98016

REL 104 Introduction to Judaism

Jacob Neusner

. T . Th .

1:00-2:20 pm

OLIN 101

HUM

Cross-listed: Jewish Studies, Theology Diverse Judaic religious systems ("Judaisms") have flourished in various times and places. No single Judaism traces a linear, unitary, traditional line from the beginning to the present. This course sets forth a method for describing, analyzing, and interpreting Judaic religious systems and for comparing one such system with another. It emphasizes the formative history of Rabbinic Judaism in ancient and medieval times, and the development, in modern times, of both developments out of that Judaism and Judaic systems competing with it: Reform, Orthodox, Conservative Judaisms in the 19th century, Zionism, the American Judaism of Holocaust and Redemption, in the twentieth. In both the classical and the contemporary phases of the course, analysis focuses upon the constant place of women in Judaic systems as a basis for comparison and contrast.

Religion program category: Historical

98928

REL 106 Introduction to Islam

Mustafa Abu Sway

. T . Th .

9:00-10:20 am

ALBEE 106

HUM

Cross-listed: Middle Eastern Studies, Theology

This course is intended to cover what could be construed as the “normative” Islamic worldview. The latter will be differentiated from the many other “Islamic” cultural expressions that are found in the life of diverse Muslim communities all over the world. The student will be introduced to the sources of this Islamic worldview: the Qur’an, authoritative compendia of Hadith, Sirah (life of the Prophet Muhammad), and various other Islamic literatures that developed over the years. Topics covered in this course include: Islamic theology (articles of faith); devotional (pillars of Islam) and spiritual life (Sufism!); Sunnism and Shi`ism; commonalities, differences and relationship with Judaism and Christianity; and controversial issues such as women in Islam, and Jihad.

98020

REL 115 Christian Moral Decision-Making

Paul Murray

. T . Th .

4:00-5:20 pm

OLIN 205

HUM

Cross-listed: Theology; related interest: Human Rights Capital punishment, euthanasia, warfare, the environment, abortion, reproductive technologies, homosexuality, pre-marital sexuality, and divorce are among the issues on which individuals and communities seek to make appropriate moral responses. Within Christianity, there are several recognized sources of moral guidance: the scriptures, tradition, natural law, reason, conscience, official church declarations and personal experience. Various Christian traditions variously weight these sources, resulting in differing outlooks not only between traditions but in the application of shifting standards of moral reasoning from issue to issue within traditions. Moreover, church history offers striking illustrations of significant reframings of moral standards for such issues as capital punishment, usury, slavery, homosexuality and abortion, which result in radical reassessments and reversals on matters long regarded as settled. Focusing on a selection of moral issues, this course will closely examine notions of the processes of moral decision-making within Christianity, as well as various understandings of the moral life itself. Religion program category: Historical

98019

REL 124 Reading Religious Texts

Kristin Scheible

M . W . .

1:30-2:50 pm

OLIN 203

HUM/DIFF

Cross-listed: Asian Studies, Theology This course offers an introduction to some of the fundamental primary texts of the major world religions, and to the strategies adopted in reading these texts by both believers and scholars of these traditions. What work does a religious text perform for its textual community? We will focus on two genres of religious writing: narratives of the foundation of a religious community, and lyric expressions of devotion towards a deity that offer a glimpse into devotional practices. Readings will include selections from the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, the Qu’ran, the Buddhacarita, Mahavamsa, and Jatakas, the Tao te Ching, the Gita Govinda, various Puranas, and the devotional poetry of Rumi, Mirabai, and Kabir. We will examine traditional commentarial and hermeneutical methods employed within each religious tradition, as well as the current methods of academic historians of religion.

98420

REL 219 Islam and Modernity

Mustafa Abu Sway

M . W . .

3:00- 4:20 pm

ALBEE 106

HUM

Cross-listed: Middle Eastern Studies Is Islam compatible with modernity? Had the world of Islam been monolithic, and modernity one dimensional, the answer would have been simple. Ever since Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Egypt in 1798, Muslim reformers became aware of the scientific gap that separated the West from the Muslim world. What began as a quest to modernize the post-colonial Muslim world technologically, moved quickly under the influence of European political thought and praxis to discussing the proper response that could bridge the civilizational gap. Diverse and complex Muslim reactions to modernity span more than two centuries. The history of Islamic reformation, including the role of traditional scholars and liberal intellectuals, will be surveyed and analyzed. The rise of the Islamic movements/political Islam will be addressed in the light of the challenges posed by modernity. The topics under consideration will include: the role of Islam in the public sphere vs. secularization, the Muslim Ummah/Caliphate vs. civil society/nationstate, Shura vs. democracy, pluralism, human rights, gender equality, as well as the relationship between Islam and the west (clash of civilizations vs. convivencia).

98420

REL 241 Hindu Mythology

Richard Davis

. T . Th .

9:00- 10:20 am

OLIN 301

HUM

Cross-listed: Asian Studies, Classical Studies In their stories of the deeds of gods and goddesses, Hindus created an endlessly variegated alternative world, designed to delight listeners, to affirm or criticize existing Indian society, and to offer ways for Hindu audiences to participate devotionally in that other world.  Exploring the classical Indian narratives of Indra,  Siva, Rama, Krishna, Durga, Kali, and their divine neighbors, we will  seek to find our own way to enter into the devaloka, through  appreciation and analysis.  Course readings will consist primarily of primary sources in translation, as well as some secondary studies of the myths of particular deities.  We will also look at the various theories of myth and strategies for its interpretation.  Finally, the course will examine some of the ways new versions of these stories are transmitted in contemporary India, in graphic and visual form, including Hindu comics, animated films, and mass-produced God-posters.

