Religious Studies

Major Requirements

The major requires 44 credits in religious studies courses, not all of which carry the REL subject code (see Additional Courses listed after the REL courses). Of the 44 credits, 8 must be in World Religions (REL 101, 102) and 28 must be upper division. Of these upper-division credits, at least 16 must be in courses with the REL subject code.

Courses used to satisfy major requirements must be taken for letter grades and passed with a mid-C or better.

Honors in Religious Studies

Requirements for a degree with honors in religious studies typically include the following:

1. Satisfaction of the requirements for a major
2. A cumulative grade point average of 3.80 in courses taken to satisfy the major requirements
3. Formal approval of the department

The candidate for honors shall request approval no later than the second week of fall term in the senior year. Students are strongly encouraged to meet with the undergraduate advisor before applying. Application forms are available in the department office.

A faculty committee supervises the honors thesis project. Candidates typically register for 3 credits of Research (REL 401) for both fall and winter terms of the senior year to prepare for writing the thesis. Contingent on satisfactory progress, the candidate then enrolls for 4 credits of Thesis (REL 403) spring term. A first draft of the thesis must be submitted six weeks before the end of spring term and the final draft two weeks after that.

Minor Requirements

The minor in religious studies requires 24 credits, including 8 in World Religions (REL 101, 102). Of the remaining 16 credits, at least 8 must be from upper-division courses.

In the absence of a graduate program, students may work with faculty members from religious studies as well as other university departments toward an Interdisciplinary Studies: Individualized Program (IS:IP) master’s degree (MA or MS) focusing on religious studies, offered through the Graduate School. Information is available in the Graduate School section of this catalog.

Advanced Degrees in Other Departments

Faculty members in other departments may have a specialty or interest in the study of religion. Students interested in an advanced degree in these areas should apply for admission to graduate study in the relevant department. Prior contact with the faculty member is encouraged. The available degrees, faculty members, and area of specialty are listed below as a guide.

Anthropology, PhD. (general anthropology MA presupposed). Comparative religions, religion and symbol in particular cultures: Aletta Biersack, Carol T. Silverman.

Art History, MA, PhD. Buddhist art: Charles H. Lachman. Early Christian, Byzantine, Islamic art: Mary-Lyon Dolezal. Japanese art: Akiko Walley. Medieval Christian art: Richard A. Sundt.

Asian Studies, MA. Buddhism in premodern Japan: Andrew E. Goble (history). East Asian religions: Mark Unno (religious studies). Religion and thought in premodern China: Ina Asim (history), Stephen W. Durrant (East Asian languages and literatures).

Classics, MA. Classical civilization; ancient philosophy and religions in or related to ancient Greece and Rome: Jeffrey M. Hurwit (art history), Mary K. Jaeger (classics), Steven Shankman (English), Malcolm Wilson (classics).

Folklore, MA. Carol T. Silverman (anthropology), Daniel N. Wojcik (English).

History, MA, PhD. Reformation: David M. Luebke.

Sociology, MA, PhD. Sociology of religion: Marion Sherman Goldman.

101 World Religions: Asian Traditions (4) Introduction to related religious traditions of Asia, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism and Shinto. Readings in sacred texts and scholarly literature. Lecture, discussion. Unno.

102 World Religions: Near Eastern Traditions (4) Introduction to the Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity, Islam and to related traditions such as the Zoroastrian, Manichaean, Mandean, Baha’i. Lecture, discussion. Colby, Shoemaker.

199 Special Studies: [Topic] (1–5R)

211 Early Judaism (4) Development of the Jewish religion from its earliest existence until the Christian era. Falk.

222, 223 Introduction to the Bible I,II (4,4) 222: content and organization of the Hebrew scriptures (Old Testament); examination of scholarly methods and research tools used in biblical studies. Green. 223: examination of the written traditions of early Christianity with an emphasis on the New Testament. Falk.

