Academic Bulletin Religion - Course Descriptions - 2012-13

The first part of the course studies the history, beliefs, and practices of Islam in the Middle East from Mohammad to the present day. The second part of the course studies the history, beliefs, and practices of the ancient religions of India (Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism), down to the coming of Islam in the 8th century. The third part of the course deals with the religious developments in India resulting from the interaction of Islam and Hinduism in the modern period. Emphasis is upon readings in primary texts of these religions. Offered fall semesters.

Prerequisite: None. 

A study of the indigenous beliefs of East Asia (Confucianism, Daoism, and Shinto) and the development of Buddhism in China and Japan. Readings will be from the works of Confucius, Laozi, and other Chinese and Japanese philosophers and religious figures. The last part of the course considers the ways traditional China and Japan have changed in the modern period. Offered spring semesters.

Prerequisite: None.  

An introduction to the Tanakh, or Hebrew Bible. The format of this course will be reading and discussion of primary texts from the Torah, Prophets, and Writings of the Hebrew Bible. The emphasis will be reading for literary and narrative themes and theological issues in the text, with some discussion of historical context. Offered fall semesters.

 Prerequisite: None.

This course will address, at the introductory level, various topics in Jewish history, such as Second Temple Judaism, Rabbinics, or Medieval Jewish thought. Topics will vary from year to year. (REL 150 applies to requirement B for the major.)

 Prerequisite: None. 

This course will address, at the introductory level, various aspects of Jewish thought and theology, such as contemporary Jewish thought, Jewish-Christian dialogue, and responses to the Holocaust. Topics will vary from year to year. (REL 151 applies to requirement C for the major.)

Prerequisite: None. 

An introduction to the social-historical study of the writings that came to be the New Testament of the Christian churches. We will survey the social, political, and religious contexts of the Jewish and Greco-Roman worlds of the first century, the actions and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, and the missionary activity and theology of Paul of Tarsus. We will study most of the texts included in the New Testament as well as other ancient Jewish and early Christian writings to learn about the development of the various beliefs and practices of these first Christian communities.

 Prerequisite: None. 

An historical survey of the origins of Christianity, the development and meaning of orthodox Christian beliefs, the social environment of the Christian Church, the great age of Medieval thought, and the background of the Reformation. Offered fall semesters.

 Prerequisite: None.

An introduction to the history of Christianity from the sixteenth-century Reformation to the present. The course focuses primarily on western church history, but also examines the global spread of Christianity.  Principal themes include theological movements, the challenges of modern thought, religious innovation and pluralism, missionary movements, and the ways social and cultural environments have shaped the development of Christianity. Offered spring semesters.

 Prerequisite: None.

An introductory course on Christian theology. Topics will vary from year to year. In some years the course may be offered for one-half credit.

Prerequisite: None. 

An introduction to the religious history of America. This course will explore the historical development of the primary religious traditions in America, especially Protestantism, Catholicism, and Judaism, as well as the formative influence of religion among women, African Americans, and American Indians. Principal themes include pluralism, the impact of religious disestablishment, revivalism and reform, theological movements, and religious innovation. Offered fall semesters.

Prerequisite: None.  

An examination of the arts of a particular period and place with a view to discovering the religious insights and attitudes that they embody.

 Prerequisite: None.

An examination of literary works dealing with religious themes. Authors covered will vary from year to year but usually include Flannery O'Connor, Graham Greene, C.S. Lewis, Anne Tyler, Marilynne Robinson, and others.

 Prerequisite: None.

A seminar on some topic in Islamic thought or history.  Recent topics have included Muhammad and the Qu’ran, and issues in contemporary Islam.

Prerequisite: REL 103

A seminar on some topic in the religions of South Asia.

Prerequisite: REL 103.

A seminar on some topic in the religions of China and Japan. Recent topics have included Confucianism, Zen Buddhism, and Daoism.

Prerequisite: REL 104.

A seminar on some topic related to the history and literature of ancient Israel.

Prerequisite: REL 141.

A seminar on Jewish history.  Recent topics have included Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Jewish War with Rome, and Second Temple Judaism. (REL 250 applies to requirement B for the major.

Prerequisite: Vary with topic.

A seminar on Jewish thought and theology, such as contemporary Jewish thought, responses to the Holocaust, and the Jewish-Christian Dialog. (REL 251 applies to requirement C for the major.)

Prerequisite: Vary with topic.

A seminar on some topic in the history and literature of the early Christian church. Recent topics have included apocalyptic, the letters of St. Paul, and the Historical Jesus and Jesus in the cultural context (film, literature, the Greco-Roman world, etc.). This course is offered in the fall semester. (In some years Religion 360 may be offered instead.)

Prerequisite: Vary with topic.

The course examines the relationship between religion and ethics from many different perspectives, beginning with theological models of talking about God, the self, and ethical goods and ending with discussions of specific ethical problems. American realism, Latin American liberation theology, Roman Catholic natural law theory, and environmental theology will be covered. Issues discussed include medical ethics, theology and economics, the problem of war, the role of the church in social change, and the nature of sin. Offered spring semesters.

