Spring 2010

L23  180  Re St Freshman Seminar In Religious Studies: The Self In Chinese Thought
What is the self?  Throughout history, selves and thinkers who think about the self have lived and imagined numberless answers to this question.  Some argue the true self is an autonomous, freely choosing individual; while others insist the self is only truly the self in social relation with others.  Some see reason as the key to selfhood; others insist that feeling and an abundance in feeling marks the true self.  This freshman seminar examines such universal and perennial questions about the self primarily within the context of Chinese religious and philosophical texts but also through comparative studies with formulations of the self from select "western" classics.  We will examine with depth Daoist and Confucian works such as the Daodejing of Laozi, the Zhuangzi, the Analects, the writings of Wang Yangming, and contemporary works on Confucianism and human rights, while comparing such texts with ideas of the self from classical "western" writings such as those of Aristotle, Freud, and Augustine as well as works of contemporary scholars such as Charles Taylor and Carol Gilligan.  Our particular topics of discussion will be shaped by student interests but will include the self in relation to society, human rights, reason and feeling, "authentic" expressions of the self, the self within the private and public spheres, and the gendered self.  The aim of the course is three-fold: one, to explore vocabulary that will aid us in thinking about long-standing questions of the self, second, to examine our own ideas about what is the self and third, to introduce ourselves to some of the most widely read classics within the history of Chinese thought.  3 units.
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01  TuTh 1:00p-2:30p   XXXII           P. Lee

L23  203  Re St Intro To Religious Traditions II: Asian Religions
This course is designed to introduce students to the study of religion by exploring the major religious traditions of Asia.  Traditions that have taken shape in Asian cultural contexts include the Buddhist, Sikh, Islamic, Hindu, Taoist, Jain, and Confucian traditions.  These traditions have shaped and been shaped by the rich traditions of literary and performative culture, ethics, sociality and polity in the regions of Asia. Familiarity with these traditions provides a foundation for understanding the cultures of South and East Asia, from film and literature to contemporary political life.  Study of Asian traditions also deepens our understanding of the possibilities of human being and striving, and of the manifold aims and means of religious endeavor.  Note: Specific traditions and regions emphasized in this course will vary.  This course replaces L23 106 and is required of all Religious Studies majors who have not taken L23 106.  3 units.  Same as L03 East Asia 203, U66 RelSt 203A.
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01  TuTh 11:30a-1:00p   XIII  Takahashi

L23  207  Re St Scriptures And Cultural Traditions
Certain books, "sacred scriptures," have shaped human culture in powerful and complex ways.  Religious communities believe that Scriptures are ancient texts that are ever-flowing sources of timeless truths.  We will do close readings of crucial Scriptural texts and explore how they are interpreted and why they have had such a profound impact on human communities, in social organization and the behavior of individuals, in literature, art, and politics.  This year the course will focus on the canonical texts of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.  Preference given to TEXT & TRADITION and IPH students. 3 units.  Same as home course L93 Hum 209.
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01  TuTh 2:30p-4:00p   XXXI Poag
SECT 02: This section will have additional art historical themes.  Students will also study the changing shape of the actual books of sacred scripture in the different religions, the scriptural suport/intolerance for artistic representation in sacred texts, and issues of narrative selection in art and texts.
02  MW 10:00a-11:30a   XXXI          Fleck
03  MW 11:30a-1:00p   XXXI            Fleck

L23  208F  Re St Intro To Jewish Civilization
This course is a selective survey of the historical, religious, cultural, literary, and political development of Judaism from antiquity to the present. Topics include the development of the Bible and subsequent textual tradition of Judaism, the basic concepts of Jewish religious thought, Jewish law, custom and ritual, and art. The course will highlight a variety of Jewish communities in different cultural and geographical settings, such as the Jews in the Roman Empire, Jewish life under Medieval Islam and Christianity, and the Jewish experience in modern Europe, the US, and Israel. Each week a different topic will be studied through primary and secondary readings (in translation), to be supplemented by audiovisual materials.  3 units.  Same as home course L75 JNE 208F.
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01  MW 12:00p-1:00p   XXII Barmash
Discussion sections:
A  F 12:00p-1:00p   XXXI      [TBA]
B  F 11:00a-12:00p   XXXI    [TBA]

