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College Catalog 2014-2015 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Courses
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Psychology |
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PSYC 252 - Distress, Dysfunction, and Disorder: Perspectives on the DSM
This course will examine the experiences, causes, and treatments of the major forms of distress and disorder codified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), including schizophrenia, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, dissociative disorders, stress disorders, and personality disorders. We will critically evaluate theories and research derived from biological, genetic, psychological, interpersonal, and social-cultural perspectives. Group B course. Prerequisite(s): PSYC 100 Spring semester. (4 Credits)
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PSYC 254 - Social Psychology
This course will survey the ways in which social phenomena influence the thoughts, feelings, and behavior of individuals. The major theories, experiments, and issues associated with social psychology will be examined. Sample topics include love, aggression, conformity, attitudes, prejudice, persuasion, obedience, and attribution. Group B course. Prerequisite(s): PSYC 100 . (4 Credits)
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PSYC 256 - Personality Psychology
This course will survey the major theoretical and empirical approaches to understanding human personality. Specific topics to be covered include psychoanalytic, humanistic, existential, and biological personality theories; motivation and cognition; traits; identity and the self; and the cultural and social context of personality. Research and assessment strategies for understanding personality will be explored and critically evaluated. Group B course. Prerequisite(s): PSYC 100 Spring semester. (4 Credits)
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PSYC 264 - The Psychology of Gender Cross-Listed as WGSS 264
This class is an introduction to feminist psychological theory and research dedicated to understanding and critiquing biological, psychological, social, and cultural meanings and implications of gender and its intersections with class, race, physical ability, sexual orientation, etc. Examples of research and theory will come from a wide variety of areas in psychology and related disciplines, and will address such issues as socialization and social development, stereotypes, bodies and body image, social relationships, identity, language, violence, sexuality and sexual behavior, well-being, work, etc. We will also learn about the historical, cultural, and epistemological underpinnings of psychological research on gender. Counts as a UP3 course. Prerequisite(s): PSYC 100 or permission of the instructor Offered yearly. (4 Credits)
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PSYC 266 - History of Psychology
This course explores major developments and ideas in psychology such as: the history of ideas about the mind; the effects of theorists’ life experiences on their ideas; key historical and social events that shaped the field; when and how psychology became a science; and how ideas about what is “normal” shape and are shaped by psychology. Counts as a UP3 course. Prerequisite(s): PSYC 100 . (4 Credits)
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PSYC 268 - The Psychology of Multiculturalism: Identity in Diverse Societies
This course examines the psychological effects of social diversity on our lives as individuals and as group members. Topics include: 1) gender, ethnicity, social class and other group memberships; 2) the perception of others; 3) social identity formation and change in relation to self; 4) in group/out-group relations in relation to identity; and 5) social change to reduce intergroup tensions. Finally, the class will consider how psychology as a discipline might change to become more relevant and sensitive to questions of diversity. Counts as a UP3 course. Prerequisite(s): PSYC 100 Offered occasionally. (4 Credits)
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PSYC 270 - Psychology of Sustainable Behavior Cross-Listed as ENVI 270
This course is an introduction to the psychological study of sustainable behavior. As scientific evidence of degraded world environmental conditions accumulates, researchers from many disciplines are joining the effort to find solutions. Technological innovation will certainly play a role, but equally important are behavior changes at both the organizational and individual level. Psychologists use their training in the scientific study of human behavior to examine why people do or do not act sustainably in a variety of situations. In this course we will study this body of research and use psychological principles, theories, and methods to understand the factors that underlie both environmentally destructive as well as environmentally sustainable actions. A significant component of the course will be direct application of theory to one’s own actions as well as to a campus-or community-based sustainability issue. Prerequisite(s): for Psychology majors Fall semester. (4 Credits)
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PSYC 294 - Topics Course
Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)
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PSYC 300 - Directed Research in Psych
Students are involved and guided in conducting research within specific content areas approved by the supervising faculty. Research may be conducted individually or in small groups depending on the content area. Research groups meet regularly for presentation of background material, discussions of common readings, and reports on project status. Directed research is typically taken in the junior year and is open only to declared majors. Students will be assigned to sections by the supervising faculty. This course fulfills the capstone requirement for the major in Psychology. Prerequisite(s): and and an intermediate course in Psychology and junior or senior standing Every semester. (4 Credits)
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PSYC 364 - Lives in Context: Psychology and Social Structure Cross-Listed as WGSS 364
