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RELS 100
|
Judaism, Christianity, Islam
|
|
3.0
|
FS
|
GE
|
|
An analysis of the religions of the West: Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course.
|
|
RELS 110
|
Asian Religions
|
|
3.0
|
FS
|
GE
GC
|
|
An introduction to the religions of the East: Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved Global Cultures course.
|
|
RELS 180
|
Introduction to Religion
|
|
3.0
|
FS
|
GE
|
|
What is religion? How do we recognize it? Are there functions religions characteristically serve or questions they characteristically ask? Are there characteristic answers? Are there secular religions? How do various cultures approach the category of "religion"? This course explores diverse religious beliefs and practices in light of classic and contemporary analyses from several disciplinary fields. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course.
|
|
RELS 198
|
Special Topics
|
|
1.0
-3.0
|
INQ
|
|
|
Special topics offered for 1.0-3.0 units. 3 hours lecture.
|
|
RELS 199
|
Special Problems
|
|
1.0
-3.0
|
INQ
|
|
Prerequisites: Faculty permission.
This course is an independent study of special problems offered for 1.0-3.0 units. You must register directly with a supervising faculty member. 3 hours supervision. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units. Credit/no credit grading.
|
|
RELS 200
|
Religions of South Asia
|
|
3.0
|
FA
|
|
|
This course provides an introduction to the religions of South Asia from the earliest times until the present, and provides basic sociological, psychological, philosophical, and anthropological perspectives from which to study them. The main religions explored are Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism with some discussion of Islam in the Indian region as well. All of these religions have deeply influenced Indian society and students are exposed to the literature, art, ideas, and practices of these faiths. 3 hours seminar.
|
|
RELS 202
|
Islam and the World
|
|
3.0
|
FA
|
GE
GC
|
This course is also offered as
HIST 261,
MEST 261.
Introduces students to the history, faith, practice, and cultures of Islam, starting with the Late Antique Near Eastern milieu from which it emerged and tracing its development and geographic spread around the world to the present day. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved Global Cultures course.
|
|
RELS 204I
|
Judaism and the Minority Experience
|
|
3.0
|
SP
|
GE
USD
WI
|
This course is also offered as
MJIS 204I.
This course surveys the texts, practices, and beliefs of Judaism, examines the development of the Jewish tradition in response to interactions with a variety of host cultures, and investigates how the Jewish experience complicates our understanding of what it means to be a minority. 3 hours discussion.This is an approved Writing Intensive course. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved US Diversity course.
|
|
RELS 205
|
Jews, Muslims, and the West
|
|
3.0
|
FA
|
GE
USD
|
This course is also offered as
MJIS 205.
This course traces the history of Jewish and Muslim engagement with the West, explores the diversity of Jewish and Muslim groups in contemporary Europe and the United States, and investigates how Western interactions with Jews and Muslims have defined and challenged European and American identities. 3 hours discussion. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved US Diversity course.
|
|
RELS 212
|
Religions of India
|
|
3.0
|
SP
|
GE
GC
|
|
This course provides an introduction to the religions and cultures of India and the surrounding region known as South Asia. The main traditions that are examined are Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Islam, and Sikhism, all of which have deeply influenced the wider culture and each other throughout their evolution over the centuries in India. Students become acquainted with their doctrinal, philosophical, devotional, ritual, and social features. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved Global Cultures course.
|
|
RELS 224
|
Religion and America's Ethnic Minorities
|
|
3.0
|
FA
|
GE
USD
|
This course is also offered as
MCGS 224.
This course covers the religions that inform America's ethnic minorities, and the historical, cultural, and social experiences and values of Native American, Hispanic-American, Arab-American, African-American, and Asian-American minority groups. 3 hours seminar. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved US Diversity course.
|
|
RELS 241
|
Science and Religion
|
|
3.0
|
FS
|
GE
|
This course is also offered as
PHIL 204.