L23  303  Re St The Daoist Tradition: Ethics, Poetry, Literature
This course offers an introduction to the ethical aspects of the Taoist tradition through the study of a select number of literary and philosophical texts ranging from ca. 300 BCE through the present day. We will explore questions regarding the relationship between nature and culture, conceptions of the self, and ideas about the good life.  3 units.  Same as L06 ANECC 303, L03 East Asia 303, L97 IAS 3030.
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01  TuTh 10:00a-11:30a   XXXII        P. Lee

L23  313C  Re St Islamic History 622-1200
The cultural, intellectual, and political history of the Islamic world, beginning with the prophetic mission of Muhammad and concluding with the  Mongol invasions. Topics covered include: the life of Muhammad; the early Muslim conquests; the institution of the caliphate; the translation movement from Greek into Arabic and the emergence of Arabic as a language of learning and artistic expression; the development of new educational, legal and pietistic institutions; changes in agriculture, crafts, commerce and the growth of urban culture; multiculturalism and inter-confessional interaction among Jews, Christians, Muslims, Zoroastrians and others; large-scale movements of nomadic peoples; synoptic glances at Islamic polities in Sicily, Spain, North Africa, the Near East as well as Central and South Asia.  This course satisfies the pre-modern course requirement for the history major. PREREQ: SEE HISTORY HEADNOTE.  3 units.  Same as home course L22 History 313C.
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01  MW 11:30a-1:00p   XVII Karamustafa

L23  3262  Re St The Early Medieval World 300-1000
A principal theme of this course will be the christianization of Europe. From the emergence of the Christian church in the Roman Empire and the conversion of the emperor Constantine in 312 through the turbulent adoptions of Christianity by different cultures in the early middle ages; the rise of Islam in the seventh century; the Arab conquests of north Africa and southern Europe; and the Byzantine empire, especially in Constantinople. This course satisfies the pre-modern course requirement for the history major. PREREQ: SEE HISTORY HEADNOTE.  3 units.  Same as home course L22 History 3262.
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01  MW 10:00a-11:30a   XII  Pegg

L23  3277  Re St Philosophy of Religion
We will study some classic arguments and texts from the philosophy of religion, beginning with the standard arguments for and against the existence of a god or gods.  Readings will include seminal work by Epicurus, Plato, Aristotle, Anselm, Aquinas, Hume and Nietzsche.  No previous courses in philosophy are required.  3 units.  Same as home course L30 Phil 327.
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01  TuTh 2:30p-4:00p   XXIV Russell

L23  3301  Re St Religion and Science
This course explores the relationships between religion and the natural sciences from an historical perspective, focusing on developments in the West from the 17th century to the present, with special emphasis on Galileo, Darwin, and contemporary issues raised by cosmology and evolutionary biology. Topics include the Bible and science, natural theology, and the viability of religious belief in the context of 20th-century science.  3 units.  Same as L22 History 3302, U66 RelSt 3301.
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01  MW 1:00p-2:30p   XXXI Flinn

L23  3313  Re St Women and Islam
An anthropological study of the position of women in the contemporary Muslim world, with examples drawn primarily from the Middle East but also from Asia, Africa, Europe, and the United States.  Students will examine ethnographic, historical, and literary works, including those written by Muslim women.  Topics having a major impact on the construction of gender include Islamic belief and ritual, modest dress (veiling), notions of marriage and the family, modernization, nationalism and the nation-state, politics and protest, legal reform, formal education, work, and westernization.  The course includes a visit to a St. Louis mosque, discussions with Muslim women, and films.  L75 5313 IS INTENDED FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS ONLY.  3 units.  Same as home course L48 Anthro 3313.
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01  Tu 1:00p-3:30p   XXXI     Beck

L23  3480  Re St Medieval Jewish Travelogues, Chronicles, and Biographies
Premodern Hebrew literature includes a wide range of highly fascinating narratives, many of which are commonly classified as chronicles, travelogues, biographies or diaries.  In this course, we will explore a variety of authors and texts from the Middle Ages to early modern times, originating from both Christian Europe and the Middle East.  We will ask questions such as: To what extent do these texts mirror the personal experiences of their authors and to what extent must they be regarded as literary fictions? How did pre-modern Jewish writers reflect on their own person, the 'authorial self'? How did they perceive Christians, Muslims, and Jews from other countries than their own? How did they construe the role of women in a world dominated by men? How did they reflect on history, geography, and other fields of knowledge that were not covered by the traditional Jewish curriculum; and how did they relate religious and secular learning to each other? All texts will be read in English translation. Prereq:  JNE 208F or instructor's permission.  3 units.  Same as home course L35 BHBR 348.
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SECT 01: L75-548 Intended for Graduate Students only.
01  TuTh 2:30p-4:00p   XXIV Jacobs