In this seminar we will explore the relationship between individual lives and broad social systems in the United States. We will read theory, research, and case material from psychology and related disciplines about individual and interpersonal implications of social organization/social structure (in the domains of social class, gender, race, physical ability, sexuality, etc., and their intersections). We will pay particular attention to how and why it matters psychologically that U.S. society is organized hierarchically between individual lives and social structure. How can we really understand lives in their myriad contexts? What’s the best strategy for doing this? Is it even possible? What are some of the methodological, conceptual, and ethical dilemmas and challenges involved in such an undertaking? Because feminist psychologists have played a critical role in shaping methodology and research in these areas, we will read a considerable amount of work by feminist psychologists and other feminist academics. Counts toward the UP3 requirement. Prerequisite(s): PSYC 100 , PSYC 201 , and one other intermediate psychology course. Yearly. (4 Credits)
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PSYC 370 - Understanding and Confronting Racism
An examination of the social psychological factors associated with race prejudice and racism, particularly in the United States. Focusing on the psychological theories proposed to understand racism, this course investigates the causes and consequences of racism at the individual, interpersonal, institutional and cultural levels of society. Special attention will be given to exploring interventions to reduce racism. Counts as a UP3 course. Prerequisite(s): PSYC 100 , PSYC 201 (or MATH 155 ), and at least one intermediate course in Psychology. (4 Credits)
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PSYC 372 - Health Psychology
The field of health psychology addresses three issues: 1) the ways in which psychological factors and experiences (such as stress, personality patterns, discrimination, etc.) affect health, 2) changing health behaviors and 3) the psychological effects of being ill. We will read research articles, theoretical essays, and first person accounts as a basis from which to understand these issues and also to grapple with such questions as: What exactly is “health”? What are the connections between the mind and the body? Can psychology help explain how our membership in different social groups affects our health? Why do some people get sick and others stay well? What is it like to be a patient? A doctor? How do societal ideas about illness and disability affect us? Prerequisite(s): PSYC 100 or PSYC 201 and at least one intermediate course or permission of instructor Offered occasionally. (4 Credits)
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PSYC 374 - Clinical and Counseling Psych
This course examines specific applications of psychological principles to the mental health field by exploring strategies for therapeutic intervention. We will discuss a wide range of approaches (e.g., psychoanalysis; humanistic therapy; cognitive behavioral and dialectical behavior therapy; mindfulness based stress reduction; family therapy; art therapy) and we will consider issues raised by traditional clinical practice, such as ethics, the politics and economics of mental health, and cultural biases. Prerequisite(s): (or ) and or permission of instructor Offered once each year. (4 Credits)
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PSYC 375 - Mood and Anxiety
Sadness, despair, anxiety, dread: This seminar explores contemporary theories and research that help us understand and alleviate mood and anxiety disorders. We will examine evolutionary, cognitive, biological, sociocultural, and developmental perspectives on mood and anxiety, and we will grapple with current controversies concerning diagnosis, comorbidity, prevention, and pharmacology of mood and anxiety disorders. The seminar will also examine the promotion of well-being and positive psychology. Prerequisite(s): PSYC 252 or permission of instructor Offered every few years. (4 Credits)
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PSYC 377 - Moral Psychology
This course will explore how and why we make moral judgments about people and their behavior. How are our moral judgments shaped by intuition, emotion, and reasoning? Which kinds of behaviors do we view as immoral? Do we ever put the interests of our broader group or community above our own self-interest? What are the evolutionary and developmental origins of moral judgements? How do we balance punishment motives of retribution and deterrence, and how do these relate to policy decisions about capital punishment? Could a robot have moral rights and responsibilities? In this course we will examine these questions by considering theories and findings from social, developmental, evolutionary, and political psychology, as well as from related fields like philosophy and artificial intelligence. Prerequisite(s): PSYC 201 Every year. (4 Credits)
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PSYC 379 - Cultural Psychology
This course will examine the interplay of culture and the mind. In the first part of the course, we will briefly examie theoretical developments and methodological limitations in the field of cultural psychology, which has hightlighted fundamental differences in models of the self, attention, perception, memory, morality, and emotions across East/Southeast Asians and Western Europeans/North Americans. The remaining time will be spent examining a series of topics on how culture and psychology interrelate in our increasingly globalized world. These topics include, but are not limited to, acculturation, multicultural identity negotiation, cultural evolution and reproduction, multicultural competence, emotion and memory across cultures, culture of gender, and culture of socioeconomic status. Counts as a UP3 course and has a student led component. Offered occasionally. (4 Credits)
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PSYC 380 - Community Psychology and Public Health
This course will examine the inter-related fields of community psychology and public health psychology. These disciplines share a commitment to the promotion of well-being within a social and cultural context. We will explore theory, research, and praxis related to ecological analysis, empowerment models, prevention and health promotion, risk and resilience, and community organizing and activism. These conceptual tools will help us understand the complex processes underlying clinical psychopathology (e.g., serious and persistent mental illness), behavioral health (e.g., smoking; obesity; substance abuse), and symptoms of structural violence (e.g., domestic violence; homelessness). Throughout the course, we will focus on the unique contributions of psychological scholarship to understanding and improving population health. All students will participate in a civic engagement experience of at least two hours a week to foster fuller understanding of the course concepts. Student led component. UP3 course.
