Courses

RE 103.    RELIGION AND CULTURE    4
An introductory study of the nature of religion, the interaction of religion and culture, and the function of religious belief in the life of the individual. Consideration will be given to such phenomena as myth and ritual, sacred time and space, mysticism, evil, conversion, and salvation. Readings will be drawn from classical and modern sources. (Fulfills humanities requirement.)    The Department

RE 201.    HEBREW SCRIPTURES (A)    3
An introduction to the Old Testament and the beginnings of the Talmud. In addition to the primary sources, commentaries and special studies will be used. Particular attention will be given to the Jewish ideas of theology, history, and ethics and to their effect on later Christian thought. Offered alternate years. (Fulfills humanities requirement.)    The Department

RE 202.    CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES (A)    3
An introduction to the New Testament and the statements of the early church councils. In addition to the primary sources, commentaries and special studies will be used. Particular attention will be given to the Christian ideas of theology, history, and ethics. Offered alternate years. (Fulfills humanities requirement.)    

RE 204.    RELIGIOUS ETHICS: JUDEO-CHRISTIAN (A)    3
A survey of the development of Western religious ethics. Areas studied will include Biblical ethics, Monastic and Talmudic ethics, the ethics of Augustine and Aquinas, Reformation ethics, Puritan ethics, nineteenth-century frontier church ethics, and the modern ethical systems of American Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, and Judaism. Offered alternate years. (Fulfills humanities requirement.)      The Department

RE 205.    WOMEN, RELIGION, AND SPIRITUALITY (A)   3
An exploration of women's religious experience in crosscultural and historical terms with primary emphasis on images and roles of women in the Western cultural traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Considering religious mythology, belief, and practice against the background of broader social and political realities, the course devotes special attention to contemporary developments in feminist theology and the tension between traditional and alternative modes of spirituality. (Fulfills humanities requirement.)    M. Stange

RE 211.    WESTERN RELIGIONS (A)    3
A study of the history, beliefs, and rituals of the major religious traditions of the West, particularly Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. (Fulfills humanities requirement.)    The Department

RE 213.    RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS OF INDIA (NA)    3
An introduction to the thought and culture of India through its religious traditions. The course emphasizes the history, beliefs, rituals and symbols of Hindu traditions and gives attention to the Jain, Buddhist, Islamic, and Sikh traditions in India. (Designated a non-Western culture course; fulfills humanities requirement.)    J. Smith

PR 214.    PHILOSOPHIES OF INDIA    3
An exploration of the philosophies of India in their religious and cultural context. Hindu philosophies such as the Upanishads, Samkhya- Yoga, and the Vedanta of Shankara and Ramanuja are emphasized; for comparative purposes, Buddhism and Jainism are also examined. (Designated a non-Western course; fulfills Humanities requirement.)    J. Smith

RE 215.    ISLAM  (A)  3
This survey of the religion of Islam uses the Hadith of Gabriel as its organizing principle. This canonical hadith divides Islam into three dimensions: submission, faith, and doing what is beautiful. We will explore Islamic religious ideals, schools of Islamic learning, and historical and contemporary issues pertaining to each of the three dimensions. (Designated a non-Western culture course; fulfills humanities requirement.)       The Department

RE 220.    ENCOUNTERING THE GODDESS IN INDIA (NA)     3
An introduction to the Hindu religious culture of India through a study of major Hindu goddesses. The vision (darsan) of and devotion (bhakti) to the feminine divine image will be explored. An interdisciplinary approach will explore the meaning of the goddess in literature, painting, poetry, religion, and sculpture. (Designated a non-Western culture course; fulfills humanities requirement.)    J. Smith

RE 225.    RELIGION AND ECOLOGY    3
Explores the intersection of religion and ecology by examining causes of the environmental crisis, how views of nature are conditioned by culture and religion, and the response from naturalists, scientists, and religionists who are concerned about the environmental crisis. The lectures and readings will approach these issues from a variety of religious perspectives and will include Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Native American, feminist, pragmatist, and scientific voices. (Fulfills humanities requirement.)           The Department

RE 230.    TOPICS IN RELIGION (NA), (A)    3
The study of a selected special topic in religion. May be repeated with the approval of the department. (oOnly those courses designated as RE 230N will count as a non-Western course; fulfills humanities requirement.)    The Department

RE 241.    THEORY AND METHODOLOGY IN THE STUDY OF RELIGION    3
An introduction to the theory and methodology of the study of religion. The course will provide an overview of basic theoretical approaches such as the historical, sociological, anthropological, phenomenological, philosophical, and comparative. Issue identified by theorists from traditionally marginalized groups will be explored, as well as strategies for examining religion in relation to various forms of cultural expression such as literature and the arts. (Fulfills humanities requirement.)    The Department

RE 303.    RELIGION IN CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN SOCIETY    4
A study of the backgrounds and contemporary forms of American religions. Attention will be given to the institutional, liturgical, and doctrinal patterns of these religions and the application of their principles to such social problems as the state, education, the family, sex, human rights, and war. Prerequisites: two courses in the following: philosophy, religion, history, economics, psychology, and sociology, or permission of instructor. Offered alternate years.    The Department

PR 324.    PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION    4
An investigation of the fundamental paradoxes of religious belief. Questions to be considered will include the arguments for the existence of God, the problem of suffering and evil, the nature of mystical knowledge, and the rise of modern religious skepticism. Prerequisite: one course in philosophy or religion or permission of instructor. Offered alternate years.    J. Smith

PR 325.    JAPANESE BUDDHISM    4
A study of selected classical and contemporary thinkers who see philosophy as intertwined with classical praxis. Emphasis will be on Buddhist thinkers such as Kukai, Dogen, Shinran, and Nishitani. Prerequisite: one course in philosophy or religion or permission of instructor. Offered alternate years. (Designated a non-Western culture course.)    J. Smith

PR 326.    TIBETAN BUDDHISM    4
A study of selected classical and contemporary Tibetan thinkers who see philosophy as intertwined with religious praxis. The course focuses on the Vajrayana form of Mahayana Buddhism that is on central element in the culture of Tibet, as well as its Mahayana Buddhist background in India. Emphasis is on the central ideas of wisdom, compassion, emptiness, dependent arising, and the two truths in such thinkers as the Prajhaparamita, Nagarjuna, Candrakirti, and the Dalai Lama. Prerequisite: one course in philosophy or religion or permission of instructor. Offered in alternate years. (Designated a non-Western culture course.)    J. Smith

RE 330.    ADVANCED TOPICS IN RELIGION (NA), (A)     4
The study of a selected special topic in religion. May be repeated with the approval of the department. Prerequisite: one course in religion or the approval of the instructor.  (RE 330C is designated a Cultural Diversity course.)  The Department

RE 371, 372.    INDEPENDENT STUDY    3, 3
A reading course in a religious topic, tradition, or thinker not available in this depth in other courses. Prerequisite: permission of department.    The Department

RE 375.    SENIOR SEMINAR    4
Advanced study of a topic that reflects upon religion and the study of religion. Prerequisite: senior standing in religious study major.     The Department

RE 376.    SENIOR THESIS    3
Individual conferences with senior majors in the areas of their research projects. Prerequisite: senior standing in religious study major.    The Department