ELEMENTARY COURSE
1. Patterns of Religious Experience
11F, 12W, 13W: 11
A comparative study of some of the basic patterns of religion. The course will focus upon such themes as religious experience, myths of creation, stories of religious founders and heroes, the origin and resolution of human suffering, and the structure and meaning of religious community and ritual. Source material for these themes will be taken from the literary and artistic resources of the following religious traditions: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism.
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV or INT. The staff.
INTRODUCTORY COURSES
2. Religion in the Modern World
12S: 12 12X: 10
Religion and modernity are considered by many to be inimical to each other. Yet Fundamentalists, New Agers, international Swamis, and religious nationalists are nothing if not modern. In this course we’ll begin with a consideration of what constitutes modernity and the modern world. Then we’ll discuss the roots of modern religion. The rest of the course will be case-studies of modern religious movements. Assignments will include one case study for students to write up.
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV or INT; WCult: W. Reinhart.
3. Modern Religious and Anti-Religious Thinkers
12W, 12F: 12
Critical examination of some of the most influential modern proponents and opponents of religious faith, with special emphasis on the question: what is involved in belief in God?
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: W. Frankenberry.
4. Religion of Israel: The Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) (Identical to Jewish Studies 4)
Not offered in the period from 11F through 13S
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: W. Ackerman.
5. Early Christianity: The New Testament
Not offered in the period from 11F through 13S
An examination of primitive Christianity as witnessed by the writings of the New Testament. Emphasis will be given to the literary and historical analysis of the Gospels and Epistles and to an understanding of the pre-Christian and non-Christian religions of the Hellenistic world.
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: W.
6. Introduction to Judaism (Identical to Jewish Studies 6)
11F: 12 12F: 11
This course offers an introduction to Judaism by examining three of its central spiritual manifestations: (1) development, observance, and study of the Halaka (religious law); (2) philosophical contemplation; and (3) mystical experience and theosophical speculation. Ancient and modern challenges to the tradition will be studied in some detail, and an attempt will be made to determine what might constitute a unity of such a diverse tradition.
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: W. Benor.
7. First-Year Seminars in Religion
Consult special listings
8. Introduction to Islam (Identical to Asian and Middle Eastern Studies 8)
Not offered in the period from 11F through 13S
This course will provide students with useful tools for reading about, thinking about, or otherwise engaging with Islam and Muslims. It is first a survey of important topics in the study of the religion of Islam, including the Qur’an and the Prophet, the role of Islamic mysticism, Islam and the state, Islamic law, and Islamic theories of family and person. We also discuss Orientalism and the western study of Islam, so that we can understand ourselves as students of the Islamic tradition.
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: NW.
9. Hinduism (Identical to Asian and Middle Eastern Studies 9)
Not offered in the period from 11F through 13S
An introductory survey of the Hindu religious tradition of South Asia from 1500 B.C.E. down to the present day. Emphasis will be given to the historical development of elite, Sanskritic Hinduism and its constant interaction with popular and local traditions.
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: NW.
10. The Religions of China (Identical to Asian and Middle Eastern Studies 10)
12W, 13W: 10
An introduction to China’s three major religions—Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism—through the reading of classic texts. Also, a look at important elements in Chinese folk religion: ancestor worship, temples, heavens and hells, and forms of divination. Special attention will be paid to the importance of government in Chinese religious thought and to continuity and change in the history of Chinese religion.
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: NW. Raz.
11. Religion and Morality
11F: 10A
An examination of the process of moral reasoning and its relationship to religious belief. Emphasis will be given to the analysis of issues that have drawn the special attention of religious ethicists; among these are abortion, stem cell research, the treatment of congenitally impaired newborns, same-sex marriage, and physician-assisted suicide.
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV. Green.
12. Religion and Society in America
Not offered in the period from 11F through 13S
A study of religious groups and movements in this country, ranging from the major institutional faiths to religious protest groups, cults, and the religions of the ‘counter-culture.’ Special attention is given to the social forces which shape religious expression in America.