Prerequisite(s): and (or ) OR two CGH-related courses drawn from Categories A and/or B. Offered every few years. (4 Credits)
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PSYC 382 - Hormones and Behavior
This class will focus on the hormonal mechanisms of behavior in animals (including homo sapiens). Following introductory lectures, a series of topics will be explored, with a particular emphasis placed on those behaviors most directly mediated by hormonal activity (such as aggression, sexual and reproductive behaviors, stress responses, etc.). Prerequisite(s): PSYC 100 and PSYC 201 , and either PSYC 180 or PSYC 244 (4 Credits)
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PSYC 385 - Mind Reading: Understanding Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Cross-Listed as NEUR 385
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a non-invasive technique used to provide indirect measures of neural activity in healthy (and unhealthy) humans. Although the technique has been readily available to researchers for only about 20 years, its popularity and use has grown tremendously in the last 10, and we now see it influencing aspects of culture and society not traditionally based in biomedical research (i.e., law, politics, economics). This course will cover the mechanics of fMRI, evaluate its strengths and weaknesses, and explore recent applications that have received wide and sometimes controversial media coverage. By the end of the course, students will understand essential components of the fMRI technique and be informed consumers of primary and secondary source reports involving brain imaging. Student led component. Prerequisite(s): or or and and or Spring semester. (4 Credits)
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PSYC 386 - Seminar in Neuropharmacology Cross-Listed as BIOL 486
This is an advanced course that will focus on the study of drugs used to alter the central nervous system. The course will begin with basic pharmacological principles and then concentrate on the various uses of drugs to alter brain neurochemistry. Topics for discussion will include the pharmacological treatment of schizophrenia, depression, pain, anxiety and generally, the neurochemical basis of behavior. In addition to discussion of the use of drugs for clinical purposes, a significant amount of time will be spent on the use of “drugs of abuse” (e.g., cocaine, marijuana, LSD). While the focus of the course will be on the biochemical mechanisms of these drugs, an effort will be made to investigate and discuss the sociological ramifications of drug use. Three discussion/lecture hours per week. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 356 and junior or senior standing or permission of instructor Offered every other year. (4 Credits)
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PSYC 389 - Inside the Animal Mind Cross-Listed as NEUR 389
Ever wondered what your dog is thinking or why your cat behaves a certain way? In this course students will be introduced to the questions and concepts in the study of animal cognition and the neurobiological basis for cognition. We will take a peek into the animal mind and show that many topics in animal cognition can be studied in an objective and scientific manner. The format of the seminar will include student led discussion of recent topics in the study of animal cognition. Topics may include: animal sensory abilities, abstract representations (e.g., numbers and time) cause and effect detection, memory and emotion systems and their neurobiological basis, insight and reasoning, theory of mind, and communication. Book chapters and journal articles will be employed to illustrate these concepts. Prerequisite(s): and PSYC 201 ; or PSYC 180 and permission of instructor. (4 Credits)
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PSYC 394 - Topics Course
Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)
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PSYC 494 - Topics Course
Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)
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PSYC 601 - Tutorial
Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Every semester. (1 Credits)
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PSYC 602 - Tutorial
Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Every semester. (2 Credits)
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PSYC 603 - Tutorial
Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Every semester. (3 Credits)
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PSYC 604 - Tutorial
Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Every semester. (4 Credits)
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PSYC 611 - Independent Project
Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Every semester. (1 Credits)
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PSYC 612 - Independent Project
Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Every semester. (2 Credits)
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PSYC 613 - Independent Project
Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Every semester. (3 Credits)
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PSYC 614 - Independent Project
Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Every semester. (4 Credits)
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PSYC 621 - Internship
Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Internship Office. Every semester. (1 Credits)
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PSYC 622 - Internship
Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Internship Office. Every semester. (2 Credits)
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PSYC 623 - Internship
Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Internship Office. Every semester. (3 Credits)
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PSYC 624 - Internship
Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Internship Office. Every semester. (4 Credits)
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PSYC 631 - Preceptorship
Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Academic Programs. Every semester. (1 Credits)
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PSYC 632 - Preceptorship
Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Academic Programs. Every semester. (2 Credits)
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PSYC 633 - Preceptorship
Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Academic Programs. Every semester. (3 Credits)
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PSYC 634 - Preceptorship
Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Academic Programs. Every semester. (4 Credits)
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Religious Studies |
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RELI 100 - Introduction to Islam: Formation and Expansion
This course charts the formation of Islam and the expansion of Muslim peoples, from the life of the Prophet Muhammad to the Mongol conquest of Baghdad. It will examine Muslim institutions, beliefs, and ritual practices in their historical contexts. In addition to the basics of Muslim practice and belief, the class will introduce students to mystic traditions (Sufism), Islamicate statecraft, and intellectual/legal traditions as well as cultural trends including art, architecture, and literature. Every year. (4 Credits)
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RELI 101 - Islam in America
8 million Muslims in America make up only 3% of the population but represent worlds of culture reflecting the diversity of Muslim societies worldwide. The story of Muslims in America distinguishes, for historical and religious reasons, three groups: Blackamericans (42% of American Muslims), Indo-Pakistanis (29%), Arab/Middle Easterners (12%) from the rest of the American Muslim population. The historical and numerical importance of Blackamericans followed by Indo-Pakistanis (whose presence in America can be dated back to the split of the Subcontinent into India and Pakistan in 1946) interacts with the religious importance of Arab/Middle Eastern Muslims and becomes the basis of contentions about religious authority and the American Muslim identity. 9/11 presented unique challenges to American Muslims. These issues will be explored in this course. (4 Credits)
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RELI 102 - Modern Islam
Muslim-majority societies faced daunting social, political, and intellectual challenges after Europe-s military and economic expansion in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In the modern period, Muslims have pursued various attempts at re-imagining Islam and strengthening Muslim-majority polities through different agendas of reform and revival. The course will survey the early-modern Muslim empires (Ottoman, Safavid, Mughal), the encounter of Muslim peoples with colonialism, and the major religious and social developments from the eighteenth century to the present. (4 Credits)
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RELI 111 - Introduction to Buddhism
Buddhism is increasing well-known in the USA, but what is it, and how does Buddhism encourage people to organize and think about their lives? Organized on the basis of the Eightfold Noble Path, with a focus of ‘morals, the Buddhist psychology of mind, and meditation,’ this course offers an introduction to the personalities, teachings, and institutions of Buddhism. Beginning in India at the time of the Buddha, this course focuses on Theravada Buddhism, asking students to think historically, philosophically, and anthropologically. Many Friday sessions will be dedicated to an exploration of the variety of Buddhist meditative techniques.
