Courses

Courses

Fall 2008

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016. Sex and the Church
Elizabeth Pritchard T 10:00 - 11:25, TH 10:00 - 11:25
An examination of the themes, varieties, and conflicts of Christian teachings and practices regarding sex and sexuality. Source materials include the Bible, historical analyses, Church dogmatics, and contemporary legal cases. Although the focus of the course is on Catholic traditions, the course will include comparative analyses of the sexual ethics of other Christian denominations.

019. Interpreting Religious Quests
John Holt M 6:30 - 9:25
A critical reading of four autobiographies (Black Elk, Malcolm X, Gandhi, and Robert Pirsig) drawn from four separate religious traditions to analyze social, psychological and historical process that condition religious quests cross-culturally.

142. Philosophy of Religion
Scott Sehon T 1:00 - 2:25, TH 1:00 - 2:25
Does God exist? Can the existence of God be proven? Can it be disproven? Is it rational to believe in God? What does it mean to say that God exists (or does not exist)? What distinguishes religious beliefs from non-religious beliefs? What is the relation between religion and science? Approaches these and related questions through a variety of historical and contemporary sources, including philosophers, scientists, and theologians.

200. Creating the World: Genesis and its Interpreters
Dallas Denery M 1:00 - 2:25, W 1:00 - 2:25
Seminar. Examines the history of interpretation of the first chapters of Genesis from the earliest Jewish commentators to the controversies surrounding 19th-century evolutionary theory, concluding with an analysis of contemporary literal evangelical exegesis associated with groups like The Discovery Institute and Answers in Genesis (who operate The Creation Museum). Specific topics include, the relation between faith and reason, the medieval exegetical tradition and "Sacred Theory."

209. Gender in Islam
Jorunn Buckley M 1:00 - 2:25, W 1:00 - 2:25
Explores categories for interpreting, first, female symbolism in Islamic thought and practice and, second, women's religious, legal, and political status in Islam. Attention is given to statements about women in the Qur'an, as well as other traditional and current Islamic texts. Emphasis on analysis of gender in public versus private spheres, individual vs. society, Islamization vs. modernization/Westernization, and the placement/displacement of women in the traditionally male-dominated Islamic power structures. Religion 208 is helpful, though not a prerequisite.

215. The Hebrew Bible in its World
Jorunn Buckley T 11:30 - 12:55, TH 11:30 - 12:55
Close readings of chosen texts in the Hebrew Bible (i.e., the Old Testament), with emphasis on its Near Eastern religious, cultural, and historical context. Attention is given to the Hebrew Bible's literary forerunners (from ca. 4000 B.C.E. onwards) to its "successor" The Dead Sea Scrolls (ca. 200 B.C.E. to 200 A.C.E.). Emphasis on creation and cosmologies, gods, and humans, hierarchies, politics, and rituals.

220. Hindu Literatures
John Holt W 2:30 - 3:55, F 2:30 - 3:55
A reading of various genres of translated Hindu religious literature, including Rig Veda hymns, philosophical Upanisads, Yoga Sutras, the eipcs Ramayana and Mahabharata, including the Bhagavad Gita, selected myths from the Puranas, and poetry and songs of medieval devotional saints. Focuses on development of various types of religious world views and religious experiences within Hindu traditions, as reflected in classical Sanskrit and vernacular literature of India.

232. Approaches to the Qur'an
Robert Morrison M 11:30 - 12:55, W 11:30 - 12:55
Explores a variety of approaches to and interpretations of the Qur’an, the foundational text of Islam. Special attention will be paid to the Qur’an’s doctrines, to the Qur’an’s role in Islamic law, to the Qur’an’s relationship to the Bible, and to the Qur’an’s historical context. While the Qur’an will be read entirely in English translation, we will explore the role of the Arabic Qur’an in the lives of Muslims worldwide.

246. Religion and Politics
Paul Franco M 11:30 - 12:55, W 11:30 - 12:55
Examines the relationship between religion and politics—the so-called theological-political question—primarily in modern Europe and America. Focuses first on the tension between and eventual separation of church and state in the early modern period. Then considers the implications and complications of this historic separation, looking at recent Supreme Court cases, as well as contemporary discussion of the relationship between religion and politics. Comparisons with the treatment of this issue in the Islamic world are made throughout the course. Authors include Machiavelli, Luther, Calvin, Spinoza, Locke, Jefferson, Madison, Tocqueville, as well as a variety of contemporary and Islamic writers.

390. Theories about Religion
Elizabeth Pritchard T 6:30 - 9:25
Seminar focused on how religion has been explained and interpreted from a variety of intellectual and academic perspectives from the sixteenth century to the present. In addition to a historical overview of religion's interpretation and explanation, the focus also includes consideration of postmodern critiques and the problem of religion and violence in the contemporary world.