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: W.
15. The Christian Tradition
12W, 13W: 10
An introduction to the variety of Christian beliefs, institutions, and practices from the first century to the end of the sixteenth century. Attention will be focused on understanding how Christian communities adapted and developed religious beliefs and practices in the face of changing historical circumstances.
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: W. MacEvitt.
16. Modern Islam (Identical to Asian and Middle Eastern Studies 15)
12X, 13S: 12
In all the attention focused on Islam at present, a newspaper reader could be forgiven for supposing that between Muhammad and Usamah bin Laden, there has been no change in Islam. This course surveys developments in Islamic religious history, thought, and practice since 1800, with special emphasis on topics of current controversy, including the status of women, the nature of government, and the place of Islamic law. Readings will be mostly from primary texts written by contemporary Muslims, both modernists and Islamists.
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: NW. Reinhart.
17. African Religions of the Americas (Identical to African and African American Studies 83.5)
11F, 12F: 10
This class introduces the history and practices of African-derived religious traditions as they have developed in the Caribbean, Latin America, and Black American communities in the United States. These religious systems will be discussed with reference to their mainstream representation (as “voodoo”) and analyzed according to the more complex realities of their practitioners’ everyday lives. Three themes to be explored in each tradition include 1) gender identity; 2) racial identity and resistance; and 3) aesthetics.
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV or INT; WCult: CI. Pérez.
18. Indian Buddhism
13S: 2
An introductory survey of the Buddhism of South Asia from its beginnings in the 6th century B.C.E. to its eventual demise in the 12th century C.E. Emphasis will be given to the major beliefs, practices, and institutions characteristic of Indian Buddhism, the development of its different varieties (Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana), and its impact upon South Asian civilization at large.
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: NW. Ohnuma.
19. Special Topics in Religion—Introductory Level
12W: 11 12S: 2, 10A
The contents of this course will vary from term to term. Open to all classes. Dist: TMV (except when otherwise noted). WCult: Varies.
In 12W, 19 at 11, Tibetan Buddhism. This course offers an introduction to Buddhism in Tibet from its initial arrival in the seventh century to the present. Attention will be focused on the process of adapting Indian beliefs, practices, and institutions within Tibetan cultural and historical contexts. WCult: NW. Lin.
In 12S, 19.1 at 2, Modern Hinduism: Colonial and Nationalist Contexts. (Identical to AMES 37) This course presents diverse texts and media from the British colonial period to the present in a patchwork history of Hindu nationalism, or Hindutva, and rival voices. Alongside primary texts representing historical thinkers prominent in the formulation of a modern Hinduism—Vivekananda and Gandhi, among others—we will engage the arguments of contemporary theorists of culture, media, and modernity in India, as well as four popular films. WCult: NW. Elison.
In 12S, 19.2 at 10A, Muslim Networks, From Hajj to Hip-hop: How Muslims Connect Across Time, Space, Class, & Gender. Muslim networks include travel in search of knowledge, pilgrimage on behalf of faith, and proselytizing networks to spread the faith. This course will examine connections between early and contemporary Muslim networks; the 14th century network of Ibn Battuta will be juxtaposed with the transregional cultural exchanges and activism enabled by 21st century social media. Attention will be directed to visual as well as literary, affective as well as cognitive dimensions of Muslim networks over time. WCult: NW. Lawrence and Cooke. Pending faculty approval.
THEORIES IN THE STUDY OF RELIGION COURSES
20.1. Classic Works in the Study of Religion
Not offered in the period from 11F through 13S
Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Dist: TMV.
20.2. Magic, Science, and Religion
12W: 2 13W: 12
Can significant distinctions be drawn between religious and magical ritual? Do magic and religion thrive in opposition to the science of their time or in congruence with it? The course addresses such theoretical questions in the study of religion from perspectives of history, philosophy of science, anthropology, and cognitive science. The course will suggest a general theory of conditions under which religion tends to be or tends not to be magical. Students will be invited to challenge that theory.
Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Dist: SOC. Benor.
20.3. Reason and Religious Belief
12S, 13S: 11
A study of the principal religious and philosophical arguments for and against religious belief. The first part of the course will consider the question of the justifiability of religious belief through an appeal to religious experience and mysticism, to rational theistic arguments, and to faith, showing the difficulties in each case. The second part of the course will cover alternatives to classical theism and the contemporary challenge of conceptual relativism and religious pluralism.
Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Dist: TMV. Frankenberry.
20.4. Theoretical Approaches to the Study of Myth: Interpreting Ancient Near Eastern Mythology
Not offered in the period from 11F through 13S
Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Dist: TMV; WCult: NW.
INTERMEDIATE COURSES
21. Judaism in Late Antiquity: The Rabbinic Revolution (Identical to Jewish Studies 60)
Not offered in the period from 11F through 13S
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: W.
23. Jewish Mysticism (Identical to Jewish Studies 62)
12F: 2
The course examines the nature of claims to mystical experience or knowledge that appear in various aspects of the Jewish tradition, with primary focus on the enchanted and demonic worlds of the Kabbala. Forms of ecstasy and magic will be studied, along with their theoretical and social backgrounds and their impact on elitist and popular Jewish practice.
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: W. Benor.
24. Jewish Philosophers of Religion (Identical to Jewish Studies 63)
12S: 10
The course is conducted through close reading and discussion of works by Spinoza, Buber, and Levinas that translate insights from the Jewish experience to the idiom of modern European culture and, in so doing, make unique contributions to such subjects of modern religious thought as: God and infinity; religion, morality, and politics; autonomy and transcendence; and the role of Jewish intellectuals in the modern era.
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: W. Benor.
25. Islamic Mysticism (Sufism)
Not offered in the period from 11F through 13S
Desirable background: Religion 1, 8, or another College course on Islam or Islamicate culture, or permission of the instructor. Dist: TMV; WCult: NW.
26. Islam in America
13S: 10
This course will consider North American Islam as a particular instance of Islam. The Islam of slaves, nineteenth-century converts to Islam, varieties of Black Islam, New Age Islam and Sufism, and immigrant Islam – including contemporary social and political developments – will all be topics of this course.
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: W. Reinhart.
27. The Qur’an and the Prophet
Not offered in the period from 11F through 13S
Desirable background: A College course on Islamic history, culture, or society, including Religion 8 and Religion 16. Dist: TMV; WCult: NW.
28. Topics in the Study of Islam
12S: 2A
This course will focus on a particular topic in Islamic studies, with an emphasis on the most recent research in that field. The topic will vary with each offering, so the course may be taken more than once. Sample topics include: “The Islam of Morocco,” “Shi’ism,” and “Problems in Popular Islam.”
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: NW.
In 12S, Islam & the Politics of Change: Lessons from Cairo, Signposts for Kabul. This course will address the central question: What might be the role of Islam – Muslim actors, Muslim resources, and Muslim ambitions – in shaping the future of the Middle East but also Muslim majority regions from North Africa to Southeast Asia? It will stress the benefit of historical and juridical approaches that are buttressed by philosophical, ethical, and anthropological case studies. It will conclude with a case study of Citizen Ahmed – a global Muslim entrepreneur. Lawrence.
29. Kierkegaard and Existentialism
11F, 13W: 2A
A study of the thought, writings, and influence of Søren Kierkegaard, who is widely acknowledged to be the founding figure of existentialism. The course will examine the development of Kierkegaard’s philosophical and religious thinking and will follow its influence on both religious and non-religious thinkers, including Martin Buber, Reinhold Niebuhr, Jean Paul Sartre, and Simone de Beauvoir.
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: W. Green.
