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  • RELI 233b: Buddhist Cultures

    1.00 Credits
    Vassar College

    (Same as Asian Studies 233) An introduction to Buddhist traditions, beginning with the major themes that emerged in the first centuries after the historical Buddha and tracing the development of Buddhist thought and practice throughout Asia. The course examines how Buddhist sensibilities have expressed themselves through culturally diverse societies, and how specific Buddhist ideas about human attainment have been (and continue to be) expressed through meditation, the arts, political engagement, and social relations. Various schools of Buddhist thought and practice are examined including Theravada, Mahayana, Tantra, Tibetan, East Asian, and Zen. Mr. Walsh. Prerequisite: Religion 152 or by permission of instructor.
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  • RELI 235a: Religion and State in China

    1.00 Credits
    Vassar College

    (Same as Asian Studies 235) The category of 'religion' in the study of China, as deployed and used by most scholars, is a nineteenth-century creation. Consequently, in this course, as we explore intertwined aspects of Chinese culture categorized as religion, we struggle to ascertain the complex relationships between colonial essentialization, ahistoricization, and between the myriad historical examples of human activity in China. Chinese religiosity can never mean the same thing at the same time and place. We therefore negotiate the thorny avenues of state and religion, center and periphery, cultural specificity and generality, all the while acknowledging the binary trap of these categories, as well as paying close attention to reified terms such as Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, and so forth. To explore all of the above we spend time with primary and secondary texts critical to China's imagination. Some of the questions we try to answer include the following: how was the universe imagined in traditional and modern China What did it mean to be human in China What do we mean by 'Chinese religions' How might Chinese culture be represented Mr. Wal
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  • RELI 243a: Islamic Traditions

    1.00 Credits
    Vassar College

    An exploration of Islamic history, with special attention to issues of prophecy, religious leadership, mythology and sacred scriptures. Among the topics examined are Islamic law, theology and philosophy, as well as the varied expressions of Islamic religious values and ritual, especially Shi'ism, Sufism, and orthodox Sunnism. Particular attention is given to women in Islam and to Islamic architecture. Ms. Leeming. Prerequisite: Religion 150, 152, or by permission of instructor.
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  • RELI 250a: and b.Across Religious Boundaries:Understanding Differences

    1.00 Credits
    Vassar College

    The study of a selected topic or theme in religious studies that cuts across the boundaries of particular religions, allowing opportunities for comparison as well as contrast of religious traditions, beliefs, values and practices. May be taken more than once for credit when the content changes. Topic for 2008/09a: Devotional Practices and Religious Experiences in the United States. This course is an introduction to ways of understanding and interpreting other people's religious experiences. The course organizes religious experiences into four types and analyzes them in order. The first type we will examine includes experiences or spiritual practices in which the body plays a crucial role. Here we will look in detail at embodied ritual practices. In the second unit of the course we will examine conversion and mystical experiences in which the "heart" or emotions are central. In the third unit of the course we examine religious experiences in which will-power and spiritualized action are crucial. And fourth and finally we will look at "metaphysical" practices in which believers find the divine through particular modes of perception or thought. When we use the body in ceremonies or other practices aren't we just engaging in empty rituals When we have religious feelings can we be sure that resulting visions, trances or insights are not born of our own imaginations Are feelings more reliable than the intellect as ways of perceiving reality or understanding truth Mr. Christopher White Prerequisite: one unit in religion. Topic for 2008/09 b: New and Alternative Religious Movements in the United States: All religions, new and old, have a beginning, and all religions change over time. Even the most established and popular religions today, like Islam and Christianity, began as small, marginalized sects. In this class, we think carefully about how religions develop and change by examining closely religious movements in one of the most vibrant religious nations in world history, modern America. We study radical prophets, doomsday preachers, modern messiahs, social reformers and new spiritual gurus and we talk about how their new religious movements developed and interacted with more mainstream religious currents in nineteenth- and twentieth-century America. This course proceeds in a roughly chronological fashion, beginning with new and alternative religions in the nineteenth century and moving on to more recent groups. Some of the questions we consider are: Why do new religions begin Why do people join them How do they both challenge and conform to wider American norms and values How should the American legal system respond to them How do more mainstream believers respond to them Mr. White. 255a. Western Mystical Traditions (1) Textual, phenomenological and theological studies in the religious mysticism of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. May be taken more than once for credit when content changes. Topic for 2008/09a: Sufism. Through a selection of medieval and modern primary sources in translation, fiction that uses Sufism as its subject matter and also secondary source studies this class introduces the subject of Sufism or Islamic Mysticism. The course begins with a brief introduction to Islam. In conjunction with the study of material from early, medieval and modern Sufis the course examines foundational concepts in Islam that have shaped and continue to shape the ideas, beliefs and practices of Sufism. Some of the major themes weencounter in the class are monotheism, creation, God, love, cooking, drunkenness, poetry, ritual, and ecstasy. Ms. Leeming. Prerequisite: one 100-level course or by permission of instructor.
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  • RELI 266a: Religion in America

    1.00 Credits
    Vassar College

    An historical introduction to the study of religion in America, focusing on religious innovation and change, especially the introduction and creation of new religions and religious movements and redefinition of boundaries of margins and mainstream in American religious life. Topics include the role of religion in politics, culture, ethnic group life, and the social construction of gender. Instructor to be announced. Prerequisite: 1 unit in religion, or by permission of instructor.
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  • RELI 267a: Religion,Culture and Society

    1.00 Credits
    Vassar College

    (Same as Sociology 267) An examination of the interaction between religion, society, and culture in the work of classical theorists such as Freud, Marx, Durkheim and Weber, and in the writings of modern theorists like Berger, Luckman, Bellah, and Geertz. Students learn to apply theoretical concepts to the data of new religious movements in American society. Mr. Mamiya. Prerequisite: 1 unit at the 100-level in religion, 1 unit at the 100-level in anthropology or sociology, or by permission of instructor. Not offered in 2008/09.
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  • RELI 268b: Sociology of Black Religion

    1.00 Credits
    Vassar College

    (Same as Africana Studies 268 and Sociology 268) Mr. Mamiya. Not offered in 2008/09.
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  • RELI 270b: Departmental Colloquium

    0.50 Credits
    Vassar College

    Joint exploration for majors of methods in the study of religion. The department, Mr. Mamiya. Permission required. One weekly two-hour period during the first half of the semester.
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  • RELI 271a: Advanced Methods in the Study of Religion

    0.50 Credits
    Vassar College

    A continued exploration of methods in the study of religion and their application to research questions. Ms. Leeming. Senior Religion majors only. Permission required. One two-hour period bi-monthly.
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  • RELI 280b: Religion and Sexuality

    1.00 Credits
    Vassar College

    Religion and sexuality are often seen as antithetical, a perception reinforced by images of abstemious monks and chaste martyrs who renounced earthly pleasure in pursuit of higher matters of the spirit. But even traditions that have strict prohibitions regarding sexual practice often celebrate a spiritual life suffused with erotic metaphors. This course takes up the following questions: What places do bodies and their desires have within the practice and piety of a religious community In what ways do sexual proscriptions and restrictions inform central expressions of devotion and ritual What aspects of religion emerge when approached from the special vantage point of sexuality We approach these themes in historical and contemporary contexts, with a dominant focus on religious and spiritual traditions in the United States. This coverage will include Victorian Christian fears of the "secret vice," alternative kinship structures in 19th century new religious movements such as the Oneida Community and the Shakers, mainstream religious debates over sexuality education and homosexuality, and contemporary queer spiritual communities such as the Radical Faeries and Gay Paganism. Ms. White.
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