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Courses for 2012-2013 Academic Year

FALL 2012

RELG 1671 (3CR) – Sacred Space and Holy Land
Instructor: J. Perkin
Format: Lecture 3 hours
Exclusion: RELG 1671 (Sacred Space and Pilgrimage)
This course examines how the phenomena of "sacred space" and "pilgrimage", or "sacred journey", originate and give expression to core beliefs, symbols, and devotion of various world religions. Particular attention is focused upon ancient and contemporary Jerusalem, a hotly contested site of holiness for Jews, Christians, and Muslims.

RELG 1681 (3CR) - The Quest for Enlightenment: The Search for Perfection in Asian Religions
Instructor: S. Borsman
Format: Lecture 3 Hours

This course treats the theme of the spiritual quest in Asian religions. Surveying some of the major Asian religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Shinto) it explores the nature of the highest state thought to be achievable by humans and how that state is realized. Topics may include the role of morality, love, and human relationships in that quest, the place of rituals and institutions, and the vision for society. This course looks at both classical and contemporary views on these issues and situates them within their relevant socio-historical context

RELG 1991 (3CR) - Death and Afterlife in Asian Religions: Special Topics in Religious Studies
Instructor: S. Borsman
Format: Lecture 3 Hours
This course studies the practices and beliefs surrounding death and the afterlife associated with five religious traditions: Classical Confucianism, Hinduism, Popular Religion, and Religious Daoism. The class aims to enhance students’ appreciation of the diversity that exists between and within these religions. At the end of the semester, the successful student will not only be able to describe beliefs and practices related to death and the afterlife in these traditions but will also be able to explain how these are shaped by the social, economic and political contexts of their propagation.

RELG 2811 (3 CR) Introduction to the Bible I:; Hebrew Bible
Instructor: F. Black
Format: Lecture 3 hours
Exclusion: RELG 2001
An introduction – in English translation – to the literature of the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament. Selected passages are discussed in the context of Israel’s history, religion, and society, set against the backdrop of the Ancient Near Eastern civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia. We will seek to understand why these texts and the religion they represent have been so influential and in what ways they still illuminate and speak to the human situation today.

RELG 2831 (3CR) - Faith and Doubt
Instructor: A. Wilson
Format: Lecture 3 hours
Prereq: RELG 2501

Consideration of western theism in terms of possibilities and forms of religious knowledge, rationality of belief in God, the challenge of the problem of evil, and the nature and significance of religion.

RELG 3001 (3CR) - Hinduism
Instructor: B. Clayton
Format: Lecture 3 hours
Prereq: RELG 2401; or permission of the Department.
Exclusion: RELG 3261

A study of Hinduism, examining its origins, history, philosophy, and culture. The course will treat ancient, classical, medieval and modern periods, and conclude with a discussion of the challenges facing contemporary Hinduism.

RELG 3701 (3 CR) ISLAM
Instructor: A. Wilson
Format: Lecture 3 hours
Prereq: RELG 2801; or permission of the Department
Exclusion: RELG 3291

This course traces Islam from its origins in the life and activities of Mohammed through to contemporary world Islam and its diverse responses to the challenges of “modernity” and the West. The world view, institutions, rituals, and practices of Islam will be studied within these changing historical and cultural contexts. Effort will be made throughout to gain insight into the religious, spiritual impulses which animate Islam and unite devout Muslims

RELG 3971 (3 CR) Religion in Film
Instructor: F. Black
Format: Lecture 2 hours, Laboratory 2.5 hours
Prereq: RELG 2401 and 2801; or permission of the Department (RELG 2811 and 2821 are also strongly recommended).

This course examines the cultural legacy and/or influence of various religious traditions and scriptural texts in the modern medium of film. It begins with an examination of some great religious “epics”, and then considers more recent cinematic treatments of religious themes and figures.

RELG 4421 (3 CR) Eastern Religions and the Challenge of Modernity
Instructor: B. Clayton
Format: Seminar 2 hours
Prereq: RELG 2401 and either 3001 or 3101; or permission of the Department

A senior-level course studying the contemporary state of Eastern Religions. The course will discuss the recent histories of the Eastern Religions, looking at the challenges of science, the impact of colonialism, movements of political independence, and issues of poverty and social justice. It will particularly study these traditions; encounter with the West, and their responses to the cultural exchange that ensues from this encounter

RELG 4841 (3 CR) Sexuality and the Biblical Tradition
Instructor: F. Black
Format: Seminar 2 hours
Prereq: RELG 2811 and 2821; or permission of the Department

This course will focus on the history of sexuality in the biblical and post-biblical traditions. The course examines, first, the Bible’s treatment of the subject of sex (including bodily purity, reproduction and sexual orientation) through the close reading of biblical texts. It then looks at the Bible’s influence on this subject in the history of Judaism and Christianity and, finally, in the modern, secular era.

WINTER 2013

RELG 1641 (3CR) - Religious Perspectives on the Body & Sexuality
Instructor: F. Black
Format: Lecture 3 Hours

This course examines cross-cultural reflections on the human body and sexuality. The course will begin by situating these topics within the larger worldview of each tradition. In addition, it will examine issues of bodily functions, gender roles, sexual orientation, and related topics.