233 Introduction to Islam (4) Islamic religious tradition, beginnings to present. Pre-Islamic Arabia, Prophet Muhammed, pillars of Islam, ethics and piety, Sunni-Shiite divide, reform and renewal movements. Colby.

253 Religion, Love, and Death (4) Examines the interplay of themes of religion, love, and death in Asian and Western literature and media.

302 Chinese Religions (4) Prehistoric roots of Chinese religion, Confucius and his followers, philosophical Daoism, Han Confucianism, religious Daoism, Chinese Buddhism, Neo-Confucianism, religion in China today. Unno. 

303 Japanese Religions (4) Early Shinto and its developments, Japanese Buddhism, transformation of Daoism and Confucianism, medieval Shinto, religion in the Tokugawa period, Nationalistic Shinto, folk religion, new religions. Unno.

304 Religions of India (4) An introduction to the major religious traditions of the Indian subcontinent: Hinduism and Buddhism, and more briefly Sikhism and Jainism.

305 Hinduism: Myth and Tradition (4) A survey of Hinduism, examining its complex system of doctrines, myths, rituals and spiritual practices, and its historical development.

317 Jesus and the Gospels (4) Considers early evidence for Jesus, including canonical and noncanonical gospels, in light of critical scholarship and historical reconstructions. Prereq: REL 223. Falk.

318 Women in Judaism (4) Women and their roles in Judaism; emphasis on early modern and contemporary eras. Texts read include historical, literary, and theoretical documents.

321, 322, 323 History of Christianity (4,4,4) Course of Christian history in East and West; relations between spirituality, doctrine, and institutional forms. 321: the ancient period, from the Apostolic Fathers to the Islamic conquests (90–650). 322: medieval Western Christianity, from the Germanic invasions to the Reformation (400–1500). 323: modern Western Christianity, from the Reformation to the present (1500 to the present). Shoemaker.

324, 325 History of Eastern Christianity (4,4) 324: Byzantine Christianity from the founding of the Christian Roman Empire to the Fall of Constantinople in the 15th century. 325: The Eastern churches from the 15th century to the present. Prereq: REL 321 or equivalent. Shoemaker. 

335 Introduction to the Qur’an (4) An introduction to the nature of the Qur’an and the various ways it has been interpreted throughout history by both Muslims and non-Muslims. Prereq: REL 233. 

353 Dark Self, East and West (4) Comparative examination of selfhood in Eastern and Western religious thought and cultural contexts. Focus on dark side or problematic dimensions of Buddhist, Christian, Daoist, Jewish, and other thought. Unno.

355 Mysticism (4) The experiential or mystical dimensions of the three major Abrahamic faiths. Exploration of the original writings of men and women from each spiritual tradition. Colby. 

399 Special Studies: [Topic] (1–5R)

401 Research: [Topic] (1–4R)

403 Thesis (1–4R)

405 Reading and Conference: [Topic] (1–4R)

407/507 Seminar: [Topic] (1–4R)

408/508 Colloquium: [Topic] (1–4R)

409 Supervised Tutoring (1–4R)

410/510 Experimental Course: [Topic] (1–4R)

412/512 Dead Sea Scrolls: [Topic] (4R) Exploration of the Dead Sea Scrolls literature. Focus on either biblical texts and the development of the Hebrew Bible or nonbiblical texts and sectarian Judaism. Prereq: REL 211. R once when topic changes for a maximum of 8 credits. Falk. 

414/514 Biblical Book: [Topic] (4R) Close reading of one or more books of the Judeo-Christian Bible in literary, historical, and cultural contexts; history of interpretation; and critical scholarship. Prereq: REL 222 or 223. R twice when topic changes for a maximum of 12 credits. Falk. 

420/520 Jewish and Christian Spiritual Autobiographies (4) Explores autobiographies written by Christians and Jews from late antiquity to the present. Emphasis on history of western spirituality and focus on Jewish and Christian religious commonalities and differences. 

424/524 Early and Medieval Christian Heresy (4) Survey of various heretical beliefs from early medieval Christian history; examines alternative visions of Christian Truth, and the formation from heterodoxy of orthodoxy. Shoemaker.

