Undergraduate Course Descriptions

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Department of Comparative Religion

Undergraduate Course Descriptions

REL 1000 - Religions of the World - 4hrs.
An approach to the religions of the world which surveys themes in various religious traditions (such as Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and primitive religions). The course studies how these religious traditions conceive of gods and world order, founders and saviors, religious experience and practice, and religious communities. The course will pay attention to the contemporary status and significance of these themes.
Fulfills General Education Area II: Humanities

REL 2000 - Introduction to the Study of Religion - 4hrs.
Introduces students to the ways in which religion and related concepts have been defined a objects of academic study, and the methods and theories that have been developed and used to analyze them. The course will familiarize students with the history and present state of the discipline of religious studies, and enable them to compare and assess various ways of defining, describing, interpreting, and explaining religion(s). It will also address the role and significance of religion in human history and contemporary society.

REL 2010 - Buddhism - 4hrs.
An introduction to the panorama of Buddhist traditions in South, Southeast, Central and East Asia, as well as in the United States. We will study the history of Buddhism, its characteristic doctrines and teachings, and try to assess the impact it has had on Asian civilizations and elsewhere. We will read scholarly studies on the traditions as well as original Buddhist texts in translation. This course satisfies General Education Area IV: Other Cultures and Civilizations.

REL 2020 - Religion in China - 4hrs.
Compared to the relatively recent appearance of China as a nation state, its written history started over three millennia ago. Many different peoples have dwelled in the geographical area that today is called China, the ethno-political borders of which have long been fluid. These peoples have produced and preserved a rich repertoire of diverse ideas and practices that may be categorized as religious. This course traces the history of the major religious traditions, including Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism, that have developed in and adapted to China. The emphasis of the class is on the way that these traditions have been perceived and received in different historical contexts. By introducing how these traditions affected past people’s lives, this class aims to lead students to a historically better-informed understanding of the religious aspect of people’s life in contemporary China. This course satisfies General Education Area IV: Other Cultures and Civilizations.

REL 2030 - Religion in Japan - 4hrs.
A study of the historical continuity and overall unity in the Japanese religious tradition. The major organized religions of Shinto and Japanese Buddhism, and also the influence of Taoism, Confucianism, and Christianity are discussed. Also taken up are the informal religious movements of “ancestor worship”, family religion, and state religion. An attempt is made to assess the role and significance of religion in Japanese culture. This course satisfies General Education Area IV: Other Cultures and Civilizations.

REL 2040 - Religion in India - 4hrs.
Provides a survey of religion in India, focusing mainly on the major religious traditions native to India, i.e., Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. Examines social and political contexts in which these traditions have arisen and developed, and examines examples of religious literature, art, architecture, music, ritual, and spiritual discipline. This course satisfies General Education Area IV: Other Cultures and Civilizations.

REL 2050 - Christianity - 4hrs.
Provides a selective but wide-ranging survey of Christianity, tracing developments in Christian thought, practices, institutions, and expression, and emphasizing study of primary sources within their social and cultural contexts. Aims to enhance students’ knowledge of persons, groups, events, texts, and ideas that have contributed significantly to Christian history, and their appreciation for the diversity of forms that Christian discourses and practices have taken. This course satisfies General Education Area II: Humanities.

REL 2060 - Islam - 4hrs.
Explores various expressions of religious identity across global Muslim societies. With an eye to religion in specific contexts focus is given to major topics from the Qur’an, Muhammad, rituals, religious and political authority, Islamic mysticism, colonialism, and modernity. To highlight broader questions in the study of Islam particular examples range from the classical Islamic period in the Middle East to the contemporary United States. The overall approach of the course is grounded in an understanding of the relationship between religion, history, and context. This course satisfies General Education Area IV: Other Cultures and Civilizations.

REL 2065 - Islam in America- 4hrs.
Explores the histories of the creation and engagement of Muslim communities in the United States. Investigates trends in immigration and conversion, life styles, rituals, beliefs and the diverse roles of women in American Islam. The aim of the course is to examine deeper questions about the relationship between religion and politics, pluralism and representations of Islam in the media. This course satisfies General Education Area III: The United States: Cultures and Issues.

REL 2070 - Judaism- 4hrs.
Traces the development of Judaism from its roots in the Ancient Near East to the present, and examines the role of this religion and its practitioners in world history. Particular attention is given to periods of social, political and cultural change in Jewish history and hence to the problem of Jewish identity. Attention is given to Jewish writings, customs, and institutions from many periods and places, as well as social movements and political revolutions that have significantly impacted the history of Judaism. This course satisfies General Education Area II: Humanities.

REL 2080 - Religion in Europe- 4hrs.
Selective yet thorough historical and topical survey of religion on the continent of Europe. Topics covered include ancient “tribal” religions such as the Roman, Celtic, and German/Norse; the intertwined history of forms of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism in the Middle Ages; the redefinitions of religion and its place in society marked by the Reformations and the Enlightenment; and major events and movements of modern European history that have impacted or involved religion, such as the French Revolution, World Wars, and Cold War. This course satisfies General Education Area V: Social and Behavioral Sciences.

