An introduction to the broad field of religious studies from a variety of perspectives drawn from anthropology, psychology, sociology, philosophy, the fine arts, gender studies, and history. The course will consider what the elements of religion are (myth, doctrine, ritual, ethics, world view, human community, and destiny), how they are to be interpreted vis-a-vis modern academic perspectives on culture, and whether religion as a concept makes any sense in an age of scientific rationalism. May be counted as an auxiliary course toward the minor in gender studies. V.1, V.5

A comprehensive survey of the major religious movements of India. This course will examine Indian notions of truth, ritual, family life, social organization, human destiny and salvation, literature, and arts as they have developed within the Hindu, Jaina, and Sikh communities. Students will also examine the role of these communities in the development of modern Indian nationalism and ethnicity. Offered alternate years. V.4

A broad comparative study of the development of Daoism in China, Korea, and Japan. This course will examine the origins of Daoism in China, its development of cosmological, political, ritual, gymnastic, alchemical, and monastic forms, and the regional understandings and uses of these forms in Korea and Japan. V.4

This course explores a diversity of new approaches to religion in pluralistic America, considering new historical understanding of Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish traditions, and many non-mainstream religions. The study will include Native American religion, African American Christianity and Islam, Hispanic Catholicism, Asian American traditions, Mormonism, and new religious movements. Pluralistic religious America will be examined in light of colonialism, post-colonial interpretations, cultural and regional diversity, gender issues, ethics and social issues. Offered alternate years. III.O, V.5

An historical survey of the development of Christianity from its beginnings in the Greco- Roman empire through its global establishment in the modern era. The focus of the course will be on how Christianity in its literature, rituals, institutional forms, and intellectual traditions changes and develops as it encounters new peoples and new cultures. May be counted as an auxiliary course toward the minor in gender studies. III.W, V.1

An introduction to the “world of Islam”, beginning with an examination of its foundation in the seventh century and concluding with a consideration of issues pertaining to Islam in the modern world. The course will deal with such topics as: Muhammad; the Qur’an; Islamic “Traditions” (hadith) and the “Law” (shariah); the Caliphate; sectarian divisions, especially the Sunni-Shiite schism; Sufi mysticism; Muslim influences on medieval European societies; the Crusades; Islamic art and literature; and the modern resurgence of Islam. Offered alternate years. V.4, V.5

Prerequisite: One course in PHIL or RELG; sophomore standing. A survey of the major philosophers in North and South Asia. This course will look at the philosophical contributions made to world philosophy by such philosophers as Confucius, Laozi, Zhuxi, Nagarjuna, Candrakirti, Shankara, and Ramanuja. The course will focus on the basic questions of human existence and nature, notions of truth and ultimate meaning, ethical obligations, and the nature of society. Offered alternate years. V.5

Prerequisite: One RELG course. Philosophical analysis of religious claims about the nature of human existence, religious notions of authority, religious language, ethics, and theories of knowledge. While the categories of analysis are drawn from the Western philosophical tradition, the data are drawn from the world’s religions. III.O, V.1

Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor. An examination of the issues that are produced by religious and state interests in the United States from the colonial period to the present. The course will focus on understanding the history of colonial and post-colonial views of religion and government, the process that led to the constitutional separation of religion and government, and the history of interpretations of this constitutional doctrine by the U.S. Supreme Court. Offered alternate years. III.W, V.7

Prerequisites: Three credits in RELG and permission of instructor, department chair, and dean. This course is graded P/CR/NC only.

Fundamental problems of religion, ethics, and theology, such as religious authority and experience, understandings of the world, humanity and history, doctrines of salvation, the study of sacred scriptures, phenomenology of religion, and the methodologies of religious studies. The course is the senior exercise for students who major in religion. III.O