31. Sex, Celibacy, and the Problem of Purity: Asceticism and the Human Body in Late Antiquity (Identical to Women’s and Gender Studies 43.2 and Classical Studies 11)
Not offered in the period from 11F through 13S
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV.
32. Topics in the Christian Tradition.
Not offered in the period from 11F through 13S
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV.
33. Christians, Jews, and Muslims in the Age of the Crusades
Not offered in the period from 11F through 13S
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV.
34. Christianity and Conversion in the Northern World: Vikings, Celts, and Anglo-Saxons
Not offered in the period from 11F through 13S
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV.
35. Religion and Science
13S: 2
The purpose of this course is to provide an overview of current developments in the natural sciences and religious or theological interpretations of them. Emphasis is given to understanding an emerging consonance between religion and science in contrast to models of dissonance and conflict, or independence and dialogue. Particular attention is given to (1) evolutionary biology, (2) relativity physics, (3) cosmology, and (4) process theology and philosophy.
Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Dist: TMV. Frankenberry.
36. New Directions in American Religious Thought
12W: 2
This course explores a distinctively American tradition of religious thought that developed outside of the strictly doctrinal or theological thinking of churches, synagogues, and mosques. Readings range from the religious writings of the classical pragmatists, including Peirce, James, Santayana, and Dewey, to neopragmatists, such as Richard Rorty, and prophetic pragmatists, such as Cornel West, and their critics. Topics include the character of religious experience, divinity and nature, the problem of evil, and the meaning of truth.
Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Dist: TMV; WCult: W. Frankenberry.
39. Religion, Law, and Politics
13S: 12
This course examines the continuing dialogue between the U.S. legal system and religions. Beginning with the Bill of Rights, we examine how legislatures and courts have defined religion, sought to protect and limit it, and how religion and law have confronted one another in matters ranging from educational funding to abortion. We will also place U.S. debates in a global context. Are democracy and the protection of human rights compatible with other ways of relating law to religion?
Open to all classes. Dist: SOC; WCult: W. Green.
40. Topics in the Religions of India
11F: 10 12S: 10A
This course will focus in some depth on a particular aspect of religion in India—for example, a particular religion, sect, time period, body of literature, type of religion, or religious movement. The topic will change with each offering, and students may take the course more than once. Sample topics include: “Gods, Demons, and Monkeys: The Ramayana Epic of India,” “Women In Indian Religions,” and “Modern Hinduism.”
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: NW.
In 11F, at 10, Hindu Hierarchies: Caste in Theory & Practice. (Identical to AMES 37) This course will investigate aspects of Hindu caste relations as lived within historical and present-day communities in India, as well as caste as conceived, justified, and reformed within Hindu thought. We will not stray from controversy, as we explore conflicting models of caste society developed by academic theorists, on the one hand, and disputes between the defenders of orthodox caste hierarchy and its critics–low-caste voices, adherents of Bhakti devotionalism, and modern reformers–on the other. Elison.
In 12S, at 10A, Lives of Saints in South Asia. In this course we will explore how moral values in South Asia are exemplified, challenged, and embodied through the lives of saintly figures both ancient and modern. Relying on primary texts from Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist traditions of India, Nepal, and Tibet, we will focus especially on themes of karma, devotion, moral ambiguity, and the making of selves through narrative. Lin.
41. Readings in Buddhist Literature
12F: 10A
This course will focus in some depth on a particular body of Buddhist literature from a specific region of the Buddhist world, such as sacred scriptures, philosophical treatises, narrative texts, ritual texts, and sacred biographies. Special attention will be paid to a close and careful reading of the texts, as well as to placing them within their proper historical, social, and cultural contexts. The topic will change with each offering, and students may take the course more than once. Sample topics include: “Indian Buddhist Narratives,” “Mahayana Buddhist Texts,” “Chan/Zen Tradition,” and “Tantra in East Asia.”
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: NW.