98018

REL 260 Theravada Buddhism

Kristin Scheible

. T . Th .

10:30- 11:50 am

OLIN 204

HUM/DIFF

Cross-listed: Asian Studies Theravada Buddhism is the dominant religious orientation in Burma, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia as well as Sri Lanka. The “Way (vada) of the Elders (thera)” conceives its history as to an unbroken lineage originating with teachings of the historical Buddha Gotama in fifth century BCE India. In this course, we seek to describe the historical, literary, and religious contours of this Buddhist tradition in accordance with the following orienting questions: What overriding question does the Theravada answer, what makes it a cogent statement? What makes the Theravada self-evidently valid to the community of the faithful? What are our sources, and what are the classics that define the norms? What is the sangha, and what is the story of its development and the story that explains its traits? What is the way of life for Theravada Buddhists, including the rules of conduct, rites of passage, the conception and differentiation of time, and in general, how the way of life embodies the story that the Theravada maintains? What is the world view of the Theravada, including its position in history, its conception of the Buddha and the way his presence endures, its understanding of gender, and its principal ethical teachings? What are the main traits of the Theravada today?

98024

REL 277 Mary Magdalene & Her Sacraments

Bruce Chilton

. T . Th .

10:30- 11:50 am

Study Of James, Village Dorm A

HUM

Cross-listed: Theology Since the first century of the Common Era, hierarchical authorities have sought to silence Mary Magdalene. However successful they have been, however much fashion has dominated her presentation in century after century, unmistakable signs of her influence remain. Within the complicated legends of medieval hagiographers and the conspiracy theories of their modern revisionist counterparts, her signature sacraments of exorcism, anointing, and vision persist. Her three gifts of Spirit are the inheritance of Mary Magdalene: dissolving what is impure or evil, offering ointment for sickness and sin, and permitting her followers to perceive the spiritual truth of resurrection.

98888

REL / ANTH 282 Evangelicalism and the Myths of Secularization

Omri Elisha

M . W . .

3:00-4:20 pm

OLIN LC 206

See Anthropology section for description.

98017

REL 320 Sacred Pursuits: Seminar in the Study of Religion

Paul Murray

M . . . .

3:00-5:20 pm

OLIN 310

HUM

Cross-listed: Anthropology, Theology The modern study of religion is an eclectic field, drawing upon many other disciplines in its attempt to circumscribe and comprehend the diversity of human religiosity. This course examines critically various approaches to the study of religion in the 20th century, including psychological, sociological, anthropological, and phenomenological. The class considers where this field of study may be heading in its postmodern present. Required for religion majors, open to others. Program category: Theoretical

98022

REL 346 Classical Indian Philosophy

Richard Davis

. . W . .

1:30-3:50 pm

OLIN 306

HUM

Cross-listed: Asian Studies, Philosophy, Theology This seminar will explore philosophical developments in ancient and classical India, from the Upanisads through the formation of the three Vedanta schools. We will consider the basic recurring topics and problems of Indian philosophical discourse as formulated both in orthodox (Hindu) and heterodox (Buddhist, Jain, materialist) schools In the second half of the semester we will focus on the Bhagavad Gita and its primary commentaries.

98025

REL 353 Child Sacrifice in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

Bruce Chilton

. . . Th .

4:00-6:20 pm

Study Of James, Village Dorm A

HUM

Cross-listed: Jewish Studies, Theology The story of Abraham and Isaac has influenced the West as powerfully as the archetypal biblical narratives of the Creation, Fall, Flood, Exodus, and Crucifixion. Known by Jewish commentators since the second century as the Aqedah, literally the "binding" of Isaac, it has been written about exhaustively and beautifully. But the ways in which it has shaped our culture, and particularly how it is playing itself out today, have yet to be fully appreciated or understood. The Aqedah has typically been read as marking the end of human sacrifice, but the reverse is actually more true. All three religions developed enormously influential interpretations of the Aqedah that state, with dreadful certainty, that no angel interrupted Abraham. Rather, he obeyed God's initial command and shed the blood of his son. These interpretations of the Aqedah have been the inspiration, both implicit and explicit, for cults of death in all three faiths.

98275

REL / MUS 357A Topics in Ethnomusicology: Music & Ritual in China and East Asia

Mercedes Dujunco

. . W . .

1:30 -3:50 pm

BLM N210

AART/DIFF

See Music section for description.

98023

REL COL Religion Colloquium

Bruce Chilton

M . . . .

5:30-6:50 pm

OLIN 205

2 credits The religion colloquium is a two-credit course open to all students, but required of religion moderands. The purpose of the colloquium is to foster a community of scholarship among students and faculty interested in the study of religion, and to prepare public presentations of independent research. The colloquium is designed to encourage interdisciplinary and comparative perspectives on students’ topics of particular interest. Weekly sessions will be devoted to discussion of new books, films, CD-roms, etc. as well as regular updates of progress on senior projects. Public sessions of the colloquium will be scheduled three or four times each semester; students who enroll for credit will shoulder the responsibility for preparing papers to present in these sessions. Outside speakers and faculty members may also be invited to present papers in these public sessions. Religion program category: Theoretical