Seminar Courses

The course descriptions below are from past and present course catalogues. This section gives students an opportunity to read the brief outline of course content and see if the course would be of interest to them. To see the CURRENT semester classes offered by the Religion Dept. please return to the home page of Religion and browse the supplement or link to the Registrar's home page for catalogue and recent releases of updates to courses.

Seminars

321. Buddhism and Orientalism 3 hours

3HU, CD, WR

An examination of Buddhism's nineteenth- and twentieth-century image as refracted through Western fascination with it and Asian reinterpretation of it in the context of colonialism, modernization, and Asia's encounter with the West. The course will survey Westerners' discovery and perception of Buddhism in various parts of Asia, but will quickly focus on Japan as a primary setting in which Buddhism's modern reinterpretation occurred. Consent of instructor required.

In the modern world, Eastern Orthodoxy remains arguably the most ascetic of the Christian traditions. This seminar begins with a close reading of the seminal Orthodox collection of texts on prayer and asceticism found in the Philokalia. The class will then discuss a variety of Orthodox ideas about soul, mind, body, and spirit in conjunction with this literature, placing special emphasis upon ideas of self and the nature of personhood. Our major focus will be upon Eastern Orthodox Christianity, but students with backgrounds in Catholic or Protestant thought or in the ascetic traditions of other religions are welcome to apply to the instructor for consent. Relg 215, 217 or 218 are suggested prerequisites. Consent of the instructor required. Enrollment Limit: 15.

This course first investigates the eighth-century prophet known as Isaiah of Jerusalem (Isa 1-39) in the historical context of Judah under Assyrian domination. Secondarily, it traces the literary and theological afterlife of this prophet’s writings as they are reshaped and expanded upon by later prophets including Nahum, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Deutero-Isaiah. Overarching themes include: the development of monotheism, the inviolability of Jerusalem, and the role of foreign conquerors in the divine plan. Prerequisite: RELG 205 or 208 or by consent of instructor. Enrollment limit: 15

341. Christian Economic Ethics

3 hours; 3HU, WRi

This course will address the theoretical issue of economic justice and the practical question of making just economic decisions. Consideration will also be given to the question of ethics in the business workplace. Readings will be drawn from church teachings, including Roman Catholic encyclicals and pastorals, as well as Protestant church documents, and a variety of secular sources in which economic justice, distribution of resources, and personal virtue are explored. Consent of the instructor required.

342. Selected Thinkers in Modern and Contemporary Religious Thoughts 3 hours

This seminar will focus on Kierkegaard and his characteristically ironic method. Irony, for Kierkegaard, was a means for critically investigating thought itself and a way to approach the ineffable. Drawing heavily on Kierkegaard’s pseudonymous works, we will analyze his critique of modern philosophy and theology and explore ways in which his ironic method can be brought to bear on notions of postmodern "play" and the via negative in contemporary theology. The consent of instructor required. Enrollment Limit: 12

This seminar investigates the concept and practice of the poetic imagination in Blake, Coleridge, Kant and Stevens.  The relationship between this Romantic imagination and Western religious and philosophical traditions will be stressed.  Participation in the course presumes at least some familiarity with the major Romantic poets as well as one or more completed courses in modern religious thought or philosophy.  Instructor consent required.  Enrollment Limit: 15.

353. Moses Maimonides: Philosophy & Law

3 hours; 3HU, CD, WRi

354. Spinoza, Heresy, and Modern Judaism

The great modern philosopher and bible critic Baruch Spinoza (1632-77) was excommunicated by the Jewish community of Amsterdam and is often described as the first modern or secular Jew. This seminar will examine Spinoza's writings, especially the Tractatus Theologico-Politicus, and writings about Spinoza. It will focus not only on Spinoza's life and thought but the way in which he anticipated some of the central issues of Jewish modernity, such as the authority of religious tradition and the question of Jewish identity in the modern state. Identical to JWST 354. Consent of instructor required. Enrollment Limit: 12

This seminar investigates how religion represents and regulates women’s bodies and bodily practices in light of current feminist theories about gender, sexuality and women’s experience. Issues to be studied include menstruation, asceticism, veiling, and mystical experience.Consent of instructor required. Enrollment Limit: 15.

366. Feminist Interpretations of Evil

3 hours; 3 HU, CD

This seminar investigates how religion represents and regulates women’s bodies and bodily practices in light of current feminist theories about gender, sexuality and women’s experience. Issues to be studied include menstruation, asceticism, veiling, and mystical experience.

385. Selected Topics in American Religious History

3 hours; 3SS, WR

The seminar is an advanced study of selected themes, movements, and personalities in American religious life. Topic for 2002-2003: Pentecostalism. This course will explore Pentecostalism as a religious and social movement. The class will analyze Pentecostalism from different methodological approaches: historical, theological, and the social sciences. The seminar will examine various topics, including class, race, ethnicity, gender, spirituality, Charismatics, and the internationalization of the movement. Consent of the instructor required. Enrollment Limit: 15

Consent of instructor required. Projects could be sponsored by faculty teaching the current year.

last updated 3/10/06