2019-2020 University Catalog

May 16, 2024

2019-2020 University Catalog archived

Course Descriptions

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Religion
	REL 132 - God and Goddess in Hinduism FDR: HU Credits: 3 This course explores the many ways in which Hindus visualize and talk about the divine and its manifestations in the world through mythic stories, use of images in worship, explanations of the nature of the soul and body in relation to the divine, and the belief in human embodiments of the divine in Hindu holy men and women. Topics include: the religious meanings of masculine and feminine in the divine and human contexts; the idea of local, family, and “chosen” divinities; and differing forms of Hindu devotion for men and women. Lubin.
	REL 152 - Christianity and Modern Culture FDR: HU Credits: 3 A study of Christian thought and cultures in the period from the Reformation to the early 20th Century. Particular emphasis is placed on the challenges posed to the foundation of religious belief and practice in a modern context and the Christian responses to these challenges. Kosky.
	REL 153 - Jesus in Fact, Fiction, and Film FDR: HU Credits: 3 A study of representations of Jesus in history, fiction, and film and the ways in which they both reflect and generate diverse cultural identities from antiquity to the present. The course begins with the historical Jesus and controversies about his identity in antiquity and then focuses on parallel controversies in modern and postmodern fiction and film. Readings include early Christian literature (canonical and non-canonical), several modern novels and works of short fiction, and theoretical works on the relationship of literature to religion. In addition, we study several cinematic treatments of Jesus dating from the beginnings of filmmaking to the present. Brown.
	REL 172 - Muslims in the Movies (HIST 172) FDR: HU Credits: 3 An examination of the history of visual representation of Islam and Muslims in classical and modern cinema. We approach movies produced by both Muslims and non-Muslims over the last century as historical sources: visual monuments that have captured the specific cultural and political context in which they were produced. We examine a selection of these movies through the lens of critical theory and the study of religion in order to pay attention to how questions surrounding identity and representation, race and gender, Orientalism and perceptions of difference have historically influenced and continue to influence cinematic images of Islam. Atanasova.
	REL 175 - Beginning Biblical Hebrew I Credits: 1 Graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory. In this course, students develop an introductory knowledge of classical (biblical) Hebrew grammar and vocabulary, and of how biblical language expresses itself in selected biblical passages. Student learn to read and translate simple narrative prose from the Hebrew Bible, and gain a more nuanced understanding of the life and thought of the ancient Israelites through their own language. Staff.
	REL 176 - Beginning Biblical Hebrew II Credits: 1 Graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory. In this course, students develop an introductory knowledge of classical (biblical) Hebrew grammar and vocabulary, and of how biblical language expresses itself in selected biblical passages. Student learn to read and translate simple narrative prose from the Hebrew Bible, and gain a more nuanced understanding of the life and thought of the ancient Israelites through their own language. Staff.
	REL 180 - FS: First-Year Seminar Credits: 3 credits in Fall and Winter, 4 credits in Spring Prerequisite: First-Year class standing. First-year seminar. Topics vary by term.
	REL 195 - Special Topics in Religion FDR: HU Credits: 3 credits in fall or winter, 4 in spring A course offered from time to time in a selected problem or topic in religion. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different. Spring 2020, REL 195-01: From Anti-Judaism to Anti-Semitism (3). In this course, we encounter and analyze the forms and histories of anti-Jewishness. The course tracks from Judaeophobia in the ancient world to anti-Semitism in the contemporary world, with a focus on three moments: first, the Mediterranean world at the birth of Christian empire; second, the Holocaust in historical and ideological context; and third, anti-Semitism in America, from Henry Ford’s anti-Semitic conspiracy theories to the Pittsburgh Tree of Life shooting. In the process we ask some hard questions. What is the connection between anti-Semitism and racial thought? What is the difference between anti-Semitism and anti-Judaism? How does Christian religion intersect with anti-Semitism? How have Jewish people responded to hostility and attack, and how has suffering and loss been memorialized? (HU) Chalmers. Fall 2019, REL 195A-01: Special Topic: Corporeal Religion: The Body in Judaism (3). Bodies matter. This is true for Jewish identity as well, both in terms of traditional practices (such as circumcision and menstrual impurity) and body-related discourses (like the process by which American Jews became racially white). This course explores the traditions and practices of Jewish life, as well as the problems and possibilities of Jewish identities, through a specific focus on the body: how it has been perceived, how it has been targeted for violence, how it has been shaped and formed within Jewish tradition, and how it intersects with race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and religion. (HU) Chalmers.
	REL 201 - The Sacred in Music: The Liberal Arts as Portal to the Sacred FDR: HU Credits: 4 This course offers an immersion in the sacred music of the West, viewed through the lens of the liberal-arts tradition and considers the liberal arts as a portal to the sacred. We begin with Pythagoras and his monochord in the portal of Chartres Cathedral and progress through the development of melody, harmony, and rhythm from early chant (Hebrew and Christian) to Bach choral music (The Passion According to John) and finally to the American forms of Spiritual, Sacred Harp, and American Opera. While attentive to contributions from science, philosophy. psychology and religious theory concerning the connection of music to religious experience, we also take advantage of musical performances in the area and, with the help of professional conductors and musicologists, perform music ourselves. Brown.
	REL 205 - Self-Help, Happiness, and a Good Life FDR: HU Credits: 3 An exploration of the meaning and experience of a good life and the pursuit of happiness in various social, cultural, and historical forms, with special attention paid to addressing the contemporary starting point of concerned individuals and societies. Course material is drawn from philosophy, psychology, sociology, economics, medicine, and religion. Students address questions like: “Are philosophies, religions, and works of art or literature reducible to or interpretable as forms of self-help?”; “How has modern science and technology shaped the pursuit of happiness?”; “What is it like to live in a world in which we might feel a ‘duty to be happy’”? Kosky.
	REL 207 - Nature and Place (ENV 207) FDR: HU Credits: 3 Through a consideration of work drawn from diverse disciplines including philosophy, religious studies, literature, art, and anthropology, this course explores a variety of ideas about and experiences of nature and place. Kosky.
