Courses

Greek
Go Preparation
Go Reflection
GO-Short Trip
Religion

Greek

GREK-300 Advanced Studies

Covers advanced grammar, syntax, and translation skills using selected NT and other early Christian and Jewish texts. Prerequisite: GREK-102 or intructor permission.

Go Preparation

OFFP-GERMANY GO Wittenberg

This is the preparation course for the 2-week visit to Germany. The interplay of religion and politics has been of critical importance during at least three formative periods in German history: the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, the Third Reich and Nazism, and the Peaceful Revolution and the Reunification of Germany. This course will examine the ways in which this interplay has served as both both mirror and maker of German culture.

Go Reflection

OFFR-GERMANY GO Wittenberg

This is the reflection course held the semester after the 2-week visit to Germany. The interplay of religion and politics has been of critical importance during at least three formative periods in German history: the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, the Third Reich and Nazism, and the Peaceful Revolution and the Reunification of Germany. This course will examine the ways in which this interplay has served as both both mirror and maker of German culture.

GO-Short Trip

OFFS-GERMANY GO Wittenberg

The interplay of religion and politics has been of critical importance during at least three formative periods in German history: the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, the Third Reich and Nazism, and the Peaceful Revolution and the Reunification of Germany. This course will examine the ways in which this interplay has served as both both mirror and maker of German culture.

Religion

RELI-101 Introduction to Religious Studies

Explores the human phenomenon of religion via the interdisciplinary perspectives and methods of religious studies. Seeks to gain understanding of a wide range of cross-cultural human religious experiences such as ritual, the sacred, the divine, religious community, religious ethical norms, mysticism, myth and doctrine. An emphasis on analysis of gender, power, privilege, and justice in religion. Provides a foundation for understanding religious studies as a discipline.

RELI-102 Applied Biblical Ethics

Ethics Examines what contributions biblical texts can make to specific moral dilemmas in contemporary society, using the biblical traditions of the Old and New Testaments together with ethical theory and the Christian traditions of biblical interpretation. Specific problems vary, but at least six of the following areas are covered each time the course is offered: economics and consumerism; personal vocation; environmentalism; recreation and entertainment; sexual issues; health care; violence and war; education and moral development; media; and racism.

RELI-103 The New Testament

An introduction to those texts identified as Christian scripture. Particular focus on the social, historical and religious contexts that helped shape this literature and the ways in which these texts witness to the early history of Christianity.

RELI-105 World Religions

Examines both historical and contemporary aspects of the world's major religions.

RELI-107 Faiths and Values

Examines the contemporary personal and social consequences of religiously based values from a multicultural perspective.

RELI-113 Introduction to Judaism

Examines Judaism as it has been defined and developed as a way of thought and a way of life. The course focuses on central religious concepts, holidays, life-cycle ceremonies, and various forms of religious expression, including prayer and ritual, in order to help students understand what it means, and has meant, to be a Jew. Sponsored in part by the Jewish Chautauqua Society.

RELI-115 Jewish Philosophy and Ethics

Explores issues and problems related to the spiritual literature and philosophy of the Jewish people, from the Talmudic period through the present. Topics vary, and may include classical Jewish texts, spiritual traditions, mysticism, religious organization, gender and community, and Judaism in America. The course encourages students to recognize in Jewish texts reflections of Judaism that are diverse and, at times, antithetical to one another. Sponsored in part by the Jewish Chautauqua Society.

RELI-117 Introduction to Asian Religions

This course provides students with an introduction to various religious traditions in Asia. It will provide an overview of the history, beliefs, and practices of Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism, with the intent of helping students to understand the culture, history, and values of Asian communities.

RELI-201 The Hebrew Bible

An introduction to the texts of the Hebrew Bible, with concern for their socio-historical contexts, literary forms, and theological insights. Attention also to the variety of ways in which this literature has been and continues to be valued.

RELI-203 The Historical Jesus

Close reading of both the canonical and non-canonical gospels and their various representations of Jesus. Consideration of the search for the historical Jesus and the nature of the communities from which the gospels derived.

RELI-205 Paul

The life and teachings of Paul in the context of his times. Analysis of the Pauline writings and their treatment of such theological themes as faith, the nature of the church, and the expectations for the future, plus Paul's views on such social issues as marriage and sexuality, slavery, society, and the state.

RELI-207 Women in Biblical Tradition

An extensive inquiry into women?s stories and images in the Hebrew Bible, New Testament, and related literature from the biblical period. Explores the range of roles played by women within biblical narratives, the variety of metaphorical/symbolic uses of femininity in biblical traditions, and legal and ethical precepts related to the status of women in the biblical period. Methods and approaches from the social sciences, history, literary studies, and theology, as shaped by feminist theory, will serve as the main guides for this study.

RELI-208 Buddhism

This course gives students an intensive introduction to Buddhism, one of the most influential and vibrant religious traditions in the world today. Beginning at home with North American Buddhism, the course covers the history, practices, and beliefs of all major Buddhist traditions, organized geographically. Primary texts in English translation are emphasized, and students are encouraged to try out Buddhist practices in optional sessions. The course also covers contemporary Buddhist responses to ethical issues like abortion, global poverty, and the peace process.

RELI-209 The Bible and Archaeology

A study of the events, persons, and socio-cultural processes of ancient (biblical) Israel. Examines carefully the ways in which both the Bible and archaeology can and cannot serve as prime source material for a history of ancient Israel. Considers also the relationships between the biblical text and archaeological findings for historical reconstructions.