(4 Credits)
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RELI 120 - Hebrew Bible
This course introduces students to biblical studies by examining selected texts of the Hebrew Bible. We will employ a variety of interpretive strategies in our analysis, including historical-critical and literary approaches that attempt to locate biblical texts in their historical, political, and social contexts. We will also explore contemporary modes of interpreting the Bible with special emphasis on feminist hermeneutics and African American biblical interpretation. In presentations, reflection papers, and close readings, students will learn to engage biblical literature in a critical and constructive fashion and to attend to the social, theological, and political implications of interpretation. Offered every year. (4 Credits)
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RELI 121 - New Testament
This course examines the diverse literature of the New Testament along with some other early Christian texts that did not become part of the Christian “canon.” We will employ historical-critical approaches in order to situate New Testament texts in their social, political, and historical contexts. We will pay special attention to how the various authors of the New Testament produced Jewish-Christian difference and how they understood the role of women within their communities. Contemporary modes of interpretation will be employed to explore the formation of identity in the first and second centuries of Christianity. Offered every other year. (4 Credits)
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RELI 123 - Jesus, Dissent, and Desire
This course introduces students to Christian practice, doctrine, faith, and social organization by examining various historical controversies and the roles they have played in the formation and alteration of the traditions from Christian origins to the present. Specific controversies will be selected from historical events and movements, beginning with the earliest struggles over the significance of the person and nature of Jesus of Nazareth, the ethos and institutional structure of the early communities, and the canonization of scripture. The course will conclude with a brief discussion of contemporary disputes over internal ethical and denominational pluralism and relationships between Christianity and the State. This course is strongly recommended in preparation for RELI 346 and for RELI 348 . (4 Credits)
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RELI 124 - Asian Religions Cross-Listed as
An introduction to the study of Asian religious traditions in South and East Asia (India, China and Japan). Open to everyone but especially appropriate for first and second year students. Every year. (4 Credits)
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RELI 125 - Love and Death
This course explores possible relations between love and death in human life, illustrated in theory, fiction, and film. We shall raise such questions as: How does love differ according to the kind of relationship in which it finds expression (for example, parental love, friendship, sexual intimacy, love for strangers and enemies, neighborly love, self-love, love for learning, love for justice, and devotion to a transcendent reality)? What does love require in regard to how we live and die? How does our awareness that death is inevitable inform our views and experiences of love? What role does love play in the significance we attribute to death? As we raise all of these questions we will repeatedly ask: What difference do racial, gender, class, age, sexual, and religious differences make in how we love and how we die. (4 Credits)
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RELI 126 - Religion in America
The social and intellectual history of religion in the United States through the year 1900, with an emphasis on popular religious movements. The social and economic correlates of religious developments will be analyzed as well as the impact of Christian values on American institutions. Offered alternate years. (4 Credits)
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RELI 127 - Religions of India Cross-Listed as
An introductory level course on the popular, classical and contemporary religious traditions of South Asia. Topics include Advaita Vedanta and yoga, popular devotionalism, monastic and lay life in Theravada Buddhism, the caste system, Gandhi and modern India. Prerequisite(s): RELI 124 or permission of instructor. Alternate years. (4 Credits)
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RELI 130 - Folklore and Religion
This course will introduce students to the study of folklore, belief and religious folklife. We will consider examples of folktales, myths, foodways, material arts, paranormal experience narratives, magic, healing and other traditions as they relate to religion. By examining folklore that emerges within, between, and in reaction to religious traditions, students will be challenged to move beyond simple notions of culture, religious authority, and doctrine. Participants in the course should be prepared for a heavy but exciting reading load. (4 Credits)
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RELI 135 - India and Rome Cross-Listed as CLAS 135
This course is taught jointly between the department of Religious Studies and the department of Classics, by a specialist in the Roman East and a specialist in classical India. We will start on either side of this world, with Alexander the Great and Ashoka, exploring the relationship between empire and religion from Rome to India in the world’s crossroads for the thousand years between Alexander and the rise of Islam. Alternate years. (4 Credits)
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RELI 140 - American Heretics
Just what is “the Bible” and what role has it played in shaping American life? How might it center a pattern of repeated political and cultural negotiation of power? Many, if not most, of the earliest Europeans who colonized what is now the U.S. were considered religious heretics by the Christian churches of their original homelands at the time of their immigration. Over the course of U.S. history, “new” traditions have also emerged, often considered heretical or “not really Christian” by the subsequently established Christian traditions. Much of the debate over who is and isn’t heretical or “really Christian” has focused on what counts as authoritative Christian sacred text and how to interpret it. Controversy over what does and does not count as sacred scripture, how it is to be interpreted, and who gets to determine right teaching of these texts for human life has gone on to shape American culture and politics in distinctive ways. The debates and the texts on which conflicts focus have provided the primary scripts, the central narratives, and the cultural discourse, from worship to moral practice, politics to the courts, and secular ceremony to economic life in this country. Moreover, self-identified Christians have turned to Civil Rights, Women’s suffrage to the second wave of Feminism, capitalism to socialism, and heterosexually exclusive civil marriage laws to Gay Rights. This course will examine this pattern, characterized by dispute, adaptation, and power, even violence, by looking at the number of these groups, their sacred texts, and their impact through use of film, guest lecture, visual arts, field work in various different religious communities, on-line virtual churches, and, most importantly, the sacred texts themselves. Alternate years. (4 Credits)