L23  3510  Re St Cultures of the Middle Ages: Death and Dying in Medieval Europe
This course examines medieval representations of mortality, funeral practice, death and dying, and the afterworld. While we delve deeply into the historical context the approach is primarily a cultural one, focusing on literary works and visual arts of the period 1000-1550 that articulate the hopes and beliefs, anxieties, expectations and fascinations held during the Middle Ages about the end of life. Topics explored include: the Black Death, the Crusades and heroic death, the 'Art of Dying Well' and Dance of Death, visions of Hell, the invention of Purgatory, medieval personifications of Death, death in religious orders, public executions, the medieval Requiem, and others. All readings and assignments in English. No prerequisites. First-Years and Sophomores welcome.  0 units.  Same as home course L95 Med-Ren 351.
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01  MWF 10:00a-11:00a   XXXII      Layher

L23  3529  Re St Medieval Icons: Painting before the Renaissance
Portable painting is commonly perceived as an art form of the Renaissance, when artists to an unprecedented degree utilized the surface of canvas or wood panels to create virtual windows onto the world.  But Renaissance painting developed in large part from medieval icons, which functioned as objects of religious devotion and veneration.  This course traces the evolution of Christian portable paintings from their origins in the late antique and Byzantine worlds to the earliest decades of the European Renaissance.  Special attention is paid to the impact of eastern icons on western devotional images in the twelfth to thirteenth centuries.  We will be concerned with the function of paintings as much as their aesthetics, examining how the emphasis on their cultic versus artistic value shifted for the medieval to Renaissance periods.  Cross-cultural interaction in the Mediterranean world is of particular importance to our discussion, with historical phenomena like the Crusades and the proselytizing efforts of European Mendicant Orders receiving special attention.  Prereqs:  Intro to Western Art (L01 112) or Intro to Modern Art (L01 211) or permission of instructor.  3 units.  Same as home course L01 Art-Arch 3529.
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01  MW 1:00p-2:30p   XXIII  Walker

L23  368  Re St Theories and Methods in the Study of Religion
What is religion? In this course, we will explore how religious ritual may help to clarify the nature and function of religion. We will first consider some "classic" theories of religion and ritual, such as those of James Frazer, Sigmund Freud, Emile Durkheim, Mircea Eliade, Max Weber, E. E. Evans-Pritchard, and Clifford Geertz. NOTE: This course is required for Religious Studies majors and minors.  It is recommended that this course be taken after completion of L23 202 and L23 203.  3 units.  Same as L98 AMCS 3688.
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01  TuTh 2:30p-4:00p   XXXI Adcock

L23  3750  Re St In the Beginning: Creation Myths of The Biblical World
This course will study myths and epic literature from the Bible, ancient Egypt, the ancient Near East and ancient Greece about the birth of the gods, the creation of the world and of humanity, and the establishment of societies.  These masterpieces of ancient literature recount the deeds of gods and heroes and humanity's eternal struggle to come to terms with the world, supernatural powers, love, lust, and death.  This course will examine how each culture borrows traditions and recasts them in a distinct idiom.  The course will further examine different approaches to mythology and to the study of ancient cultures and the Bible.  3 units.  Same as home course L75 JNE 3751.
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01  MW 10:00a-11:30a   XXXII         Barmash

L23  3831  Re St Magicians, Healers And Holy Men
Magic is perhaps not one of the first words one associates with Greco-Roman antiquity. Yet for most individuals living in the ancient Mediterranean, including philosophers, businessmen, and politicians, magic was a part of everyday life. Casting spells, fashioning voodoo dolls, wearing amulets, ingesting potions, and reading the stars are just some of the activities performed by individuals at every level of society. In this course, we will examine Greco-Roman, early Christian, and Judaic "magical" practices. We will read spell-books which will teach you how to read the stars, make people fall in love with you, bring harm to your enemies, lock up success in business, and win fame and the respect of your peers. We will also look at what is said, both in antiquity and in contemporary scholarship, about magic and the people who practiced it, which will help illuminate the fascinating relationship between magic, medicine, and religion.  3 units.  Same as home course L08 Classics 3831.
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01  TuTh 1:00p-2:30p   XVIII Abraham

