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Course Criteria
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4.00 Credits
This course is an introduction to the academic study of religion. Topics for the sections vary from semester to semester and year to year, depending on the particular interests of the instructors, but every course will consider some aspect of the phenomenon of religion and study it in a comparative perspective. Open only to first- and second-year students. For the current offering, see the schedule of classes.
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3.00 Credits
Introductory level special topics course. This class looks at the various rituals that help define the religions of Sasanian Iran (2nd-7th century C.E.) We will be studying Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism and Mandaeism, giving special attention to ritual practices associated with each tradition. We will also address the topics of myth and ritual, as well as ritual and performance as they relate to religion in general. Distribution Area: Humanities and Alternative Voices.
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3.00 - 4.00 Credits
The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution inaugurated a radical experiment to separate church and state in order to guarantee the religious liberty of every citizen. Why did the Founding Fathers undertake this experiment How did they conceive of the separation, and how have others thereafter construed their intent in the face of America's increasing religious pluralism Among the questions this seminar will examine: Can government legitimately support faith-based social initiatives Do prayer in public schools, displays of religious symbols in public spaces, and school vouchers undermine the First Amendment Can government remain strictly neutral toward religion without placing itself on the side of irreligion To what degree should the state support religiously sanctioned cultural practices regarding marriage, contraception, and sexual behavior Open only to first- and second-year students.
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3.00 Credits
Staff As a source of legislation, history, and literature, the Hebrew Bible is a fundamental text of Judaism. However, the religious tradition which the Hebrew Bible chronicles differs markedly from Judaism. Through a study of translations of selected passages from the Hebrew Bible, we will follow the history and religion of ancient Israel from Abraham to the Hellenistic period. Although ancient Israelite history and religion will be presented in the context of ancient Near Eastern mythology, this course will nevertheless lay a foundation for further work in Judaism.
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4.00 Credits
not offered 2008-09 An introduction to the beginnings of Christianity by a study of the New Testament and other early Christian writings. Attention will be given to both historical questions and religious ideas. The focal points of the course will be the Gospels, the problem of the historical Jesus (including the contemporary work on this problem by the "Jesus Seminar"), and the theology of Paul.
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3.00 Credits
Staff With an emphasis on primary sources, this course pursues major themes in Islamic civilization from the revelation of the Qur'an to Muhammad until the present. From philosophy to political Islam, and from mysticism to Muslims in America, we will explore the diversity of a rapidly growing religious tradition.
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4.00 Credits
not offered 2008-09 A survey of Jewish texts, traditions, and beliefs from the end of the Hellenistic period to the origins of the Reform, Reconstructionist, Conservative, and Modern Orthodox movements in Europe and America. With an emphasis throughout on historical consciousness, special attention will be paid to the formation of Rabbinic Judaism, medieval Jewish literature and thought, and the responses of Jews to the Enlightenment. Prerequisite: General Studies 145 or consent of instructor. 213 A - Introduction to Zoroastrianism (x, 4) (Spring 2009 Only) Hart This course is offers an overview of the Zoroastrian religion. We will study Zoroastrianism from its foundation with the priest Zoroaster up to the lives of modern Zoroastrians, known as Parsees. Among the topics we will address are: the Avesta and other Zoroastrian literature; Zoroastrian myth, theology and praxis; the political alliances between Zoroastrianism and the Iranian Empires; modern literary and philosophical interest in Zoroastrianism; and the state of Zoroastrianism in modernity. Distribution Area: Humanities and Alternative Voices.
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3.00 Credits
Islam is divided into two major sects: the Sunni and the Shi'a. Numerically there are vastly more Sunni Muslims than Shi'a but recently the Shi'a have come to dominate current events. This course focuses on the specifics of Shi'a Islam, its origins, its beliefs, it practices and its history. We will concentrate on the reasons-historical and ideological-for the Shi'a-Sunni divide. We will study Shi'a belief regarding issues such as the Imams, occultation, and the Mahdi. We will also consider how Shi'ism has been influenced by Iranian culture from the time of the emergence of Shi'a Islam in the 7th century C.E. through to the Iranian Revolution and the rise of the Ayatollah in the 1970s. Distribution Area: Humanities and Alternative V
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3.00 - 4.00 Credits
Staff Muslims believe that their Holy Scripture, the Qur'an, is the unadulterated and inimitable word of God. This course will present a variety of approaches to and interpretations of the Qur'an. Special attention will be paid to the Qur'an's doctrines, to the Qur'an's role in Islamic law, to the Qur'an's relationship to the Bible, and to the Qur'an as literature. While the Qur'an will be read entirely in translation, we will explore the role of the Arabic Qur'an in the lives of Muslims w
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4.00 Credits
not offered 2008-09 This course introduces the foundations of South Asian (Indian) religiosity through close readings of formative religious texts from an historical perspective. After a discussion of the sacrificial culture embodied in the earliest document of Indo-European history, the Rig Veda ( ca. 1500-1000, B.C.E.), we will trace the development of Theist (Upanishadic), Buddhist and Jaina speculative and liturgical traditions (after the eighth century, B.C.E.) and conclude with the emergence of the first classical Indian empire under Asoka Maurya, third century, B.C.E. Two class meetings per week. Open to all students. Offered in alternate years.
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