Undergraduate Programs

Course Descriptions

Please refer to the Undergraduate Bulletin for a complete listing of our courses. For courses offered in spring 2008, visit the Dean of the Faculties descriptions for Fall 2008 Religious Studies Courses.

Nearly all Religious Studies courses count toward the Arts and Humanities (A&H) distribution area for the College of Arts and Sciences (COLL). Several Religious Studies courses also carry COLL Culture Studies List A (CSA) credit. In addition to the courses listed below, the department also offers the COLL Topics course E103 each semester.

Critical Issues Courses

R102 Religion and Popular Culture, A&H
R170 Religion, Ethics and Public Life, A&H
R236 Religion, Ecology and the Self , A&H
R264 Introduction to the Study of Religion, A&H
R271 American Religion and Politics, A&H
R333 Religion and Its Critics, A&H
R340 Contemporary Religious Thought, A&H
R360 Comparative Study of Religious Phenomena, A&H
R362 Religion in Literature, A&H
R364 Feminist Critique of Western Religion, A&H
R365 Religion and Personality, A&H
R371 Religion, Ethics and the Environment, A&H
R372 Love and Justice, A&H
R373 Religion and Bioethics, A&H
R374 From Christian Ethics to Social Criticism I, A&H
R375 From Christian Ethics to Social Criticism II, A&H
R376 War and Peace in Western Religion, A&H
R377 Friendship, Benevolence, and Love, A&H
R380 Faith, Revelation, and Reason, A&H
R387 Religions in Practice: Social Theories of Religion
R411 Relgion and Media, S&H
R462 Topics in Religious Philosophy, A&H
R465 Topics in Psychology of Religion, A&H
R473 Problems in Social Ethics, A&H
R474 Capstone Seminar in Religion, A&H

Eastern Religious Traditions Courses

R153 Religions of the East, A&H, CSA
R203 Zen Buddhism, A&H, CSA
R250 Introduction to Buddhism, A&H, CSA
R348 Hindu Goddesses, A&H, CSA
R349 Hindu Devotionalism, A&H, CSA
R350 East Asian Buddhism, A&H, CSA
R352 Religion and Literature in Asia, A&H
R357 Religions in Japan, A&H, CSA
R358 Hinduism, A&H, CSA
R368 Introduction to Chinese Thought, A&H, CSA
R369 The Taoist Tradition, A&H, CSA
R382 Women in South Asian Religious Traditions, A&H, CSA
R450 Topics in the Buddhist Tradition, A&H
R452 Topics in East Asian Religions, A&H, CSA
R454 Tantric Traditions of India, A&H, CSA
R458 Topics in Hindu Religious Traditions, A&H
R469 Topics in Taoism and Chinese Religions, A&H, CSA

Western Religious Traditions Courses

R152 Introduction to Religions of the West, A&H, CSA
R160 Religion and American Culture, A&H
R180 Introduction to Christianity, A&H
R204 Introduction to Religions in Africa, A&H
R210 Introduction to the Hebrew Bible: Old Testament, A&H, CSA
R220 Introduction to the New Testament, A&H, CSA
R235 The Liberal Tradition in U.S. Religious History, A&H
R245 Introduction to Judaism, A&H, CSA
R257 Introduction to Islam, A&H, CSA
R307 Messianism and Messiahs in Comparative Perspective, A&H, CSA
R310 Prophecy of Ancient Israel, A&H, CSA
R311 Narrative in the Hebrew Bible, A&H
R317 Judaism in the Making, A&H, CSA
R318 Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Religions, A&H, CSA
R320 Jesus and the Gospels, A&H
R321 African American Religions, A&H
R322 Women and Religion in America, A&H
R323 Early Christian Monasticism, A&H, CSA
R324 Race, Religion and Ethnicity in the U.S., S&H
R325 Paul and His Influence in Early Christianity, A&H
R327 Christianity, 50-450, A&H
R330 Christianity, 400-1500, A&H
R331 Christianity, 1500-2000, A&H
R334 New Religious Movements in the Americas, A&H
R335 Religion in the United States, 1600-1850, A&H
R336 Religion in the United States, 1850-present, A&H
R337 Evangelical America, A&H
R341 Introduction to Jewish Mysticism, A&H, CSA
R342 Religious Thought in Medieval Judaism, A&H
R345 Religious Issues in Contemporary Judaism, A&H, CSA
R356 Islamic Mysticism, A&H, CSA
R367 Shi'ite Islam, A&H, CSA
R370 Islam in America, S&H
R378 Knowing the Will of God in Islam I: Law, A&H
R410 Topics in Ancient Israelite Religion, A&H
R420 Relgions of Ancient Rome, A&H
R421 Judaism and Gender: Philosophical and Theological Perspectives, A&H, CSA
R425 Gnostic Religion and Literature, A&H
R427 The Bible and Slavery, A&H, CSA
R430 Topics in the History of Christianity, A&H
R432 Religious Diversity in America, A&H
R434 Topics in American Religious History, A&H
R436 Modernisms and Fundamentalisms, A&H
R438 Martin King and Malcolm X in American Religion, A&H
R445 Topics in the History of Judaism, A&H
R456 Topics in Islamic Studies, A&H, CSA
R467 Life and Legacy of Muhammod, A&H
R468 Knowing the Will of God in Islam II: Theology, A&H

Special Courses

R201 Honors Proseminar in Religion, A&H
R202 Topics in Religious Studies, A&H
R300 Studies in Religion, A&H
R399 Reading for Honors/R499 Senior Honors Essay
R494 Teaching Internship
R495 Individual Research Internship
R497 Language Instruction for Religious Texts
R498 Advanced Language Instruction for Religious Texts