12349

REL 103 Buddhist Thought and Practice

Kristin Scheible

M . W . .

11:50 -1:10 pm

HEG 102

HUM/DIFF

Cross-listed: Asian Studies; Theology 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

12350

REL 106 Introduction to Islam

Mairaj Syed

M . W . .

1:30 -2:50 pm

HEG 308

HUM/DIFF

Cross-listed: Middle East Studies; Theology 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

12351

REL 117 Hindu Religious Traditions

Gardner Harris

M . W . .

1:30 -2:50 pm

OLIN 303

HUM/DIFF

Cross-listed: Asian Studies; Theology 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: 18

12353

REL 218 Society and Renunciation in Hinduism

Gardner Harris

. T . Th .

1:30 -2:50 pm

RKC 102

HUM/DIFF

Cross-listed: Asian Studies; Theology This course will focus on the tension between world-affirming values of society and world-negating values of asceticism and, to a degree, monasticism. While social life and asceticism are seemingly at odds with one another, this examination will investigate whether these two modes of living are in fact opposites. This investigation will begin with an examination of normative codes of conduct, ritual and worship, art and architecture. Following this portion of the course, the investigation will turn to “left-handed” or impure religious practices and asceticism. Class size: 22

12070

REL/LIT 234 Literature of the Crusades

Karen Sullivan

. T . Th .

10:10 - 11:30 am

OLIN 101

ELIT

Cross-listed: Human Rights, Medieval Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, Religion See Literature section for description.

12354

REL 246 Gender and Islam

Mairaj Syed

M . W . .

3:10 -4:30 pm

HEG 204

HUM/DIFF

Cross-listed: Gender & Sexuality Studies, Human Rights, Middle Eastern Studies; Theology This course will examine issues related to the construction of gender and sexuality in the context of Islamic civilization.  The course is divided into three parts.  The first part of the course will be concerned with a thematic treatment of issues relating to gender and sexuality in Islamic religious and legal texts.  In the second part we will examine the how women fared in different Muslim societies of different time periods.  In the third part, we will discuss the impact of the feminist movement on the Muslim world and examine the variety of responses to it. Class size: 22

12352

REL 277A Mary Madgalene and the Gnostic Quest

Bruce Chilton

. T . Th .

1:30 -2:50 pm

OLIN 101

HUM

Cross-listed: Theology New work in the fields of archaeology and literary criticism have permitted an understanding of Mary Magdalene not possible before. On that basis, her incorporation as a symbol of self-realization and gnosis can be understood within sources from the second century until the Middle Ages.

Class size: 20

12355

REL 286 Science and the Sacred

David Nelson

. T . Th .

11:50 -1:10 pm

OLIN 203

HUM

Cross-listed: Theology This course will examine a number of important, contemporary issues at the intersection between religion and science. Scientific thinking about God, religious responses to cosmology and evolution, and the writings of both scientists on religion and religionists on science will be included. We will focus on attempts to learn about religion from science, and about science from religion, and on the different methodologies, assumptions, and entailments of the two disciplines. No significant background in either field is required. Class size: 22

12356

REL 344 Buddhist Ethics

Kristin Scheible

. . W . .

1:30 -3:50 pm

HEG 200

HUM/DIFF

Cross-listed: Asian Studies; Gender & Sexuality Studies; Human Rights; Theology In this Upper College seminar, we will consider the theoretical structures, patterns of behaviors, and societal norms operative in Buddhist communities of the past and present, and of the East and West. We will begin with the shared foundations of Buddhist ethics, those key elements and values that represent a thread of continuity among Buddhist traditions. Special attention will be paid to canonical formulations and examples from various genres of Buddhist literature. We will consider historical and contemporary accounts of Buddhist behaviors and motivations along thematic lines: Buddhist morality; foundations of Buddhist ethics (such as karma, four noble truths, the three marks of existence – namely dis-ease, impermanence, no-self – the practical path or Middle Way); key practical values; human rights; social ethics; economic ethics; war, terrorism and peace; Engaged Buddhism; animals and the environment; abortion and contraception; suicide and euthanasia; cloning; sexuality; and gender equality. Prerequisite: Rel. 103: Buddhist Thought and Practice or permission of the instructor. Program category: Theoretical. Class size: 15

12371

REL 347 Coercion and Responsibility in Islamic and Western Legal and Moral Thought

Mairaj Syed

. T . . .

1:30 -3:50 pm

OLINLC 210

HUM/DIFF

Cross-listed: Human Rights; Middle Eastern Studies; Theology Coercion poses a significant number of moral and legal problems for making judgments about responsibility: How serious must a coercer’s threat be to count as morally or legally exculpatory for the coerced? What is dispositive in a claim of coercion – the subjective perception of the capability of the coercer to follow through on the threat or the objective reality? Should the coerced perform the demanded act? What if the act was murder? Rape? What about the destruction of another’s property or theft? Is there a presumed element of coercion in the illegal commands of a state-recognized superior? This seminar will explore the solutions and the justifying reasons developed by classical Muslim religious scholars and contemporary Western legal theorists and philosophers to these difficult problems. It will also explore the significant theoretical problems associated with comparing the moral and legal thought of two different cultures from different time periods. Class size: 15

12372

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: 20