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RELI 141 - Non-Classical Mythology
What is myth, and why have scholars spent so much time arguing over its nature? How have various groups used narratives and other related forms to describe the origins and nature of humans, animals, love, death, and the cosmos? Do myths exist in our present-day culture? How have people brought themselves into contact with myth through ritual, drama, possession, music, art, pilgrimage, and other activities? Do people really believe their myths? Do myths change the way in which we experience the world? This class will explore the role of myth in religion and culture, with an emphasis on examples outside of the more familiar ancient Greek and Roman traditions. Our focus will be on the religious aspects of myth, but we will also explore perspectives drawn from Folklorisitcs, Literary Criticism, Art History, Philosophy, and other academic disciplines. Through readings, lectures, slides, videos, and hands-on experiences, we will investigate case studies from many cultures and historical periods. We will explore aspects and uses of myth including myth theory, archetypes and psychological transformation, cosmology and the idea of social charters, myth as a kind of scientific thought, the use of myth in art and performance, political control and subversion, and recent efforts to utilize or create new myths in the form of literature and film. Every other year. (4 Credits)
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RELI 145 - Pagans, Christians and Jews in Classical Antiquity: Cultures in Conflict Cross-Listed as CLAS 145
This course studies the interaction of Jewish, Christian, and pagan cultures, and the protracted struggle for self-definition and multi-cultural exchange this encounter provoked. The course draws attention to how the other and cultural and religious difference are construed, resisted, and apprehended. Readings include Acts, Philo, Revelation, I Clement, pagan charges against Christianity, Adversus Ioudaios writers, the Goyim in the Mishna, and apologetic literature. Alternate years. (4 Credits)
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RELI 180 - Cambodia: Culture, History, and Development Cross-Listed as
This January-term study-abroad course examines Cambodia’s history, culture, and contemporary economic development. As one of the poorest countries in Asia, experiencing extremely rapid development in conjunction with a significant political history involving the United States, Cambodia provides a privileged example of important political, religious, and economic history. (2 Credits)
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RELI 194 - Topics Course
Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)
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RELI 200 - The Qur’an (Koran)
This course offers an introduction to the Qur-an (Koran), the central text of Islam. Students will read the Qur-an in translation, explore traditions of Qur-anic interpretation, and engage recent academic approaches to understanding the text. In addition to considering the original context of the Qur-an and its relationship to Biblical materials, the course will examine contemporary controversies surrounding the text and its import for living Muslim communities. (4 Credits)
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RELI 201 - Islam and Philosophy
(4 Credits)
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RELI 202 - Atheism Past and Present
Over the last decade atheists have entered the public sphere in unprecedented fashion, authoring best-selling books and forcefully arguing their case in the international media. This seminar explores the origins, varieties, and arguments of atheist thought, past and present. (4 Credits)
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RELI 212 - Philosophy of Religion Cross-Listed as
The Philosophy of Religion seeks an understanding of religion by raising philosophical questions about its underlying assumptions and implications. When we believe something it is because we think it is true and because we think we have good evidence to support our belief. In the case of religious beliefs, however, we are immediately faced with questions concerning the nature of such beliefs. What claims do they make? What would count as good evidence for a religious belief? What is the nature of religious truth? In this course we will examine the nature of religious beliefs and the ways in which philosophers in different traditions have justified or argued against such beliefs. Perhaps in response to the increasing challenge to religion from the natural sciences, twentieth century philosophers have questioned the traditional philosophical approach to religion. Some philosophers, Wittgenstein for example, question traditional interpretations of religious language and re-examine the relationship between faith and reason. Can religious life be practiced without a theology or with skepticism or agnosticism regarding theological questions? Other topics covered in the course include the attempt to introduce intelligent design into public schools as part of the science curriculum; religious pluralism; the belief in life after death; and feminist critiques of religious language. Alternate years. (4 Credits)
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RELI 222 - Christianity in Late Antiquity
This course introduces students to the emergence of a diverse social movement now termed “Christianity” within the political, economic, historical and cultural worlds of the ancient Mediterranean (i.e. the Roman Empire) We will examine the formation of early Christian identity during the first four centuries of the common era. We will explore multifaceted forms of religious practice, resistance to and adaptations of institutional and social power, relations between Christians and non-Christians, and rhetorical strategies used in articulating Christian identity. Offered every other year. (4 Credits)