	REL 209 - Travel, Mythic and Modern FDR: HU Credits: 3 This course approaches the subject of “travel” through a historically and culturally diverse set of readings: Narratives in which travel was interpreted and experienced through religious concepts, such as Ramayana, Journey to the West, shamanic soul travel, and pilgrimage; narratives in which travel has been clearly detached from religious meaning, such as Darwin’s voyage on the Beagle and Nellie Bly’s trip around the world in 1889-90; and examples of traditional and new-age “spirituality” in recent travel tales. Along the way, we study a range of academic interpretations of travel: phenomenological analysis of travel experience, advice on seeing one’s surroundings, a philosophy of encountering “the Other,” and sociological analysis of “religious” and “heritage” tourism and of college students studying abroad. Class is discussion-centered. An experiential component includes brief individual and group travel experiments (including a group rafting trip on the James River led by James Dick), travel “through” film, a panel of “professors who travel,” and various journal assignments. Written assignments include the journal, individual research on a travel book, and midterm and final essays. Staff.
	REL 210 - Approaches to the Study of Religion FDR: HU Credits: 3 A study of approaches to understanding religious life and thought as found in selected writings in anthropology, philosophy, psychology, sociology, theology, and comparative religion. Staff.
	REL 213 - Perspectives on Death and Dying FDR: HU Credits: 3 Should not be repeated by those students who have taken this class as REL 180 or 181 or WRIT 100: FY Writ Seminar: Shadow of Death. A comparison of ways in which various religious traditions, as well as modern secular writers, describe and conceive of death and the meaning of life in the face of our human mortality. Students study memoirs, philosophy, poetry, novels, scripture, essays, and film, and write a journal and essays. Includes guest speakers and visits to a funeral home and cemetery. Staff.
	REL 214 - Religion and Existentialism (PHIL 214) FDR: HU Credits: 3 A consideration of the accounts of human existence (faith and doubt; death and being-in-the-world; anxiety, boredom, and hope; sin and evil; etc.) elaborated by philosophers, theologians, and literary figures in the 19th and 20th centuries. The central figures considered are Søren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche. Attention is paid to their significance for future philosophers, theologians, artists, and literary figures, and consideration may also be paid to forerunners in earlier centuries. Kosky.
	REL 215 - Female and Male in Western Religious Traditions FDR: HU Credits: 3 An investigation of views about the body, human sexuality, and gender in Western religious traditions, especially Judaism and Christianity, and of the influences of these views both on the religious traditions themselves and on the societies in which they develop. The course focuses on religion and society in antiquity and the Middle Ages, but also considers the continuing influence of religious constructions of the body and sexuality on succeeding generations to the present. Brown.
	REL 216 - Sainthood in Four Traditions FDR: HU Credits: 3 A survey of sainthood in a variety of religious contexts: Christian, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist. The course asks: “What makes someone holy? How do saints behave? How and why are they worshipped?” Readings include sacred biographies (hagiographies), studies of particular traditions of saint worship, and interpretations of sainthood in both theological and cross-cultural perspectives. Lubin.
	REL 218 - Heidegger and Being in the World (PHIL 218) FDR: HU Credits: 3 This course explores the work of Martin Heidegger and the development of its themes in the work of select philosophical, literary, and/or film artists. A close reading of the magisterial account of being in the world in Being and Time is followed by careful study of representative essays from his later work. After our reading of Heidegger, we consider the literary, cinematic, and/or philosophical work of major 20th- and 21st-century artists who let us reflect on the possibilities and/or problems that his account of being in the world poses for ethical, religious, and existential concern. Kosky.
	REL 219 - Augustine and the Literature of Self, Soul, and Synapses (LIT 219) FDR: HL Credits: 3 Prerequisite: Completion of FW requirement. A careful reading of the depiction of the restless soul in Augustine’s Confessions is followed by study of fictional, philosophical, religious, and/or scientific literature. Students reflect on the state of the soul in a world made of selves or the fate of the self in a soulless world … and whether there might be other options Kosky.
	REL 220 - Whose Law? Pluralism. Conflict, and Justice FDR: SS4 Credits: 3 Society is made up of schools, corporations, religions, guilds, associations, tribes, etc., each defined by a set of more-or-less formal rules that apply in various ways depending on the status of each member. Individuals are thus subject to overlapping obligations and claims, so authorities often come into conflict. This is legal pluralism. This seminar explores the various ways in which such interactions can play out in a range of social, religious, and political environments, and how they can affect people of different statuses differently. Examples range from the Roman empire, the Middle East and South Asia, past and present, to the modern United States and Europe. In each case, we examine the ways in which legal status is defined in relation to the state, religious community, ethnicity or race, and social class. Given different, overlapping, conflicting claims to authority, rights, and obligations, how is justice to be defined, and how can it be served? Lubin.
	REL 221 - Sociology of Religion (SOAN 221) FDR: HU Credits: 3 Theories of the origin and functions of religion; institutionalization of religious belief, behavior, and social organization; conditions in which religion maintains social stability and/or generates social change. Eastwood.
	REL 222 - Law and Religion (LAW 355) FDR: SS4 Credits: 3 Open to undergraduates and law students. Drawing on examples from diverse periods and legal cultures, this seminar addresses “law” and “religion” as two realms of life that have much shared history and continue to intersect in the modern world. Several important topics in comparative law and jurisprudence are covered, including authority and legitimacy, the relation between custom and statute, legal pluralism, church-state relations, and competing models of constitutional secularism. A selective survey of legal systems and practices rooted in particular religious traditions is followed by an examination of how secular legal systems conceptualize religion and balance the protection of religious freedom with their standards of equity and neutrality. Lubin.
	REL 223 - Ancient Greek Religion (CLAS 223) FDR: HU Credits: 3 In this course, we examine the strange and wonderful world of ancient Greek religion, beginning with stories of the gods that all Greeks knew: Homer and Hesiod. We then study religion on the ground, examining how religion functioned at a number of sanctuaries and shrines in Greece. Topics covered in this course include ancient conceptions of the cosmos; the nature of Greek deities and heroes; the distinction between myth and religion; the art and architecture of sanctuaries; ritual performances and festivals; ritual sacrifice; sacred games; oracles; the underworld; sacred mysteries; women and religion; and the socio-political role of Greek ritual practice. Laughy.
	REL 224 - American Indian Religions, Landscapes, and Identities (SOAN 224) FDR: HU Credits: 3 Drawing on a combination of scholarly essays, native accounts, videos, guest lectures, and student presentations, this seminar examines the religious assumptions and practices that bind American Indian communities to their traditional homelands. The seminar elucidates and illustrates those principles concerning human environmental interactions common to most Indian tribes; focuses on the traditional beliefs and practices of a particular Indian community that reflected and reinforced the community understanding of the relationship to be maintained with the land and its creatures; and examines the moral and legal disputes that have arisen out of the very different presuppositions which Indians and non- Indians hold regarding the environment. Markowitz.