In 12F, at 10A, Buddhist Poetry, Lin.
42. Goddesses of India (Identical to Women’s and Gender Studies 43.4)
11F: 2
This course will use both elite and popular Hindu religious texts in conjunction with contemporary sociological and anthropological accounts, scholarly analyses, visual art, and film to explore the diverse identities and roles of India’s many goddesses, both ancient and modern. Special emphasis will also be given to the relationship between goddesses and women.
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: NW. Ohnuma.
46. Daoism: Transformations of Tradition
Not offered in the period from 11F through 13S
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: NW.
47. Buddhism in China
11F: 11
A study of the advent of Buddhism in China, its accommodating yet transforming response to Chinese traditions and values, the emergence of the authentically Chinese schools of T’ien-T’ai, Hua-yen, Ch’an, and Pure Land Buddhism, and the enduring Buddhist heritage of China.
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: NW. Raz.
48. Body and Sex in Chinese Religions
13W: 2
In this course we will explore how different traditions in China conceptualized the relationship between the human body and the universe, and how individuals can attain immortality and transcendence. After examining different conceptions of the human body in traditional China, we will focus on sexual practices advocated by the traditions of immortality seekers, Daoism, and esoteric Buddhism as ways to enlightenment and transcendence. In our explorations we will look at the earliest records of sexual practices found in tombs of the 3rd century B.C.E. and examine Daoist sexual initiation rites and secret rites practiced by emperors. We will consider how notions of cosmic powers and forces are expressed in sexual rituals and how society views such practices. We will also compare Chinese notions of the body and of sexual practices with those found in West.
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: NW. Raz.
49. Topics in East Asian Religions
12W: 2
In this course students will read and discuss the latest research on one of the religions of East Asia, or a particular sect, movement, or time period in the history of East Asian religions. The topic will change with each offering. Thus, students may take this course more than once. Sample topics include: “Literature and Religion in China,” “Politics and Religion in China,” and “The Body in Japanese Religion.”
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: NW.
In 12W, Apocalyptic Thought in East Asia. Ideas about the cataclysmic end of the world, possible ways to survive such calamities, or to bring them forth appear in several religious traditions in East Asia. This course examines a variety of such eschatological and salvific ideas, beginning with Daoist and Buddhist scriptures in medieval China, proceeding through various religious rebel movements to modern cults such as Aum Shinrikyo in Japan and Falun Gong in China. Raz.
50. Religion and Music in Cuba
12F: 2
This course tells the story of Cuba’s religious formations through their musical genres. Readings draw from several disciplines to illuminate the role that music plays in celebrating deities, ancestors, and community, in such traditions as the all-male secret society Abakuá; French-Haitian Tumba Francesa; the “drums of affliction” Lucumí and Palo Monte; and Havana-based hip-hop. We examine the relationship between dance, spirit possession, and mythology, and how nation, race, and gender have been constructed through music.
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: CI. Pérez.
51. The Virgin of Guadalupe: From Tilma to Tattoo
12W: 10A 13W: 2A
Beginning with her precursors in the Old and New World, this course approaches Guadalupe as a tool with which to pry open questions central to Mexican and Chicano/a identity. For some, she is a mother-figure with characteristics once attributed to pre-Columbian goddesses; for others, she is a feminist champion of political revolution. This course concentrates on the most compelling contexts in which Guadalupe has been called on to negotiate religious, racial, sexual, and national identity.
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: CI. Pérez.
53. Religion, Healing, and Medicine
12W: 2A
This class explores a range of religious approaches and traditional therapeutic responses to bodily suffering, with an eye towards examining the way medical cultures reflect and construct religious identity. Most examples of healing practices to be discussed are drawn from religious communities and ethnic groups active in the contemporary United States. While addressing such topical issues as reproduction, sexuality, substance abuse, and dieting, the course also analyzes the taboos, values, and rituals of Western biomedicine.
