Religion Courses
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REL |
050(I) |
INDEPENDENT STUDY |
One to four credit hours |
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REL |
259,359,459 |
FACULTY-STUDENT COLLABORATION |
Credit hours to be arranged |
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REL |
100 |
INTRODUCTION TO RELIGION |
Three credit hours |
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An introduction to religion, utilizing Ninian Smart's seven "dimensions of the sacred": the ritual or practical; the doctrinal or philosophical; the mythic or narrative; the experiential or emotional; the ethical or legal; the organizational or social; and the material or artistic. Required for Majors and Minors. |
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REL |
193(D),293(D) |
TOPICS IN RELIGION |
Two to four credit hours |
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Various topics in Religion will be examined. May be repeated, provided that the topic is different. |
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REL |
363(I),463(I) |
SEMINAR IN RELIGION |
Three or four credit hours |
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Prerequisite: One Religion course |
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Advanced examination of various topics in Religion. May be repeated, provided that the topic is different. Required for majors and minors |
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REL |
490 |
DEPARTMENTAL COLLOQUIUM |
One credit hours |
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Prerequisite: One Religion course |
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Meets weekly, to discuss various issues in Religion. Required for Majors and Minors. Graded S/U. |
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REL |
491 |
DEPARTMENTAL THESIS/PROJECT |
Three to four credit hours |
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Prerequisite: Two upper level seminars |
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Comparative Religions |
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REL |
101I |
RELIGIONS OF INDIA |
Three credit hours |
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An introduction to the beliefs and practices of the major religions of India, including Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Islam, and Sikhism. |
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REL |
102I |
RELIGIONS OF CHINA AND JAPAN |
Three credit hours |
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An introduction to the beliefs and practices of the major religions of East Asia, including Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Shinto. |
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REL |
108I |
ISLAM |
Two credit hours |
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An examination of the basic beliefs, practices, and early history of Islam. |
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REL |
110 |
JUDAISM |
Three credit hours |
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An introduction to modern Judaic faith, with emphasis on understanding the main themes of Jewish faith and practice in the contemporary world. Offered with support from the Jewish Chautauqua Society. |
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REL |
115D |
AFRICAN-AMERICAN RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE |
Three credit hours |
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A survey of the various religious traditions, with emphasis on the Christian experience, of African-Americans. |
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REL |
118 |
EASTERN ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY |
Three credit hours |
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An overview of the Orthodox Christian tradition, considering both the historical development of the Orthodox Church and the unique expressions of Eastern Christian faith. |
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REL |
120 |
CATHOLIC FAITH TODAY |
Two credit hours |
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A study of the beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church today, seen especially in the light of the changes introduced by the Second Vatican Council. |
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REL |
201I |
BUDDHIST CULTURE IN ASIA |
Three credit hours |
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An anthropological approach to the study of Buddhism, looking at Buddhist culture in South Asia, East Asia, and Tibet. Special attention will be given to ritual practice, religion and politics, social activism, and gender issues. |
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REL |
208I |
POWER OF MYTH |
Three credit hours |
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A study of myth in the world’s religions, relying on the video series, The Power of Myth, featuring Joseph Campbell. |
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REL |
215I |
DEATH AND THE AFTERLIFE IN THE |
Three credit hours |
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A comparative examination of the world’s religions in terms of their beliefs and rituals associated with death and the afterlife. The course also includes a segment on near-death experiences and a segment on current life-and-death issues in the modern West. |
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REL |
216I |
WOMEN AND RELIGION |
Three credit hours |
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A comparative examination of the world’s religions in terms of their attitudes towards women as well as women’s roles. Special attention will be given to both traditional religious conceptions of women and modern feminist reclamations of religious traditions. |
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REL |
217I |
RELIGION AND VIOLENCE |
Three credit hours |
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A comparative examination of the world’s religions in terms of their beliefs about violence and non-violence. Special attention will be given to scriptural interpretation and modern case studies from around the world. |
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REL |
218D |
AMERICAN RELIGIOUS PLURALISM |
Three credit hours |