	REL 225 - Magic, Science, and Religion FDR: HU Credits: 3 How do religious and scientific explanations and methods of inquiry differ? What are the roles of reason and authority in each case? This course draws together materials from antiquity to the present, from the West and from Asia, to illustrate a variety of types of “systems of knowledge.” Theoretical readings are balanced with diverse case studies from diverse contexts: religious doctrines, mystical practices, alchemy, astrology, sorcery, “traditional medicines,” and modern religious movements. Students research a system of their choice and analyze its claims and methods in comparison with those of other traditions covered in the course. Lubin.
	REL 226 - Death and Immortality in the Ancient World FDR: HU Credits: 3 According to Egyptologist Jan Assmann, “All culture is a struggle against oblivion.” How, then, might different cultures respond to the potential oblivion caused by death - the loss of personhood, the deterioration of the body, and the fading memories of those who have die? What rituals and ideologies preserve memories of the dead among the living? Is this commemoration a kind of immortality? In this course, we explore such questions and critically examine the nature of memory as it relates to ancient conceptions of death and afterlife. Through close analysis of epic narrative, ritual texts, and material culture, we compare traditions from different regions, including Mesopotamia, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Greece, and Rome, in order to better appreciate the rich diversity of human responses to death in the ancient worlds. All ancient texts are read in translation. Sonia.
	REL 231 - Yogis, Monks, and Mystics in India FDR: HU Credits: 3 Yogis, ascetics, and other holy people pursue extraordinary paths that invert the normal aims and values of society. This course surveys ideas on mental and physical training; their conceptual basis; the range of techniques used; and their philosophical development. Course material is drawn from a diverse range of religions that may include Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Islamic, and Christian. The course seeks to answer such questions as: “What is the purpose of these teachings and for whom were they designed?” “What roles do yogis and ascetics play in religious life?” and “What is their ethical status in the world?” Lubin.
	REL 235 - Religions of the Silk Road: Gods in Transit FDR: HU Credits: 3 An examination of how deities and religious ideas and practices spread from one place to another through cultural, commercial, and political networks and interactions in the ancient and medieval world, and how this constituted a form of premodern globalization. The history of religions, from antiquity to the present day, is full of cases of a religion traveling from one place to another. The circumstances vary: it may happen as part of a conquest or colonization, or more peacefully through the work of missionaries or wandering monks, or as a by-product of trade or professional contacts. We highlight a series of case studies drawn from the full sweep of the Silk Road, from the eastern Mediterranean and Near East to eastern Central Asia, along with the parallel network of Indian Ocean routes Lubin.
	REL 246 - Caste at the Intersection of Economy, Religion, and Law (ECON 246) FDR: SS4 Experiential Learning (EXP): YES Credits: 4 Prerequisite: Instructor consent. ECON 100 or 101 required only for credit as an elective in the Economics major. Social stratification touches every aspect of life, and South Asia’s traditional caste structure is a special case: this highly complex, strictly-adhered-to system has been religiously legitimized and criticized over a 3,000-year history, and is nowadays seen as being at odds with the modern world. Yet it remains a crucial factor in social identity, economic roles, legal status, and religious practice. This course offers a 360-degree survey of caste both historically and in practice today in Nepal. The course addresses four themes, respectively providing for each a combination of historical background, social scientific analysis of the modern situation, and direct field experience for the students. Lubin, Silwal.
	REL 250 - Truth, Belief, Dissent: Defining Insiders and Outsiders in Ancient, Medieval and Modern Religion FDR: HU Credits: 3 Open to all students regardless of class year or major. Who decides what is orthodox [acceptable thought] and what is heretical [unacceptable], how are these decisions made, and what impact do they have on societal definitions of “insider” and “outsider?” What perennial questions emerge in debates about orthodoxy and heresy – e.g., the powers of states to enforce religious orthodoxy, the joining of political ideologies with religious interests – and how are those questions addressed in modernity? This course explores the shifting and perpetually uncertain boundaries of truth and identity in religion. The focal religion is Christianity, but comparative religions are in view. Readings include selections from the Hebrew Scriptures, the New Testament, “Gnostic gospels”, and other so-called heretical texts, writings from the Church Fathers (with special attention to St. Augustine), medieval heresy trials, a contemporary American novel, and recent scholarly treatments of the boundaries that define “insiders” and “outsiders.” Brown.
	REL 260 - Seminar in the Christian Tradition FDR: HU Credits: 3 An introduction to perduring issues in Christian theology and ethics through study of one or more of the classical Christian theologians. Staff.
	REL 262 - The Bible, the Enlightenment and its Aftermath FDR: HU Credits: 4 A study of how the Bible influenced the thought and culture of the Enlightenment, broadly conceived, and how various Enlightenment ideas and figures influenced the reading of the Bible both in the Enlightenment Age itself and into the succeeding centuries. Brown.
	REL 270 - Biblical Job and His Modern Masks FDR: HU Credits: 4 This course combines study, performance, and creative writing. We study the biblical Book of Job in relation to other wisdom writings in the Hebrew Bible, and then some later Jewish and Christian interpretations. Students write about a theme in the Book of Job and perform a significant passage. Afterwards, we read several modern retellings of the book such as MacLeish’s J.B., Wiesel’s Trial of God, Sholem Aleichem’s Tevye stories, and the Danish film Adam’s Apples. The final student project is a personal and creative retelling of the book in a contemporary setting. Lastly, students perform, with another member of the class, a critical scene from their compositions. Staff.
	REL 271 - Islam in America: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness (HIST 271) FDR: HU Credits: 3 From the discourse on the War on Terror, to debates about Muslim women’s dress, Islam in America has attracted the attention of journalists, activists, government officials, and scholars of religion. This course takes a critical-historical approach to the topic by examining key themes in the history of Islam in America: the lives of enslaved African Muslims in the Antebellum period and the Founding Fathers’ visions of Islam; the immigrant experience of Arab Muslims at the turn of the 20th century; the role of Muslim organizations in the Civil Rights movement; and, the changing representations of American Muslims after the Gulf War and post-9/11. In interrogating the history of Islam in America, we specifically pay attention to the ways in which religion, gender, class, race, and citizenship continue to inform representations of Muslims in the U.S. Atanasova.
