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Course Criteria
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1.00 Credits
An introduction to the literature that comprises the Old Testament Apocrypha, including books such as Judith, Tobit, and Susanna. Considered scripture by Roman Catholics, these texts did not make it into the Protestant and Jewish Bibles. Focus will be on the value of these texts for understanding the culture (late Second Temple Judaism) that gave birth to Rabbinic Judaism and Christianity. Along with considering the historical period that produced most of this literature, we will investigate how biblical language, images, and motifs evolved during this period and, in turn, influenced the literature of early Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism. 1.00 units, Lecture
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3.00 Credits
This course will look at religious institutions and the issues facing them in North American cities today, using Hartford as a laboratory. Attention will be given to Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, and Muslim places of worship, as well as to Buddhist and Hindu temples and establishments devoted to Santeria and other Caribbean religious practices. There will be a particular focus on how these institutions relate to the larger urban community, for example, through provision of social services and organizing for social change. 1.00 units, Lecture
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1.00 Credits
From prehistory to today, people have taken journeys out of this world. These have served as the basis for the most important possible claims: about the afterlife, the end of the world, and the existence of God, in narratives ranging from those of Isaiah's induction in the Hebrew Bible and Muhammad's Mi;raj in the Qur'an and Hdith to Dante's inferno and the decidedly less reputable genre of UFO abduction memoir. Beginning with the empirical fact tht people have written about these experiences for at least 4,000 years, this class will lay the foundation fo rthe empirical investigation of otherwordly journeys. We will examine Mesopotamian, Biblical, Jewish and Iranian text and ethnographic accounts from places with practicing shamans. Are otherworldly journeys everywhere and always the same What do the different accounts have in common, and how do politics and culture redefine them 1.00 units, Lecture
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1.00 Credits
This course is an introduction to the poetics and ethnography of sacred words and, through them, the social dimension of language. It is a fundamental role of religion ot break normal rules of language: prayers talk to gods, who do not seem to be present, possessed people ventrioquize spirits, and rituals thrive on repetitive or incomprehensible speech. Sacred words rais questions fundamental to the study of language: how do we evaluate words: according to their source Their form Their speeaker God has traditionally spoken through people, but how have people known it was actually God speaking, and what has this meant to them We will focus on the language of religious experience in Biblical and Jewish traditions, with detours through reggae music, horror movies, and The Passion of Christ 1.00 units, Lecture
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1.00 Credits
An examination of the mystic in Asian religious traditions. Special attention will be given to mysticism and heresy, the psychological and theological sources of mystical experience, and the distinctive characteristics of mystical language. Readings from Indian, Tibetan, and Chinese sources. Enrollment limited. (May be counted toward International Studies/Asian Studies.) 1.00 units, Lecture
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1.00 Credits
A survey of the history of miniature painting from the Persian, Mughal, and Rajput schools, with emphasis on their religious and cultural backgrounds. (May be counted toward art history, international studies/Asian studies, international studies/comparative development studies, and international studies/Middle Eastern studies.) 1.00 units, Lecture
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1.00 Credits
A survey of the art of Buddhism in Asia with special attention given to the development of the Buddha image, the stupa, and a wide array of deities and saints. Using painting, sculpture, architecture, and contemporary expressions of ritual, dance, and theater, the course will cover many of the traditions in South, East, and Central Asia. (May be counted toward international studies/Asian studies, art history, and international studies/comparative development studies.) 1.00 units, Lecture
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1.00 Credits
An introduction to the thought and practice of traditional Hinduism, with special emphasis on perceptions of the "self." Topics covered will be the duties of ritual and caste morality, the meditations of the forest yogis, and the religious fervor of devotees to Shiva and Krishna. Readings include early myths, philosophical texts, devotional hymns, and modern novels. (May be counted toward International Studies/Asian Studies.) 1.00 units, Lecture
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1.00 Credits
An examination of fundamental concepts in Buddhist philosophy as they reflect an ongoing conflict between faith and reason: the non-self, dependent origination, karma, and nirvana. Special emphasis will be placed on the meaning of these concepts for the Buddhist way of life. Readings from classical Theravada and Mahayana texts. (May be counted toward international studies/Asian studies.) 1.00 units, Lecture
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1.00 Credits
An exploration of the roots of Chinese philosophical and religious thought from the Shang dynasty (c. 1600 BCE) through the beginnings of the Han empire (206 BCE). Special emphasis will be placed on the so-called "hundred schools" of the Warring States period, which include Confucianism and Daoism. Through English translations of primary texts, the course will examine the evolving Chinese worldview and cosmology, as well as ideas about self-cultivation, ethics, divination, politics, religion, and social relations. Texts will include the I Ching, Tao Te Ching, Confucius' Analects, Chuang Tzu, Mencius, Hsun Tzu, and more. No previous knowledge of Chinese philosophy or religion is necessary. 1.00 units, Lecture
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