Department of Religion | Fall 2006 Course Atlas

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Fall 2006 Course Atlas

REL 100: Introduction to Religions: Sacred Destinations: Pilgrimage in Christian and Hindu Traditions

Courtright, MWF 2:00-2:50, MAX: 30

Content: The course will inquire into the enduring process of pilgrimage in two major religious traditions. As sacred destinations, shrines locate aspects of religious meaning and draw devotees often across harsh and demanding landscapes. Along the way pilgrims intensify their religious sentiments, relax their social structures, and carry back home material objects and memories which they distribute through gifts and stories. In addition to being centers of religious meaning, shrines are also locations of commerce and politics. The course will look at individual shrines, including Canterbury, Jerusalem, Banaras, Hardwar, Gangotri. Along the way various theoretical models for interpreting pilgrimage will be considered. The course will conclude with several 'secular' pilgrimage centers such as Graceland, the Grand Canyon, and the Internet.

Texts:

Stephen Alter, Sacred Waters: A Pilgrimage Up the Ganges River to the Source of Hindu Culture

Alan Morinis, Sacred Journeys: The Anthropology of Pilgrimage

Victor Turner, Process, Performance, and Pilgrimage: A Study in Comparative Symbology

William Dalrymple, From the Holy Mountain: A Journey in the Shadow of Byzantium

James Harpur, Sacred Tracks: Two Thousand Years of Christian Pilgrimage.

Particulars: Meets General Education Requirement V.C.(Nonwestern Cultures or Comparative and International Studies). (2/3 reserved for freshmen)

Although content is different in REL 100 courses, you may not repeat for credit.

REL 100: Introduction to Religions: Nonviolent Islam meets Nonviolent Christianity

Smith, TTh 11:30-12:45, MAX: 30

Content: As if conducting a computer simulation, this course envisions the possibility of an historic encounter between two great nonviolent traditions that never happened in fact but that yearns to happen in the future or in theological imagination: an encounter between nonviolent Islam and nonviolent Christianity. But what if the earliest engagement of these rival monotheisms had featured a rivalry between their nonviolent expressions—nonviolent Islam vying for preeminence as the religion of ‘Allah, the beneficent and merciful,’ and nonviolent Christianity seeking to outdo all other traditions as the religion of Jesus, the “prince of peace?” Indeed, the historic origins of Islam included the fateful decision of the Prophet Muhammad to pursue his own independent revelation following his great disappointment with the Judaism and Christianity that he encountered in his time and place. What if the outcome had been different?

Our signature text for this course is James Heft’s Beyond Violence: Religious Sources of Social Transformation in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (2004). Our point of departure is the working hypothesis that every religious tradition conveys its own distinctive resources for nonviolent social change and conflict resolution. Even if this were true, however, we are also discovering that each tradition needs others in order first to recognize, and then deconstruct, its depth betrayal (typically occluded) of its own ideals and aspirations. While no single religious tradition or cultural institution has ever demonstrated adequate competence or proficiency with regard to its own chronic conflicts and inhumanity, collectively (by hypothesis) these ‘wisdom traditions’ convey an invaluable supplement to each other’s social change resources and nonviolent destiny. The goal of this course is to ‘map’ such resources for the two rival traditions of Islam and Christianity.

Texts: (required):

Paula M. Cooey, et al. After Patriarchy: Feminist Transformations of the World Religions

James Heft, ed., Beyond Violence: Religious Sources of Social Transformation in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

Marc Gopin, Between Eden and Armageddon: The Future of World Religions, Violence, and Peacemaking

Daniel L. Smith-Christopher, ed., Subverting Hatred: The Challenge of Nonviolence in Religious Traditions

David Smock, ed., Interfaith Dialogue and Peacebuilding

Texts (recommended):

Omid Safi, Progressive Muslims: On Justice, Gender and Pluralism

David Smock, Perspectives on Pacifism: Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Views on Nonviolence and International Conflict

Mahmud Muhammud Taha, The Second Message of Islam; trans. and Introduction by Addullahi Ahmed An-Na’im ( Emory Univ. Law School)

Particulars: 1) Weekly written responses to readings; (2) midterm project (e.g., site visit or interviews, video or powerpoint presentation); (3) final term paper. Meets General Education Requirement V.C.(Nonwestern Cultures or Comparative and International Studies). (2/3 reserved for freshmen)

Although content is different in REL 100 courses, you may not repeat for credit.

REL 100: Introduction to Religions: Hinduism and Christianity

Hanusek, TTh 8:30-9:45, MAX: 30

Content: This course is an introduction to the scholarly study of religion. It will examine two religious traditions, Hinduism and Christianity, focusing especially on their mystical aspects. After a brief overview of the two traditions (about 2 weeks each), at least one week will be spent on questions and issues arising from the modern study of mysticism. The bulk of the course will be spent in reading selections of prose and religious poetry of several well known mystics in each tradition, including John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila for the Christian tradition and Nammalvar, Mahadeviyakka, Ramprasad Sen, Tukaram and poetry in praise of Krishna in the Hindu tradition. The aim of the course will be to develop a greater understanding of the human quest for a relationship with God/Brahman as understood within two different religious traditions.

Required Texts:

In Praise of Krishna: Songs from the Bengali. Translated by Edward C. Dimock, Jr. and Denise Levertov.

University of Chicago Press, 1981.

James, William. Varieties of Religious Experience. Dover Publications, 2002.

John of the Cross. Collected Works of St. John of the Cross. Translated by Kieran Kavanaugh O.C.D. and Otilio Rodriguez, O.C.D. ICS Publications, 1991.

Knott, Kim. Hinduism: a Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press, 2000.

Mirabai. Mirabai: Ecstatic Poems. Translated by Robert Bly and Jane Hirshfield. Beacon Press, 2004.

Sen, Ramprasad. Grace and Mercy in Her Wild Hair. Hohm Press, 1999.

