FALL 2007
REL 105 Study of the New Testament
Hobbs (TF 9:50-11:00)
The writings of the New Testament as diverse expressions of early Christianity.
Close reading of the texts, with particular emphasis upon the Gospels and the
letters of Paul. Treatment of the literary, theological, and historical dimensions
of the Christian scriptures, as well as of methods of interpretation. The beginnings
of the break between the Jesus movement and Judaism will be specially considered.
Prerequisite: None
Distribution: Historical Studies or Religion, Ethics, and Moral Philosophy
Semester: Fall, Spring Unit: 1.0
REL 108 Introduction to Asian Religions
Kodera (MTh 11:10-12:20)
An introduction to the major religions of India, Tibet, China, and Japan with
particular attention to universal questions such as how to overcome the human
predicament, how to perceive ultimate reality, and what is the meaning of death
and the end of the world. Materials taken from Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism,
Taoism, and Shinto. Comparisons made, when appropriate, with Hebrew and Christian
Scriptures. Normally alternates with REL 109.
Prerequisite: None. Not open to students who have taken REL 109.
Distribution: Religion, Ethics, and Moral Philosophy
Semester: Fall, Summer Unit: 1.0
REL 207 Goddesses, Queens, and Witches: Survey of the Ancient Near East
Bernat (TF 8:30-9:40)
An introduction to ancient Mesopotamia, Canaan and Anatolia, through a look
at literature and material culture pertaining to women of the period and region.
Topics include myths about, and prayers to, great goddesses such as Ishtar;
laws of marriage and property; witches and witchcraft; the political institution
of the Queen Mother; and the phenomenon of the Qadishtu, the women dedicated
to the cult and temple of various deities. Normally alternates with REL 202.
Prerequisite: None
Distribution: Historical Studies or Religion, Ethics, and Moral Philosophy
Semester: Fall Unit: 1.0
REL 209 Women, Sexuality, and Patriarchalism in the New Testament
Hobbs (M 1:30-4:00)
The world from which Christianity emerged was largely patriarchal and sexist,
with a variety of attitudes towards sexual behavior and marriage. The Christian
movement itself took several different approaches toward each of these issues,
which found their way into the New Testament collection and thus became the
foundation for a multiplicity of stances in later centuries. This variety in
the documents will be examined, with special attention to their roots and their
results. Normally alternates with REL 211.
Prerequisite: None
Distribution: Historical Studies or Religion, Ethics, and Moral Philosophy
Semester: Fall Unit: 1.0
REL 216 Christian Thought: 100-1600
Elkins (TF 11:10-12:20)
A study of major issues and influential thinkers in the Christian religious
tradition from the post-Biblical period through the Reformation. Good and evil,
free will and determinism, orthodoxy and heresy, scripture and tradition, faith
and reason, and love of God and love of neighbor examined through primary source
readings. Special attention to the diversity of traditions and religious practices,
including the cult of saints, the veneration of icons, and the use of scripture.
Normally alternates with REL 215.
Prerequisite: None
Distribution: Historical Studies or Religion, Ethics, and Moral Philosophy
Semester: Fall Unit: 1.0
REL 244 Jerusalem: The Holy City
Geller (MTh 4:10-5:20)
An exploration of the history, archaeology, and architecture of Jerusalem from
the Bronze Age to the present. Special attention both to the ways in which
Jerusalem’s Jewish, Christian, and Muslim communities transformed Jerusalem
in response to their religious and political values and also to the role of
the city in the ongoing mid-East and Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Normally
alternates with REL 243.
Prerequisite: None
Distribution: Historical Studies or Religion, Ethics, and Moral Philosophy
Semester: Fall Unit: 1.0
REL 253 Buddhist Thought and Practice
Kodera (MTh 1:30-2:40)
A study of Buddhist views of the human predicament and its solution, using
different teachings and forms of practice from India, Southeast Asia, Tibet,
China, and Japan. Topics including the historic Buddha’s sermons, Buddhist
psychology and cosmology, meditation, bodhisattva career, Tibetan Tantricism,
Pure Land, Zen, and dialogues with and influence on the West. Normally alternates
with REL 257.
Prerequisite: None
Distribution: Historical Studies or Religion, Ethics, and Moral Philosophy
Semester: Fall Unit: 1.0
REL 260 Islamic Civilization
Marlow (MTh 9:30-9:40)
Historical survey of Muslim societies and Islamic cultural forms from the seventh
century till the beginnings of the modern period. Topics include literary and
artistic expression, architecture, institutions, philosophical and political
thought, religious thought and practice. Readings from Arabic, Persian, Turkish,
and Urdu literature in English translation. Normally alternates with REL 262.
Prerequisite: None. Not open to students who have taken REL [160].
Distribution: Historical Studies or Religion, Ethics, and Moral Philosophy
Semester: Fall Unit: 1.0
REL 269 Religion and Culture in Iran
Marlow (MTh 11:10-12:20)
An exploration of the history of Iran and its peoples from antiquity to the
present. Topics include cultural and religious life; social and economic developments;
government and court politics; the interactions among rural, urban and nomadic
communities; the lives and roles of women; commerce, cultural exchange, and
the impact on Iran of European imperial rivalries; the forging of the nation
state, discontent and dissent, the Islamic Revolution, post-revolutionary Iran,
and the Iranian diaspora. Normally alternates with REL 261.
