Religious Studies

An exploration of major eastern and western religious traditions including, but not limited to, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In addition to looking at the historical development of such traditions, this course addresses issues concerning current religious practice and the role of major religious traditions in contemporary society.

A study of the canonical literature of the Jewish and Christian traditions. This course will explore how this diverse body of literature relates to its social and historical contexts. The focus will be on acquiring tools from a variety of academic approaches to reading the Bible. This course will enable students to understand how interpretive choices have been made in the reading of biblical texts and to reflect on how diverse ways of interpreting the Bible have shaped culture and continue to do so.

A comparative study of world mythology. Students will learn a variety of approaches to the study of myth, and ways that myth manifests in religious traditions as story, symbol, and performance.

Special topics course offered in response to student and faculty interest.

An examination of issues common to human experience, such as the nature of reality and the self; theories of knowledge and values; and concepts of fate, free will, and justice.

This course examines religious representations of women and various types of female empowerment at key moments in Western religious history. We will study ancient goddesses and priestesses, female figures from the Bible, female mystics and saints, the European witch hunts, and modern controversies over women's roles in religion.

Judaism, Christianity and Islam trace their roots to one biblical ancestor: Abraham. This course delves into a comparative study of the beliefs, practices and social concerns of the Abrahamic religions and examines constructive methods of interfaith dialogue.

This course introduces the major religions of India, China, and Japan, including (but not limited to) Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. Students will develop a cross-cultural understanding of religion by engaging in a comparative study of beliefs, practices, and sacred texts of these Asian traditions.

An introduction to the diverse religious and cultural traditions indigenous to the United States, including but not limited to: Cherokee, Lakota, Dine, and Inuit. Through examining multiple Native American perspectives and their historical relations with the United States government and its agencies, we will gain insight into the development of present day Native American communities. In addition to looking at these historical influences, this course will address contemporary issues and examine challenges to religious and traditional continuity.

A study of the development and diversity of early Christian life and thought as reflected in literature spanning from the New Testament letters of Paul to the writings of St. Augustine in the fifth century. Topics will include the spread of Christianity and the formation of the early church; persecution and martyrdom; heresy and orthodoxy; women's roles; social issues; asceticism and sainthood.

This course consists of an internship in fields related to religious studies. The student will evaluate the experience under the guidance of an RES faculty member. An internship proposal form completed by the student and faculty mentor is required for registration.

Special topics course offered in response to student and faculty interest.

This course explores the fuzzy boundaries between magic, science, and religion, and how these shift in different historical and cultural contexts. Topics include astrology/astronomy, alchemy/chemistry, approaches to healing and medicine, among others.

In conjunction with a faculty mentor, the student will participate in a research project that will culminate in a paper and, if appropriate, a presentation. A research proposal form completed by the student and faculty mentor is required for registration.

This course explores the ethical implications of technological and economic developments in the areas of health care and medical research relevant to both the general public and health care professionals and researchers. Specific issues covered include professional ethics, reproductive technologies, genetic testing and engineering, organ transplants, biomedical research and health care allocation and access.

This course explores ethical issues that arise in connection to the environment including: biodiversity; wilderness preservation; pollution; population; private property and common resources; intergenerational justice; environmental public policy; and corporate responsibility. Students will be introduced to the historical traditions of thought with respect to the environment, new and emerging forms of environmental ethics and the practical application of ethical theories and principles to current environmental concerns. Particular attention will be given to the ethical challenges of weighing competing interests and claims of individuals, social groups and institutions, future generations and the broader biotic community.

This course focuses on the ways in which religion and human culture intersect. We will look at such themes as myth, symbol, magic and ritual and see how they contribute to the formation of human societies. Students will engage in a local field research project to learn how anthropologists study religion.

This course examines the varied and multiple ways that Jesus is portrayed in the New Testament gospels and other Christian gospels. The modern quest for the historical Jesus is a focal point of this course, and students will examine a variety of historical, literary and theological problems posed by the gospel texts and the quest.

This course examines both historical development and contemporary themes in Christian thought and ethics. How have Christian beliefs about God, humanity, love, and justice influenced moral teaching on significant social issues including economic interests, race, gender and ecology? What are the ethics of individual human action, and what is the role of the church?

This course will survey major developments in western Europe from roughly 400 CE to 1300 CE. It will use primary and secondary sources to explore the growth of a distinctly European civilization upon its Judeo-Christian, classical and Germanic roots, and will trace the expression of this civilization through its political religious and educational institutions; its former religious thought and vernacular literature; its art, architecture and music; and its interactions with different cultures both within and beyond its borders. Specific topics covered will include the Germanic invasions, monasticism, the conversion of Europe, the growth of the manorial and feudal systems, scholastic thought in the universities, heresy and the crusades, the growth of representative government and others.

This course will work primarily through class discussion of primary sources to understand the changes in outlook expressed in the Renaissance, the Reformation and the Scientific Revolution between the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries. In particular, it will focus upon the transition from medieval toward modern attitudes in areas such as historical and scientific thought, political and educational theory, philosophy, art, music and religious thought and practice. It will also address the economic, social and political variables that underlay these changes in intellectual life, as well as the impact that these ideas had upon European society. Students will be encouraged to explore individual interests from their own major fields and personal backgrounds.

Special topics course offered in response to student and faculty interest.

This capstone course consists of an internship in fields related to religious studies. Under the guidance of an RES faculty member, the student will apply theories and methods from these disciplines to actual work in the field, evaluate their experience, and give a formal presentation. An internship proposal form completed by the student and faculty mentor is required for registration.

Special topics course offered in response to student and faculty interest.

In conjunction with a faculty mentor, the student will formulate and conduct a research project that will culminate in a paper and a presentation. A research proposal form completed by the student and faculty mentor is required for registration. The project must meet Honors Program thesis requirements and conform to the thesis guidelines of the Department of History, Political Science, International Studies & Religious Studies.

In conjunction with a faculty mentor, the student will participate in a research project that will culminate in a paper and a presentation. A research proposal form completed by the student and faculty mentor is required for registration.