Open to all classes. Dist: INT or SOC; WCult: CI. Pérez.
55. Ancient Egyptian Religion
Not offered in the period from 11F through 13S
The great civilization of ancient Egypt, which spanned a period of almost 3000 years, has left us a wealth of literary, artistic, architectural, and funerary religious remains. This course will focus on three major aspects of Egypt’s religious heritage: (1) the pantheon and the myths and stories about Egypt’s gods; (2) temple complexes; and (3) tombs, especially the tombs of royalty and other nobles.
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: NW.
56. Women and the Bible
Not offered in the period from 11F through 13S
As contemporary Jewish and Christian communities of faith face the question of the role of women within their traditions, many turn to the Bible for answers. Yet the biblical materials are multivalent, and their position on the role of women unclear. This course intends to take a close look at the biblical tradition, both the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and the New Testament, to ask what the Bible does – and does not say – about women. Yet the course is called “Women and the Bible,” not “Women in the Bible,” and implicit in this title is a second goal of the course: not only to look at the Bible to see what it actually says about women but also to look at differing ways that modern feminist biblical scholars have engaged in the enterprise of interpreting the biblical text.
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: CI.
57. Readings in the Biblical Tradition
Not offered in the period from 11F through 13S
In this course we will engage in an in-depth study of a particular biblical book or of a particular biblical motif. The topic will change with each offering, and students may therefore take this course more than once. Sample topics include “The Exodus Tradition,” “Job and the Joban Tradition,” and “Apocalyptic Traditions.”
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV.
58. Topics in the Bible and Archaeology
11F: 2A
In this course we will study the relationship between various biblical texts and archaeological discoveries from the ancient Near East, including ancient Israel, and from the Roman Empire during the period of Christian origins. Particular attention will be paid to the ways in which archaeological data can be used and abused in attempts to understand the Bible better. The specific topic of the course will change with each offering, and students may therefore take this class more than once.
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV.
In 11F, The Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and Ancient Israelite Archaeology. This course considers the relationship between the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and archaeological remains from ancient Israel. We will focus on some of the “hottest” debates that concern scholars today: the historicity of the Exodus; Israel’s emergence in the land of Canaan in the late thirteenth and early twelfth centuries BCE; the existence of an Israelite state in the tenth century BCE; and the nature of Israelite religion in the ninth through seventh centuries BCE. Ackerman.
61. Martin Luther King, Black Religion, and the Civil Rights Movement (Identical to African and African American Studies 82)
Not offered in the period from 11F through 13S
Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors, and to first-year students by permission. Dist: SOC; WCult: CI.
62. Contemporary Christianity
Not offered in the period from 11F through 13S
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: W.
70. Foreign Study in Religion I
11F, 12F: D.F.S.P.
Credit for this course is awarded to students who have successfully completed a religion course at the University of Edinburgh while a member of the Dartmouth Foreign Study Program in Religion.
Prerequisite: two courses in Religion. Dist: TMV.
71. Foreign Study in Religion II
11F, 12F: D.F.S.P.
Credit for this course is awarded to students who have successfully completed a religion course at the University of Edinburgh while a member of the Dartmouth Foreign Study Program in Religion.
Prerequisite: two courses in Religion. Dist: TMV.
72. Foreign Study in Religion III
11F, 12F: D.F.S.P.
Credit for this course is awarded to students who have successfully completed a religion course at the University of Edinburgh while a member of the Dartmouth Foreign Study Program in Religion.
Prerequisite: two courses in Religion. Dist: TMV.
74. Special Topics in Religion—Intermediate Level
11F, 12F: D.F.S.P. 12X, 13W: 10A 13S: 11
The contents of this course will vary from term to term.
Dist: TMV (unless otherwise indicated). WCult: Varies.
In 11F, D.F.S.P., Christianity and Conversion in the Northern World: Vikings, Celts, and Anglo-Saxons. MacEvitt.