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RELI 223 - Orthodoxy and Heresy in Early Christianity
The critical study of ancient Christian texts involves making strange texts familiar and familiar texts strange. In this course, we will consider non-canonical texts alongside canonical texts in order to develop insight into the formation of Christian identity in the first through fourth centuries. Special emphasis will be given to the development of the discourses of orthodoxy and heresy, the diversity of Christian beliefs and practices, and the examination of early Christian writings within their social and political contexts. Instead of investigating the material in strict chronological order, we will consider how different people (Jesus, Mary Magdalene, James, Paul, etc) serve as authorizing figures for the texts. Using this organization, we will investigate issues at stake in the development of Christian “canon,” including theology, Christology, apostolic authority, women’s roles, and the relation of Christianity to the state and to other religious traditions. (4 Credits)
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RELI 226 - Martyrdom Then and Now
From Socrates to suicide bombers, martyrs have been forced to give up their lives, or chosen to risk them and even to die, rather than renounce their beliefs or practices. Of course, we know their stories only second hand. This course explores how narratives about martyrs (“martyrologies”) relate to the formation of religious identities and communities. Over the course of the semester, we will analyze martyrologies from the early Christian and Jewish periods, the beginnings of Islam, the sixteenth century, and modernity. We will pay special attention to the social and political contexts with which martyrs often found themselves at odds (including the Roman Empire in the ancient past, and the U.S./Middle East conflicts of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries). In class discussions, readings, and written work, you will have the opportunity to reflect on the following questions (among others): How do the stories we tell about martyrs shape the way we understand religious practices and beliefs? How do narratives of bearing witness, suffering, and death help to illumine relationships between religious and political domains? How might our current understanding of martyrdom be informed for better and for worse by a study of history? (4 Credits)
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RELI 232 - Religion and Food
Why does food play such a big part in so many sacred traditions? How do people use food to make sense of the world? Why do we fast, kill animals, feed spirits, and throw potluck suppers in the name of religion? This course will introduce students to the study of religion, using food as an entry point. Through readings, lectures, slides, videos, and hands-on experiences, we will investigate case studies from many cultures and historical periods. We will explore aspects of foodways such as cooking, farming, sacrifice, aesthetics, and display as they relate to myth, magic, ritual, healing, ethics and doctrine. Students will be expected to keep up with an intensive but interesting schedule of reading, to participate in class discussions and activities, and to complete written assignments including responses, several mini-projects, and a final library or field project on a topic of their choice. (4 Credits)
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RELI 233 - Hindus and Muslims
This class will be a reflection on the long history of co-existence of people in South Asia thought to belong to two very different religions Hinduism and Islam. We will begin by looking at the formation of classical Islam in the Middle East, and looking at the classical Hindu epic, the Ramayana. From there we will move to a survey of the history of encounter and exchange, from the early period (al Biruni), to the establishment of the great Muslim sultanates. We will critically examine the evidence of religious conflict, alongside the evidence of rich cultural exchange, and interrogate the competing historigrahic narratives, according to which South Asia either become a single Indo-Islamic civilization or a place of two cultures destined to become different modern nation states (India, Pakistan and Bangladesh). Finally, we will consider colonial and post colonial South Asia and conclude with a reflection on he Babri Masjid crisis and India’s debates about secularism. Offered alternate years. (4 Credits)
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RELI 234 - Introduction to Jewish Life and Thought
This course will survey Judaism’s basic beliefs and practices, from the Bible to the present day, through examination and discussion of religious and social literature created by the Jewish people. (4 Credits)
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RELI 235 - Theory and Method in the Study of Religion
The course is an introduction to some of the important theoretical and methodological work conducted by scholars in various disciplines who hope to better define and understand religious phenomena. This seminar begins with some of the early twentieth century texts that are often cited and discussed by contemporary scholars of religion (e.g., Durkheim, Weber, Freud) and then turns to a number of investigations stemming from engagement with earlier theorists or refracting new concerns. The course inquires into the problems of defining and analyzing religious cultures, and the researcher’s position or positions in this analysis, as this has been approached from anthropological, sociological, and religious studies perspectives. Offered every year. (4 Credits)
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RELI 236 - Sanskrit and Classical Religion in India
Like Latin and Greek in Europe, Sanskrit is a highly inflected language of scholarship and revered as the perfect medium for discourse on everything from science and sex to philosophy and religion. It flourished in its classical form after the age of the Buddha (5th century BC) and served as a scholarly lingua franca in India until the Islamic period. This course serves as an introduction to the grammar an script of Sanskrit, and we will advance to a point of reading simplified texts from the classical epic Ramayana.Students will be expected to attend class regularly and spend at least ten hours a week outside class studying the grammar and vocabulary. Without this sort of effort, no progress is possible in such a complex language. In addition to the rigorous study of the language, we will consider both the role of the language in classical Indian culture and religion, and some texts from the Ramayana, looking at both English translation and Sanskrit originals. Every other year. (4 Credits)