	REL 273 - Modern Jewish Literature in Translation (LIT 273) FDR: HL Credits: 3 Prerequisite: Completion of FW requirements. Readings in the works of 20th-century Jewish authors, studied as literary responses to the historical and religious crises of modern Jewish life in Europe, the United States, and Israel. Staff.
	REL 275 - God and the Holocaust FDR: HU Credits: 3 Through drama, poetry, theology, memoir, book-inspired films, and short fiction composed by Holocaust victims and later writers, this discussion-centered course explores how Jews have addressed the question, “Where was God during the Holocaust?” Their answers range from acquiescent faith to angry rejection, and to paradoxical wrestling with an absent God. We begin with the biblical books of Job and Lamentations as well as traditional Jewish writings about national catastrophes and the Messiah, to learn how they addressed the problem of undeserved suffering. We compare these ancient ideas with our main topic of study: the ideas and experiences of modern Jews confronting the theological problem of the Holocaust. Staff.
	REL 281 - Modern Islamic Thought FDR: HU Credits: 3 A study of Islamic religious movements and representative religious writings of the past two centuries, with focus upon “fundamentalist” or “revivalist” writings and upon recent authors responding to them. Atanasova.
	REL 283 - Sufism: Islamic Mysticism FDR: HU Credits: 3 This course explores the mystical expressions and institutions known as Sufism within the Islamic community. Topics include the elaboration of Sufism from the core tenets of Islam; Sufi practices of ecstasy and discipline; the artistic and literary products of the Sufi experience; the institutions of Sufi orders, saints, shrines, and popular practices; and the debates among Muslims over the place of Sufism within the greater tradition of Islam. Atanasova.
	REL 284 - Gender, Sexuality, and Islam FDR: HU Credits: 3 How have issues of gender and sexuality in Medieval and Modern Islamic societies been debated across the Middle East, South Asia, and the West? Students examine scholarly and public discussions of gender and Islam, and they build a vocabulary in which to talk about women. queer, and intersex history as they concern Muslim societies and their foundational sources in their regional and historical contexts. No prior knowledge of Islam is necessary. Atanasova.
	REL 285 - Introduction to American Indian Religions (SOAN 285) FDR: HU Credits: 3 This class introduces students to some of the dominant themes, values, beliefs, and practices found among the religions of North America’s Indian peoples. The first part of the course explores the importance of sacred power, landscape, and community in traditional Indian spiritualities and rituals. It then examines some of the changes that have occurred in these traditions as a result of western expansion and dominance from the 18th through early 20th centuries. Lastly, the course considers some of the issues and problems confronting contemporary American Indian religions. Markowitz.
	REL 295 - Special Topics in Religion FDR: HU Credits: 3 credits in fall or winter, 4 in spring Prerequisite varies according to the topic. A course offered from time to time in a selected problem or topic in religion. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different. Winter 2020, REL 295A-01: Rise of Religion and Fall of Rome (3). Over the first six centuries CE, a disparate assortment of texts from the eastern Mediterranean - eventually known as the New Testament - were written, composed, collected, and became authoritative for communicating a religious identity: Christian. Simultaneously, Jewish communities from Spain to Central Asia went on living their lives, with the communities of Palestine and Babylonia ultimately producing a regulatory literature - the Talmud - that would revolutionize Jewish religion. Neither existed in a vacuum. This is an exploration of some of our earliest and richest opportunities for understanding how Christianity and Judaism became global phenomena. We focus on vibrant local and trans-local narratives: martyrs, magic, the Holy Land, halakha, magicians, and heretics. We travel not only the traditional hunting grounds of this period (Italy, Gaul, and what became northern Europe) but also late Roman Syria, Egypt, Palestine, and Ethiopia. How were the important events in the period relived and rewritten by those who followed, including Iraqi clerics and the first women playwright of the Middle Ages? And what can we learn by rethinking the big questions we ask of this period - of decline, fall, rise, conquest, and religious competition? (HU) Chalmers.
	REL 296 - Seminar in Religion, Ethics, and Law FDR: HU Credits: 3 A consideration of human practices in pursuit of the good and the good life with an eye toward understanding the interaction of these practices with social, cultural, and institutional powers and authorities. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different. Staff.
	REL 333 - Meditation and Self-Knowledge FDR: HU Credits: 4 For 2,500 years, Hindus and Buddhists have promoted meditation as a means to attain insight and liberation from suffering, a state sometimes understood in terms of divinity or Buddha-nature. Meditation has also been adopted by some in the West during the last century, often for psychological or physical benefits apart from any devotional context. What had traditionally been a practice of ordained monks was popularized in the West, a trend that then caught on in Asia as well. We look at the origins of meditative practices in Asian traditions using primary sources, social context, and personal experience of basic meditative techniques. The course concludes by noting that some contemporary neuroscientists are looking to meditation to better understand mind, brain, emotion, and cognition. Lubin.
	REL 335 - Hindu Law in Theory and Practice (LAW 335) FDR: HU Credits: 3 India produced one of the oldest legal systems in the world — one that offers some surprising contrasts with modern assumptions about the nature and scope of the law. Combining ethical and ritual obligations alongside rules for criminal and civil litigation, it was intended to cover every aspect of life, from personal habits to political institutions. The course begins with the ancient codes, Indian political theory, and documents from everyday legal practice in medieval times. The second half of the course begins with colonial-era British attempts to codify Hindu law; Hindu personal law in modern India; and the controversy over religion and secularism in the courts today, including the constitutional definition of “Hindu;” attempts to legislate against disapproved religious practices; and disputes over sacred spaces. We close with comparisons with legal reasoning about religion in America, Israel, and England, based on court cases. Lubin.
	REL 340 - Seminar in Asian Religions FDR: HU Credits: 3 Prerequisite: One course in Asian religions or instructor consent. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different. A study of specific topics in Asian religion and society. Lubin.
	REL 350 - Seminar in Biblical Studies FDR: HU Credits: 3 Prerequisite: REL 101, 102, 151 250, or coursework in ancient history or classics, or instructor consent. An exploration of a topic in Biblical studies, focusing on ancient texts and their interpreters from antiquity to the present. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.
	REL 351 - Seminar in Biblical Studies FDR: HL Credits: 3 Prerequisite: Previous coursework in religion, classics, philosophy or ancient history recommended. An exploration of a topic in Biblical studies, focusing on ancient texts and their interpreters from antiquity to the present. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.
