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 2015 topic:

REL 195: Lost in Translation: Arabic and Religious Literature (4). Can the literature of sacred languages–the Arabic Qur’an, for example–be translated across cultures and times? This course considers the promises, pitfalls and puzzles of translation in religious literature through an immersive introduction to the Arabic language. Conceived most broadly, translation addresses issues of continuity and change over time, adaptation and abandonment of founding documents and figures, creativity and fidelity. After mastering the Arabic alphabet and the basic elements of Qur’anic rhetoric, students engage in independent projects in which they choose a work of Arabic literature (in English) to “translate” into other media, genre, times, and/or cultures. No prior knowledge of Arabic or Islam required. (HU) Blecher. Spring 2015