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Religious Studies (REL ST) 1 Religious Studies (REL_ST) 1 REL_ST 2100H: Indigenous Religions - Honors Religious Studies (REL_ST) (same as ANTHRO 2100H). Explores the central aspects of religious life in indigenous communities. Focusing on specific native communities, it REL_ST 1100: Introduction to Religion considers individual and group identity and the meaning of the sacred. Engages students in reflection on the religious questions that Credit Hours: 3 human existence poses, and introduces them to conceptual tools for Prerequisites: Honors eligibility required understanding and evaluating answers which have emerged in human history. REL_ST 2110: Global Religions Credit Hours: 3 This course explores approaches to the academic study of religion and Prerequisites: Sections are restricted to Freshmen and Sophomores introduces students to a variety of global religious traditions through the only or Juniors and Seniors only study of their myths, rituals, beliefs, and practices. Credit Hours: 3 REL_ST 1100H: Introduction to Religion - Honors Engages students in reflection on the religious questions that REL_ST 2110H: Religions of the World - Honors human existence poses, and introduces them to conceptual tools for Explores the differing ways in which Asian and Western religions interpret understanding and evaluating answers which have emerged in human life and reality. Includes study of Hinduism, Buddhism, Chinese and history. Japanese religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Credit Hours: 3 Credit Hours: 3 Prerequisites: Sections are restricted to Freshman and Sophomores Prerequisites: Honors eligibility required only and Juniors and Seniors only. Honors eligibility required REL_ST 2220: Death and Dying in the Western World REL_ST 1500: Religion and Culture Death is a topic most Americans wish to avoid. Once we were very The study of religion as expressed in art, literature, music, dance, drama, familiar with it since people before the mid-19th c. usually died at home, architecture. their bodies mourned at home, and then buried either in a designated Credit Hours: 3 public space or on their property (especially in the South). Today, most Prerequisites: Restricted to Freshmen and Sophomores only people die in hospitals or medical-oriented institutions (like nursing homes). Because death is so hidden (even disguised) most of us have REL_ST 2005: Topics in Religious Studies-Humanities never seen a dead body except in film or on television and those bodies Organized study of selected topics which vary by semester and are are often a result of an exceptionally gruesome, yet highly staged death. announced at time of registration. Hidden death in everyday life has led to the fact that most Americans are unfamiliar with death and even outright afraid of it. People unconsciously Credit Hour: 1-3 treat death, the process of dying, and grief as a sort of infectious disease. However, death surrounds us both personally and collectively and REL_ST 2042: Religion and STEM Disciplines this means that the living and the dead do not exist (and have never This course examines the origins of STEM disciplines in religious existed) in completely separate realms. This class explores how death societies. Our readings focus on the historical contexts of knowledge has historically been approached in the Western world and familiarizes production in varied religious cultures including, but not limited to us with different types of death (natural death, death by execution, Indigenous traditions, Medieval Islam, Talmudic scholarship, Hindu death from illness, and death by murder). Using a religious studies and cosmology, as well as the dialogue between Buddhism and modern American studies approach we will examine overarching themes of grief, science. Learning the historical contexts of scientific thought aids in a loss, mourning, and even anger in association with death and dying. deep understanding of the importance of scientific thinking and the many Credit Hours: 3 ways that, contrary to American Evangelical anti-scientific movements, religion and science together have been and still are powerful ways to find human meaning in the natural world. REL_ST 2230: Religion and Popular Culture in the U.S. Explores intersections of religion and popular culture and methods for Credit Hours: 3 analysis. Credit Hours: 3 REL_ST 2100: Indigenous Religions (same as ANTHRO 2100). Explores the central aspects of religious life in indigenous communities. Focusing on specific groups, it considers REL_ST 2240: Harry Potter, Magic, and Religion individual and group identity, the meaning of the sacred, and the impact This course explores religious themes in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter of foreign domination. series. Topics include ancient Greek, Roman, Celtic, and Norse mythological