Teresa of Avila. Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, Vol. 1: The Book of Her Life, Spiritual Testimonies, Soliloquies. Translated by Kieran Kavanaugh, O.C.D. and Otilio Rodriguez, O.C.D. ICS Publications, 1976.

Woodhead, Linda. Christianity, a Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press, 2004.

Texts on Reserve (Either paper or electronic):

Andal. Tiruppavai of Goda. Translated by S. L. N. Simha. Bombay: Ananthacharya Indological Research Institute, 1982.

Boehme, Jacob. The Way to Christ [Selections]. Classics of Western Spirituality. Paulist Press, 1978.

Karve, Irawati. "On the Road, A Maharashtrian Pilgrimage." Journal of Asian Studies 22:1: 13-29, 1962.

Katz, Steven, ed. Mysticism and Philosophical Analysis [Selections]. Oxford University Press, 1978.

Nammalvar. Hymns for the Drowning [Selections]. Translated by A. K. Ramanujan. Princeton University Press, 1981.

Peterson, Indira Viswanathan. Poems to Siva: the Hymns of the Tamil Saints [Selections]. Delhi: Motilal Bonarsidass, 1991.

Speaking of Siva [Selections]. Translated by A. K. Ramanujan. Penguin Books, 1979.

Tukaram. Says Tuka [Selections]. translated by Dilip Chitre. Penguin Books, 1991.

Particulars: Meets General Education Requirement V.C.(Nonwestern Cultures or Comparative and International Studies). (2/3 reserved for freshmen)

Although content is different in REL 100 courses, you may not repeat for credit.

REL 150: Introduction to Sacred Texts

V. Robbins/Newby, MWF 9:35-10:25 (same as MESAS 160), MAX: 50 (38/12)

Content: An introduction to the life of oral and written sacred traditions in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim communities in various periods. We will explore sacred texts in translation and investigate their origins, their transmission, and the processes by which they became authoritative for their communities. We will study ways the texts were interpreted in the past, how they are used and understood today, and we will visit local worship communities to observe contemporary uses of sacred texts. In addition to the written texts we will delve into the sights, sounds, feel, and in some cases, the taste of some of the world's most sacred texts.

Texts:

Willard G. Oxtoby (ed.), World Religions: Western Traditions (Second edition)

  Muhammed Marmaduke Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran

  New Oxford Annotated Bible

Particulars: There will be short written assignments on LearnLink, some short site visit reports, three short examinations during the semester, and a comprehensive final examination. The course fulfills General Education Requirements IV.A. (Humanities) and V.C. (Historical, Cultural, and International Perspectives).

REL 190: Freshman Seminar: Usama bin Ladin

Martin, Tues 2:30-5:30, (same as MES 190), MAX: 18 (13/5)

Content: Perhaps no single Muslim individual in the contemporary world is better known to most consumers of the news media and popular culture than Usama bin Ladin and the events of September 11, 2001. This freshman seminar will investigate why this is the case, whether it should be the case, and who Usama bin Ladin is within the framework of the history of Western relations with the Islamic world. The seminar will also consider contested social movements within Muslim societies, such as al-Qaeda, Salafi Muslims, modernist and progressive organizations, secular Muslim intellectuals, and the role of the Internet and globalization on the impact, success and limitation of bin Ladin and his organization. Students will read, interpret and discuss critically translated texts of Usama bin Ladin and his supporters and Muslim critics, as well as scholarly analyses of violence as an expression of religion, religious suicide, and the much cited use of the label “terrorism.”

Texts: will include

Messages to the World: The Statements of Osama bin Ladin, ed. Bruce Lawrence

The Osama bin Laden I know: an oral history of al-Qaeda's leader, Peter L. Bergen

Holy Terrors: Thinking About Religion After September 11, Bruce Lincoln

Videos and filmclips

Coursepack of additional readings

Particulars: Each meeting of the seminar will focus on a theme and relevant texts. All students will be asked to read assigned materials and write a short response on Discussion Board (Blackboard). Frequent showing of videos and film clips relevant to themes and texts will supplement reading materials and form part of class discussions. A ten-page paper will be due at the end of the semester. Grades will reflect performance in class discussions, weekly posted response papers, and the term paper.

REL 190: Freshman Seminar: Suffering, Healing and Redemption: A Cross-Cultural and Interdisciplinary View

Seeman, TTh 1:00-2:15, (same as JS 190), MAX: 18 (13/5)

Content: This Freshman Seminar explores the nature of suffering that underlies the human condition and the different responses to suffering or evil that religious and cultural traditions have tried to offer. We will start by comparing classical Greek, Jewish and Buddhist texts that outline radically different approaches to a problem they all recognize, and then move on to consider literature from the Holocaust, ethnographic accounts of illness, suffering and healing in different cultures, and first hand accounts of contemporary man-made and natural disasters, like the genocide in Rwanda, or the AIDS pandemic. How do human beings find healing or transcendence in the face of implacable fate, and how does our response to suffering stand at the very heart of different choices in contemporary politics, morality and religion? Should suffering be described as sickness or as evil, especially when it is man-made? We will be asking these and other “big questions” while also gaining familiarity with different research disciplines as well as different religious and cultural traditions. Students are requested to bring minds and hearts.

REL 190: Freshman Seminar: Buddhist Deities of China and Japan

Reinders, MWF 10:40-11:30, (same as ASIA 190 and CHN 190), MAX: 18 (10/4/4)

Content: Who are all the images you see when you go through a Buddhist temple, and what are their stories? This class will introduce East Asian Buddhism by way of its “cast of characters,” its Buddhas, bodhisattvas, devas, miracle-workers and saints. The course content is weighted towards Chinese materials but will include some Japanese narratives. In particular we will look at the Guanyin (Japanese, Kannon) in her form as the heroine Miaoshan; Dizang (J. Jizo), who has special jurisdiction in the afterlife; Budai (J. Hotei), the so-called “fat, happy Buddha”; and a number of famous monks such as Xuanzang (600-664), Kukai (774-835) and Xu Yun (1840-1959). We will examine the lore associated with the four Buddhist sacred mountains in China, especially Mt. Putuo and Mt. Jiuhua.