	REL 381 - Islamic Law in Society (LAW 323) FDR: HU Credits: 3 Prerequisite: Instructor consent. This seminar introduces students to the Islamic understanding of shari’a (“Path,” “law”) and its role in Muslim culture, history, and society. To be examined are: the key sources of law in the Qur’an and the model of the Prophet Muhammad, the early development of Islamic legal theories and institutions, the roles of these institutions in everyday life, and the struggle to re-imagine Islamic law and its place in contemporary Muslim communities. Case studies include the nature of political institutions, the rights and roles of women, and Islamic economics, courtroom procedure and the standing of shari’a in American courts. Atanasova.
	REL 387 - Visions and Beliefs in the West of Ireland (ENGL 387) FDR: HU Credits: 4 Prerequisite: INTR 301. Experiential Learning. This course immerses the student in the literature, religious traditions, history, and culture of Ireland. The primary focus of the course is on Irish literary expressions and religious beliefs and traditions, from the pre-historic period to the modem day, with a particular emphasis on the modem (early 20th-century) Irish world. Readings are coordinated with site visits, which range from prehistoric and Celtic sites to early and medieval Christian sites to modem Irish life. Major topics and authors include Yeats and Mysticism, St. Brendan’s Pilgrimage, Folklore and Myth, Lady Gregory and Visions, Religion in Irish Art, the Blasket Island storytellers, the Mystic Island, and others. Brown, Conner.
	REL 395 - Advanced Seminar in Religion FDR: HU Credits: 3 Prerequisite will vary according to the topic. An advanced seminar offered from time to time, depending on student interest and staff availability, in a selected problem or topic in religion. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different. Staff.
	REL 399 - Senior Seminar Credits: 3 Prerequisite: Senior religion major. This course begins with consideration of the nature of the study of religion. The remainder of the course is devoted to the writing of an independent research project. Students will continue to meet for discussion of work in progress and instruction in the craft of researching and writing a long, multi-source independent research project. Staff.
	REL 401 - Directed Individual Study Credits: 1 Subject to departmental approval and available departmental resources, this course provides an opportunity for individuals to pursue significant lines of independent study in the field of religion. May be repeated for degree credit with permission and if the topics are different. Staff.
	REL 402 - Directed Individual Study Credits: 2 Subject to departmental approval and available departmental resources, this course provides an opportunity for individuals to pursue significant lines of independent study in the field of religion. May be repeated for degree credit with permission and if the topics are different. Staff.
	REL 403 - Directed Individual Study Credits: 3 Subject to departmental approval and available departmental resources, this course provides an opportunity for individuals to pursue significant lines of independent study in the field of religion. May be repeated for degree credit with permission and if the topics are different. Staff.
	REL 493 - Honors Thesis Credits: 3-3 Honors Thesis.
Romance Languages
	ROML 295 - Topics in Romance Languages Credits: 1-3 Prerequisites vary with topic. Nature and content of the course is determined by the interests of the instructor(s) and student(s). May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.
	ROML 296 - Spring-Term Topics in Romance Languages Credits: 4 Prerequisites vary with topic. Nature and content of the course is determined by the interests of the instructor(s) and student(s). May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different. Staff. Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit.
	ROML 297 - Spring Term Abroad in Romance Languages Credits: 4 A spring-term abroad topics course in which the language of instruction is English, while students also study the language of the host country (French, Spanish, Italian or Portuguese). The course topic is an intensive cultural study related to one of the societies that speak Romance Languages, with an emphasis on experiential learning. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.
	ROML 493 - Honors Thesis Credits: 3-3 Prerequisites: Senior standing, honors candidacy, and instructor consent. Interested students should see a member of the Romance languages faculty by winter term of their junior year. May not count towards fulfillment of the major requirements.
Russian
	RUSS 111 - Elementary Russian I Credits: 4 A basic course in Russian which includes the spoken language, fundamental grammar and reading. Bunina.
	RUSS 112 - Elementary Russian II Credits: 4 Prerequisite: RUSS 111 or its equivalent. A basic course in Russian which includes the spoken language, fundamental grammar and reading. Bunina.
	RUSS 261 - Intermediate Russian I Credits: 4 Prerequisite: RUSS 112 or its equivalent. Continuation of RUSS 112 with some attention to Russian literature and culture. Staff.
	RUSS 262 - Intermediate Russian II FDR: FL Credits: 4 Prerequisite: RUSS 261 or its equivalent. Continuation of RUSS 261 with some attention to Russian literature and culture. Staff.
	RUSS 301 - Advanced Russian I Credits: 3 Prerequisite: RUSS 262 or equivalent. Speaking, reading and writing of Russian with increased attention to Russian literature and advanced grammar. Brodsky.
	RUSS 302 - Advanced Russian II Credits: 3 Prerequisite: RUSS 301. A continuation of RUSS 301. Brodsky.
	RUSS 313 - Advanced Conversation Credits: 4 Prerequisites: RUSS 262 with a grade of B+ or better, or RUSS 302, or instructor consent. A course designed for the advanced language student with emphasis on conversation. Staff.
	RUSS 315 - 19th-Century Russian Literature FDR: HL Credits: 3 Prerequisite: RUSS 262 or equivalent. The novels, plays, poetry, and literary movements of the 19th century. Authors examined include Pushkin, Gogol, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Turgenev, and Chekhov. Conducted in Russian. Brodsky.
	RUSS 316 - 20th-Century Russian Literature FDR: HL Credits: 3 Prerequisite: RUSS 262 or equivalent. The novels, plays, poetry, and literary movements of the 20th century. Solzhenitsyn, Babel, Platonov, Mandelshtam, and Tsvetaeva are examples of authors examined. Conducted in Russian. Brodsky.
	RUSS 395 - Topics in Russian Literature FDR: HL Credits: 3 Prerequisite: RUSS 262 or equivalent. A seminar on a particular author, period, or genre. Recent topics have included Russian War Stories, Russian Childhood, The Art and Craft of Propaganda, and The Caucasus. The subject changes annually. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different. Conducted in Russian. Winter 2020, RUSS 395-01: Topic in Russian Literature: Russian Leaders and their Worshipers (3). This course examines films, songs, and poetry devoted to Lenin, Stalin, and Putin. (HL). Brodsky.
	RUSS 401 - Directed Individual Study Credits: 1 Prerequisite: Instructor consent Advanced study in Russian. The nature of the course will be determined by the students’ needs and by evaluation of their previous work. May be repeated for degree credit with permission and if the topics are different. Staff.
	RUSS 402 - Directed Individual Study Credits: 2 Prerequisite: Instructor consent. Advanced study in Russian. The nature of the course will be determined by the students’ needs and by evaluation of their previous work. May be repeated for degree credit with permission and if the topics are different. Staff.
	RUSS 403 - Directed Individual Study Credits: 3 Prerequisite: Instructor consent. Advanced study in Russian. The nature of the course will be determined by the students’ needs and by evaluation of their previous work. May be repeated for degree credit with permission and if the topics are different. Staff.
Russian Area Studies
	RAS 401 - Directed Individual Study Credits: 1 Prerequisite: Permission of the Russian Area Studies Committee. Directed Individual Study. Staff.
	RAS 402 - Directed Individual Study Credits: 2 Prerequisite: Permission of the Russian Area Studies Committee. Directed Individual Study. Staff.
	RAS 403 - Directed Individual Study Credits: 3 Prerequisite: Permission of the Russian Area Studies Committee. Directed Individual Study. Staff.
	RAS 473 - Senior Thesis Credits: 3 Prerequisites: Senior standing, Russian Area Studies major, and permission of the program head. Students explore specialized issues in Russian Area Studies through writing a thesis on a topic chosen in consultation with two members of the Russian Area Studies faculty committee. Staff.
	RAS 493 - Honors Thesis Credits: 3-3 Prerequisites: Senior standing and honors candidacy. Honors Thesis. Staff.
Sanskrit
	SKT 101 - Elementary Sanskrit I Credits: 3 Prerequisite: Instructor consent. Sanskrit, sister to Greek and Latin and aunt to most of the languages of Europe, was used to compose most Hindu and Buddhist sacred texts. and much other literature of India, including the Mahabharata and Ramayana epics, lyric poetry, drama, fables, works on yoga and meditation, poetics, logic, political theory, law (Dharma), the exact sciences, and the erotic arts. The discovery by Western scholars of the remarkably systematic ancient grammar of Panini (around 400 BCE) led to the development of the modern science of linguistics. This elementary course presents the basic grammar of the language over the course of the year. From the very first day, students begin reading texts and using simple spoken Sanskrit. We also discuss the role of Sanskrit in religious history and in Indian and Nepali society up to the present. Meeting times are arranged. Lubin.
	SKT 102 - Elementary Sanskrit II Credits: 3 Prerequisite: Instructor consent and SKT 101 or equivalent Continuation of SKT 101. Meeting times are arranged. Lubin.
	SKT 201 - Intermediate Sanskrit I Credits: 3 Prerequisite: Instructor consent and SKT 102 or equivalent. An integrative review of grammar, focusing on syntax and idiomatic usage, and put into practice in reading and oral textual analysis using the traditional method for glossing and analyzing compounds. Readings are drawn from Lanman’s Reader and other passages in prose and verse. Meeting times are arranged. Lubin.
	SKT 202 - Intermediate Sanskrit II FDR: FL Credits: 3 Prerequisite: Instructor consent and SKT 201 or equivalent. Continuation of SKT 201. Meeting times are arranged. Lubin.
	SKT 301 - Advanced Readings in Sanskrit Credits: 3 Prerequisite: Instructor consent and SKT 202 or equivalent. Readings are selected to match the skills and (where possible) interests of the student. The course presents the readings in the context of their social, historical, and intellectual situation, the conventions of the genre, and their impact on the tradition to which they belong. Texts are read with traditional commentary, where it is available. A portion of each term is given over to reading texts from manuscript or inscription to give the student an understanding of the philological problems posed by the material form of the text, of variant readings, and the constitution of printed texts. Grammar and syntax are reviewed as needed. May be repeated for degree credit when readings are different. Meeting times are arranged. Lubin.
Sociology & Anthropology
	SOAN 101 - Introduction to Anthropology: Investigating Humanity FDR: SS4 Credits: 3 Prerequisite: First-year or sophomore standing. Juniors and seniors with instructor consent. This course is an introduction to the four subfields of anthropology: physical/biological anthropology, archaeology, linguistics, and cultural anthropology. The course explores how we humans understand each other, what we do, and how we got to where we are today. Topics include human evolution; cultural remains in prehistorical and historical contexts; connections among language and social categories like gender, class, race, and region; and social organization in past and present contexts. Concepts such as culture, cultural relativism, ethnocentrism, and global and local inequalities are discussed. Staff.
	SOAN 102 - Introduction to Sociology: Investigating Society FDR: SS4 Credits: 3 Prerequisite: First-year or sophomore standing. Juniors and seniors with instructor consent. An introduction to the field of sociology including both micro and macro perspectives, this course exposes students to key topical areas in the discipline and includes readings that show the range of research methodologies in the field today. The sociological meaning of concepts such as social group, nation, state, class, race, and gender, among others, are discussed. Topics may include social inequalities, group processes, collective action, social networks, and the relationship between social organization and the environment. Staff.
	SOAN 180 - FS: First-Year Seminar in Sociology Credits: 3 First-year seminar. Prerequisite: First-year standing. First-year seminar. Fall 2019, SOAN 180A-01: FS: Introduction to South Asia (3). First-Year Seminar. Prerequisite: First-year class standing only. An introduction to the historical, social, political, cultural, economic, and religious aspects of South Asia. We discuss four different societal phases of South Asia–Sanskritization (the Hindu Kingdom, Antiquity to 1204); lslamization (Muslim Sultanate, 1204-1757); Anglicization (British Colonialism, 1747-1947); and Decolonization /Hybridization (Postcolonial South Asia, 1947-2019)–emphasizing contemporary socio-cultural and political economic issues and problems. Students examine South Asia’s connections to global politics, economy, and terrorism, and collaborations with U.S. and global anti-terror war efforts. To offer a critical analytical framework for studying South Asia, this seminar incorporates insights from anthropology, economics, history, political science, sociology, and women and gender studies. (SS4) Mondal.
	SOAN 181 - FS: First-Year Seminar in Anthropology FDR: SS4 Credits: 3 Prerequisite: First-year standing. First-year seminar.
	SOAN 202 - Contemporary Social Problems FDR: SS4 Credits: 3 A study of the relationship of social problems to the cultural life and social structure of American society. An analysis of the causes, consequences, and possible solutions to selected social problems in American society. Eastwood.
	SOAN 205 - Power and Status: An Introduction to Social Influence FDR: SS4 Credits: 3 This seminar explores the fundamental sociological concepts of “power” and “status” and how they are related to social influence. Power and status undergird social inequality on both a macro and a micro level. Students view the types, uses, and consequences of power and status differences through a structural social psychological lens, while analyzing leadership in organizational contexts. Students compare the nature of “power” versus “status” and investigate the ways power and status 1) parallel, 2) differ, and 3) interact with one another in theory and in practice of creating, maintaining, and changing our social world. Students are asked to think creatively about what role status and power dynamics have in shaping all aspects of everyday social life, particularly their lives at W&L. Chin.
	SOAN 206 - Archaeology FDR: SS4 Credits: 3 An examination of anthropologically-oriented archaeology. Specific subjects to be considered will include the history of the subdiscipline, theoretical developments, field techniques, substantive contributions for the prehistoric and historic subareas and recent developments in theory and methodology. Gaylord.
	SOAN 207 - Biological Anthropology FDR: SS4 Credits: 3 This course considers the emergence and evolution of Homo sapiens from fossil, archaeological, and genetic evidence. The class focuses on evolutionary mechanisms; selective pressures for key human biological and behavioral patterns, such as bipedalism, intelligence, altruism, learned behavior, and expressive culture; relations among prehuman species; the human diaspora; and modern human diversity, particularly “racial” variation. The course also examines theories from sociobiology and evolutionary psychology about motivations for modern human behaviors. Bell.
	SOAN 208 - Qualitative Methods Credits: 3 Qualitative research methods are widely used to provide rich and detailed understandings of people’s experiences, interactions, narratives, and practices within wider sociopolitical and economic contexts. Typical methods include oral histories, interviews, participant observation, and analysis of visual and textual culture. Students will engage in research aligned with community interests. Stages of the project will include topic identification, research design, ethical and legal considerations, choosing an appropriate methodology, data collection, analysis and write-up, and presentation and critique. Staff.
	SOAN 210 - Field Methods in Archaeology FDR: SL Experiential Learning (EXP): Yes Credits: 4 Additional special fees. Some financial aid may be available through departmental funds. Additional special fees may apply. If necessary, some financial aid may be available through departmental funds. This course introduces students to archaeological field methods through hands-on experience, readings, and fieldtrips. Students study the cultural and natural processes that lead to the patterns we see in the archaeological record. Using the scientific method and current theoretical motivations in anthropological archaeology, students learn how to develop a research design and to implement it with actual field excavation. We visit several field excavation sites in order to experience, first hand, the range of archaeological field methods and research interests currently undertaken by leading archaeologists. Students use the archaeological data to test hypotheses about the sites under consideration and produce a report of their research, which may take the form of a standard archaeological report, an academic poster, or a conference-style presented paper. Gaylord.
	SOAN 211 - Laboratory Methods in Archaeology FDR: SL Experiential Learning (EXP): Yes Credits: 4 Additional special fees may apply. If necessary, some financial aid may be available through departmental funds. This course introduces students to archaeological lab methods through hands-on experience, readings, and fieldtrips. Students process and catalogue archaeological finds ensuring they maintain the archaeological provenience of these materials. Using the scientific method and current theoretical motivations in anthropological archaeology, students learn how to develop and test hypotheses about the site under consideration by analyzing the artifacts they themselves have processed. We visit several archaeology labs in order to experience, first hand, the range of projects and methods currently undertaken by leading archaeologists. Students then use the archaeological data to test their hypotheses and produce a report of their research, which may take the form of a standard archaeological report, an academic poster, or a conference-style presented paper. Gaylord.
	SOAN 212 - Theories of Social Psychology Credits: 3 An introduction to three major paradigms present in the sociological tradition of social psychology. The course examines social structure and personality, structural social psychology and symbolic interactionist framework. The three paradigmatic approaches are used to understand how macro-level processes influence micro-level social interaction and vice versa. Chin.
	SOAN 215 - Anthropology of Disability FDR: SS4 Credits: 3 To what extent is disability culturally defined? How do understandings of being “dis-” or “differently” abled vary across time and space? In what ways is impairment “not simply lodged in the body, but created by the social and material conditions that ‘dis-able’ the full participation of those considered atypical” (Ginsburg and Rapp)? This course explores these issues through a trio of lenses: Virginia (c. 1830-1980); the contemporary United States; and case studies from diverse cultures around the world. Virginia offers powerful insight into cultural constructions of disability because it was an epicenter of the eugenics movement. How are perceptions of disability currently changing in the United States and abroad? How do people around the world conceptualize relationships between different abilities, race, gender, sexuality, and spirituality? Bell.
	SOAN 218 - Basic Statistics in the Social Sciences Credits: 3 Introductory statistics course designed to help students become good consumers of statistics, but especially geared for students interested in sociology, archeology, and anthropology. Topics include descriptive and inferential statistics, sampling, and regression analysis. Students also get practical experience with cleaning and analyzing real world secondary data. Staff.
	SOAN 219 - Applied Bayesian Regression for the Social Sciences FDR: SC Credits: 3 This course is an introduction to applied Bayesian regression, emphasizing applications for social scientists. We begin by introducing some philosophical and mathematical bases of Bayesian inference. We then move on to a sustained focus on applied regression, starting with bivariate regression and moving on to regression with multiple predictors, up to and including models with interactions. Along the way, students will be exposed to the use of directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) in thinking about causality with observational data. Throughout the course students will carry out numerous analyses of data, learning by doing. Examples are drawn from anthropology, sociology, political science, and related fields. Eastwood.
	SOAN 220 - A World of Data: Baseball and Statistics Credits: 4 Prerequisite: One course selected from CBSC/PSYC 250, ECON 203, INTR 202, SOAN 218, or SOAN 219 or instructor consent. An introduction to the world of data and data analysis, emphasizing Bayesian methods. Taking the case of contemporary sports, with a particular focus on baseball, it teaches students how to build models of player performance while also asking important questions about the limitations of such approaches to human activities. What is gained and lost in the world made by measuring human actions in reliable ways? How is our experience in the world–in this case as athletes playing and spectators living sports–affected when we see it in terms of statistics and predictive models? What interests and what concerns make up our lives when we engage the world in this way? What interests and concerns may be obscured? The course offers a rare opportunity to acquire some expertise in producing data-driven knowledge and decisions while also reflecting on what it is like to be a non-expert living in the world shaped by such expertise. Eastwood, Kosky.
	SOAN 221 - Sociology of Religion (REL 221) FDR: HU Credits: 3 Theories of the origin and functions of religion; institutionalization of religious belief, behavior, and social organization; and conditions in which religion maintains social stability; and/or generates social change. Eastwood.
	SOAN 224 - American Indian Religions, Landscapes, and Identities (REL 224) FDR: HU Credits: 3 Drawing on a combination of scholarly essays, native accounts, videos, guest lectures, and student presentations, this seminar examines the religious assumptions and practices that bind American Indian communities to their traditional homelands. The seminar elucidates and illustrates those principles concerning human environmental interactions common to most Indian tribes; focuses on the traditional beliefs and practices of a particular Indian community that reflected and reinforced the community’s understanding of the relationship to be maintained with the land and its creatures; and examines the moral and legal disputes that have arisen out of the very different presuppositions which Indians and non-Indians hold regarding the environment. Markowitz.

