Courses in Religious Studies address many dimensions and functions of religion within the world’s cultures. Among these are scriptures, ritual practices, beliefs, symbols, and ethics. Our courses also use multiple approaches (e.g., anthropology, cultural studies, history, sociology, hermeneutics, and critical theories of interpretation) to examine the dynamic relationships between religion and other social, economic, and political structures. Our courses foster a critical understanding of religious traditions, issues, questions, and values while cultivating awareness of religion’s multifaceted influence on societies and promoting appreciation for the diversity of practices and beliefs in modern and premodern societies.
Fall 2012
RELST 160 (several sections): Intro to Religion in Culture
RELST 201 (Brackett; 2 sections): Religion and Popular Culture—new course, Tier 2, W +R
• MWF 10:00-10:50, 11:00-11:50
RELST 250 (Marchal): Introducing Biblical Interpretation—now Tier 2, I +R
• TR 9:30-10:45
RELST 290 (T.B.A.): Chinese Religion—new topic, new faculty member, Tier 2
• MWF 11:00-11:50
RELST 380 (Agnew): Religion, Nonviolence and War
• TR 2:00-3:15
Fall 2012 Descriptions
RELST 201: Religion and Popular Culture
When and how do mundane practices of popular culture (e.g. sports, film, social media, video games, music, television, etc.) become religious or religious-like behaviors? How are ‘traditional religions’ engaging popular culture, and how does that alter ‘religion’? This course critically examines these and other intersections between religion and popular culture. UCC Tier 2: W + R (no prerequisites)
RELST 250: Introducing Biblical Interpretation
How do we know what the Bible says? This question is important, particularly because many people and cultures have claimed that they base their lives off of this. Find out the answers by learning to interpret the scriptures of Jews and Christians yourself; they just might surprise you. UCC Tier 2: I + R (no prerequisites)
RELST 290: Topics in Asian Religions—Chinese Religion
The rise of China is one of the most important developments in recent decades and as China has largely abandoned communism, it has re-embraced its religious heritage—the classical traditions of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism, as well as the vernacular practices of popular religion. What do these traditions teach about the universe and humanity’s place in it? How did they evolve historically in relation to each other and to the State? What does it mean to be “religious” in a context where there have always been multiple religions, yet the term “religion” did not exist until the modern era?
UCC Tier 2 (no prerequisites)
RELST 380: Religion and Ethics—Religion, Nonviolence and War
Religious traditions aspire to peace but within each there are diverse interpretations of how to attain this. What resources do traditions offer for addressing conflict nonviolently, and under what conditions is violence seen as justified? This course examines these questions in relationship to conflicts in the 20th and 21st centuries. The focus is on Western religious traditions but will also consider the influence in the West of modern Asian exemplars of nonviolence, including Mohandas Gandhi and Thich Nhat Hahn. No prerequisites
Spring 2012
RELST 160 (several sections): Intro to Religion in Culture
RELST 280 (Agnew): Topics in Religion in America – MWF 11:00-11:50
RELST 390 (Brackett) Vernacular Hinduism: Power, Place, and Pilgrimage – TR 3:30-4:45
RELST 420 (Shaffer) Religion and Ecology – TR 3:00-4:15
Spring 2012 Descriptions
RELST 280: Topics in Religion in America – (MWF 11:00-11:50pm) Dr. Agnew
Religion, Diversity, and American Public Life
Who are we as individuals and citizens in America? Do we see ourselves as “religious,” “pluralistic,” or “secular”? And how do we sustain an effective democracy amidst complex, often overlapping identities? In addressing these questions, this course examines religious and secular responses to key areas of American public life: relationships between religious diversity and democracy, justifications for war and nonviolence, and debates about wealth and poverty. During the semester, students will encounter a range of perspectives on these issues, within and across traditions, and between religious and secular understandings. The course will enlist diverse approaches in the study of religion as tools for understanding the issues at hand. And students will assess the ongoing debate about the role of religious identities in shaping discourse and practice in American public life. RELST 280 calls for active reading and discussion of texts (historical, theological, philosophical, and sociological), frequent writing, class presentations and out-of-class engagement. There are no prerequisites.
RELST 390: Advanced Study of Asian Religions – (T/R 3:30-4:45pm) Dr. Brackett
Vernacular Hinduism: Power, Place, and Pilgrimage
How do we make sense of India as a technologically advanced, economic powerhouse if we also imagine it to be home to the world’s oldest living religious tradition, Hinduism? When, where, and how did Hinduism begin and how do ancient ideas play out in the modern world? And, how might we determine what “religion” may have meant in the ancient past, as well as in modern India? This course examines these and other questions by looking at regional and pan-Indian developments of what become labeled Hindu tradition, especially as illustrated through analyses of diverse gods, goddesses, pilgrimages, poets, sacred texts, and the globalization of modern Hindu tradition. There are no prerequisites for this course (and it is not the same as RELST 290, “Introducing Hinduism”).
RELST 420: Themes in Religion – (TR 2:00-3:15) Dr. Shaffer
Religion and Ecology
Did you know there is a Christian Vegetarian Association that promotes a plant-based diet for environmental reasons? Did you know that Islam is one of the world’s leaders among religious responses to issues of global warming? Did you know there is a Buddhist temple in Thailand built entirely of beer bottles as a recycling solution? Did you know that global warming is directly linked to an increase in poverty and hunger in the world? Just what is global warming? How are the world’s religions responding to it and what solutions are they proposing? With fully two thirds of the earth’s population claiming religious affiliation, it is worth paying attention to what these groups are saying and doing with regards to global warming and the social justice issues associated with it. Religion & Ecology will be an exploration of how the religions of the world are defining and addressing environmental concerns. There are no prerequisites for this course.