In 12F, D.F.S.P., Topic to be announced. Raz.
In 12X, at 10A, Topic to be announced. Visiting Edinburgh Professor.
In 13W, at 10A, Jewish Views of Islam (Identical to Jewish Studies 58). Dist: SOC; WCult: W. Heschel.
In 13S, at 11, Ethics, Religion, and Medicine. Benor.
ADVANCED COURSES
80. Seminars
11F: 10A 13S: 2A
Dist: TMV; WCult: Varies.
In 11F, at 10A, Sacred Time. What is time? Was there a beginning to the world? When did the world begin? Will it end? How will it end? Can we control time? Does anything exist beyond life and death? All cultures have struggled with these perennial questions, and we continue to do so today. Religious traditions have offered us many different answers to these questions. This course examines various understandings of time in several religious cultures: Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, and Daoism. Raz
In 13S, at 2A, The Creation of Buddhism, Ohnuma.
81. Dickinson Distinguished Scholar Seminars
12S, 12F: 2A
Dist: TMV; WCult: Varies.
In 12S, at 2A, Religious Experience Reconsidered. The Dickinson Distinguished Visiting Professor for this seminar is Prof. Ann Taves of University of California-Santa Barbara. We will read and discuss her ground-breaking books and articles on the topic of “religious experience.” Students will prepare research papers for discussion with Ann Taves in person during her visit to campus in May.
Open to juniors and seniors and by permission of the instructor. Frankenberry.
In 12F, at 2A, Orientalism and the Origins of Religion (Identical to Jewish Studies 75). Frankenberry and Heschel.
82. Joint Research in Religious Studies
All terms: Arrange.
Two or more students may enroll in this course to pursue through independent reading and research a topic mutually agreed upon between themselves and the instructor. This course may be used in satisfaction of the seminar requirement.
Permission of the Chair is required.
83. Research in Religious Studies (Independent Study)
All terms: Arrange.
84. Advanced Research in Religious Studies (Independent Study)
All terms: Arrange.
Serves in fulfillment of the Culminating Experience requirement. Open to senior majors only; by permission only. Majors electing this option must submit a research proposal for Departmental approval no later than the end of the Spring term of the Junior year. Students who choose to enroll in Religion 84 as their Culminating Experience are normally expected to participate in the Senior Colloquium but are excused from the writing component of the Colloquium. For more information, consult with the Chair.
85. Senior Colloquium
12W, 13W: 10A
As a culminating activity for senior majors, this colloquium serves as a forum for researching and writing the Senior Essay. Two faculty members convene the colloquium and guide the selection of essay topics. Other faculty and guest speakers may visit during the first five weeks of the term for discussion of common readings. The 25-page Senior Essay is expected (1) to display expertise in at least one cultural area, historical period, methodological approach, or body of literature, (2) to build upon previous course preparation, and (3) to engage with one of several approaches or readings discussed in the colloquium. Students who choose to enroll in Religion 84 or Religion 86 and 87 as their Culminating Experience are normally expected to participate in the Senior Colloquium but are excused from the writing component.
Prerequisite: Religion 1. Open only to senior majors. Dist: TMV.
In 12W and 13W, Performing Religion. MacEvitt and Ohnuma.
86. Honors I (Research)
All terms: Arrange
Open to seniors only; by permission only. Majors electing this option must submit a proposal for Departmental approval no later than the end of the Spring term of the Junior year. Students who choose to enroll in Religion 86 and 87 as their Culminating Experience are normally expected to participate in the Senior Colloquium but are excused from the writing component of the Colloquium.
87. Honors II (Writing)
All terms: Arrange
Open to seniors only; by permission only. Majors electing this option must submit a proposal for Departmental approval no later than the end of the Spring term of the Junior year. Students who choose to enroll in Religion 86 and 87 as their Culminating Experience are normally expected to participate in the Senior Colloquium but are excused from the writing component of the Colloquium.