RELI-210 Philosophy of Religion

Focus on classical and contemporary writings to determine the credibility of religious faiths and beliefs.

RELI-213 Christian Worship

A survey of the development of Christian worship from the New Testament to the present day, which examines the impact of religious beliefs, historical and denominational traditions, and societal influences on the forms and architecture of worship.

RELI-214 Hymnology

A survey of hymnody in the Christian church from early Greek and Latin hymnody through present-day trends in hymn-writing. Texts and music will be examined.

RELI-215 Music in Christian Rituals

Examines the theological and musicological aspects of artistic contributions to Christian worship as recognized in cultural settings.

RELI-220 Magic, Witchcraft & Religion

Examines anthropological concepts of magic, witchcraft, and religion in a cross-cultural context. Drawing on ethnography, anthropological theory, history, and film, the class explores the nature of magic, witchcraft, and religion; the relations among them; and the ways in which they interact with other social formations, for example gender, politics, and economics. Countries studied have included South Africa, India, Haiti, and the U.S.

RELI-225 Women in Religion

Critically studies how women are perceived, portrayed, and involved in a number of the world's religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, Christianity, and women's spiritual movements.

RELI-235 Environmental Ethics

This course combines religious, philosophical and ecological thought as a means of addressing questions about appropriate ethical responses, actions and attitudes in our relationship with our ecosystems. It covers current utilitarian, deontological, and virtue based religious moral thought to focus on questions about the morality of economic and built-environment infrastructures and resultant cultural sea-shifts that need to take place to enable us to embody an ethical relationship with the environment.

RELI-277 Philippines - Hist, Religion, & Culture

This course offers an introduction to the history, religion, and culture of the Philippines. It is designed as a pre-departure course for students taking part in the GO-Philippines program.

RELI-300 Apocalypticism

Using interdisciplinary perspectives from sociology, cultural anthropology, religious studies, history, cultural studies, theology, and biblical studies, this course examines the role and modes of speculation about the end of the world as a contemporary interpretive and cultural problem in the Western religious and secular traditions. The origins of apocalyptic world views in ancient Judaism and Christianity and how it is we continue to use these traditions in our own time are explored, as well as how medieval and early modern developments to contemporary utopianism and millennialism impact us.

RELI-301 Biblical Studies

Advanced studies in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and/or the New Testament. Potential course offerings may include: Wisdom Literature, the Narrative Art of the Bible, or the Art and Archaeology of the Biblical World.

RELI-305 Topics in Religion

Examines selected topics in religion, depending on student and instructor interest. Course may be repeated for credit if topic is different. 2 - 4 SH.

RELI-309 Luther: Life and Thought

Through readings from the writings of Martin Luther (1483-1546) and major secondary sources, this course examines the life, thought and importance of Luther in the context of his times and with attention to his significance for today's Christian churches and interfaith dialogues.

RELI-311 Historical Studies

Advanced studies in religious and cultural topics historically considered.

RELI-313 Church History 1500 - Present

The purpose of this course is to offer an introduction to the academic study of the Christian Church from the 16th century until today. Beginning with a quick background sketch of the events in the middle ages, this course will examine the people, events, and theology that we associate with the Reformation, Enlightenment, and contemporary Church. We will also be considering the history of the Church outside of its western parameters. This class is designed, then, to introduce students to the defining events during these periods that shaped, and continue to shape, the Christian Church.

RELI-315 Being Awesome At Life

This course offers a cross-cultural examination of the pursuit of a good human life, and how one learns to live better. In other words, it is about the theory and practice of being awesome at life. We focus on ethical dispositions (skills, habits, and virtues) as critical features of ethics, explored through texts from various religious and philosophical figures in English translation, as well film and other media. Prerequisites: Junior standing. Previous experience in Philosophy or Religion will be very helpful, but not required.

RELI-318 Daoist and Confucian Ethics

This course introduces students to the two indigenous systems of ethical thought that have most profoundly shaped Chinese and East Asian culture: Daoism and Confucianism. We focus on original textual material in English translation, and place these materials in their historical context to understand their relationship to each other and to subsequent developments in China and beyond. However, the course primary focuses on the ideas these texts express, and how those ideas relate to universal concerns in ethics, as well as specific ethical issues. In other words, this is first and foremost an ethics class, and in particular it deals with Chinese materials, and East Asian approaches to ethical issues.

RELI-321 Current Religious Issues

Advanced studies in religious issues, both personal and social, ethical and theological.

RELI-350 Science and Religion

RELI-360 Religious Fundamentalisms Modern World

This course examines religious beliefs, practices, and ways of life that have come to be labled "fundamentalist." We will attend in particular to their emergence in the modern world and the ways in which they critically engage secular convictions about morality, aesthetics, and epistemology. We will focus on Protestant Fundamentalism and the Islamic Revival, but, depending on student interest, may also consider ultra-orthodox Judaism or Hindu nationalism.

RELI-400 Independent Study

Individual and in-depth study of a specialized topic under a faculty member's direction. May involve a reading program, a major research paper, or experiential learning in conjunction with written analysis and reflection. Prerequisite: department permission.

RELI-500 Capstone

Study of a particular topic under a faculty member's direction. The Capstone is to serve students as the culmination of their studies allowing them to address questions in religious studies through the lens of their total undergraduate education. Such projects could be structured in a number of different ways and might include an experiential learning aspect. The Capstone should culminate in a major research paper.