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Course Descriptions

REL 132 - God and Goddess in Hinduism

REL 152 - Christianity and Modern Culture

REL 153 - Jesus in Fact, Fiction, and Film

REL 172 - Muslims in the Movies

REL 175 - Beginning Biblical Hebrew I

REL 176 - Beginning Biblical Hebrew II

REL 180 - FS: First-Year Seminar

REL 195 - Special Topics in Religion

REL 201 - The Sacred in Music: The Liberal Arts as Portal to the Sacred

REL 205 - Self-Help, Happiness, and a Good Life

REL 207 - Nature and Place

REL 209 - Travel, Mythic and Modern

REL 210 - Approaches to the Study of Religion

REL 213 - Perspectives on Death and Dying

REL 214 - Religion and Existentialism

REL 215 - Female and Male in Western Religious Traditions

REL 216 - Sainthood in Four Traditions

REL 218 - Heidegger and Being in the World

REL 219 - Augustine and the Literature of Self, Soul, and Synapses

REL 220 - Whose Law? Pluralism. Conflict, and Justice

REL 221 - Sociology of Religion

REL 222 - Law and Religion

REL 223 - Ancient Greek Religion

REL 224 - American Indian Religions, Landscapes, and Identities

REL 225 - Magic, Science, and Religion

REL 226 - Death and Immortality in the Ancient World

REL 231 - Yogis, Monks, and Mystics in India

REL 235 - Religions of the Silk Road: Gods in Transit

REL 246 - Caste at the Intersection of Economy, Religion, and Law

REL 250 - Truth, Belief, Dissent: Defining Insiders and Outsiders in Ancient, Medieval and Modern Religion

REL 260 - Seminar in the Christian Tradition

REL 262 - The Bible, the Enlightenment and its Aftermath

REL 270 - Biblical Job and His Modern Masks

REL 271 - Islam in America: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

REL 273 - Modern Jewish Literature in Translation

REL 275 - God and the Holocaust

REL 281 - Modern Islamic Thought

REL 283 - Sufism: Islamic Mysticism

REL 284 - Gender, Sexuality, and Islam

REL 285 - Introduction to American Indian Religions

REL 295 - Special Topics in Religion

REL 296 - Seminar in Religion, Ethics, and Law

REL 333 - Meditation and Self-Knowledge

REL 335 - Hindu Law in Theory and Practice

REL 340 - Seminar in Asian Religions

REL 350 - Seminar in Biblical Studies

REL 351 - Seminar in Biblical Studies

REL 381 - Islamic Law in Society

REL 387 - Visions and Beliefs in the West of Ireland

REL 395 - Advanced Seminar in Religion

REL 399 - Senior Seminar

REL 401 - Directed Individual Study

REL 402 - Directed Individual Study

REL 403 - Directed Individual Study

REL 493 - Honors Thesis

ROML 295 - Topics in Romance Languages

ROML 296 - Spring-Term Topics in Romance Languages

ROML 297 - Spring Term Abroad in Romance Languages

ROML 493 - Honors Thesis

RUSS 111 - Elementary Russian I

RUSS 112 - Elementary Russian II

RUSS 261 - Intermediate Russian I

RUSS 262 - Intermediate Russian II

RUSS 301 - Advanced Russian I

RUSS 302 - Advanced Russian II

RUSS 313 - Advanced Conversation

RUSS 315 - 19th-Century Russian Literature

RUSS 316 - 20th-Century Russian Literature

RUSS 395 - Topics in Russian Literature

RUSS 401 - Directed Individual Study

RUSS 402 - Directed Individual Study

RUSS 403 - Directed Individual Study

RAS 401 - Directed Individual Study

RAS 402 - Directed Individual Study

RAS 403 - Directed Individual Study

RAS 473 - Senior Thesis

RAS 493 - Honors Thesis

SKT 101 - Elementary Sanskrit I

SKT 102 - Elementary Sanskrit II