Prerequisite: None. 

A seminar on some figure or theme in the history of Christianity. Topics in recent years have included heretics and gnostics, Christian lives, and world Christianities.

Prerequisite: Either REL 171 or 172 depending on the topic.

A seminar on some theme, figure, or movement in Christian theology. Topics in recent years have included Augustine and Aquinas, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, African Christianity, and the philosophy of religion.

Prerequisite: One previous course credit in Philosophy or Religion.

A seminar on some particular issue in contemporary ethics.

Prerequisite: Vary with topic. 

May the United States Air Force Academy display a banner declaring “I am a member of Team Jesus Christ” in its football locker room? May the Indiana House of Representatives pray and sing a Christian song at the beginning of one of its sessions? Must employees be permitted to post at work biblical verses that condemn homosexuals? Should we prosecute Christian Scientist parents whose critically ill child dies because the only treatment he received was prayer? May public schools teach intelligent design in their science courses? The collision of religion, politics, and the law generates many sensitive questions. We will work through these kinds of questions to determine what our Constitution means when it forbids government from establishing religion and protects our right freely to exercise our many religions. We will also explore whether religion can play a productive role in politics without debasing itself or causing strife. Counts as an advanced course in American Politics. Offered in spring semesters in even-numbered years.

Prerequisite: None.

REL 287 applies to requirement B for the major. REL 288 applies to requirement C for the major.) Independent study for requirement B at a more advanced level will be numbered 387.

Prerequisite: None.

REL 288 applies to requirement C for the major. REL 287 applies to requirement B for the major.) Independent study for requirement C at a more advanced level will be numbered -388.

 Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor and the department chair.

An examination of some topic in the arts with a view to religious implications.

 Prerequisite: Vary with topics.

An examination of religious themes and theological issues in literary works and films. Most recently the course focused on Dante’s Divine Comedy.

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 Prerequisite: Vary with topic.

A seminar examining the various ways anthropology describes and interprets religious phenomena. The course investigates anthropological theories of religion, and examines how these theories apply to specific religions in diverse contexts. Particular attention is paid to the social and symbolic functions of beliefs and rituals and to the religious importance of myths, symbols, and cosmology.

Prerequisite: None. 

This course focuses on learning about sociology and social history as non-theological methods for studying problems in the study of religion. Recent topics have included the expansion of early Christianity; religious persecution and violence; conversion in colonial India; religious diversity in contemporary American society; and post-colonial approaches to the study of religion and society.

 Prerequisite: None.

An advanced seminar on some topic in Islamic thought or history.

Prerequisite: REL 103.

An advanced seminar on some topic in the religions of South Asia.

Prerequisite: REL 103.

An advanced seminar on some topic in the religions of China and Japan.

Prerequisite: REL 104.

An advanced seminar on some topic related to the history and literature of ancient Israel.

Prerequisite: REL 141.

An advanced seminar on Jewish history, such as Second Temple Judaism, Rabbinics, or Medieval Jewish thought. (REL 350 applies to requirement B for the major.)

Prerequisite: Vary with topic.

An advanced seminar on Jewish thought and theology, such as contemporary Jewish thought, responses to the Holocaust, and the Jewish-Christian dialogue. (REL 351 applies to requirement C for the major.)

Prerequisite: Vary with topic.

An advanced seminar on the New Testament and early Christianity. Recent topics have included Apocalypse and apocalyptic, Gnostic writings, and the construction of orthodoxy and heresy. Offered falls semesters. (In some years REL 260 may be offered instead.)

Prerequisite: Vary with topic.

Seminar discussions of selected works of some significant theologians of the 20^th and 21^st centuries: Karl Barth, Paul Tillich, David Tracy, Sallie McFague, and others. Special attention will be given to the role of scripture, Jesus, human experience (including race and gender issues), our understandings of God, theologies of liberation. and theology’s special contribution to contemporary issues.

Prerequisite: REL 172 or PHI 242 (formerly 142)

An advanced seminar on one significant individual, movement, or period in the history of Christianity. 

Prerequisite: REL 171 or 172, depending on the nature of the topic.

An advanced seminar on an individual, theme, or movement in Christian theology.

Prerequisite: Vary with topic.

An advanced seminar on an individual writer or topic in contemporary ethics.

Prerequisite: REL 270.

An advanced seminar on some theme or figure in American religion.

Prerequisite: Vary with topic.

(REL 387 applies to requirement B for the major. REL 388 applies to requirement C for the major.)  Insependent Study for requirement B at a lwss advanced level will be numbered REL 287.

Prerequisite:  Permission of the instructor and the departmetn chair

REL 387 applies to requirement B for the major. REL 388 applies to requirement C for the major.) Independent study for requirement C at a less advanced level will be numbered REL 288.

Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor and the department chair

An examination of the different ways of understanding and studying the phenomenon of religion. Required of all religion majors, normally in their senior year, and open to other students with the permission of the instructor. Offered fall semesters.