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RELI 238 - Catholicism
A study of the religious tradition of Roman Catholicism. Some attention will be given to the theology and historical development of the Roman Catholic Church, but major emphasis will fall on the relationship of the Catholic religion to various Catholic cultures, including Ireland, Mexico, Poland and the United States. (4 Credits)
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RELI 245 - Arabic Reading and Translation Cross-Listed as CLAS 345
This course aims to improve your Arabic reading and translation skills while introducing you to selected genres of Arabic and Islamic literature. The course will proceed in a workshop format and focus on the comprehension and translation of texts in question. Students will learn to use an Arabic dictionary, expand their vocabulary, deepen their understanding of grammar and syntax, and develop skills in reading manuscripts, navigating Arabic texts, and producing English translations. Prerequisite: Prerequisite(s): 3 previous semesters of Arabic language. Every fall. (4 Credits)
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RELI 254 - How to Do Things with Dead People
This class will introduce the issues in the social study of death generally, and offer comparative examples and case studies to explore the general themes, rooting these discussions in concrete cases. The class approach is broadly anthropological. So what are funerals doing? What do they communicate, and what do they achieve? (4 Credits)
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RELI 256 - Marx: Religion as Ideology, Alienation, and Authority
This course intends to introduce students to the foundational theories and concepts of the Marxist and Anarchist theoretical traditions, as they apply to the academic study of religion. I emphasize three words in the preceding sentence: foundational, theoretical, and religion, in order to clarify that this course will focus almost exclusively on older texts to the exclusion of more contemporary efforts in either tradition, that it will not focus on the practical revolutionary efforts of either Marxists or Anarchists, but rather on the theoretical writings of those traditions, and finally, that we will focus exclusively on those elements in the tradition that are most relevant to the study of religion. Every third year. (4 Credits)
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RELI 294 - Topics Course
Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)
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RELI 300 - Introduction to Islamic Law
This course introduces students to the basic concepts that recur in the study of Islamic law and provides a general overview of the history and development of Islamic law and legal theories. The course will also offer the students an opportunity to delve into the process of legal reasoning as practiced by Muslim jurists in order to understand it and anticipate its outcome. We will discuss Muslim juristic hermeneutics (their unique way of reading the authoritative texts of the Qur’an and the Sunna/Tradition of the Prophet), their reasoning based on analogy, utility, and their concept of rights. Comparisons with Western legal reasoning will be offered in the course of our discussions, but previous knowledge of law or legal philosophy is not assumed. Prerequisite(s): Two courses in Religious Studies preferred (4 Credits)
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RELI 311 - Ritual
This seminar-style course concentrates on the concept of ritual in approaches to the study of religion, and examines examples of rituals in practice. We will eschew focus on any single religious tradition for a focus on ritual across traditions. This will require students to ‘work with’ concepts - forming a conception of what they mean by ritual, and be willing to change that conception when faced with contradictory evidence. Offered alternate years. (4 Credits)
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RELI 325 - Conquering the Flesh: Renunciation of Food and Sex in the Christian Tradition Cross-Listed as WGSS 325
This course explores how bodily practices of fasting and sexual abstinence have shaped Christian identities from the first century, C.E. to today. From Paul of Tarsus’ instructions about sexual discipline to the True Love Waits® campaign, from the desert fathers’ rigorous bodily regimens to the contemporary Christian diet movement, Christians have often understood the practice of renunciation as a necessary feature of spiritual perfection. In this course we will consider several ascetic movements in Christian history, including the development of ascetic practice in late antiquity, the rise of fasting practices among women in medieval Europe, and the culture of Christian dieting and chastity in the U.S. We will pay special attention to how Christian practices of piety both draw upon and contribute to cultural understandings of gender and the body. Every other year. (4 Credits)
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RELI 336 - Gender, Caste, Deity
Since sociologists and anthropologists have long argued that people think about religion and the divine in categories that correlate closely to their social system, it is not surprising that they have been especially interested in the religion and society of India. Beginning with the classic account of the caste system by social anthropologist Louis Dumont, we will examine is view of the hierarchical nature of society and its relationship to religious views that affirm and assume hierarchy in human and divine worlds. From there we will go on to consider the many responses to Dumont’s view, including studies of gender roles; sexuality in mythology and ascetic traditions; untouchability; religious hierarchy and political power; and, resistance to and inversions of hierarchical systems in India. Every other year. (4 Credits)
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RELI 346 - Religious Reform and Violence: Catholic, Protestant, and Radical
