Department of Religion Graduate Courses
840:501. Theory and Method in the Study of Religion (3)
Engages with prominent theories that have attempted to explain "religion" and religious phenomena. These include models rooted in social, psychological, economic, political, orientalist, structuralist, and post-structuralist explanatory paradigms. The course also considers methodologies central to the field of Religious Studies.
840:505. Apocalypticism: Religious Movement and the End of Time (3)
Ancient, medieval, and contemporary apocalyptic literature and movements with particular attention to theories of apocalypticism and millenarian movements.
840:506. Western Encounter with Hinduism (3)
This course will consider the encounter with and reaction to various forms of Hinduism that have filtered to the West, from the earliest references in Greek sources to the late colonial period.
840:514. Origins of Western Morality (3)
This course introduces various "Western" moral paradigms, interrogating their development over time, their influences, and the influence they have had. Students will consider the development and transmission of varied ideas about human flourishing, virtue, sexual ethics, wealth/poverty, freedom and enslavement, and gender norms.
840:515. Christians, "the other", and Violence in Historical Context (3)
The ways that Christians have described and rejected the "other" (Jews, heretics, Muslims, "secular humanists"), emphasizing historical continuities and differences from the earliest Christian texts through the Protestant Reformation.
840:516. U.S. Evangelicalism in a Global Age (3)
Examines history of U.S. evangelicalism in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, focusing on the impact of transnationalism and other globalizing trends, and on adherents' influence around the world.
840:521. Yoga: From Vedic Origins to Western Transplantation (3)
This course will undertake a close reading of Yoga as presented in the traditional Hindu sourcebook on the subject, the 3rd century Yoga Sutras, where it is defined as the stilling of all states of mind (meditative practices), along with the primary commentaries that have elaborated on the source text over the centuries prior to the colonial period. It will additionally trace the development of representations of Yoga from these pre-modern expressions, through its appropriation and reconfiguring by Hindu nationalists, and into its modern Western transplanted form as primarily postural exercise.
840:522. Origins of Morality in Early Chinese Religion (3)
This course closely examines major religious texts in early China, traditionally categorized as Confucian, Mohist, and Daoist (Taoist). Focus on the following topics: ritual and its centrality in early China, human nature, Mandate of Heaven, spiritual freedom, filial piety, differentiated caring, universal care.
840:527. Religious Pluralism in America (3)
Religious pluralism in North America and especially the United States, focusing on interpretive paradigms and methodologies employed by scholars assessing the role of pluralism throughout American religious history.
840:541. Minorities in the Middle East (3)
Students will examine various ethno-religious and linguistic minority groups in the Middle East, their origins, their oral and written literatures, their recent history (from 1798 onwards), their current status, and their future prospects, and how these factors influence their experiences of and perspectives on the world.
840:549. Sanctifying Violence and Biblical Tradition (3)
The relationship between biblical traditions and sanctifying violence, through critical analysis of how violent acts may be justified by appeal to notions of the divine. Instances of ritual violence and sanctified combat from ancient Mesopotamian literature, iconography, and the Bible, as well as the use of biblical “scripture” to frame violence within early Jewish and Christian traditions. Current comparative and theoretical discussions of religious violence.
840:551. Women and Gender in Western Religions (3)
An examination of the status of women in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, both historically and today. The course uses feminist theory and theology to analyze the impact of gender roles and expectations, in addition to using gender itself as a primary category for understanding religion.
840:556. Islamic Spirituality (3)
The historical development of the mystical traditions, with a particular interest in their relationship to the dominant forms of scholastic Islam over the centuries. The most influential theories of mysticism in relation to Islamic theological dogmas, on the basis of English translations of Arabic and Persian primary sources. The diversity of Sufisms as well as the spiritual traditions outside of Sufism among Shi’i Muslims.
840:557. Krishna (3)
This course will examine how the figure of Krishna is embedded in the Hindu tradition through a wide range of sources spanning varied regional and cultural contexts over two millennia.
840:558. Bhagavad Gita (3)
This course will study the Bhagavad Gita in its entirety along with its primary traditional interpreters. Readings will discuss the Gita’s reception in the Western world, and its adoption by prominent modern Hindu spokespersons.
840:565. Law and Religion in Asian History (3)
Examines historical interactions of religion and law in South, Southeast, and East Asia, with focus on precolonial Buddhist, Confucian, and Hindu legal texts and contexts.
840:569. Buddhist Philosophy (3)
Major philosophical schools of Buddhism, especially Mahayana Buddhism, including Madhyamaka, Yogacara, and Chan/Zen. Focus on core concepts and their developments: Dependent Origination, Impermanence, Emptiness, No-Self, Karma, and Buddha Nature.
840:570. Buddhism, Society, and Politics in Southeast Asia (3)
Examines the social and political histories of Theravāda Buddhism in Southeast Asia.
840:574. Islamic Thought (3)
Examines critically the development of Islamic intellectual traditions, from the first writings of the scholastic theological disciplines of theology and jurisprudence to contemporary reformist discourses.
840:575. Buddhism and the Family (3)
Examines the relationship of Buddhism and the family in interdisciplinary and comparative contexts, across Asia, from antiquity to the present.
840:580. Religious Healing in the U.S. (3)
Examines the history of religious healing in the United States, including the evolving relationship between religious healing and biomedicine. Also introduces various theoretical approaches to the study of religious healing.
840:581. Religion, Law, and the American Constitution (3)
This course studies the role of religion in the interpretation of the American Constitution from the 19th century to the present, using both cases explicitly related to religion and cases in which the parties are motivated by religious belief, including cases involving reproductive rights.
840:593. Topics in the Study of Religion (3)
840:594. Topics in the Study of Religion (3)
840:595. Independent Study (3)
840:596. Independent Study (3)
840:599. Capstone Project in Religion (3)
This course must be taken, usually in the final semester, for the 3-credit M.A. capstone project (M.A. without thesis) option.
840:701. Research in Religion (3)
840:702. Thesis in Religion (3)
These two courses must be taken consecutively, usually in the final two semesters, for the 6-credit M.A. thesis option.