In this course we investigate the long and complicated relationship between science and religion by examining both the conflict and co-operation between theologians, philosophers, and scientists in the Western and Eastern worlds throughout history and into the modern age. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course.
|
|
RELS 247
|
Religion, Ethics, and Ecology
|
|
3.0
|
FS
|
GE
|
|
An introduction to ways that religious and secular world views and ethics influence attitudes, behaviors, and policies toward the environment, society, and economy. The course considers alternative views of self and society, the relationship between human beings and the natural world, and issues of lifestyle, justice, and sustainability. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course.
|
|
RELS 247I
|
Religion, Ethics, and Ecology - Writing Intensive
|
|
3.0
|
FS
|
GE
WI
|
|
An introduction to ways that religious and secular world views and ethics influence attitudes, behaviors, and policies toward the environment, society, and economy. The course considers alternative views of self and society, the relationship between human beings and the natural world, and issues of lifestyle, justice, and sustainability. 3 hours lecture.This is an approved Writing Intensive course. This is an approved General Education course.
|
|
RELS 264
|
Dying, Death, and Afterlife
|
|
3.0
|
FS
|
GE
GC
|
|
A study of the religious, ethical, spiritual, psychological, and socio-cultural dimensions of dying, death, and afterlife. Reading and discussion of issues surrounding dying (dying as one's last career, patient-centered approaches, spirit/body relationships); death (definitions, religious meanings, ritual practices); and afterlife (religious conceptions, relation to the human quest for meaning). 3 hours seminar. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved Global Cultures course.
|
|
RELS 264I
|
Dying, Death, and Afterlife
|
|
3.0
|
FS
|
GE
GC
WI
|
|
A study of the religious, ethical, spiritual, psychological, and socio-cultural dimensions of dying, death, and afterlife. Reading and discussion of issues surrounding dying (dying as one's last career, patient-centered approaches, spirit/body relationships); death (definitions, religious meanings, ritual practices); and afterlife (religious conceptions, relation to the human quest for meaning). 3 hours seminar.This is an approved Writing Intensive course. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved Global Cultures course.
|
|
RELS 275I
|
Women and Religion
|
|
3.0
|
FS
|
GE
GC
WI
|
This course is also offered as
WMST 275I.
Analysis of the images, roles, and experiences of women in world religions in historical and contemporary contexts. 3 hours discussion.This is an approved Writing Intensive course. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved Global Cultures course.
|
|
RELS 281
|
Library Research Methods in Comparative Religion and Humanities
|
|
1.0
|
SP
|
|
|
An introduction to the tools used in doing research, writing papers, and preparing presentations in religious studies. Topics include sources of information using the library's electronic tools to gather information, assessing internet resources, citation formats, copyright laws, and ethical standards in research and writing. 1 hour lecture.
|
|
RELS 299
|
Special Problems
|
|
1.0
-3.0
|
INQ
|
|
Prerequisites: Faculty permission.
This course is an independent study of special problems offered for 1.0-3.0 units. You must register directly with a supervising faculty member. 3 hours supervision. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units. Credit/no credit grading.
|
|
RELS 300
|
Religions of East Asia
|
|
3.0
|
FA
|
|
|
This discussion-centered, project-directed course is a complement to RELS 200 (Religion in South Asia). It introduces elementary concepts of comparative religion and the basics of East Asian history. Afterward, it provides basic knowledge of major traditions and important 3 hours discussion.
|
|
RELS 301
|
Greek Myth and Ritual
|
|
3.0
|
INQ
|
|
|
An introduction to Greek mythology and its ancient Near Eastern parallels. The course focuses on the analysis of ancient Greek art and literature (including epic, hymns, lyric poetry, tragedy, and historiography). Topics explored include dying and rising gods, athletics and warfare, hospitality and gift exchange, initiation rituals and the afterlife, and the sex and gender roles of men and women. In addition, students consider Roman, Jewish, and Christian approaches to Greek myth and explore the impact of myth on modern art and film. 3 hours discussion.
|
|
RELS 302
|
Muhammad and the Qur'an
|
|
3.0
|
INQ
|
|
This course is also offered as
HIST 361,
MEST 302.
This course introduces students to the sacred scripture and prophet of Islam. Students study the biography of Muhammad (570-632) and the text of the Qur'an by situating it within the context of Muhammad's life and career. By the end of the course, students are able to appreicate how devout Muslims view Muhammad and the Qur'an, as well as ask critical questions raised by modern scholars of religion. 3 hours lecture.
|
|
RELS 303
|
Hebrew Bible
|
|
3.0
|
INQ
|
|
This course is also offered as
MJIS 303.