The sixteenth century in Europe thus marks a turning point from a Medieval culture defined by Catholic institutions to the independent, so-called secular, sovereign nation states of the modern era. Throughout this period of time the splintering of Roman Catholicism into diverse Protestant and Radical groups came at the cost of great economic and political upheaval. The violence with which these groups broke away from a once Holy Roman Empire produced waves of Jewish, Muslim, and so-called heretic Christian refugees fleeing across Europe, often to the Ottoman Empire on the east and to the newly discovered territories across the Atlantic on the west. The Ottoman Empire absorbed Jew, Muslim, and Christian alike with a relative lack of conflict. By contrast, within Europe, religious wars raged well into the 17th century, as emerging European nation-states enslaved African peoples and devastated the indigenous populations across the Atlantic. How did religious thought and practice figure into this drama? For example, what role did apocalypticism play in religious reform and revolution? What is the significance of Christian evangelism for colonial expansion? How did Christian discourse on witchcraft legitimate the slaughter of European women and the colonized of both genders to reinforce elite European male privilege? How did the definition of “human” shape and get reshaped by theological debate over the status of indigenous peoples and African slaves in what became the Americas? What ambiguous role did Protestant thought and practice play in the emergence of concepts of individual freedom, private property, secularism, and capitalism, as we know them today? Is this violence unique to Christian traditions? Is it characteristic of religious traditions in general? Or does the secularism we take for granted produce its own versions as well? We will explore these questions among others over the course of the semester. We will approach this subject in an interdisciplinary fashion, drawing on primary texts in translation, secondary historical sources, art, architecture, music, and film. (4 Credits)
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RELI 348 - Contemporary Christian Thought and Practice
This course critically examines the engagement of Christian thought and practice with modern and post-modern cultures. Students will explore interactions across theological thinking, ethical action, ritual behavior, and material culture in Christian life. Possible issues for focus include: divine creativity and environmentalism; the nature and gender of God in relation to what it means to be human; liberation theologies and global capitalism; Christian theological responses to violence; Christian identity and U.S. nationalism; Christianity and sexual identity; the rise of evangelicalism to political power; spiritual discipline across Christian traditions; global Christianity; and the relation between the Incarnation and material objects. (4 Credits)
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RELI 359 - Religion and Revolution: Case Studies
An examination of five revolutions and their religious engagements: The Diggers and the English Civil War, The Taiping Rebellion in China, Buddhism and the Cambodian Revolution, Cultural Rebirth and Resistance in Native America, and the Algerian Islamist Revolution. All participants will read one work about each example, and then will focus more deeply on the examples in group and individual work. The course intends to develop critical skills in comparing the radical social changes implied by the word revolution with the differing revolutionary impulses that are sometimes drawn from religion, and sometimes opposed to it. (4 Credits)
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RELI 394 - Topics Course
Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)
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RELI 469 - Approaches to the Study of Religion
An advanced seminar required for religious studies majors, open to minors. Both classic and contemporary theories on the nature of religion and critical methods for the study of religion will be considered. Prerequisite(s): Two courses in Religious Studies and permission of instructor. Spring semester. (4 Credits)
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RELI 494 - Topics Course
Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)
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RELI 601 - Tutorial
Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Every semester. (1 Credits)
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RELI 602 - Tutorial
Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Every semester. (2 Credits)
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RELI 603 - Tutorial
Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Every semester. (3 Credits)
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RELI 604 - Tutorial
Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Every semester. (4 Credits)
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RELI 611 - Independent Project
Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Every semester. (1 Credits)
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RELI 612 - Independent Project
Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Every semester. (2 Credits)
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RELI 613 - Independent Project
Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Every semester. (3 Credits)
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RELI 614 - Independent Project
Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Every semester. (4 Credits)
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RELI 621 - Internship
A maximum of one internship may be applied toward the religious studies major. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Internship Office. Every semester. (1 Credits)
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RELI 622 - Internship
A maximum of one internship may be applied toward the religious studies major. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Internship Office. Every semester. (2 Credits)
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RELI 623 - Internship
A maximum of one internship may be applied toward the religious studies major. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Internship Office. Every semester. (3 Credits)
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RELI 624 - Internship
A maximum of one internship may be applied toward the religious studies major. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Internship Office. Every semester. (4 Credits)
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RELI 631 - Preceptorship
Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Academic Programs. Every semester. (1 Credits)
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RELI 632 - Preceptorship
Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Academic Programs. Every semester. (2 Credits)
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RELI 633 - Preceptorship
Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Academic Programs. Every semester. (3 Credits)
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Macalester