Readings: May include:

Chun-fang Yu, Kuan-yin

Xu Yun, Empty Cloud

Donald Lopez, Religions of China in Practice

a selection of articles and original sources.

Evaluation: active participation; a mid-term and a final exam; a term paper; occasional quizzes as needed; class presentation.

REL 209: History of Religions in America: Christianity and the American Public Sphere

L. Smith, MWF 9:35-10:25, MAX: 30
[NOTE: description updated June 22/06]

Content: This course surveys the American religious landscape from Native American religions to the pluralistic landscape of the twenty-first century. The general outline of the course will focus on the chronological development of religions in America from the seventeenth century to the present. During the historical progression, we will pause at certain points to consider how religion has been expressed through non-textual means: visually (e.g., through architecture) and aurally (e.g., through music). We will also identify the ways in which American religion has intersected with other cultural and historical phenomena through analysis of topics such as the establishment clause of the Constitution, slave and evangelical religion in the Old South, and the role of Islam in a post-9/11 America. Two major goals of the course will be to develop a working definition of religion in America and to glean historical information from primary source documents and resources.

Texts: Required texts include:

Edwin Gaustad and Leigh Eric Schmidt, The Religious History of America (HarperCollins, 2002)

Dennis Covington, Salvation on Sand Mountain: Snake Handling and Redemption in Southern Appalachia (Penguin Books, 1995)

Various primary and secondary readings and resources available via BlackBoard

Particulars: Student evaluation is based on the following:

Regular journal responses on BlackBoard [15%]

Midterm exam (in class) [30%]

2 3-page critical responses to primary sources [20%]

Final exam (take-home) [35%]

This course satisfies General Education Requirement V.A. (United States History).

REL 210WR: Classic Religious Texts: The Lives of the Ramayana, An Indian Classic

Courtright, MWF 10:40-11:30, MAX: 20
Content: The course will focus on the great Indian epic, the Ramayana, through its various versions from Valmiki, Kamban, Tulsidas, oral recitations, to contemporary television and comic book renditions, and its Thai version, the Ramakien. Issues of narrative, characterization, theology, and themes such as moral order (dharma), marriage, devotion, heroism, and sacrifice will be explored. Exploration will also be made of how the visual and performative arts depict key episodes of the story. The course will conclude with modern uses of the Ramayana story and the figure of Rama in contemporary Indian politics and national identities.

Texts:

Sattar, Arshia, trans., The Ramayana of Valmiki

Paula Richman, ed., Questioning Ramayanas: A South Asian Tradition

Paula Richman, ed., Many Ramayanas: The Diversity of a Narrative Tradition in South Asia

Philip Lutgendrof, The Life of a Text: The Ramcharitmanas of Tulsidas

Particulars: In-class writing, short assignments, and a term paper (submitted in first-draft and final draft stages). This course fulfills General Education Requirement IV.A (Humanities) and the Writing Requirement.

REL 210WR: Classic Religious Texts: New Testament

V. Robbins, M 2:00-3:30 and W 2-2:50, MAX: 20
Content: The approach to the New Testament and early Christian texts in this class is based on 21st century methods of the study of religion. The emphasis is on the meaning of biblical and other sacred texts in their first setting, but there is also an examination of their relation to the life of religious communities today. The course includes materials on Jewish and Hellenistic developments at the time of New Testament and early Christian texts which are considered essential for understanding earliest Christianity. The assumption is that the New Testament came into being as a collection of literature that is open to the normal methods of literary, historical, social, cultural, rhetorical, and theological investigation. In particular, there is an assumption that the story about Jesus in the gospels is the product of a believing and worshipping community of religious people.

Texts:

The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.

Duling, Dennis C. The New Testament: History, Literature, and Social Context. Fourth edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2003.

Robbins, Vernon K. Exploring the Texture of Texts. Valley Forge, PA: Trinity Press International, 1996.

Particulars: The syllabus and special materials will be available on Blackboard. Students will post analysis and interpretation of texts on LearnLink. The three “exams” will feature analysis and interpretation of texts. This course fulfills General Education Requirement IV.A (Humanities) and the Writing Requirement.

REL 210WR: Classic Religious Texts: Beauty and Desire

Farley, TTh 1:00-2:15, MAX: 20

Content: In our own culture beauty and desire have taken on primarily commercialized meanings but in previous generations they were understood to provide access to ultimate reality and to the transformation of the human heart and mind. This class will read classical and contemporary texts that address the relationship between desire and beauty. We will begin with Plato, who describes the ascent from physical love to love of beauty itself. We will also read contemporary thinkers who argue that a desire for beauty provides access to ethical relations and justice. The class will incorporate meditations on beauty along with interpretations of texts.

Texts: Texts are likely to include:

Plato’s Symposium and Phaedrus

Plotinus “Beauty”

Bonaventure, The Mind’s Road to God

Kierkegaard, Either/Or

Schleiermacher, Christmas Eve

Elaine Scarry, On Beauty and Being Just

Simone Weil, selections

Particulars: Active participation in discussion of the readings will be expected. In addition, students will write 2-3 short papers, and a l0 page term paper. This course fulfills General Education Requirement IV.A (Humanities) and the Writing Requirement.