L23  385D  Re St Topics in Biblical Hebrew Texts: The Book of Isaiah
We will read the book of Isaiah, one of the most significant prophetic books, in the original Hebrew.  Special attention will be paid to strategies of biblical interpretation in order to acquire literary competence in Biblical Hebrew and to be free from the authority of translations and commentaries.  Prereq:  BHBR 384/584 or instructor's permission.  3 units.  Same as home course L35 BHBR 385D.
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SECT 01: L75-585D is intended for GRADUATE STUDENTS ONLY.
01  MW 10:00a-11:30a   XXXI          Barmash

L23  386  Re St Topics in Jewish Studies: Music in Jewish Culture and Society
The common term 'Jewish Music' raises numerous questions that emanate from the difficulty to define 'Jewish' identity of any given music. This course will deal with various approaches to the definition of Jewish music, perceived as a cultural and sociological component in the Jewish communities throughout the Diaspora. We will survey the functions in which music is performed in traditional Jewish communities, especially Jewish liturgy, and the substantial vicissitudes in these musics after the European Enlightenment, European colonialism in north-Africa, and in the Mediterranean. We will study the background and the different characteristics of selected Jewish communities - Ashkenazic, Sephardic, Italian, Yemenite, and others - as well as instrumental music, questions of gender, and the relationship between music and text." A secondary goal of this course will be the study of the bibliography and discography of Jewish musics.  3 units.  Same as home course L75 JNE 3582.
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01  MW 10:00a-11:30a   XXXII         Shelleg

L23  38C8  Re St Religion and Politics in South Asia: Writing Intensive Seminar
The relationship between religion, community, and nation is a topic of central concern and contestation in the study of South Asian history. This course will explore alternative positions and debates on such topics as: changing religious identities; understandings of the proper relationship between religion, community, and nation in India and Pakistan; and the violence of Partition (the division of India and Pakistan in 1947). The course will treat India, Pakistan, and other South Asian regions in the colonial and post-colonial periods. This course satisfies the modern course requirement for the history major. PREREQ: SEE HISTORY HEADNOTE.  3 units.  Same as home course L22 History 38C8.
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01  TuTh 11:30a-1:00p   XXXI           Adcock

L23  393  Re St Medieval Christianity
This course surveys the historical development of Christian doctrine, ecclesiastical organization, and religious practice between the fifth century and the fifteenth, with an emphasis on the interaction of religion, culture, politics, and society. Topics covered include the Christianization of Europe, monasticism, the liturgy, sacramental theology and practice, the Gregorian reform, religious architecture, the mendicant orders and the attack on heresy, lay devotions, the papal monarchy, schism and conciliarism, and the reform movements of the fifteenth century.  3 units.  Same as L22 History 393.
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01  TuTh 1:00p-2:30p   XXXII Bornstein

L23  4200  Re St Topics in American Culture Studies: Religion in America 1945-1965
This course will examine the response of American Jewish and Christian communities to the the global politics of the Cold War, to their own international agendas, to the economic and social changes that followed a prolonged depression and a war, and most especially to the implications of WWII and the Holocaust for theology and religious ethics.   We will  look at a wide range of religious expression (Billy Graham, Rabbi Heschel, Reinhold Niebuhr, and Martin Luther King, Jr. will all appear on the syllabus) as well as major religious/social movements (the Civil Rights movement and ecumenism as well as the reorganization of evangelicals, etc).  3 units.  Same as home course L98 AMCS 420.
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01  TuTh 1:00p-2:30p   XXXII Fields

L23  4436  Re St Imperial Art of Ancient India
This seminar considers the artistic traditions of three ancient South Asian empires: Maurya (323-185 B.C.), Pallava (6th-9th c. AD), and Chola (9th -13th c. A.D.). Topics of readings and discussion include: patronage and political authority; the development of style and iconography of Buddhist and Hindu art and architecture; the social and religious functions of sacred images; the impact of international contacts; visual modes of narration; the cult of the wrathful Mother Goddess in south India; and ambiguity and pluralistic meanings of works of art and sacred spaces.  Prereqs: Intro to Asian Art (L01 111); one 300-level course in Asian Art History, History or Literature preferred; or permission of instructor.  3 units.  Same as home course L01 Art-Arch 4436.
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01  W 12:00p-2:30p   XXII    Belli