REL 3015 - Christianity in the United States- 4hrs.
Since its founding, the United States has been dominated by the Christian tradition, although at no time has the tradition been monolithic. The goal of this course therefore is to introduce students to the wide range of Christian groups in the United States from the colonial period to the present. We will explore the process of Protestant denominationalism in this country, the rise of Evangelicalism, and the growth of the Roman Catholic Church. We will also be exploring some broad themes that cut across confessional boundaries: ethnicity, race, and religion; issues of church and state; and the tensions between religious conservatives, religious liberals, and secularists. This course satisfies General Education Area III: The United States: Cultures and Issues.

REL 3025 - The Qur'an- 4hrs.
An overview of the central religious text in Muslim societies, the Qur’an. In it the major Qur’anic themes are outlined and the historical and cultural context of its creation is described. It provides a close look into the multiple interpretations that have brought the Qur’an to life in social action. The course also goes beyond the text itself to look at the Qur’an as it is utilized in ritual and practice as well as in art and architecture. This course satisfies General Education Area IV: Other Cultures and Civilizations.

REL 3115 - Myth and Ritual - 4hrs.
Provides students with the opportunity to study and compare a selection of myths and mythological systems from throughout the world and history, and to consider a variety of academic and other sorts of discourses about myth, its nature, forms, functions, and value. This course satisfies General Education Area II: Humanities.

REL 3125 - Ritual and its Study - 4hrs.
Ritual and ritual-like activities can be observed cross-culturally in both religious and secular contexts. This course explores such activities, including rites of passage, sacrifice, marriage, funerary customs, healing practices, and civil religious ceremonies. Through case studies from a variety of cultures and historical periods students will engage in understanding the primary aspects of ritual life as well as their classifications and interpretations. This course satisfies General Education Area II: Humanities.

REL 3135 - Religious Texts and Their Uses - 4hrs
Provides a cross-cultural survey of religious texts and the uses to which they are put. The course will consider ways in which texts are constituted as “sacred”; processes of and contests over canonization, i.e., the formation of closed sets of authoritative texts; and the rules, strategies, and interests that help to determine how religious texts get used by different institutions and actors in a variety of settings for often diverse purposes. This course satisfies General Education Area II: Humanities.

REL 3145 - New Religious Movements - 4hrs
New Religious Movements (NRMs) are those religious movements such as Mormonism and Soka Gakkai that have arisen during the modern period (roughly from the 17th century on). This course will explore a wide range of NRMs in order to ask the question, in what ways to NRMs reflect modern themes and concerns? To this end, the course will begin with a discussion of theories of modernity and the sociology of NRMs, and then apply these theories to detailed case studies of particular NSMs. The specific case studies will vary depending on the professor. This course satisfies General Education Area V: Social and Behavioral Sciences.

REL 3155 - Religion and Conflict - 4hrs
Explores the “contact zones” between religion, culture and politics to understand the dynamics of social tensions, collaborations, conflicts, integrations, and conversions. Particular attention will be given to the pivotal role religious communities play in debates on democracy, justice, ethnicity, gender, education, and identity. It examines the impact of religion on secular spheres within specific historical contexts that test understandings of the relationship between religion and society. This course satisfies General Education Area V: Social and Behavioral Sciences.

REL 3160 - Religion and State - 4hrs
Explores the complex relationship between religion and state (broadly understood to include government, politics, law). Materials will focus on one or more religions and regions. Each week the question of religion and state will be examined from a new angle. What does it mean to allow prayer in public schools? How has ritual been used to support state goals? Why do many religions seek a voice in governance? How do laws affect religious institutions? Can something so mundane as taxes tell us about how we view religion? Can or should religion be separated from politics? Finally, should we even understand these terms a separate?

REL 3170 - Religion and Gender - 4hrs
Considers questions of gender as they relate to religion and its study. Particular attention is given to the ways in which gender roles and relations between the genders are constructed, defined, articulated, justified, supported, contested, and reformulated in various religious traditions, both throughout history and in contemporary contexts, and in interaction with other social, cultural, and political systems and institutions.

REL 3180 - Death, Dying, and Beyond - 4hrs
Focuses on death, dying and the afterlife in the religious traditions of the world. Traditions and regions covered may vary by year and could include the religious traditions of Japan, China, India and the United States as well as the religious traditions of Christianity or Islam. How one dies, how others view that death, how the body is disposed of, what role the death plays in the life and times of others, the history that develops from it, and what the common beliefs are regarding life beyond death are some of the questions that this course will address. Discussion each week may focus on burial customs, views of the afterlife, the grieving process, hospice, suicide, pollution, ritual, abortion, and other topics. Readings will be drawn from a variety of sources. This course satisfies General Education Area II: Humanities.

REL 3200 - Theologies and Cosmologies - 4hrs.
To paraphrase Ninian Smart, the philosophy of religion consists of the articulation, critique, and adaption of religious worldviews. Too often, however, the philosophy of religions is thought of as primarily a western enterprise. This course is designed to explode that notion by exploring the rich philosophical traditions of the religions of India and China, and by comparing them to those of the West. To that end, we will be studying the historical development of philosophical thought in, e.g., Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, and Christianity.