An introduction to the Hebrew Bible (also known as the Old Testament of Christianity and the Tanakh of Judaism) in English translation. Readings from the Pentateuch, the prophetic books, and the hagiographa. The course emphasizes the analysis of the biblical books in their ancient Near Eastern contexts, the documentary hypotheses, Israelite history and religion, the formation of the biblical canon, and early Jewish and Christian scriptural interpretation. 3 hours lecture.
|
|
RELS 306
|
Roots of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
|
|
3.0
|
FA
|
|
|
This course introduces students to the formation and early history of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam with a a special focus on the scriptural traditions of those three religions. 3 hours seminar. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units.
|
|
RELS 307
|
New Testament
|
|
3.0
|
INQ
|
|
|
This course covers the books of the Christian New Testament in the context of ancient Judaism and the world of the ancient Mediterranean. Who wrote the gospels and the epistles? Is there anti-Jewish prejudice in the New Testament? This class explores how Jesus was depicted, inquires whether the new Testament promotes or opposes Gnosticism, explains why the Christian apocrypha are not accepted as scripture, and also considers the relationship between the early Christian movement and ancient Greek mystery religions, the Dead Sea Scroll sect, Hellenistic Judaism, and/or Enoch traditions. 3 hours seminar.
|
|
RELS 308
|
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam since the Crusades
|
|
3.0
|
SP
|
|
Prerequisite: RELS 306.
This course explores the development of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam from the crusades to the modern era. Major topics include the teachings of each tradition on war, peace, and conflict; religious diversity among the three traditions, especially in response to modernity and globalization; and the role of ritual in the three traditions. 3 hours lecture.
|
|
RELS 310
|
Chinese Religions
|
|
3.0
|
INQ
|
|
|
An exploration of the religious dimension of Chinese culture, focusing on the Confucian, Buddhist, and Chinese Buddhist traditions (with particular attention to Chan/Zen) and their relations with each other. 3 hours seminar.
|
|
RELS 313
|
Buddhism
|
|
3.0
|
INQ
|
GC
|
|
A discussion of the roots and transformation of the Buddhist teachings in India, China, Japan, and Tibet. Special emphasis will be given to major trends and problems in contemporary Buddhism. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved Global Cultures course.
|
|
RELS 322
|
Religion in America
|
|
3.0
|
SP
|
|
|
Religion plays a role in the most contentious social issues of our era: religious freedom, abortion, evolution, racism, and gay rights, among others. The course explores the historical roots of American religions and religious trends such as pluralism and fundamentalism. We pay particular attention to media representations of religious "others" and use case studies to explore the intersections of religion and gender, race, class, and ethnicity. The course uses historical documents, religious texts, films and other media, and also introduces students to basic research methods for religious studies. 3 hours discussion.
|
|
RELS 323
|
Religion and Nature
|
|
3.0
|
SP
|
|
|
What is the place of human beings in the natural world? Do humans have a responsibility to other species? Are human beings primarily of nature or above or apart from nature? Is the proper role of humans to manipulate and control the natural world or to harmonize and conform their lives to the ways of nature? How have different beliefs about the existence or non-existence of divine or supernatural beings influenced human attitudes and behaviors toward the natural environment? What are some of the ways in which religions have shaped attitudes towards nature in specific historical and cultural contexts? What kinds of ritual practices do different cultures engage in concerning the natural world? This course considers a variety of religious and secular perspectives on these questions as well as responses to contemporary environmental issues, such as pollution and climate change. Special attention is given to the perspectives and practices of indigenous cultures. 3 hours seminar.
|
|
RELS 332
|
World Religions and Global Issues
|
|
3.0
|
FS
|
GE
GC
|
|
An introduction to major religions of the contemporary world (Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, and Chinese religions) with particular emphasis on their relationship to pressing global issues, including economics and poverty, environmental issues, war and peace, and human rights. Explores a number of religious traditions that are closely identified with specific ethnic groups in this country. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved Global Cultures course.
|
|
RELS 339
|
Confronting the Animal: Theory, Culture, and Practice
|
|
3.0
|
FS
|
GE
|
This course is also offered as
PHIL 339.
Draws on religion, philosophy, ethics, cultural analysis, and science to explore the nature and roles of the animal in religious, cultural, scientific, and ethical beliefs and practices. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course.
|
|
RELS 339Z
|
Confronting the Animal: Theory, Culture, and Practice - Capstone
|
|
3.0
|
FS
|
GE
WI
C
|
This course is also offered as
PHIL 339Z.
