91472

REL 103 Buddhist Thought and Practice

Kristin Scheible

. T . Th .

10:10 - 11:30 am

OLIN 204

HUM/DIFF

Cross-listed: Asian Studies This course is designed to explore the “three jewels” of Buddhism: the Buddha, the Dharma (the teaching), and the Sangha (the Buddhist community). We will move imaginatively through different historical periods, cultures, and what might be called “Buddhisms” in this introductory survey of Buddhist teachings and practices. Our goals are threefold: first, we must consider what tools are potentially helpful in the comparative study of religion. We will revisit and reevaluate this objective throughout the course. Second, and most importantly, we will explore the diversity of thought and practice within the religious tradition monolithically referred to as “Buddhism,” by acquainting ourselves with the texts and participants of various communities (or “schools”) of Buddhists including Theravada, Tibetan, Pure Land and Zen. Finally, the “three jewels” framework will help us to organize our findings and to make sense of apparent continuities and differences among the traditions. Religion program category: Historical Class size: 22

91473

REL 106 Introduction to Islam

Mairaj Syed

. T . Th .

1:30 -2:50 pm

OLIN 101

HUM/DIFF

Cross-listed: Middle East Studies This course seeks to provide an introduction to pre-modern and contemporary Islam. We will study the central beliefs, institutions, and practices that constitute Islam. We will start with Muhammad’s message in seventh century Arabia.  We will then examine the intellectual traditions of Islamic law, theology, and mysticism in medieval Muslim societies. Starting in the 19^th century, these same societies underwent massive structural change with the advent of colonial occupations. We will study the impact of Western colonialism on the structure of religious authority in Islam. We will study themes that have figured prominently in popular media portrayals of Muslims in the last few decades, notably gender and Islamic politics, including the radical variety. We will conclude the course by analyzing competing theories about the relationship between the “West” and “Islam.” Class size: 22

91631

REL 117 Hindu Religious Traditions

Gardner Harris

. . W . F

10:10 -11:30 am

HEG 106

HUM/DIFF

Cross-listed: Asian Studies This course will provide an historical overview of the series of religious movements in India collectively referred to as ‘Hinduism.’ For the foundations of classical Hinduism, we will read from a vast corpus of mythic and epic literature and familiarize ourselves with the gods, goddesses, and heroes that have been central to Hindu religious practice throughout history. We will explore a range of social and devotional paths taken by Hindus by examining caste structure and social location, as well as the paths of action, devotion, and wisdom (karma, bhakti, and jnana, respectively). Moving into the contemporary context, we will focus on modern ethnographic accounts of how the tradition is lived, both in India and the United States, with a special eye to the construction of sacred space through temples and pilgrimage. Religion program category: Historical Class size: 22

91474

REL 215 Trading Places

Bruce Chilton / Jacob Neusner

M . . . .

10:10 - 12:30 pm

OLIN 101

HUM

Cross-listed: Jewish Studies, Theology At the beginning of the common era, Judaism presented a view of God which was so appealing in its rationality, it competed seriously with various philosophical schools for the loyalty of educated people in the Graeco-Roman world. Christianity, meanwhile, appeared to be a marginal group, neither fully Judaic nor seriously philosophical. Six centuries later, the Talmud emerged as the model of Judaism, and the creeds defined the limits and the core of Christianity. By that time, Judaism and Christianity had traded places. Christianity was the principal religion of the Empire, and philosophy was its most powerful vehicle for conversion; Judaism was seen as a local anomaly, its traditions grounded in customary use rather than reflection. Class size: 22

91777

REL 228 Devotion and Poetry in India

Gardner Harris

. T . Th .

1:30 – 2:50 pm

OLIN 201

HUM/DIFF

Cross-listed: Asian Studies Bhakti means "participation in" or "devotion to" God. From 700 C.E. to 1700 C.E., in every region of India, bhakti poet-saints sang songs and lived lives of intense, emotional devotion to their chosen gods. The songs, legends, and theologies of these saints and the communities they established permeate the religious life of India. This course explores the world of bhakti through its poetry. We examine issues of poetics and theology, bhakti and opposition to orthodox social conventions, bhakti and gender, the interactions of Hindu devotionalism and Islamic Sufism, the role of bhakti in Indian music, and the problem of bhakti in twentieth-century Indian literature. Religion program category: Interpretative

Class size: 22

91478

REL 229 Modern Jewish Thought

David Nelson

. T . Th .

11:50 -1:10 pm

OLIN 203

HUM

Cross-listed: Jewish Studies, Philosophy, Theology When an ancient religious tradition like Judaism encounters the radical challenges of modernity, it must re-think all of its basic beliefs and assumptions. This course will explore the attempts of some of the key figures of twentieth century Jewish thought to come to terms with such fundamental notions as particularism vs. universalism, the limits of divine authority, and the voluntary nature of religious affiliation and observance in the modern world. Class size: 20

91475

REL 269 Sacred Pursuits

Kristin Scheible

M . W . .

10:10 - 11:30 am

OLIN 308

HUM

Cross-listed: Jewish Studies, Theology This seminar is devoted to developing theoretical self-awareness in the study of religion. In order to achieve that end, we will read some of the key theorists in the study of religion, apply their insights to case-studies, and refine their approaches as seems necessary. Class size: 15

91476

REL 288 Islamic Legal Theory and Practice

Mairaj Syed

. T . Th .

4:40 -6:00 pm

OLIN 204

HUM/DIFF

Cross-listed: Gender & Sexuality Studies; Middle East Studies Islamic law is one of the oldest surviving legal traditions in human history. It has been the applied law of the land in commercial, criminal, and family matters for the better part of the last fourteen centuries in areas ranging from Morocco to Indonesia. It has been taught by many thousands of individuals in private capacities and educational institutions for centuries. The constitutions of most Muslim majority countries identify Islamic law as a constitutional source of legislation. The family law codes of most Muslim majority countries apply some form of the classical Islamic family law regime. Nowadays, Muslim intellectuals and Islamic political movements and parties routinely call for the implementation of Islamic law as a core part of their reformist programs. This course is designed to introduce students to this legal tradition. The course is divided into three distinct phases. In the first phase we will learn about the origin and historical development of legal ideas and institutions in Islamic history. In the second phase we will learn about how Islamic legal norms were applied in the context of medieval Egyptian society. In the third phase we will learn about how Islamic law changed after the colonial encounter with European countries. More specifically we will look at how law is shaped and applied in modern Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, and Lebanon. Throughout each of these phases we will examine legal rules regulating the institution of marriage as a case study to understand important concepts in the academic study of Islamic law. Class size: 22

91558

REL 341 The Greek Bible

Bruce Chilton

M . W . .

1:30 -2:50 pm

HEG 201

FLLC

Cross-listed: Classical Studies Even before the Hebrew Bible appeared in its present form, the Scriptures of Israel emerged in a Greek translation. The Greek Bible, called the Septuagint after its legendary seventy translators, has been in circulation since the third century B.C.E. Its authority was such that even the Rabbis of Mishnah and Talmud (who for the most part did not speak Greek) considered that binding decisions and teachings could be grounded in the Septuagint. That standing is notable, since the Septuagint deviates from the Hebrew Bible in regard to the order, content, and textual readings of Israel's Scriptures. Because Christianity only became a religion distinct from Judaism in the environment of Hellenism, the Bible of the first Christians was the Septuagint, and they added the books we now call the New Testament. The seminar will familiarize students with the Septuagint and the New Testament in their major components. Class size: 15

91477

REL COL Religion Colloquium

Bruce Chilton

M . . . .

5:00 -6:00 pm

OLIN 101

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 Class size: 22