426/526 Sex and Gender in Early Christianity (4) Study of how and why certain early Christians sought, successfully, to normalize certain interrelated cultural constructions of gender, the body, and sexuality. Shoemaker.

432/532 Islamic Mysticism: [Topic] (4R) Inner dimensions of Islamic piety and righteousness, from the Koranic and prophetic foundations to principal thinkers in the medieval Arabic and Persian Sufi traditions. R twice for maximum of 12 credits. (Repeatable under the following conditions: when taught with different content, which rotates among three different authors.) Colby.

435/535 Advanced Study of the Qur’an: [Topic] (4R) Close reading of a section of the Qur’an in terms of its literary, historical, and cultural contexts, history of interpretation, and critical scholarship. Sequence with REL 335. Prereq: REL 335. R when topic changes.

440/540 Readings in Buddhist Scriptures (4) Readings in representative scriptures in English translation. Selection based on their import in development of Indian Buddhist philosophy and their impact on evolution of East Asian forms of Buddhism. Unno. 

444/544 Medieval Japanese Buddhism (4) Medieval Japanese Buddhism of the 12th and 13th centuries. Examination of religious thought and cultural history including Zen and Pure Land. Unno.

605 Reading and Conference: [Topic] (1–16R)

608 Colloquium: [Topic] (1–16R)

609 Supervised Tutoring (1–16R)

Additional Courses

For descriptions of the following courses, see the listed departmental sections of this catalog.

Art History. Chinese Buddhist Art (ARH 387), Japanese Buddhist Art (ARH 397), Early Christian Art (ARH 430/530), Byzantine Art (ARH 431/531), Romanesque Sculpture (ARH 432/532), Gothic Sculpture (ARH 433/533), Islamic Art and Architecture (ARH 490/590)

English. The Bible and Literature (ENG 421/521)

Folklore. Folklore and Religion (FLR 411/511), Folklore and Mythology of the British Isles (FLR 483/583)

Geography. Geography of Religion (GEOG 446/546)

History. Early Middle Ages in Europe (HIST 319), High Middle Ages in Europe (HIST 320), Late Middle Ages in Europe (HIST 321), The Crusades (HIST 322), American Jewish History (HIST 358), Religious Life in the United States (HIST 359), 16th-Century European Reformations (HIST 441/541), Early Japanese Culture and Society: Buddhism and Society in Medieval Japan; Medieval Japan (HIST 498/598)

International Studies. Development and the Muslim World (INTL 423/523)

Judaic Studies. Medieval and Early Modern Judaism (JDST 212), The Jewish Encounter with Modernity (JDST 213)

Philosophy. Philosophy of Religion (PHIL 320)

Sociology. Sociology of Religion (SOC 461/561)

Arabic Courses (ARB)

101, 102, 103 First-Year Arabic (5,5,5) Introduction to Arabic with emphasis on speaking, reading, writing, and comprehension. Sequence.

201, 202, 203 Second-Year Arabic (5,5,5) Development of Arabic speaking, reading, writing, and comprehension; study of short literary and cultural materials. Sequence. Prereq for 201: ARB 103 or equivalent.

301, 302, 303 Language and Culture (4,4,4) Provides third-year-level Arabic proficiency and substantially adds to the vocabulary base. Activates and augments grammar structures of modern spoken Arabic, colloquial Egyptian Arabic, and the study of Arabic culture. Sequence. Prereq: ARB 203. 

331 Reading Classical Arabic (4) Improves students’ abilities to work with classical Arabic texts; serves as a gateway to other classical Arabic text courses. Prereq: ARB 202 or equivalent.

399 Special Studies: [Topic] (1–5R)

405 Reading and Conference: [Topic] (1–5R)

407/507 Seminar: [Topic] (1–5R)

409 Practicum: [Topic] (1–5R)

410/510 Experimental Course: [Topic] (1–5R)