REL 300: Interpreting Religion

Patton, TTh 1:00-2:15, MAX: 30, Permission only
(For Permission Number, Contact Religion Dept.: ph. 7-7596)

Content: How do we think about religion? Is there a common way to talk about religion across cultural divides, or, should we simply concur that religion is like art, where "We can't define it, but we know it when we see it"? This course will take us through the basic theories in the study of religion as "ways of perceiving" this most elusive of phenomena: anthropology, history, text, politics, philosophy, theology, experience, literature, and gender studies. All of these "ways of perceiving" play a crucial role in the way we think "across boundaries" in the study of religion. In this class, students will be asked to take a single "case" in the study of religion--the case that is most important to them in their lives. Students will follow their case through the semester as we read different theorists and their points of view.

We will begin by considering which theoretical voices are most sympathetic to our approach, and which are the most distant, and how our preconceptions about religion affect real life attitudes in our daily lives. Do we think religion is primarily politicallly motivated? Experientially based? Does that view affect how we think about members of religious traditions other than our own? In answering these questions, this course will assume that theory is a form of practice: Particularly through working on their case studies, students will develop a set of skills that will allow them to be practitioners of an art--the art of interpreting religion.

Texts: Primary texts will include works by Rudolph Otto, JZ Smith Samuel Preuss, WC Smith, Mark C. Taylor, Katie Cannon, and Wendy Doniger, among many others.

REL 305: Early and Medieval Buddhism

Dunne, TTh 10:00-11:15, (ASIA 305), MAX: 20 (15/5)
Content: What is happiness, and how does one obtain it? Why do humans suffer, and how can we stop our suffering? These are the fundamental questions that animate the teachings of the Buddha, the “Awakened One,” who left his life of privilege some 2,500 years ago set out to seek the answers. Despite the great diversity of Buddhist practices and beliefs, these questions and their various answers still remain at the core of the Buddhist traditions that survive to this day. Focusing on the first 1,500 years of Buddhism’s development, we will examine how the predecessors of contemporary traditions, despite their disagreements and divergences, consistently place the twin methods of philosophical analysis and contemplative practice at the heart of the Buddhist path. With this in mind, we will attempt to see how these twin methods might reveal some continuity within the wide variety of Buddhist philosophies and practices in South Asia up until the end of the first millennium (C.E.). At the same, we will also be mindful of the unique development of Buddhist institutions and their relation to the wider culture in which they are embedded.

Texts: Our texts will include:

Rupert Gethin, The Foundations of Buddhism.

Paul Williams, Mahāyāna Buddhism: The Philosophical Foundations.

Selections from Buddhist sūtras and systematic philosophical works.

A variety of secondary works on specific aspects of Buddhist thought and practice, including works by G. Dreyfus, J. Garfield, C. Hallisey, M Kapstein, D. Lopez, T. Tillemans, H.H. the Dalai Lama, and several others.

REL 308: Judaism

Gilders, TTh 10:00-11:15, (JS 308), MAX: 20 (15/5)
Content: In this course, Judaism—the religion of the Jews—will be studied from an historical perspective that emphasizes the growth and evolution of Judaism through time in various social, cultural, and political settings. We will analyze the history and development of the life and year cycles, ritual practice and liturgy, and major beliefs and theological concepts, including God, Israel, revelation, redemption, suffering, and reward and punishment. The course will focus on the development of ‘classical’ pre-Modern Judaism from its roots in ancient Israel to the late Middle Ages in the Christian and Islamic worlds. However, at the beginning and end of the course, some attention will be given to modern expressions of the Jewish tradition (especially those encountered in the United States and Israel). Students with a special interest in modern Judaism should take JS/REL309 (Modernization of Judaism) instead of or in addition to this course.

Texts:

Jewish Publication Society Tanakh (1985)

The Complete ArtScroll Siddur (Weekday/Sabbath/Festival)

an historical survey of Judaism to-be-announced

Particulars: Regular and punctual attendance, careful preparation, and active participation in class discussion will be essential to success in this course. Graded work will consist of a short “mid-term” paper (1800 words, approx.) and an end-of-term research paper (3500 words, approx.). There will also be some homework exercises to hand in, some graded in-class writing, and a few quizzes (scheduled and “pop”), but no tests or examinations.

REL 311: Early and Medieval Christianity

A. Bullock, MWF 10:40-11:30, MAX: 30
Content: This course surveys the history and theology of Christianity through the year 1550 C.E. Themes include Christian origins, fourth-century creedal developments, Church and empire, Christian formation, and medieval modes of theology. The primary readings focus particularly on women’s voices from these periods, prompting additional theoretical reflection on themes of gender and canon.

Texts: In addition to selections on reserve, the following texts are required:

Jean-Yves Leloup, The Gospel of Mary Magdalene.

Marguerite Porete, The Mirror of Simple Souls.

Katharina Wilson, Hrotsvit of Gandersheim: A Florilegium of her Works.

Linda Woodhead, An Introduction to Christianity.

Particulars: Students will sit for two exams and write several short essays for presentation. For a final project, they may choose between a 12-15 page research paper or participation in the Monastic Project, an experiential learning opportunity involving a three-week commitment to meditation, diet, and time management practices.

REL 315WR: The Qur'an

Devin Stewart, TTh 1:00-2:15, (same as MESAS 315WR), MAX: 20 (5/15)
Content: In this course we will examine the text of the Qur'an, the sacred text of Islam and one of the most widely read books in the world, in English translation. Particular attention will be paid to the various genres and literary forms which appear in the Qur'an, the style and structure of the text, and the relationship of Qur'anic texts with those of the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and pre-Islamic Arabian religious traditions.

Texts:

The Meaning of the Glorious Koran, M.M. Pickthall

Introduction to the Qur'an, W. M. Watt and R. Bell

The New Oxford Annotated Bible

Course pack

Particulars: There will be three assigned papers (5-7 pages), and regular short written assignments.

Prerequisites: No particular background in Arabic or Islam is required; experience in close reading or textual analysis will be helpful.