REL 3230 - Religion and Revolution - 4hrs.
This course will explore, investigate and compare different religions in different cultures as driving forces of social and cultural change. The course will examine the conservative and progressive roles the religions of the world play in familial, social, economic, and political stability and change. Different approaches to analyzing these forces and roles will be examined, but particular emphasis will be placed upon the contribution of critical theory and its dialectical method of thinking. The course will stress communicative ethics and discourse theory of rights and of the democratic constitutional state.
Fulfills General Education Area IV: Social and Behavioral Sciences

REL 3240 - Psychological Elements in Religion - 4hrs.
This course offers students a survey of theories and approaches to the study of religion from the perspective of psychology, with an emphasis on psychoanalytical, analytical, humanistic, behavioral, and cognitive psychology as well as on other theorists and trends emerging out of or relating to these traditions in psychology. The seminal texts of such classical theorists as Freud, Jung, James, Otto, Fromm, Skinner, and Erickson will be considered, as well as more contemporary psychological approaches to religion.
Fulfills General Education Area II: Humanities

REL 3320 - Religion and Social Ethics - 4hrs.
This course will compare different forms of religious and secular ethics from ancient moral codes to contemporary ethical systems. It will deal with the creative ideas, problems and attitudes toward the social world intrinsic to these different ethical norms. While the course will emphasize the variety of ethical responses to social problems provided by the religions of the world as well as to secular approaches it will pay particular attention to problems raised and solutions proposed by critical theorists about issues such as abortion, euthanasia, artificial insemination, race, gender, class, war and peace, poverty and ecological catastrophes. The course will stress communicative ethics, the discourse theory of rights, and of the democratic constitutional state.
Fulfills General Education Area II: Humanities

REL 3340 - Religion in Modern Society - 4hrs.
Whereas a major focus of the systematic study of religion is upon religious traditions, or aspects of them, it is important that attention also be paid to the questions raised by the various contexts in which religion occurs as well as to questions raised by the methods developed in studying religion in such contexts. The specific context of religion to be studied in this course is that of industrial society. For religion to be understood in more than historical terms it is important that attention be paid to this kind of context. As a consequence of such a focus questions also are raised about the methods developed to specify and delineate such contexts and the role that religion plays in them. This provides an occasion for raising questions about the assumptions underlying such methods and about their relationship to the systematic study of religion.

REL 4000 - Topics in Religion - 4hrs.
The topic to be announced in the Schedule of Classes. The content of the course will vary from semester to semester. Students may repeat the course for credit as long as the subject matter is different. Topics will include religious traditions, forms of religion and current issues in method and theory.

REL 4500 - Capstone Seminar in Religion - 4hrs
Designed as a culminating experience for Comparative Religion majors completing or nearing completion of their degree. Focuses readings and discussions on a theme or problem identified by the instructor, and requires students to engage in original research that explores this theme or problem through comparison and application of theory. A significant portion fo the work assigned in this course involves writing. This course satisfies General Education Proficiency 2: Baccalaureate-Level Writing for Comparative Religion majors. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: Completion of at least five Comparative Religion courses, including REL 2000; with a grade of “C” or better in all prerequisites.

REL 4980 - Independent Study 1 - 6hrs
Research on some selected problem under supervision of a member of the Religion faculty. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Application and department approval.

REL 5000 - Historical Studies in Religion - 2-4hrs.
The topic to be announced in the Schedule of Classes. The content of the course will vary from semester to semester. Students may repeat the course for credit as long as the subject matter is different. Topics such as the following will be studied: Zen Buddhism; Buddhism; Taoism; Shinto; New Religions of Japan; Religion in Japanese Literature; Islam in the Modern World; Christian Theology to 1500; Renaissance and Reformation Theology; Mystical Dimensions of Islam. May be repeated for credit. Open to Upperclass and Graduate students.

REL 5100 - Morphological and Phenomenological Studies in Religion - 2-4hrs.
Topic announced in the Schedule of Classes. May be repeated for credit as long as the subject matter is different.

REL 5110 - Women in Religion - 3hrs.
Drawing together materials from many religious traditions, this course explores religion's effect on women and women's effect on religion. It attends especially to women's roles in traditions studied-both roles allotted to women and roles women shape for themselves. It also traces repeating patterns in women's religious experience and evaluates common explanations for such patterns. Prerequisites: Junior or senior level and two courses (6 hours) in either Religion or Women's Studies.

REL 5200 - Methodological Studies in Religion - 2-4hrs.
The topic to be announced in the Schedule of Classes. The content of the course will vary from semester to semester. Students may repeat the course for credit as long as the subject matter is different.

REL 5300 - Constructive Studies in Religion - 2-4hrs.
Topic announced in the Schedule of Classes. May be repeated for credit as long as the subject matter is different.

REL 5980 - Readings in Religion - Variable Credit
Research on a selected period or topic under supervision of a member of the Comparative Religion faculty. Approval of the instructor involved and the Chairperson of the Department must be secured in advance of registration.

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Undergraduate Course Descriptions

Undergraduate Course Descriptions

Introductory Studies

Traditions and Regions:

Comparative and Theoretical Topics: