What is Religion?

91811

HUM 135 BC What is Protestantism?

Bruce Chilton

M . . Th .

6:00 – 7:20 pm

OLIN 301

1 credit Martin Luther during the sixteenth century published and preached a new understanding of how people can become connected with God and know themselves to be, not merely mortal flesh, but children of the divine. Luther's writings produced the Reformation, the most active -- and sometimes violent -- investigation the West has ever known of how God and humanity should be seen in relation to one another. At the same time, between the sixteenth century and today a multiplicity of Protestant denominations has taken up this quest. The course will assess their sources, purposes, and contributions, as well as Luther's. Class will meet from September 2 – 26^th.

91810

HUM 135 TVP What is Zen-Buddhism?

Tatjana von Prittwitz

M . W . .

1:30 – 2:50 pm

Center for James

Village Dorm

1 credit The word “Zen” (meaning “meditation”) has become a fashionable label for an attitude of concentration, reduction and awareness. We will look at the true origins of Zen-Buddhism and read central texts by both ancient and contemporary Zen masters from East and West. Special attention will be paid to the Zen arts as a poignant expression of the Zen path: poetry (haiku), calligraphy (shodo), painting (sumie), tea ceremony (chado), flower arrangement (ikebana), crafts etc. Bring the openness to not only learn about Zen-Buddhism in an abstract way but also as an experience. Class will meet from September 30 – October 28.

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91982

HUM 218 Stalin and Power

Jonathan Brent

. . . . F

3:00 – 5:20 pm

OLIN 202

HUM

Cross-listed: Human Rights; Russian & Eurasian Studies Josef Stalin was indisputably one of the central political figures of the Twentieth Century. Inheritor of leadership of the Soviet state after Lenin’s death, he was both directly responsible for his regime’s monstrous criminality and the architect of its survival in the face of internal threats and the Nazi invasion of 1941. Stalin remains an enigmatic presence in world history today. At his death in 1953, Molotov said that he will live in the hearts of all progressive peoples forever; yet by 1956, his crimes were denounced publicly, his body was removed from the Lenin mausoleum, , and his image erased from Soviet society. Only with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 did Stalin return to public awareness and now it can be said that he is, paradoxically, fully rehabilitated within contemporary Russian society. This class will explore the enigma of Stalin and his enduring power through primary documents, biography, and the most recent scholarship. Class size: 20

91835

HUM 332 Performing Arendt

Robert Woodruff

M . . . .

. . W . .

3:00 -6:00 pm

11:50 -1:20 pm

FISH

PART

Cross-listed: Studio Art, Dance, Human Rights, Music, Theater This interdisciplinary studio course will investigate the writings and philosophy of Hannah Arendt and use them as the basis for the creation of collaborative performance-based projects. The class meets twice a week: once in a research and study seminar; once in a creative laboratory. We will draw inspiration from Arendt's texts, as well as commentaries on her work, historical and contextual documents, and other writings and artifacts. After a period of immersion in Arendt's universe, students will be divided into cross-disciplinary groups and will create original performances. In the second half of the semester, classes will alternate between performance presentations and critiques. Students will be required to meet in their groups and develop ideas outside of class. Open to moderated students. Class size: 15