Draws on religion, philosophy, ethics, cultural analysis, and science to explore the nature and roles of the animal in religious, cultural, scientific, and ethical beliefs and practices. 3 hours lecture.This is an approved Writing Intensive course. This is an approved General Education Capstone course.
|
|
RELS 348
|
Jesus, Buddha, and Marx: A Study in Comparative Ethics
|
|
3.0
|
INQ
|
|
|
This course explores how Christians, Buddhists, and Marxists have sought to answer questions about the nature and goals of human life and about the methods of individual and social transformation. Attention will be given to the diversity of ethical perspectives in the traditions on such topics as the human good, the ideal society, political and economic life, war and peace, the family, the meaning of freedom, and the nature of salvation. 3 hours discussion.
|
|
RELS 357
|
End of the World
|
|
3.0
|
FS
|
GE
|
|
This course introduces students to the ways in which historic and contemporary religious communities interpret catastrophes and how religious worlds explain and provide humans with tools to cope with catastrophes and with making meaning out of suffering and death. Focus is on visions of the end of the world (apocalypticism, environmental destruction), interpreting the meaning of disasters (natural, human-induced), and personal and global annihilation (epidemics, nuclear destruction). 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course.
|
|
RELS 357I
|
End of the World - WI
|
|
3.0
|
FS
|
GE
WI
|
|
This course introduces students to the ways in which historic and contemporary religious communities interpret catastrophes and how religious worlds explain and provide humans with tools to cope with catastrophes and with making meaning out of suffering and death. Focus is on visions of the end of the world (apocalypticism, environmental destruction), interpreting the meaning of disasters (natural, human-induced), and personal and global annihilation (epidemics, nuclear destruction). 3 hours lecture.This is an approved Writing Intensive course. This is an approved General Education course.
|
|
RELS 358
|
Religion in American Public Schools
|
|
3.0
|
FS
|
|
|
An introduction to the major world religions and an analysis of legal, intellectual, and educational issues that arise in connection with the study of religions in American public schools. 3 hours lecture.
|
|
RELS 364
|
CS Lewis & JRR Tolkien
|
|
3.0
|
INQ
|
|
|
This course explores mythology and fiction through an analysis of the fantasy and science fiction works of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Do Judaism and Christianity have a mythology comparable to that of other cultures? What do the works of Lewis and Tolkien tell us about our own time and the issues our civilization faces? Topics include the nature and origin of evil, the seductions of technology and control, the place of earth in the cosmos, the purpose and origin of humankind and the universe, and the nature of God in the face of evil. 3 hours discussion.
|
|
RELS 365
|
Religion and Film
|
|
3.0
|
INQ
|
|
|
An examination of the representation of religious concerns and meaning in modern film. Utilizing resources developed in religious traditions and in the field of religious studies, the course examines themes central to the human condition such as selfhood, religious conviction, despair, redemption, and race and ethnicity. 2 hours discussion, 3 hours laboratory.
|
|
RELS 368
|
Interreligious Conflict and Cooperation
|
|
3.0
|
FA
|
|
|
This course examines interreligious conflict and cooperation in a variety of historical and contemporary contexts. It explores belief systems regarding religious "others" and the social, political, and cultural circumstances that shape interactions of religious groups. Emphasis is placed on developing skills for effective participation in a religiously diverse world. 3 hours lecture.
|
|
RELS 381
|
Sociology of Religion
|
|
3.0
|
INQ
|
|
This course is also offered as
SOCI 327.
This course explores the impact of religion on the individual and society, and surveys the major developments in the field. This includes interactive relationships between religion and other social institutions, and debates on controversial issues. 3 hours lecture.
|
|
RELS 391
|
Reading in Religious Studies
|
|
1.0
-3.0
|
INQ
|
|
Prerequisites: Faculty permission.
This course is a special topic offered for 1.0-3.0 units. You must register directly with a supervising faculty member. 3 hours supervision. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 3.0 units.
|
|
RELS 398
|
Special Topics
|
|
1.0
-3.0
|
INQ
|
|
|
Special topics offered for 1.0-3.0 units. 3 hours seminar.
|
|
RELS 399
|
Special Problems
|
|
1.0
-3.0
|
INQ
|
|
Prerequisites: Faculty permission.