themes, the relationship between religion and magic, and Credit Hours: 3 reactions to the books among various religious groups. Credit Hours: 3 Religious Studies (REL_ST) 2 REL_ST 2240H: Harry Potter, Magic, and Religion - Honors REL_ST 2610: Medieval Christianity This course explores religious themes in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter (same as HIST 2610). History of Christian practices and teachings from series. Topics include ancient Greek, Roman, Celtic, and Norse the 5th-15th centuries, including Byzantine and Western Christianity mythological themes, the relationship between religion and magic, and Themes such as the influence of the Islamic world on Christianity, popular reactions to the books among various religious groups. Graded on A-F and elite formulations of theology and ritual activities. basis only. Credit Hours: 3 Credit Hours: 3 Prerequisites: Honors eligibility required REL_ST 2610H: Medieval Christianity - Honors History of Christian practices and teachings from the 5th-15th centuries, REL_ST 2260: Gods, Dwarves, and Dragons: Introduction to Old including Byzantine and Western Christianity Themes such as the Norse Mythology influence of the Islamic world on Christianity, popular and elite This course is an introduction to the pre-Christian religion and mythology formulations of theology and ritual activities. of Northern Europe. Topics covered include Old Norse society, gender Credit Hours: 3 roles, and values. Main deities and mythological figures are explored Prerequisites: Honors eligibility required through images and texts. Graded on A-F basis only. Credit Hours: 2 REL_ST 2630: History of Christian Traditions (same as HIST 2630). An overview of the origins and development of REL_ST 2270: Religion and Literature Christianities from the first century of the Common Era to the present day. This course explores religious themes such as myth, rituals and rites, Topic will include competing Christian theologies, colonialism, conversion sacred power, transcendence, salvation, and pilgrimage in secular narratives, globalization, religious violence, and heresy. May be repeated literature. Selections in English, include novels and short stories from a for credit. variety of cultures and religious traditions. Credit Hours: 3 Credit Hours: 3 REL_ST 2630H: History of Christian Traditions - Honors REL_ST 2310: Religions of China and Japan (same as HIST 2630). An overview of the origins and development of Introduction to the religions of East Asia, focusing on both popular beliefs Christianities from the first century of the Common Era to the present day. and institutionalized religion. Topics include: Buddhist, Confucian, and Topic will include competing Christian theologies, colonialism, conversion Daoist traditions of China; Buddhism and Shinto in Japan; self-cultivation narratives, globalization, religious violence, and heresy. May be repeated practices; spirit mediumship; ritual; cosmology; religion and society; for credit. religion and the state. Credit Hours: 3 Credit Hours: 3 Prerequisites: Honors eligibility required REL_ST 2310H: Religions of China and Japan - Honors REL_ST 2700: Islam Introduction to the religions of East Asia, focusing on both popular beliefs Examines the historical development of Islamic traditions, noting the and institutionalized religion. Topics include: Buddhist, Confucian, and manner in which various sects & factions understand religion, humanity Daoist traditions of China; Buddhism and Shinto in Japan; self-cultivation and God. practices; spirit mediumship; ritual; cosmology; religion and society; Credit Hours: 3 religion and the state. Credit Hours: 3 REL_ST 2850: Religious History of the Middle East I Prerequisites: Honors eligibility required An introduction to the early history and development of religion in the Middle East. The course begins with the religious traditions of ancient REL_ST 2500H: Introduction to the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible and Egypt, Anatolia, and Mesopotamia; describes how these traditions its World - Honors shaped the subsequent development of Judaism, Christianity, and An introduction to the literature of the Hebrew Bible in its Ancient Near Islam; and concludes with the transformation of the religious landscape Eastern cultural context. Students are exposed to the art, archaeology, following the Islamic conquests. In addition to mapping out these literature, and histories of the great civilizations of the ANE and their historical linkages, the course will focus on using the category of religion impact on Israelite history and the formation of the Hebrew Bible. as a unique method in the study of social and political history. Graded on Emphasis is placed on the development and changes in Israelite theology A-F basis only. in response to historical circumstances
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