Prerequisite: None
Distribution: Historical Studies or Religion, Ethics, and Moral Philosophy
Semester: Fall Unit: 1.0
REL 303 Seminar. The Sacrifice of the Beloved Child in the Bible and Its Interpretations
Bernat (T 1:30-4:00)
The biblical tale of the near sacrifice of Isaac (Genesis 22) and its ongoing
historical and cultural significance. Focus on this core narrative, and human
sacrifice more broadly, in its biblical, ancient Near Eastern, and Mediterranean
contexts. Examination of the Genesis narrative in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic
traditions. Exploration of the relevant motifs in the literature and art of
the West from the Middle Ages to the present. Normally alternates with REL
305.
Prerequisite: At least one course on the Bible or permission of instructor.
Distribution: Religion, Ethics, and Moral Philosophy
Semester: Fall Unit: 1.0
REL 326 Seminar. Liberation Theology
Elkins (Th 2:50-5:20)
A close reading of recent works by major Latin American and Hispanic liberation
theologians. Some attention also to Asian, African, and African American authors.
Normally alternates with REL 323.
Prerequisite: One course in Hebrew Bible, New Testament, or Christianity; or
permission of instructor.
Distribution: Religion, Ethics, and Moral Philosophy
Semester: Fall Unit: 1.0
WINTERSESSION 2008
REL 290 Kyoto: Center of Japan’s Religion and Culture
Kodera
Hands-on observation and critical analyses of religion and culture in Kyoto,
Japan’s capital for over a millennium. Topics include: Shinto and Buddhism
in traditional Japanese art and culture, such as “tea ceremony,” calligraphy,
poetry, theater and martial arts; Shinto and Japan’s appreciation of
nature; Japan’s selective memory of the Pacific War and Japan’s
growing nationalism; today’s Buddhist clergy as specialists of the world
of the dead, in sharp contrast to the earlier (pre-seventeenth century) focus
on meditation and acts of mercy for the living; “new religions” in
contemporary Japanese society and politics; Japan’s assimilation of Western
religions, as manifested in youth culture; the complicity of religion in the
resurgence of nationalism and xenophobia; the contemporary Japanese fascination
with the “other world”. Kyoto will be the center of operation with
possible side trips to Nara, Hiroshima, and perhaps Tokyo. Length: Two and
a half weeks in Japan, with three days of orientation on campus prior to departure.
Not offered every year. Subject to Dean’s Office approval.
Prerequisite: At least one course in Asian religion; though not required, preference
given to students of Asian religions and of East Asian Studies. Application
required.
Enrollment limited to 10 and with written permission of the instructor.
Distribution: Religion, Ethics, and Moral Philosophy
Semester: Wintersession Unit: 0.5
SPRING 2008
REL 104 Study of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
Bernat (TF 11:10-12:20)
Critical introduction to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, studying its role
in the history and culture of ancient Israel and its relationship to ancient
Near Eastern cultures. Special focus on the fundamental techniques of literary,
historical, and source criticism in modern scholarship, with emphasis on the
Bible’s literary structure and compositional evolution.
Prerequisite: None
Distribution: Historical Studies or Religion, Ethics, and Moral Philosophy
Semester: Spring Unit: 1.0
REL 224/MUS 224 Hildegard of Bingen
Elkins and Fontijn (Music) (MTh 1:30-2:40)
This interdisciplinary course will focus on the music, dramatic productions,
vision literature, and theology of the renowned twelfth-century abbess Hildegard
of Bingen. Attention will also be devoted to her scientific work on medicine,
the manuscript illuminations of her visions, and to contemporary renderings
of her music. Students may register for either REL 224 or MUS 224 and credit
will be granted accordingly.
Prerequisite: None
Distribution: Arts, Music, Theater, Film, Video, or Religion, Ethics, and Moral
Philosophy
Semester: Spring Unit: 1.0
REL 226 The Virgin Mary
Elkins (MTh 9:50-11:00)
The role of the Virgin Mary in historical and contemporary Christianity. Topics
include Mary in the Bible and Apocryphal writings, her cult in the Middle Ages,
artistic productions in her honor, theological debates about her, and her appearances
at Guadalupe, Lourdes, and Fatima. Attention also to the relation between concepts
of Mary and attitudes toward virginity, the roles of women, and “the
feminization of the deity.” Normally alternates with REL 221.
Prerequisite: None. Not open to students who have taken REL [316].
Distribution: Historical Studies or Religion, Ethics, and Moral Philosophy
Semester: Spring Unit: 1.0
REL 242 Introduction to Rabbinic Literature
Bernat (TF 9:50-11:00)
An introduction to the main Rabbinic writings of the first half of the first
millennium: the Mishnah, the Talmud, the Midrashic writings on Scripture, and
early mystical texts. Normally alternates with REL 248.