This course is an independent study of special problems offered for 1.0-3.0 units. You must register directly with a supervising faculty member. 9 hours supervision. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units. Credit/no credit grading.
|
|
RELS 402
|
Religion, Sex, and Gender
|
|
3.0
|
SP
|
|
|
This course studies the many ways religion shapes gender and sexuality in different cultures and historical periods. It examines how religion affects the social expectations and experiences of women, men, and other genders as well as how religion helps define and regulate sexual behavior, sexual identities, and sexual possibilities. 3 hours seminar.
|
|
RELS 403
|
Religion and the Arts
|
|
3.0
|
F1
|
|
|
This course is designed to examine the ways religion helps shape artistic expression and how various art forms-music, architecture, visual arts, storytelling, and film-serve as means of religious expression. We explore both traditional "sacred" art (e.g. temples, mosques, churches) as well as popular art (novels, movies, etc.) that have been shaped by religious themes. We explore the role of the arts in a number of different religious traditions. 3 hours seminar.
|
|
RELS 404
|
Religion, Science, and Technology
|
|
3.0
|
F2
|
|
|
The relationship between science, religion, and technology is explored from a variety of perspectives. We focus not just on the conflict amongst these domains, but also on the integration and mutual support that has been witnessed in their long and complicated history. Topics include evolution, creationism, and intelligent design; scientific attempts to prove the existence of God; the Copernican Revolution; Mysticism and quantum mechanics; technological developments pioneered in religious contexts; current religious uses of technology; Deist influences on the Newtonian mechanistic views of the universe; differences between faith and reason; Islamic, Hindu, and Buddhist contributions to science and many more. 3 hours seminar.
|
|
RELS 405
|
Religion, Politics, and Conflict
|
|
3.0
|
FA
|
|
|
This course considers 1) the relation between religion and power in historical and contemporary settings, and 2) religion as a factor in conflict and peacemaking. Topics include alternative models of the relation between religion and state; religious and secular perspectives on government and political order; the role of religion in both legitimating and critiquing political systems; religious perspectives on war and peace, violence and non-violence; and the relationship between religion and human rights. Special attention is given to the political and ethical diversity within and as well as between religious traditions. 3 hours seminar.
|
|
RELS 480
|
Theories and Criticisms of Religion
|
|
3.0
|
FA
|
|
Prerequisites: RELS 200, RELS 300.
A study of the history, theories, and methods of religious studies as a scholarly and academic discipline, with emphasis on the biographical and historical contexts of significant contributors to the discipline and their classic works. Topics include secular vs. religious approaches to the study of religion and the contrast between religious insiders' and outsiders' perspectives; alternative theories of the origins and functions of religion; and debates over whether religion is a positive or negative influence in the lives of individuals and social groups. 3 hours seminar.
|
|
RELS 482
|
Capstone: Religion, Public Life, and the Professions
|
|
4.0
|
SP
|
GW
|
Prerequisites: Completion of GE Written Communication (A2) requirement, RELS 480.
This capstone equips students to analyze the role of religion in public life, including issues of religious freedom and the relationshop between religion and American social institutions (government, education, health care, the criminal justice system, etc.). Following a study of the U.S. context, the course explores comparative cases in other countries. Focus is on the position(s) of religion in public space; the shifting boundaries of religiou and non-religious activity, and the implications of these arrangements. One unit of creid for this course involves an internship, a research project, or prior learning portfolio assessment/experiential learning essay. 4 hours seminar. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units. This is an approved Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement course; a grade of C- or higher certifies writing proficiency for majors.
|
|
RELS 489
|
Internship in Religious Stud
|
|
1.0
-3.0
|
FS
|
|
Prerequisites: Faculty permission.
Enrollment will be determined by permission of the Department of Religious Studies. 3 hours supervision. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 15.0 units. Credit/no credit grading.
|
|
RELS 498
|
Special Topics
|
|
1.0
-3.0
|
INQ
|
|
|
Special topics offered for 1.0-3.0 units. 3 hours lecture.
|
|
RELS 499
|
Special Problems
|
|
1.0
-3.0
|
INQ
|
|
Prerequisites: Faculty permission.
This course is an independent study of special problems offered for 1.0-3.0 units. You must register directly with a supervising faculty member. 3 hours supervision. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units. Credit/no credit grading.
|
|
RELS 499H
|
Senior Honors Research Paper
|
|
3.0
|
FS
|
GW
|
Prerequisites: Completion of GE Written Communication (A2) requirement, RELS 480 (may be taken concurrently).
To provide students accepted for "Honors in the Major" an opportunity to prepare and write a research paper on topics germane to their interests developed during the first three years of work in religious studies. Research and writing will be done under supervision of a staff advisor for a total of 6 units in two semesters. 9 hours supervision. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units. This is an approved Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement course; a grade of C- or higher certifies writing proficiency for majors.
|
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