Christianity in the Modern World:
Survey of Christianity since the Reformation. Focus on the divisions in Christianity, its responses to modern science, the rise of capitalism, and European expansion into Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Attention to ecumenism and the contemporary status of Christianity in the world. Use of original documents. Requirements: Idea journal, midterm, final paper. 3 units. Same as L97 IAS 3034.
Topics in Religious Studies: Religion and Violence:
This seminar seeks to explore the relation of religion and violence. Major themes include sacrifice, the scapegoat, martyrdom, scarification, forms of ritual circumcision and piercing, cannibalism, holy militias, holy terror and holy war. Concrete examples will be discussed. Viewpoints range from the anthropological, to the psychological, sociological and theological. Among key writings to be studied are Durkheim, "The Elementary Forms of Religious Life"; Freud, "Totem and Taboo"; Hubert & Mauss, "Sacrifice: Its Nature and Function"; Robert Lowrie, "Primitive Religion"; Rene Girard, "Violence and the Sacred"; and Mark Juergensmeyer, "Terror in the Mind of God". 3 units. Tuition: $1,545.00. Same as U89 AMCS 4782, U43 IS 478.
Intro to the New Testament:
Primitive Christianity through the literature it produced as it emerged from a sect within Palestinian Judaism to a distinct contending faith in the Hellenistic world. Focuses upon (1) major Pauline letters, (2) Synoptic Gospels (including critical methodologies), (3) the Johannine corpus, (4) earliest Apostolic writings. 3 units. Same as U66 RelSt 307F.
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.
Topics in Religion: Proving or Disproving the Existence of God:
The seminar will examine the classic arguments for and against the existence of God. Emphasis will be placed on original texts. The course will begin with the arguments for and against in classic Greek thought, including Plato, Aristotle, Democritus and Lucretius, to be followed with the God treatments in medieval Muslim, Jewish, Christian and Indian thinkers: Adi Shankara, Anselm, Al-Farabi, Maimonides, Aquinas, Duns Scotus, etc. This section with end with the critical evaluation of proofs in the Enlightement: Descartres, Hume and Kant with a reprise to Hegel. The course will conclude with current populist arguments between negators like Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens affirmers like Dinesh D'Souza. Attention will be given to types of argument, the ontological proof, modern science and proof, pragmatic arguments (William James), and proofs based on modal logic (Gödel). 3 units. Tuition: $1,485.00. Same as U98 MLA 580.
Sacred Shrines and Holy Places:
Studies architecture, painting, ornamentation, music, and dance as religious expressions by focusing on six major shrines and the sacred arts associated with them: the Hindu temple of Konarak, the Shinto Shrine at Ise, the Buddhist temple at Borobudur, the Catholic cathedral at Chartres, the Pueblo Indian kiva at Kuaua, and the Suleymaniye mosque of Istanbul. Examines the arts and their relationship to the beliefs of the various traditions. Field trips scheduled to some local shrines, mosques, synagogues, and churches. 3 units. Same as A46 ARCH 3802, L01 Art-Arch 3802, L97 IAS 3802.
Religious Philosophy of Paul Ricoeur:
This seminar is devoted to a careful reading of the principal works of Paul Ricoeur, who has made major contributions in the fields of phenomenology, philosophy of religion, hermeneutics, existentialism and the theory of narrativity. Particular themes include sin and fallibility, symbol and evil, metaphor and meaning. Key writings are Fallible Man, The Symbolism of Evil, Freud and Philosophy, The Rule of Metaphor, Biblical Hermeneutics, Time and Narrative, and Oneself as Another. 3 units. Tuition: $1,485.00. 01 W 6:30p-9:00p
Primal Religions of the Americas:
The aim of this course is to discover the connections between primal religions of the Americas, from the Bering Strait to Tierra del Fuego. Special attention will be given to the interrelation of sacred myth and ritual to social life forms in selected regional societies (e.g., Inuit, Maya, Quechua); sacroparallelism between Christianity and indigenous belief; revitalization movements (Ghost Dance, Handsome Lake); shamanism; blending of African forms into the primal-Christian base (Santeria, Voodoo); survival of primal religions after Columbus; modern transformations in poetry & literature. Extra visits to local sites (Cahokia, Dickensen, Washington State Park), powwows, and use of film. Requirements: idea journal, mid-term exam, final paper. 3 units. Same as L98 AMCS 240, U66 RelSt 240.
Sacred Performance, Sacred Dance:
The aim of this course is to examine through text, film, audio, and movement experience the functions and purposes of sacred performances and sacred dances in societies around the world. The course will examine the nature of ritual as performance and the relation of ritual performance to the religious belief systems and communal structures. Some of the key performance/dance rituals will include the Monkey Dance (Kecak) of Bali, the Kumbh Mela in India, the Mani Rimdu of Nepal/Tibet, the Tewa Turtle Dance of New Mexico, the Catholic High Mass, the Whirling Dervishes, and Hasidic ecstatic dance. We also will examine these ritual performances as parallels to contemporary theatrical dance and performance, rock concerts, Raves, and sporting events. 3 units. Tuition: $1,395.00. Same as U43 IS 463.
