Department: Religious Studies

Code Name Description
RELG 103 Introduction to Islam Introductory course on Islam that examines its development as a religious and social movement from its inception to the contemporary period. Focuses on understanding the historical processes that contributed to the development of Islam over time and...
RELG 105 Ninety-nine Names of God A historical approach to the foundational concepts, events, and texts in the Islamic tradition, paying particular attention to the Quran and hadith. The Quran is the Muslim scripture and the hadith are accounts of what the prophet Muhammad said or di...
RELG 200 Symbols, Myth and Ritual Introduction to study of religion including, but not limited to, social scientific approaches, focusing on symbols, myths, and rituals as constitutive features of individual and communal religious thought and practice.
RELG 201 The Bible As Literature A non-confessional study of the diverse genres of Biblical literature, viewing passages in historical context to understand the multiple layers of the intended message: period about which written, the time of the writer, and the time of the recipient...
RELG 203 Islam and Film Explore how Islam and Muslims have been depicted and represented in documentaries and films, focusing on three primary themes: ritual, gender, and race.
RELG 205 Religion and Literature Religious beliefs, practices, and institutions as expressed in literature of various traditions. May be repeated when topics change.
RELG 210 Religion and History Investigation of the nature and limits of historical inquiry through selected historical topics, periods, and religious traditions. May be repeated when topics change.
RELG 215 Religion and the Arts Interactions of religious beliefs and practices with the visual and performing arts in selected traditions. May be repeated when topics change.
RELG 230 The History of Israel Israel's historical development through collaborative study of Israel's ideas and institutions within context of Ancient Near East.
RELG 240 Lost Christianities Explores the varieties of Christianity that co-existed from Jesus' death in the middle of the first century through the end of the second century. Included in these are Jewish-Christians, Marcionites, Montanists, and Gnostics. A variety of primary te...
RELG 241 Introduction to New Testament Survey of history of early Christianity, from Jesus and his religious background to the third century C.E. Focus on primary texts: New Testament and other early Christian literature.
RELG 242 Jesus in History and Tradition Investigates diversity of historical sources for Jesus. Detailed attention to selected ancient documents and modern interpretations.
RELG 244 Sex and Family in the Greek and Roman Worlds Explores intersections of gender, ethnicity, and class in selected religions, with emphasis on theoretical and empirical approaches.
RELG 250 Introduction to World Religions Survey of major beliefs, practices, symbols, and sacred texts in selected religious traditions.
RELG 251 Sacred Arts of India Introduction to Indian religions focusing on artistic expressions, roles of yoga and meditation in creativity, and use of images to experience the divine.
RELG 253 Body/Sex in World Religious Literature Exploration of theoretical ideas about body and sexuality in world religious literature focusing on connection between sexuality and construction of identity in various religious perspectives.
RELG 255 Queers in Religion Introduces the intersections of queerness and religion ranging from religious homophobia to queer religiosity in several global religions. Emphasis on fundamental questions of textual interpretation.
RELG 257 Native American Religions Survey of selected themes in Native American religious history from prehistory through the new millennium. Will investigate development of complex religious traditions among the mound builder cultures of the southeast; rituals of trade, healing, and...
RELG 258 Medieval Religious Thought Introduces ideas and institutions of the Latin west, from Augustine of Hippo (d. 430) to Thomas Aquinas (d. 1274). Topics may include faith and reason, the sacraments, pilgrimage, and the ethics of sex, war, and death..
RELG 262 Sacred Arts of Native America Introduction to a variety of sacred arts of Native America and religious roles that visual and performing arts serve in Amerindian settings. Students will gain conversance with a range of artistic techniques, materials, and objects and their cultural...
RELG 267 Varieties of Christian Ethics Historical and contemporary approaches to ethics in the Christian traditions. Authors discussed may include Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, and contemporary thinkers on war, abortion, and sexuality.
RELG 269 Ethics, Religion, and the Environment Moral and religious issues that attend our life in and interaction with the environment. Through the detailed analysis of text and argument the course seeks to provide an overview of on-going issues and to foster the ability to read and assess argume...
RELG 273 Witchcraft and Its Interpreters Interdisciplinary exploration of witchcraft, popular magic, and demonic possession in early modern England and British North America based on original legal records and other primary sources. Special attention given to the Salem Witch-hunt and the hi...
RELG 288 Saints and Sinners in Muslim Literature Explores the twin concepts of sainthood and sinfulness in Islamic thought and society from their early iterations to their later developments. Discusses how, when, and why the categories of Sunni, Shi'a, and Sufi developed in the Islamic tradition wh...
RELG 293 Selected Topics Special course offered at introductory level when sufficient faculty or student interest exists in subject matter not covered in other religion courses. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.
RELG 294 Selected Topics Special course offered at introductory level when sufficient faculty or student interest exists in subject matter not covered in other religion courses. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.
RELG 303 Women, Gender, Sexuality, and Islam Explores Islam and Muslim traditions through the prisms of women, gender, and sexuality, exploring how authority and power interact with these phenomena.
