some forms of contemporary Buddhist thought engage in dialogue with the natural sciences; others stress the relevance of Buddhism to environmental concerns; still others emphasize the role that Buddhism can play in enabling people to live spiritually in an age of consumerism. Special focus is on contemporary Zen and Tibetan writing. The course includes an engaged component that involves undertaking a regular practice of breathing meditation or doing a creative art project at the end.
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3.00 Credits
Centering on the vibrant religious culture of Tibet, this course begins with an examination of how Tibet and Tibetan religion have been conceived and depicted in scholarship and in contemporary culture, and it proceeds by exploring key elements of Tibetan Buddhist philosophy, cultural history, and socio-religious diversity. The early part of the course addresses the assimilation of Indian Buddhist thought and the development of Tibetan traditions of practice. The course then considers the interface of religion and politics in Tibet, the development of sects, and the historical rise of monasticism. The latter part of the course assesses vital ongoing traditions of ? ?opular? ?or 'fol k' religion and the religious specialists and communities associated with them, and it concludes by considering contemporary issues of religious revival and identity among modern Tibetans
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3.00 Credits
In the twenty-first century Muslims are developing ways of thinking and approaches to life that are intended to be relevant to contemporary Muslims and the wider world. Some build upon the mystical traditions of the Muslim past, especially Sufism; some build upon what they call "liberal" or "progressive" currents of more recent Muslim history, seeking to show how Islam can promote freedom of thought, democracy, respect for the rights of women, appreciation of science. In a different vein, other strands of contemporary thinking emphasize that Islam provides a constructive alternative to Western ways of thinking. This course is intended to introduce students to a wide array of contemporary Islamic thinking: mystical, militant, liberal, feminist, and conservative
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3.00 Credits
A survey of the key thinkers, issues and movements that shaped Christian thought in the twentieth century. The course studies the rise of Protestant liberalism, the Neo-Orthodox reaction (e.g. Karl Barth) and the contemporary proliferation of different types of theology such as liberationist, feminist, process, evangelical, and Asian.
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3.00 Credits
An exploration of selected fiction, poetry, and certain kinds of nonfiction such as autobiography and biography to discern how the artist portrays spiritual experiences and perceptions and presents theological themes. Literature from ancient times to the present may be considered. Prerequisite: any course carrying the LS code or permission of the instructor.
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3.00 Credits
Study and evaluation of classical and contemporary arguments regarding such issues as the nature and existence of God, the nature of religious faith and its relationship to reason, the meaning of religious language, and the relationship between religion and morality. Cross-listed as PHIL 370.
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3.00 Credits
In the twentieth century a form of philosophy emerged called "process philosophy." It is influenced by the philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead. As the name suggests, it sees the whole world as a dynamic process of becoming, emphasizing that all living beings are dependent on all others, and that even God is "in process" along with the world. Many Christians have been developing 'pro cess theolog ies' that interpret key Christian beliefs with help from Whitehead; and some Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, and Muslims have done the same. The first part of this course introduces students to the philosophy of Whitehead and its religious expressions, with special focus on Christian process theology. The second half turns to ways in which process philosophy is being applied to a wide rangecontemporary social issues: environmental concerns, educational reform, economic theory, world religions, and inter-religious dialogue.
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3.00 Credits
What does Christian evangelism look like in an age of pluralism? The first half of this course looks at the history of Christian mission and the different "theologies of mission" that are being developed in the modern world. Attention is paid to Christians who believe that Christianity should replace all other religions and to Christians who believe that, in the best of worlds, there will be many different religions, none dominant over the others. The second half introduces contemporary "theologies of dialogue." In these theologies evangelism is conceived as promoting friendship between religions and the Christian life is understood as a path in which Christians can share with others but also be transformed by wisdom from other paths. Special attention is given to Western Christians whose lives and thought have transformed by encounters with Buddhism
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3.00 Credits
This course focuses on religious experience rather than on doctrine or belief. Mysticism lies in experiencing the presence of natural world, invisible spirits, the divine reality, or the fathomless source of life in the immediacy of the present moment without the mediation of words and doctrines. Prayer lies in listening to a divine reality and communicating with that reality through various emotions: sadness, praise, protest, thanksgiving, laughter, hope, and silence. Meditation ranges from quiet sitting in which one listens to one's breathing, to shamanic experiences in which one pays attentions to disclosures of the unconscious, to dancing and gardening. The course introduces students to mysticism, meditation, and prayer as they are found in various world religions, and to spiritual disciplines involved in those experiences. It includes an engaged component in which students are asked to spend one day fasting from food and one day in silence.
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