L23  444  Re St The Mystical Tradition in Judaism
What is Jewish "mysticism"? What is its relationship to the category of "religion"? Is Jewish mysticism just one form of a general phenomenon common to a variety of religious traditions or is it a specific interpretation of biblical, rabbinic, and other Jewish traditions? Taking the above questions as a starting point, this course aims at a systematic and historically contextualized analysis of a broad range of Jewish texts that are commonly classified as "mystical". (All primary texts will be read in translation.) Within a broad historical time frame reaching from late antiquity up to the turn of the 19th century, the topics to be discussed will include: classical rabbinic literature and its relationship to early esoteric teachings; the alphabetical mysticism of the Book of Creation; traditions of heavenly ascent (Hekhalot Literature) and magical power; the emergence of classical Kabbalah in medieval France and Spain, and the composition of its central text, the Zohar ("Book of Splendor"); Isaac Luria and the further development of Kabbalah in Ottoman Palestine and beyond; Sabbatai Tzvi's messianic movement between Judaism and Islam; the Hasidic communities in Eastern Europe and the phenomenon of mystical leadership. At the same time, we will  explore such overarching themes as: the interplay of esoteric exegesis of the Bible and visionary experiences; the place of traditional Jewish law (halakhah) within mystical thought and practice; the role of gender, sexuality, and the body in Jewish mystical speculation and prayer; the relationship between mysticism and messianism; Ashkenazic and Sephardic traditions and their mutual impact on Jewish mysticism; the "absence of women" from Jewish mystical movements; esoteric traditions of an elite vs. mysticism as a communal endeavor; and the tension between innovation and (the claim to) tradition in the history of Jewish mysticism. Prereqs: L75 208F Intro to Jewish Civilization or permission of the instructor.  3 units.  Same as L35 BHBR 444, L75 JNE 444.
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01  TuTh 11:30a-1:00p   XXXII          Jacobs

L23  479  Re St Senior Seminar in Religious Studies: Pilgrimage and Sacred Space in Antiquity
The ancient Mediterranean was a world of travelers. The oracle at Delphi attracted those seeking answers for problems ranging from the everyday to major state matters; the temple of Asclepius accepted those in need of the god's healing powers; Egypt enticed those seeking wisdom and enlightenment, be it from the knowledge of the ancient Egyptians, through encounters with spiritual ascetics, or by finding mementos of pagan or Christian antiquity. In this course, we will explore texts that describe or discuss pilgrimage. Our aim is to understand what motivated individuals to undertake expensive, difficult, and oftentimes dangerous journeys. We will examine texts ranging from archaic Greece to Late Antique Egypt, covering both Greco-Roman and early Christian traditions. Authors to be read will range from Herodotus to Saint Augustine. PREREQ: SENIOR STANDING. The class is also open, with permission of the instructor, to advanced undergraduates with previous coursework in Religious Studies or Classics.  3 units.  Same as L08 Classics 450, L75 JNE 479.
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01  TuTh 11:30a-1:00p   XXXII          Abraham

L23  480  Re St Topics in Buddhist Traditions: Gender and Sexuality in Buddhism
This course will examine the roles of gender and sexuality and the participation of women in religion, religious studies, and Buddhism in particular, both historically and in modern contexts. Gender theory will be introduced as a methodological tool for reconceptualizing Buddhism, and for reinvisioning the field of Buddhist Studies itself. We will study specific gender theorists and apply those theories to case studies, study the role of gender and sexuality in development of Buddhism, and examine the lives of particular Buddhist women throughout Asia.  3 units.  Same as L03 East Asia 480, L97 IAS 4800, L77 WGSS 480.
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01  TuTh 4:00p-5:30p   XXV  Takahashi

L23  4901  Re St Topics in Islamic Thought: Proseminar in Methods and Approaches in Islamic Studies
This seminar is an introduction to the methods, research tools, and theoretical assumptions that Islamicists have used to study diverse aspects of Islamic societies and civilizations, past and present.  Critical reading and discussion of scholarly works will be paired with bibliographical research assignments.          PERMISSION OF THE INSTRUCTOR.  4 units.  Same as home course L75 JNE 4901.
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01  M 2:00p-5:00p   XXXII    Karamustafa

L23  4965  Re St Advanced Seminar in History: Magic, Heresy, and Witchcraft in the Middle Ages: 350-1550
This seminar will study the history of magic, heresy, and witchcraft in the Middle Ages. It will begin in the fourth century after the conversion of Constantine and end with the great witchcraft trials of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The seminar will read magical treatises, ecclesiastical polemics against vulgar belief, inquisitional trials, chronicals, and histories, in our attempt to define what was considered the ordinary and the extraordinary, the natural and the supernatural in the medieval world. Consequently, the history of magic, heresy, and witchcraft, as understood by people in the past and historians in the present, will be discussed. An important theme throughout this seminar will be the definition of evil and the powers of the devil. This course satisfies the pre-modern course requirement for the history major. ONLINE REGISTRATION UNAVAILABLE: STUDENTS MUST CONTACT INSTRUCTOR FOR PERMISSION TO ENROLL IN THIS COURSE. PREREQ: SEE HISTORY HEADNOTE.  4 units.  Same as home course L22 History 4965.
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01  M 2:00p-5:00p   XXXI     Pegg