REL 316: Early and Medieval Islam

Martin, TTh 10:00-11:15, (same as MESAS 316), MAX: 20 (15/5)
Content: An introduction to the religious thought, practices, culture, and institutions characteristic of Islamic civilization from the time of the Prophet Muhammad in the seventh century to circa 1600. Course work includes a critical review of various scholarly approaches in the humanities and social sciences to the study of Islam. Topics covered will include the intellectual traditions of study of the Qur'an, hadith, theology, law, philosophy, and mysticism, historical sectarian divisions within the Muslim community, and Islamic institutions such as the Caliphate and the madrasah or college of law.

Texts: may include:

Deliverance from Error, Abu Hamid al-Ghazali

The Formation of Islam: Religion and Society in the Near East, 600-1800, by Jonathan Berkey

The Mantle of the Prophet, Roy Mottahedeh

Approaching the Qur'an, Michael Sells

The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews, and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain, Maria Rosa Menocal

Coursepack of additional readings

Particulars: This is the first of a two course introduction to Islam. Students will post on Blackboard journal responses each week to an assigned reading, usually a text in translation or a reading on a major issue in Islamic studies. Depending on the size of the class, students will also make 2-4 brief class presentations on topics related to the readings. Examinations at midterm and the end of the semester will be take-home.

REL 321: Psychology of Religion

Bell, MWF 10:40-11:30, MAX: 30

Content: This course will survey the fields of religious studies and psychological theory. Instead of using the traditional preposition “of,” psychology “and” religion is designed to create a constructive, respectful dialogue between both perspectives. Can we conceive of ways in which religious behavior and the study of religion may inform, or even construct, psychological theory?

Conversely, how do psychological perspectives and cognitive science tell a richer, deeper story of what is happening in religious experiences? We will consider postmodern and qualitative critiques to such investigations, as well as the emerging field in “explaining” religion through cognitive science and evolutionary theory. Although the field of psychology of religion has been dominated by studies of Western religion, this course will also consider Eastern forms of religious expression and spirituality. Likewise, little work has been done with gender and race regarding psychology and religion. We will collectively propose new areas of research that would attend to these important contexts.

Texts:

Boyer, Pascal, Religion Explained: The evolutionary origins of religious thought

James, William, The Varieties of Religious Experiences

Jonte-Pace, Diane and William B. Parsons, Religion and Psychology: Mapping the terrain

Spilka, Bernard, Bruce Hunsberger, Richard Gorsuch, Ralph Hood, The Psychology of Religion, 3rd Ed.: An empirical approach

Particulars: In addition to the importance of regular attendance and discussion, there will be one midterm exam, two smaller papers, and one seminar paper.

REL 328SWR: Women, Religion and Ethnography

Flueckiger, TTh 11:30-12:45, (same as ANTH 328SWR and WS 328SWR), MAX: 18 (6/6/6)
Content: Primary sources in this course will be ethnographic studies that have paid particular attention to women's lives and voices. These women's traditions and expressions often expand the boundaries of what has traditionally "counted" in the study of religion. An underlying question of the course will be: how does the study of women and religion from the perspectives of ethnography and women's studies contribute to methodologies for the broader study of religion, particularly the religious experience of other subaltern groups? We will look not only at the content of the ethnographies we read, but we will also examine the ethnographic research and writing processes represented in each ethnography. The course fulfills the writing requirement.

Texts: May Include:

Lila Abu-Lughod, Writing Women's Lives: Bedouin Stories, 1993.

Laurel Kendall, The Life and Hard Times of a Korean Shaman: Of Tales and the Telling of Tales, 1988.

Maxine Hong Kingston, The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts, 1976.

Marie Griffith, God's Daughters: Evangelical Women and the Power of Submission, 1997.

Kirin Narayan, Mondays on the Dark Night of the Moon: Himalayan Foothill Folktales, 1997.

Wynne Maggi, Our Women are Free: Gender and Ethnicity in the Hindukush, 2001.

Marla Frederick, Between Sundays: Black Women and Everyday Struggles of Faith, 2003.

Joyce Flueckiger, In Amma's Healing Room: Gender & Vernacular Islam in South India, 2006.

Reading packet of articles.

Particulars: Four 3-4 page, informal response papers; final research paper (12-15 pages) and oral presentation.

REL 329: Religion and Ecology

Patterson, M 2:00-3:30 and W 2:00- [3:30?] (same as ENVS 329), MAX: 20 (15/5), TPL
Content: This class explores the relationship between nature, religion and culture. Examining Christian and Buddhist conceptions of nature, including certain distinctions regarding wilderness, the course will explore how those religious conceptions frame relationships and responsibilities among the living earth, plants, animals, and humans. We also will explore contemporary understandings and constructions of how we know/think about and interact (perceptions and practices) with nature and religion from Feminist, Global Ethic and Deep Ecology perspectives. There will be opportunities for the class to develop consciousness of "place" including the relationships of "place" and sustainability at Emory.

This class is a Theory Practice Learning class, meaning that participants should expect to engage in learning activities outside. Some of these activities will reflect religious ideas and practices from the readings and others will encourage the development of the participants' own practices relating nature, religion and culture.

Texts:

Rosemary Radford Reuther: Gaia and God

Forest Meditations

Selected Texts from the Early Christian Monastic Writings

Sally McFague: The Body of God

Selections from: Dharma Gaia

Selections from Joanna Macy: Coming Back to Life

Gary Snyder: Practice of the Wild

Other selected articles

Particulars: Class participation is crucial. Assignments will include an 8 page topic paper (with references and footnotes), creation of a portfolio, and development of an "active learning activity" to be done in the outdoors and to be presented to the class.

REL 336S: Religious Pluralism in Atlanta

Smith, Thurs 2:30-5:30, MAX: 18
Content: A seminar for students interested in learning about local religious communities in Atlanta. The course will focus on religions in America, the religious culture of the South, and, most specifically, religious diversity in the local metropolitan area including site visits and ethnographic reports.