RELG 305 Queer Bible This course brings together queer theory, sexuality, and the Bible in order to explore what it means to “queer” the Bible and biblical interpretations. Readings include both biblical texts and queer and trans scholarship on the Bible. Topics may incl...
RELG 307 Islam in America Explore the history and life of Muslims and Islam in the United States. Examine the origins of Islam in America, including slavery and different waves immigration and conversion over five centuries, special attention to the 19th – 21st centuries. O...
RELG 331 The Hebrew Prophets Study of prophecy which sets this phenomenon within its ancient near eastern context. Focuses on nature of prophecy and the individual prophets of pre-exilic, exilic, and post-exilic derivation, giving emphasis to the distinctive message of each era....
RELG 332 Hebrew and Christian Wisdom Literature Development of biblical wisdom literature. Pre-biblical, Hebrew, and Christian wisdom selections.
RELG 342 Whores, Dragons, and the Anti-Christ: Revelation and the Apocalyptic Imagination Literary analysis of a text ascribed to John of Patmos, the Book of Revelation. The apocalyptic revelation that is said to have been received by John describes Christian expectations of the end of the world as we know it, but John's is not the only a...
RELG 345 Christianity and Slavery, Ancient and Modern Considers the impact of slaveholding culture on Christian thought and practice both in antiquity and in the Americas; also analyzes the circumstances under which individual Christians and church communities accommodated, reformed, resisted, and rejec...
RELG 347 Women in Early Christianity Examines the representations of women in early Christianity, focusing primarily on the first four centuries of Christian history, with particular attention given to the problems of using ancient sources to determine social practice. Introduction to c...
RELG 350 The Dao of Sex For over two thousand years, Chinese culture has developed the "art of the bedchamber" -- techniques for fostering health, longevity, and fulfillment through sexual intercourse. This course explores that tradition with a focus on the period of its or...
RELG 352 Buddhism in India & Tibet Survey of major historical movements, philosophical developments, and cultural expressions in India and Tibet.
RELG 355 Selected Asian Religions Intensive study of one of the following religious traditions: Daoism, Confucianism, or Zen.
RELG 358 Topics in American Religious Traditions Focused study of a selected topic in American religious history such as the Great Awakening, Indians and missionaries, religious autobiography, or the frontier. Seminar format emphasizing the analysis of primary sources and related methodological iss...
RELG 359 American Judaism Emphasis on role of Jewish people beginning with their entrance into New Amsterdam in 1654; major immigration periods and precipitating factors; emergence of anti-Jewish reactions; and some contributions of Jews.
RELG 366 Buddhist Philosophy Major Buddhist philosophical developments, beginning in India and culminating in contemporary Zen philosophy.
RELG 367 Topics in Western Religious Thought Selected issues and figures in Western Religious Thought, such as Augustine of Hippo, Thomas Aquinas, 12th Century Renaissance, Religion and the Sciences, and Medieval Religious Orders. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.
RELG 369 Problems in Social Ethics Selected issues of social concern as addressed by various religious traditions in contemporary context. Such topics as sexuality, war, abortion, euthanasia, and environmentalism. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.
RELG 370 Leadership and Religious Values (See Leadership 387.)
RELG 374 Religion and the American Environment Advanced seminar course exploring representations of the natural world in American cultural history from the era of contact through the nineteenth century. Readings consist of primary sources--landscape paintings, novels, philosophical treatises, poe...
RELG 375 Cults, Communes, and Utopias in Early America Advanced study of early American sectarian movements, including the 'immortalists' of New England, the Ephrata Cloister, the Mormons, the Shakers, and the Oneida Community, based on their original writings, literature, music, art, and architecture. P...
RELG 385 Sufism: Introduction to Islamic Mysticism Explores the origins and development of mystical thought within Islamic religious and intellectual history and places these developments in their appropriate historical and social contexts.
RELG 388 Individual Internship Application of academic skills and theories in placement supervised by religious studies department faculty member. Application must be presented to and approved by the department prior to internship. No more than 1.5 units of internship in any one d...
RELG 393 Selected Topics Special course offered when sufficient student interest exists in subject matter not covered in other religious studies courses. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.
RELG 394 Selected Topics Special course offered when sufficient student interest exists in subject matter not covered in other religious studies courses. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.
RELG 395 Independent Study Specialized study to provide maximum freedom in research and investigation.
RELG 396 Independent Study Specialized study to provide maximum freedom in research and investigation.
RELG 403 Honors Course Guided, in-depth research, usually beginning in the fall of the senior year and culminating in the oral defense of the honors thesis in the spring, for those accepted in the department honors program. The honors thesis constitutes the senior paper. T...
RELG 404 Honors Course Guided, in-depth research, usually beginning in the fall of the senior year and culminating in the oral defense of the honors thesis in the spring, for those accepted in the department honors program. The honors thesis constitutes the senior paper. T...
RELG 406 Summer Undergraduate Research Documentation of the work of students who receive summer fellowships to conduct research [or produce a creative arts project] in the summer. The work must take place over a minimum of 6 weeks, the student must engage in the project full-time (at leas...