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A study of the American religious landscape since 1965 and the signing of the Immigration and Naturalization Act. Religious pluralism has changed forever this country. Attention will be given to the historic Christian character of America and the new pluralistic flavor of Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish and a variety of other faith traditions. |
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REL |
219I |
SUSTAINABILITY IN THE WORLD’S RELIGIONS |
Three credit hours |
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A comparative examination of the world’s religions in terms of their attitudes toward nature and the environment. Special attention will be given to modern international case studies of religious approaches to sustainability. |
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Spirituality |
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REL |
121 |
SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES |
Three credit hours |
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Spiritual Disciplines are the path to spiritual growth. Classical disciplines such as prayer, fasting, meditation and others will be examined with respect to both process and content. A practical, experiential component is an essential feature of the class. |
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REL |
125 |
MODERN SPIRITUAL PATHS |
Three credit hours |
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Representative luminaries of various religious traditions provide different ways of experiencing God’s Presence. Attention will also be given to the multiple ways spiritual experiences are articulated. Diversity within the Christian tradition will be in evidence, as well as the pluralism of non-Christian traditions such as Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam. |
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REL |
127 |
CONTEMPLATIVE SPIRITUALITY |
Three credit hours |
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Contemplative Spirituality is a way of living a centered life with awareness of the Divine Presence. The class examines both the historical ways of contemplation and its contemporary expressions in diverse faith traditions. This way of living offers an alternative way of being in the world. An experiential component is an important feature of the class. |
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REL |
222 |
HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY |
Three credit hours |
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The class examines the major diverse traditions in Christian spirituality. Included are Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant voices. Attention will be given to how women and men within these traditions experienced the divinity and how they expressed this experience in both word and deed. |
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Scripture |
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REL |
242 |
INTRO TO THE HEBREW BIBLE/ OLD TESTAMENT |
Three credit hours |
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A basic study of the origin and development of the Hebrew-Judaic faith and its expression in history, personalities, theology and various types of literature. |
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REL |
243 |
JESUS AND THE GOSPELS |
Three credit hours |
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A study of the life and teachings of the historical Jesus of Nazareth, as well as a critical examination of the literary portraits of him, represented by the canonical Gospels and the Gospel of Thomas. |
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REL |
244 |
CHRISTIANITY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT |
Three credit hours |
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A study of the birth of Christianity, as portrayed in the letters of Paul and the Acts of the Apostles. |
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REL |
245 |
HISTORY OF THE BIBLE |
Three credit hours |
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A study of the formation and use of the Christian Bible through the centuries and of the impact it has had on western culture. Topics such as the following will be addressed: the manuscript traditions of the Bible, the development of the canon, theories of the authority and inspiration of scripture, the history of translation and interpretation, and the history of the English Bible. |
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Religion in Cultural Contexts: History, Theology, Ethics |
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REL |
161 |
CHRISTIAN FAITH & THOUGHT |
Three credit hours |
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An introduction to the field of Christian theology. The course will consider the major forms of Christian faith and thought, with an emphasis on contemporary expressions of Christianity in churches today. Some attention will be given to these topics: faith and reason, church and state, scripture and its interpretation, science and faith, personal faith and communal worship, ecumenical patterns, and the future of Christianity. |
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REL |
261 |
CHRISTIAN ETHICS |
Three credit hours |
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This course will examine the major forms of ethical thought within the Christian tradition. The implications of these ethical approaches will be related to special current issues and moral problems. |
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REL |
265 |
RELIGION AND LITERATURE |
Three credit hours |
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A study designed to investigate the religious dimensions of the literary imagination. Emphasis is placed on careful reading of significant literary texts, including fiction, poetry and drama. Offered in alternate years. |
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REL |
266 |
RELIGION & FILM |
Three credit hours |
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This course will explore the ways in which film illumines and critiques the religious dimension of life as primarily articulated within the Christian tradition. Themes such as, though not limited to, faith, grace, redemption, evil, and community will be examined. |
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