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Religion

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Courses

Spring 2006 Courses

101. Introduction to the Study of Religion

Jorunn Buckley T 1:00 - 2:25, TH 1:00 - 2:25

Basic concepts, methods, and issues in the study of religion, with special reference to examples comparing and contrasting Eastern and Western religions. Lectures, films, discussions, and readings in a variety of texts such as scriptures, novels, and autobiographies, along with modern interpretations of religion in ancient and contemporary, Asian and Western contexts.

216. The New Testament in its World

Jorunn Buckley M 1:00 - 2:25, W 1:00 - 2:25

Situates the Christian New Testament in its Hellenistic cultural context. While the New Testament forms the core of the course, attention is paid to parallels and differences in relation to other Hellenistic religious texts; Jewish, (other) Christian, and pagan. Religious leadership, rituals, secrecy, philosophy of history, and salvation are some of the main themes.

223. Mahayana Buddhism

John Holt M 2:30 - 3:55, W 2:30 - 3:55

Studies the emergence of Mahayana Buddhist worldviews as reflected in primary sources of Indian, Chinese, and Japanese origins. Buddhist texts include the Buddhacarita (�Life of the Buddha�), the Sukhavati Vyuha (�Discourse on the �Pure Land��), the Vajraccedika Sutra (the �Diamond-Cutter�), the Prajnaparamitra-hrdaya Sutra (�Heart Sutra of the Perfection of Wisdom�), the Saddharmapundarika Sutra (the �Lotus Sutra�), and the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch, among others. Also briefly studies the teachings of Confucius, Lao Tzu, and Chuang Tzu to better understand the encounter, assimilation, and transformation of Buddhism within Chinese and Japanese religious cultures.

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.

251. Christianity, Culture, and Conflict

Elizabeth Pritchard M 11:30 - 12:55, W 11:30 - 12:55

An introduction to the diversity and contentiousness of Christian thought and practice. This diversity is explored through analyses of the conceptions, rituals, and aesthetic media that serve to interpret and embody understandings of Jesus, authority, body, family, and church. Historical and contemporary materials highlight not only conflicting interpretations of Christianity, but the larger social conflicts that these interpretations reflect, reinforce, or seek to resolve.

252. Marxism and Religion

Elizabeth Pritchard M 2:30 - 3:55, W 2:30 - 3:55

Despite Karl Marx�s famous denunciation of religion as the �opiate of the masses,� Marxism and religion have become companionable in the last several decades. Examines this development through the works of thinkers and activists from diverse religious frameworks, including Catholicism and Judaism, who combine Marxist convictions and analyses with religious commitments in order to further their programs for social emancipation. Included are works by liberation theologians Hugo Assmann, Leonardo Boff, Jos� Miguez Bonino, and philosophers Theodor Adorno, Walter Benjamin, Herbert Marcuse, and Cornel West.

339. Religions in Southeast Asia

John Holt T 1:00 - 3:55

An examination of Theravada Buddhist literature, myth, art, ritual, and other forms of religious practice (monastic and lay) in relation to medieval and modern moments of social and political history in Burma, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. Students read several monographs from various disciplinary perspectives before choosing a topic to research in consultation with the instructor.