Texts:

Catherine L. Albanese, America: Religions and Religion

Joel Beversluis, ed., Sourcebook of the World’s Religions: An Interfaith Guide to Religion and Spirituality

Gary Laderman, ed., Religions of Atlanta: Religious Diversity in the Centennial Olympic City

O. Kendall White, Jr. and Daryl White, eds., Religion in the Contemporary South

Selections from:

Melissa Fay Greene, The Temple Bombing

N. Ross Reat and Edmund F. Perry, A World Theology: The Central Spiritual Reality of Humankind

Gary M. Pomerantz, Where Peachtree Meets Sweet Auburn: A Saga of Race and Family

Charles Rutheiser, Imagineering Atlanta: The Politics of Place in the City of Dreams

Particulars: 1) Weekly written responses to readings; (2) midterm project (e.g., site visit or interviews, video or powerpoint presentation); (3) final term paper.

REL 353R: Mystical Thought and Practice:Tibetan Mysticism and the Study of Religion

Dunne, TTh 2:30-3:45, (same as ASIA 370), MAX: 18 (13/5)
Content: In Buddhist Tibet, two rival styles of meditative practice developed, and while these styles hold a great deal in common, they disagree fundamentally on two points: the nature of the mental states that a meditator must develop, and the best techniques for inducing those states. These traditions’ points of disagreement—as well as their common heritage—will form the focus of this course. We will examine the theoretical background of the meditations in question, the arguments used to favor one tradition over another, and the assumptions that must be in place in order for those arguments to succeed. Likewise, we will examine the specific techniques recommended by the two traditions and the theories of personal transformation that underlie those techniques.

The overall frame for our study of this mystical rivalry in Tibet will be the contemporary categories of “mysticism” and “experience.” In the early twentieth century, “mysticism” became a central theme for several influential theorists in what was then a new field: the academic study of religion. Indeed, some theorists maintained that a certain genre of mystical experience constituted the only irreducible aspect of religion. So too, they maintained that some such experience lies at the heart of all the great religions. This notion of “experience,” along with a parallel theory of the “sacred,” became foundational for many academic visions of “religion.” We will begin and end the course with readings from this style of religious studies—along with the often convincing critiques offered by its many detractors.

Texts: Primary texts will include selections from:

Dakpo Tashi Namgyael, Moonbeams of Mahāmudrā .

Wang-Chûk Dorjé, Mahāmudrā Eliminating the Darkness of Ignorance.

Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, Essentials of Mahāmudrā.

Jé Tsongkhapa, Great Stages of the Path.

H.H. the Dalai Lama, The Gelug / Kagyü Tradition of Mahāmudrā.

Khédrûb Géleg Pelzang, A Dose of Emptiness.

Secondary works will include selections from:

Steven T. Katz (editor), Mysticism in Philosophical Analysis.

Michael Sells, Mystical Languages of Unsaying.

Rudolf Otto, Mysticism: East and West.

Robert Sharf, “Experience” in Critical Terms for Religious Studies.

Robert K.C. Forman (editor), The Problem of Pure Consciousness.

REL 358R: Religion and Healing: Tibetan and Western Perspectives on Mind-Body Connection

Negi, TTh 1:00-2:15, (same as ASIA 358R), MAX: 20 (15/5)
Content: This course aims at examining the fundamental principles underlying the processes of body - mind connections from both Tibetan and Western perspectives. We will focus on the role of emotions, stress and addiction in understanding various psychological and physical ailments, as well as the mind’s role in healing as explored in current Western research and Tibetan Buddhist contemplative and medical traditions.

Texts: Readings may be drawn from:

Healing Emotions: Conversations with the Dalai Lama on Mindfulness, Emotions, and Health, edited by Daniel Goleman

Tibetan Buddhist Medicine and Psychiatry: The Diamond Healing,Terry Clifford

Sleeping, Dreaming and Dying, Francisco Varela, Ed.

Molecules of Emotions: The Science Behind Mind-Body Medicine, Candice Pert

Beyond the Relaxation Response, Herbert Benson

REL 370R: Special Topics: Religion and Culture: Fantasy

Reinders, MWF 2:00-2:50, (same as CPLT 389), MAX: 20 (15/5)
Content: We will consider the treatment of the fantastic—the “normally impossible”—in religious stories and fantasy fiction. What happens to a religious story when it is read as fiction? What happens to fictions when we read them as religious stories? In what sense are stories like Lord of The Rings, Princess Mononoke or Hellboy “religious”? Relieved of the task of telling a single Truth, what do religious stories say? We will read a selection of Christian, Buddhist, Taoist and Shinto texts, and draw from American, British, Chinese and Japanese fantasy cultures, modern and pre-modern. We will examine aspects of the different histories of manga and comics as fantasy media and as industries. We consider some different concepts of reality and unreality, truth and illusion; we discuss the suspension of disbelief in relation to desire. The moments of transition between this real world we live in and fantasy worlds involve changes of subjective identity, which may be comparable to spiritual transformation or self-transcendence. Other themes include violence, heroism, iconography, and technology.

Texts: Readings may include selections from:

Pascal Boyer, Religion Explained

Paul Veyne, Did the Greeks Believe in their Myths?

Gerard Jones, Killing Monsters

George Slusser & Eric Rabkin, Mindscapes: The Geographies of Imagined Worlds

Roland Barthes, Empire of Signs

Hellboy: The Third Wish and The Island

Chuang Tzu

and selected stories, articles, and excerpts.

Particulars: Evaluation will be based on class presentations, two written pieces (a “religious” reading of fantasy fiction, a “literary” reading of a sacred narrative), a term paper, several quizzes, and active participation.

