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Summer 2008 Course Atlas

REL 100-OOA. Introduction to Religions: Christianity and Islam

Martin. 2:30-4:45. MTuW. 1st session. Credit, 4 hrs.

The course will examine the historical encounter of Christianity and Islam around the world, from the seventh century to the present. Special attention will be given to their encounter in Spain, the Crusades, and both conflicts and interfaith relationships in modern times.

REL 100-OOC. Introduction to Religions: Buddhist and Christian Practice

Patterson. 2:30-4:45. MTuW. 2nd session. Credit, 4 hrs.

The course will introduce Buddhism and Christianity, using a cultural studies and religious studies approach. Spiritual practices particularly as used by women will serve as the central organizing theme. The course is divided into two parts: history/major doctrines and understanding of practices. In the first half of the course, we will trace a comparative history of these two traditions and their interactions with specific cultures. This will help us gain a clearer understanding of the development of the major doctrines of each tradition. In the second half of the course, we will examine lives, practices, and writings by or about Buddhist and Christian women focusing on their understandings and experiences of the personal transformation, healing, and compassionate service as religious seekers.

REL 209-OOA. History of Religions in America

Laderman. 11:30-12:50. Daily. 1st session. Credit, 4 hrs.

Violence, hatred, and oppression; sexuality and gender politics; immigration, urbanization, and diversity; missions and empire building; solitary reflections and social experimentation--the history of religions in the United States is as much about these cultural topics as it is about particular traditions in American history. Indeed, historical investigations of Protestantism, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, or any other religious group on American soil are greatly complicated when careful attention is given to the relations between specific traditions and the larger cultural contexts in which Americans live religious lives. While many introductory American religion courses present either a fairly straightforward historical survey or a cross-cultural thematic exploration of specific trends, in the interest of examining the great variety of religious expression in American history, we will try to do some of both.

REL 210RWR-OOA. Classic Religious Texts: Taoism

Reinders. 10:00-11:20. Daily. 1st session. (Same as ASIA 210RWR) Credit, 4 hrs.

Content: This course centers around a close reading of the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, the principal classic of philosophical Taoism. We will read two different translations side by side, to facilitate our inquiry into the meanings of the text and into the views of language in the Tao Te Ching itself. Other themes include: its political philosophy, its relativism, the cultivation of the body, gender, and its cosmology. We will then read selections from the Taoist text Chuang Tzu, and a brief selection of later Taoist works. We will focus on two themes of the Tao Te Ching and other texts: the martial tradition and the utopian tradition, that is, what these Taoist texts have to say about war and violence, and about the ideal peaceful society.

REL 211-OOA. Western Religions

Martin. 10:00-11:20. Daily. 1st session. Credit, 4 hrs.

This course surveys the three major Western religious traditions – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam -- and the relationship between them and among them, covering such issues as modernism, globalization, gender, religion, and politics.

REL 497R-OOB. Directed Reading Faculty

Credit, 2-16 hrs.

Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Specific readings for each student are decided upon in consultation between the student and a member of the faculty.

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