RELG 1661 (3CR) - Religion and Popular Culture
Instructor: A. Wilson
Format: Lecture 3 Hours

This course examines various points at which religion and culture collide. Various media will be utilized (film, music, fashion, literature) in order to interpret some of the complex relationships that form and maintain contemporary Western identity. Topics covered will include cultural uses of religious symbolism and story, the power of popular piety, and the Western tendency towards consumption and commodification of religious traditions.

RELG 2411 (3CR) - Mother Earth, Father Sky
Instructor: B. Clayton
Format: Lecture 3 Hours
Prereq: Three credits from any RELG 1600 course; or permission of the Department

This course investigates religious moral thought through the lens of nature and environmental issues. It explores various religious perspectives, both Asian and Western, on topics such as the meaning of nature and the place of humans in it, the value of landscapes and ecosystems, whether animals have moral standing and how they should be treated, and how current environmental problems should be understood and approached.

RELG 2991 (3CR) - Feasts & Fasts: Food and Food Practices in East Asian Religions
Instructor: S. Borsman
Format: Lecture 3 Hours
This course studies the practices and beliefs surrounding food associated with four Chinese religious traditions: Buddhism, Chinese “Shared” or “Popular” Religion, Daoism, and Confucianism. The class aims to enhance students’ appreciation of the diversity that exists between and within these religions. At the end of the semester, the successful student will not only be able to describe beliefs and practices related to eating in these traditions, but will also be able to explain how these are shaped by the social, economic, and political contexts of their propagation.

RELG 3311 (3CR) - Religions of Japan
Instructor: S. Borsman
Format: Lecture 3 Hours
Prereq: RELG 2401; or permission of the Department
This course will study the religious traditions of Japan, examining the underlying ideas and concepts of Shinto, including its relation to Shamanism, the nature and role of Kami, the role of purity and aesthetics, and its political functions. The introduction and adaptation of Buddhism and its relation to Shinto will be discussed, as will the modern day "new religions" which form such a vital part of contemporary Japanese religious practice. The influence and roles of Confucianism and Daoism will also be briefly covered.

RELG 3411 (3 CR) - Gender Issues in Eastern Religions
Instructor: B. Clayton
Format: Lecture 3 hours
Prereq: RELG 2401; or permission of the Department
Exclusion: RELG 3900, 4280
This course examines the role that gender plays in the context of myths, scriptural texts, rituals and doctrine, in the major religious traditions of the East. Attention will be paid to such matters as sexuality and sexual orientation, the body, feminism, and other critical approaches, political rights and responsibilities, access to religious experience, and spiritual leadership.

RELG 3501 (3 CR) - Judaism
Instructor: F. Black
Format: Lecture 3 hours
Prereq: RELG 2801 or 2811; or permission of the Department
Exclusion: RELG 3241
This course is one of the Department of Religious Studies; “tradition” courses, meant to provide an opportunity for in-depth study into one of the world’s major religions. As such, it follows on from the introductory work begun in RS 2801, Introduction to Western Religions.
The course, then, involves consideration of a variety of aspects of Judaism, historical and contemporary. It investigates religious beliefs and expressions of spirituality, rituals and other practices, and scripture and other important texts and traditions. The course also pursued the notion of a culture of Judaism, both through exploring what this idea might mean, philosophically or ideologically, and through some of the cultural manifestations of Judaism, including stories and film, as well as social and political issues, such as gender/sexuality and politics and the state of Israel.

RELG/HIST 3611(3CR) - Christianity in the Roman Empire
Instructor: A. Wilson
Format: Lecture 3 hours
Prereq: RELG 2801 or 2821 or 3601, or third or fourth year History Major; or permission of the Department. Exclusion: RELG 3601
This course examines the crucial, defining crises of the ancient Christian communities in the social, political, and cultural context of Late Antiquity (roughly, 2nd to 6th centuries CE/AD) and the Roman Empire. Early Christianity is analyzed as a social movement, as a religious movement with a developing belief system, and as an historical phenomenon embedded within historical events and processes.

HIST/RELG 3631 (3 CR) Christianity in the Reformation Era
Instructor: W. Lundell
Format: Seminar 2 hours
Prereq: RELG 3601 or 3611 or 3621 or third of fourth year History Major; or permission of the Department. This course is cross-listed at HIST 3631 and may therefore count as three credits in either discipline.
A consideration of the reasons for and impact of the divisions in Christianity instituted by the Protestant Reformation.

RELG 3931 (3CR) – The Bible and The Arts
Instructor: J. Perkin
Format: Lecture 3 hours
Prereq: RELG 2801 or 2811 or 2821; or permission of the Department.
This course will explore major biblical themes in the art and literature of the western world, looking at ways in which themes such as creation, liberation, salvation, resurrection, and fulfillment have been portrayed and interpreted in literature, the visual arts and music. The focus will be on the widespread influence of the Bible and biblical motifs on Western culture.

RELG 4411 (3 CR) Advanced Studies in Eastern Thought
Instructor: B. Clayton
Format: Seminar 2 hours
Prereq: RELG 3001 or 3101; or permission of the Department
A seminar-style course on Eastern philosophies, focusing on the traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism. The course will examine both classical systems of thought and their modern interpretations.

RELG 4611 (3 CR) Reinventing the Sacred
Instructor: A. Wilson
Format: Lecture 3 hours

August 2012