REL 370R: Special Topics: Through the Museum with the Bible: Biblical Text and Material Culture

LeMon, MWF 2:00-2:50, (same as MESAS 370/JS 370/Candler), MAX: 30 (10/10/5/5)
****THIS CLASS HAS BEEN CANCELLED. ****

REL 370R: Special Topics: Philosophy of Religion
Zupko, MWF 2:00-2:50, (same as PHIL 358), Max: 40 (10/30)

Content: This course examines the extent to which reason is applicable to religious questions such as the existence of God, the divine attributes, the problem of evil, the relationship of faith to reason, religion and ethics, and personal immortality. We will pay special attention to religious language, asking ourselves what significance should be attached to the various ways we have of speaking about God. How are we acquainted with divinity? What kind of evidential value should be attached to scriptural authority and religious experience? When should reason and ordinary considerations of evidence be rejected as inappropriate?   Required Book

Philosophy and Faith: A Philosophy of Religion Reader, ed. David Shatz

Particulars: Two in-class examinations, a term paper written in two drafts, and class participation

REL 380R: Internship

Patterson, Th 4:00-7:00, MAX: 20, Permission of Instructor Required
Content: This course provides any student from any major an opportunity to become civically engaged as a scholar. It connects classroom learning with hands-on experience in an internship setting. Students will choose an internship site using the resources provided through the Religion Department webpage in consultation with the professor: http://religion.emory.edu/courses/internMoreInfo.html. Sites not listed on the departmental webpage may be approved. The site selection process must begin during the Spring semester before the class.

Special opportunity Fall 2006: Emory University is in the midst of finalizing an approved sustainability policy and plan for the campus. This commitment to sustainability at Emory will mean new initiatives regarding serving local foods, developing sustainable practices regarding energy use, learning to become rooted in the "place" the landscape that is Emory, etc. 2-3 internships will be available for work on these local sustainability projects involving campus initiatives but also making connections into the sustainability efforts of other local and regional groups. Dr. Patterson will serve as one of the supervisors for these internships and other faculty also will be involved.

In general, The Religion Internship course offers students opportunities to practice classroom theory in local settings with supervision. Students will choose their community partners from a list including the Food Bank, The DeKalb County Child Advocacy Unit, The Women's Resource Center, The Neighborhood Development Association, The Consulate General of Israel's Atlanta Office, etc. Emphasis during the weekly seminar sessions will be on the development of interdisciplinary critical and synthetic thinking, problem-solving, and reflective judgment as related to the actual work within internship placements. Students will learn how to develop a learning plan with goals and objectives, how to assess their performance, and how to better integrate ideas with actions, become scholar citizens.
Texts: Readings and methods of this course are from the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Some selections include:

The Careless Society (McKnight)

Call of Service (Robert Coles)

The Demands of the Times and the American Research University (Ira Harkavy)

Stages of an Internship (H.F. Sweitzer and Mary King)

Common Fire (Daloz, Parks Keen)

The Weight of the World (Bourdieu)

Building Communities From the Inside Out (an asset-based model).

Particulars: Credit for this course can be taken for variable credit, reflecting the time required by the internship and/or the students' choice. Each hour of credit requires 2 hours of work with a community partner via a supervised internship. Students may take this course for no less than 2 hours of credit (meaning class time plus 4 hours of work in an internship etting) and no more than 12 hours of credit per semester (meaning class time plus 24 hours of work in an internship setting). No Emory student can receive more than 12 hours of credit for internship work over the entire course of their studies in Emory College.

Non-Religion Majors are welcome. Permission of the Instructor is Required - Contact Dr. Patterson or the Religion Office.

REL 387WR: Literature and Religion

White, TTh 10:00-11:15, (same as ENG 387WR), MAX: 25 (5/20)
------ SORRY- This class has been CANCELLED ------

REL 415WR: Great Books of the Islamic World

Devin Stewart, TTh 2:30-3:45, (same as MESAS 415WR), MAX: 15 (5/10)
Content: With the establishment of an Empire stretching from Spain to India, the construction of Baghdad, the translation of hundreds of literary and scientific works from Sanskrit, Persian, Syriac, and Greek, and significant advances in rag-paper technology, the early medieval Islamic world witnessed an intellectual flowering rivaling that of the European Renaissance in intensity, importance, and effect. Between 800 and 1000 C.E., scholars in the Islamic world moved to the forefront in almost all the intellectual fields then known to man. During this period, all the then-known sciences were defined, organized, and theoretically formulated. This course will introduce students to the works and currents of thought of this period. Close reading, comparison of texts, and expository writing will be a major emphasis of the course.

Texts:

al-Andalusi. Science in the Medieval World: Book of the Categories of Nations

Gutas, Dmitri. Greek Thought, Arabic Culture: The Graeco-Arabic Translation Movement in Baghdad and Early Society 2nd-4th/8th-10th centuries, London: Routledge, 1998

Ibn al-Nadim. The Fihrist of al-Nadim: A Tenth-Century Survey of Muslim Culture, 2 vols. Trans. Bayard Dodge. New York: Columbia University Press, 1970

Ihsa al-ulum. Enumeration of the Sciences

Mafatih al-ulum. The Keys to the Sciences

Particulars: You are expected to attend class, finish the readings on time, and participate in discussion. Short written assignments and class participation (40%). Three assigned papers, 6-7 pages each. (60%). In addition, you will be required to learn and have at your active disposal certain basic information about Islamic intellectual history. There will be an exam to ensure that you assimilate this information, but the exam will not be the main focus of the course. You must get 70% or above on this competency exam in order to pass the course.

REL 472R: Topics in Religion: Philosophy and Religion in Russia

Epstein, Th 4:00-7:00, (same as RUSS 420/ST 680), MAX: 4/7/4
Content: Russian philosophical and religious thought is deeply rooted in the meditative practice of Eastern Christianity and at the same time is strongly influenced by the systems of Western rationalism. The typically Russian combination of philosophy and religion (or atheism) has produced social movements that crucially changed the history of the world, but their intellectual sources and potentials are insufficiently known to the
West. This course explores the development of Russian religious and atheistic philosophy from 19th century debate between Slavophiles and Westernizers, idealists and nihilists through comprehensive philosophical systems of Solovyov and Berdyaev and Soviet "dialectical materialism" to Bakhtin's theory of dialogue. The latest trends of 1980s-2000s such as Cosmism, Culturology and postmodern Conceptualism are examined in the
aspects of their Russian specificity and affinities with Western philosophy. No knowledge od Russian is required.

