Courses for Next Semester

117f    A Passage to India: India and the Western Imagination     Beginning with Walt Whitman's romantic journeys toward the "soul" of the universe, Western attitudes towards India and India's encounter with Western culture will be studied. Literature and film include Clear Light of Day, Salam Bombay, Siddhartha, The Razor's Edge, Gitanjali, Interpreter of Maladies, Bend It Like Beckham, and Four Quartets.T-R 11:00am - 12:15pm. Four credit hours.  L.    SINGH

143f    Introduction to Scripture: Hebrew Bible/Old Testament     An introduction to the world of the texts Jews call the Tanakh and Christians often call the Old Testament. The focus will be on the original context of the texts as well as how these texts have affected history and contemporary society in the development of laws, customs, literature, film, art, and the theological beliefs of Jews and Christians. Formerly listed as Religious Studies 233. M-W 2:30pm-3:45pm. Four credit hours.  L.    MANDOLFO

181f    Conceptions of Jews and Judaism    A survey of the history of Jews and Judaism from the Biblical era through the Middle Ages. Introduces texts, beliefs, and practices that continue to influence Jewish life and thought today. Also examines medieval Christian and Islamic ideas about Jews and Judaism and their historical impact. Emphasizes the development of text analysis skills.T-R 11:00am - 12:15pm. Four credit hours.  H, I.    FREIDENREICH

187f    Jewish Identity After Auschwitz    Notions of Jewish identity changed, and multiplied, with the emergence of modern patterns of thought and the extension to Jews of political rights during the nineteenth century. These very thought patterns, however, contributed to Nazi ideology and its denial not only of Jewish rights but even of the right of Jews to live. What happened to modern notions of Jewish identity during and after the Shoah (Holocaust)? Students will develop proficiency in the analysis of texts and ideas while exploring the diversity within modern Jewish thought. Part of the three-course Integrated Studies 187, "Identity After Auschwitz."
Prerequisite: Concurrent enrollment in English 187 and German 187.
T-R 11:00am - 12:15pm. Four credit hours.  H.    FREIDENREICH

211f    Religions of India    A study of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sufism, and Sikhism with a focus upon their religious texts and the cultural context within which they developed. An examination of the relationship these religious traditions have to one another, their metaphysical understanding of reality, their theories of self, and their views of the social--as expressed in ritual, myth, art, and poetry.T-R 1:00pm - 2:15pm. Four credit hours.  S.    SINGH

217f    Religion in the U.S.A.    A historical approach to religion in the United States from the Colonial period to the present. Traces the evolution of the dominant Christian tradition and focuses upon pivotal moments in the development of American Judaism and selected indigenous traditions. Examines the diversity of contemporary American religion and the relationship between religion and popular culture.T-R 11:00 - 12:15pm. Four credit hours.  H.    CAMPBELL

297f    The Apocalyptic Imagination    "The end is near!" is a refrain that has resounded through two millennia. We will examine the origins of apocalyptic thinking in the Bible as well as non-canonical literature; as well as the ways this ancient Judeo-Christian worldview continues to permeate our society both in religious movements and popular culture, especially film and literature.M-W 1:00pm-2:15pm. Four credit hours.    MANDOLFO

312f    South Asian Women at the Crossroads: Tradition and Modernity     The departure of the British and the partition of the Indian subcontinent created a new world in which indigenous traditions, Western imperialism, and independence deeply affected women and the rise of the women's movement. A study of South Asian women who live in the subcontinent and those who have made their homes abroad, focusing on issues of gender, race, and class. In the writings of South Asian women, literary ideals, religious traditions, and societal issues overlap; caste and hierarchy, colonialism and its aftermath, sexuality, and the search for identity emerge vigorously in their speeches, novels, biographies, and poetry. W 1:00pm-3:30pm. Four credit hours.  L, I.    SINGH

336f    Topics in Catholic Studies: The Catholic Novel     An examination of the Catholic novel as an act (and investigation) of the Catholic imagination; as a variation on the Catholic memoir; as an exploration of the meaning of assimilation for Catholic immigrants; and as a plea for change in church and society. Places special emphasis on the varieties of Catholic religious experience displayed by Catholic novels and the indigenization of Catholicism in the different national settings that have produced Catholic novels, including England, France, Italy, and the United States. Prerequisite: Religious Studies 216, 236, 258, or 259.T-R 9:30am - 10:45am. Four credit hours.    CAMPBELL

483f, 484s    Religious Studies Honors Program    Research conducted under the guidance of a faculty member and focused on an approved topic leading to the writing of a thesis. Prerequisite: A 3.65 average in the major at the end of the junior year and permission of the department. Four credit hours.    FACULTY

491f, 492s    Independent Study    Individual projects in areas where the student has demonstrated the interest and competence necessary for independent work. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.One to four credit hours.    FACULTY