L23  499  Re St Independent Work Senior Honors II
Investigation of a topic, chosen in conjunction with a faculty advisor, on which the student prepares a paper and is examined.  Students will take L23 498 in the fall semester and L23 499 in the spring semester. Prereq: Admission to the Honor's program, and permission of the program director and the major advisor.  3 units.
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** See start of this departmental entry or contact department directly for details on faculty/sections and enrollment.
01-09   XXX   TBA

L23  500  Re St Independent Work
PERMISSION OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE PROGRAM. Credit variable, max 6 units.
** See start of this departmental entry or contact department directly for details on faculty/sections and enrollment.
01-07   XXX   TBA

 

Spring 2010 University College Courses

U66  203A  RelSt Intro to Religious Traditions II: Asian Religions
This course is designed to introduce students to the study of religion by exploring the major religious traditions of Asia.  Traditions that have taken shape in Asian cultural contexts include the Buddhist, Sikh, Islamic, Hindu, Taoist, Jain, and Confucian traditions.  These traditions have shaped and been shaped by the rich traditions of literary and performative culture, ethics, sociality and polity in the regions of Asia. Familiarity with these traditions provides a foundation for understanding the cultures of South and East Asia, from film and literature to contemporary political life.  Study of Asian traditions also deepens our understanding of the possibilities of human being and striving, and of the manifold aims and means of religious endeavor.  Note: Specific traditions and regions emphasized in this course will vary.  This course replaces L23 106 and is required of all Religious Studies majors who have not taken L23 106.  3 units. Tuition: $350.00.  Same as home course L23 Re St 203.
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01  TuTh 11:30a-1:00p   XIII  Takahashi

U66  3301  RelSt Religion and Science
This course explores the relationships between religion and the natural sciences from an historical perspective, focusing on developments in the West from the 17th century to the present, with special emphasis on Galileo, Darwin, and contemporary issues raised by cosmology and evolutionary biology. Topics include the Bible and science, natural theology, and the viability of religious belief in the context of 20th-century science.  3 units. Tuition: $350.00.  Same as home course L23 Re St 3301.
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01  MW 1:00p-2:30p   XXXI Flinn

U66  342  RelSt Topics in Religion: Rap & Religion in St. Louis: Black & White Productions of Music, Faith & Race
This course examines developments of African American music from spirituals and blues to gospel and rap. Within the broad period from 1492 to 1992 we will look at shifting African American experiences of violence and exclusion in which black musical genres emerged. Drawing on religious and cultural studies, we will analyze how these experiences shaped the form and content of music innovations. We will attend to differences of black and white musical production and the interplay and competition of their locations and longings, their motions and messages. Beyond active class participation, assignments will include literature and performance research and reviews, and a final project.  3 units. Tuition: $1,545.00.
01  Tu 6:00p-8:30p     Craig Scandrett-Leatherman

U66  350  RelSt Chinese Religions
This course explores the religious aspects of the three traditional teachings (Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism), as well as popular religious beliefs and practices in China. Our goal is to understand some characteristic Chinese ways of perceiving and conceptualizing human beings and their role in society and the greater cosmos. Focusing on primarily religious texts, we will expand our understanding of the Chinese notions of spiritual world, ancestor worship, meditation, divination, and longevity techniques. Through additional readings and documentaries, we also will explore the revival of religion during the post-Mao period, popular religious practices in contemporary China, and the continuation today of traditional religious beliefs and practices in China and Taiwan.  3 units. Tuition: $1,545.00.  Same as U78 EAsia 350, U43 IS 350.
01  M 5:30p-8:00p   XXXII    Rumyana Cholakova

U66  477  RelSt Topics in Christianity: Paul of Tarsus: His Epistles and Their Context
This seminar will examine the epistles of Paul in depth.  Topics covered will include: primary and secondary Pauline literature; Paul's use of Hellenistic literary forms (diatribe, etc) and early literature of the Jesus movement;  the Roman imperial context of the epistles; Paul's disagreements with others (Peter, etc.); Paul's gospel; and Paul's theology.  3 units. Tuition: $1,545.00.
01  W 6:00p-8:30p   XXXI     Frank Flinn