REL 472R: Topics in Religion: Child Advocacy: The Law, The Policy, and The Players

Nash, Mondays 4:00-6:00 pm, (same as Law School's LAW 635, 04A), Credit: 2 Hours, MAX: 5
(Permission of Instructor Required)

**** NOTE: Law classes start the week of August 28. ****

Content: This course will explore the various factors that shape policies affecting abused and neglected children, including: the requirements of federal laws and regulations; the perspective of different disciplines working on these issues; public perceptions; and media coverage. Course will cover the role of the following professions in the prevention, investigation, and prosecution of child abuse and neglect cases as well as their role in the juvenile court process: medical, legal, law enforcement, social work, public health. Course will cover the role of federal, state, and local 35 agencies and non-governmental organizations in addressing the needs of abused and neglected children and their families. Students will learn to identify and use resources from other disciplines to enhance their legal skills and will learn to analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of legal, legislative, and policy measures as a response to child abuse and neglect Classes will consist of lecture, discussion, and advocacy exercises (in-class and out). Students will be required to participate in one site visit related to information discussed in class (i.e. juvenile court). Students will be required to provide written feedback about the site visit and guest lectures. The final examination will be a take-home exam. Students may take the exam at any time during the examination period but will only be allowed 24 hours from the time they pick up the exam to the time the exam must be turned in.

Texts: TBA

Particulars: Grading Criteria:

Attendance, site visit, class participation: 25%

Case Comment: (10 page double spaced case comment) 25%

Legislative exercise: 20%

Oral Arguments: 20%

Written reflections: 10% (2-3 page paper)

REL 472R: Topics in Religion: History of Church-State Relations in the West

Witte, TT 10:30-12 noon, (same as Law School's LAW 645, 10A), Credit: 3 Hours, MAX: 10
(Permission of Instructor Required)

**** NOTE: Law classes start the week of August 28. ****

Content: This course will explore the interaction between religious and political authorities and institutions in Europe and colonial America during certain critical periods from the fourth to the eighteenth centuries. Attention will be given to the variety of legal and political arrangements developed to facilitate the cooperation of church and state, to protect them from each other, and to define the religious liberties and duties of citizens and subjects. Attention will also be given to the variety of philosophical and theological theories of church and state, and religion and law, that supported--and contested--these legal and political arrangements. Two running examples throughout the course will be the collaboration of church and state in the persecution of the Jews and in the governance of sex, marriage, and family life. The course will focus on four historical periods: (1) the fourth and fifth century Roman Empire and the establishment of Christianity; (2) the Papal Revolution of the eleventh and twelfth centuries and the rise of a clerical hegemony; (3) the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century and the growing contests over religious establishment, toleration, and freedom; and (4) the American colonial experience of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, culminating in the passage of the First Amendment. Students will be given a take-home examination, which will be handed out the last day of class and must be returned by the last day of the examination period.

Texts: TBA

Particulars: Prerequisite(s): None. Grading Criteria: Take-home exam.

REL 472R: Topics in Religion: Jurisprudence

Terrell, MW 2:00-3:30, (same as Law School's LAW 670, 02A), Credit: 3 Hours, MAX: 2
(Permission of Instructor Required)

**** NOTE: Law classes start the week of August 28. ****

Content: This lecture/discussion course will explore some of the major historical tendencies in moral and political philosophy, relating them to Anglo-American and contemporary continental theories of law. The aim of the course is to provide the theoretical foundations necessary for conducting concrete critical, ethical, and political analysis of law and legal institutions. We will initially examine the nature of the element common to all lawyering -- words – and discover ways to use them as vehicles for revealing the structure of arguments in tough cases. We will then use these insights to investigate the nature of "law" itself, not as an empty semantic exercise, but to add to your sophistication as a legal problem solver. Finally, we will tackle the most abstract, but most important, topic toward which all your studies have been, and all your lawyering will be, aimed: "justice". Although, we will have the opportunity only to scratch the surface of this immense issue, your foundation for further inquiry will be strong. Substantial readings per week, class participation, and an open book final exam or term paper.

Texts: TBA

Particulars: Prerequisite(s): None. Grading Criteria: Exam or (with permission) term paper.

REL 472R: Topics in Religion: Religious Faith & Liberal Democracy

Perry, TT 8:30-10:00 am, (same as Law School's LAW 737, 08A), Credit: 3 Hours, MAX: 5
(Permission of Instructor Required)

**** NOTE: Law classes start the week of August 28. ****

Content: Here is the fundamental inquiry we will pursue in this course: What is the proper role of religious faith, and of moral beliefs based on religious faith, in the politics and law of a religiously and morally pluralistic liberal democracy like the United States? We will explore this question from the perspectives (1) of citizens, (2) of legislators and other policymakers, and (3) of judges. Along the way, we will consider the First Amendment's requirement that government neither "establish" religion nor prohibit the "free exercise" of religion.

Texts: TBA

Particulars: Prerequisite(s): None. Grading Criteria: Exam.

REL 495R: Directed Reading (honors)

Faculty, (Permission of Instructor Required)

Content: Independent research for senior major and joint major students selected to participate in the department's Honors program. Readings on special topics in Religion as arranged between individual students and a specific member of the Department who consents to guide the student in her/his study, arrange requirements and appointments.

REL 497R: Directed Reading

Faculty, (Permission of Instructor Required)

Content: Readings on special topics in Religion as arranged between individual students and a specific member of the Department who consents to guide the student in her/his study, arrange requirements and appointments.

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