Prerequisite: None
Distribution: Religion, Ethics, and Moral Philosophy
Semester: Spring Unit: 1.0
REL 245 The Holocaust and the Nazi State
Geller (W 2:15-4:45)
An examination of the origins, character, course, and consequences of Nazi
anti-Semitism during the Third Reich. Special attention to Nazi racialist ideology,
and how it shaped policies which affected such groups as the Jews, the disabled,
the Roma and the Sinti, Poles and Russians, Afro-Germans, homosexuals, and
women. Consideration also of the impact of Nazism on the German medical and
teaching professions.
Prerequisite: None
Distribution: Historical Studies or Religion, Ethics, and Moral Philosophy
Semester: Spring Unit: 1.0
REL 246 Jewish Civilization
Geller (MTh 2:50-4:00)
Historical survey of the Jewish community from its beginnings to the present.
Exploration of the elements of change and continuity within the evolving Jewish
community as it interacted with the larger Greco-Roman world, Islam, Christianity,
and post-Enlightenment Europe and America. Consideration given to the central
ideas and institutions of the Jewish tradition in historical perspective.
Prerequisite: None. Not open to students who have taken REL [140].
Distribution: Historical Studies or Religion, Ethics, and Moral Philosophy
Semester: Spring Unit: 1.0
REL 254 Chinese Thought and Religion
Kodera (MTh 11:10-12:20)
Continuity and diversity in the history of Chinese thought and religion from
the ancient sage-kings of the third millennium B.C.E. to the present. Topics
include: Confucianism, Taoism, Chinese Buddhism, folk religion, and their further
developments and interaction. Materials drawn from philosophical and religious
and literary works. Normally alternates with REL 255.
Prerequisite: None
Distribution: Historical Studies or Religion, Ethics, and Moral Philosophy
Semester: Spring Unit: 1.0
REL 263 Islam in the Modern World
Marlow (MTh 8:30-9:40)
The role of Islam in the modern history of Turkey, the Arab world, Iran, and
South Asia, with particular reference to the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Explores the rise of nationalism, secularism, modernism, “fundamentalism,” and
revolution in response to the political, socio-economic, and ideological crises
of the period. Issues include legal and educational reform, the status of women,
dress, and economics. Readings from contemporary Muslim religious scholars,
intellectuals, and literary figures.
Prerequisite: None
Distribution: Historical Studies or Religion, Ethics, and Moral Philosophy
Semester: Spring Unit: 1.0
REL 298 New Testament Greek
Hobbs (TBA)
Reading and discussion of many characteristic New Testament texts, with attention
to aspects of Koiné Greek which differ from the classical Attic dialect.
Prerequisite: One year of Greek; or exemption examination; or permission of
instructor.
Distribution: Language and Literature or Religion, Ethics, and Moral Philosophy
Semester: Spring Unit: 1.0
REL 310 Seminar. Mark, the Earliest Gospel
Hobbs (M 1:30-4:00)
An exegetical examination of the Gospel of Mark, with special emphasis on its
character as a literary, historical, and theological construct, presenting
the proclamation of the Gospel in narrative form. The Gospel’s relationships
to the Jesus tradition, to the Old Testament/Septuagint, and to the Christological
struggles in the early church will be focal points of study. Normally alternates
with REL 308.
Prerequisite: At least one course on the Bible.
Distribution: Religion, Ethics, and Moral Philosophy
Semester: Spring Unit: 1.0
REL 353 Seminar. Zen Buddhism
Kodera (W 2:15-4:45)
Zen, the long known yet little understood tradition, studied with particular
attention to its historical and ideological development, meditative practice,
and expressions in poetry, painting, and martial arts. Normally alternates
with REL 354.
Prerequisite: At least one course in Asian religions.
Distribution: Historical Studies or Religion, Ethics, and Moral Philosophy
Semester: Spring Unit: 1.0
Distribution: Historical Studies or Religion, Ethics, and Moral Philosophy
Semester: Spring Unit: 1.0
REL 367 Seminar. Muslim Travellers
Marlow (T 1:30-4:00)
An exploration of the experiences and writings of Muslim travelers from the
Middle Ages to the present in West, South, East and Central Asia, North Africa,
Europe and America. Focus on the wide range of cultural encounters facilitated
by journeys for purposes of pilgrimage, study, diplomacy, exploration, migration
and tourism, and on the varied descriptions of such encounters in forms of
literary expression associated with travel, including poetry, pilgrimage manuals,
narrative accounts, letters, memoirs, and graffiti. Authors include Biruni,
Ibn Jubayr, Ibn Battuta, Evliya Çelebi, al-Tahtawi, Farahani, Abu Talib
Khan, Asayesh. Normally alternates with REL 364.
Prerequisite: Open to juniors and seniors, students who have taken at least
one unit in Middle Eastern Studies, and by permission of the instructor.
Distribution: Language and Literature or Religion, Ethics, and Moral Philosophy
Semester: Spring Unit: 1.0
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