Minor in Religious Studies
The Minor in Religious Studies offers students an opportunity to explore and understand the religious traditions of the world, as well as to study expressions of religious life and thought that may not fall within traditional patterns. The program teaches a variety of approaches to the academic study of religion and religion's intersections with other aspects of human society and culture. Students minoring in religious studies will not only be better equipped to understand people of different backgrounds, but will also learn about themselves: how their ideas and values were formed, how they differ from others, and the significance of these differences. A minor in Religious Studies prepares students for a wide variety of careers, including those in education, the social sciences, law, medicine, and politics.
Requirements
- Core courses. One (1) course chosen from three (3) different areas (three (3) courses total):
- Area A (Africa, Europe, and West Asia).
- REL-A 202 Issues in African, European, and West Asian Religions
- REL-A 210 Introduction to the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible
- REL-A 220 Introduction to the New Testament
- REL-A 230 Introduction to Judaism
- REL-A 235 Sacred Books of the Jews
- REL-A 250 Introduction to Christianity
- REL-A 270 Introduction to Islam
- REL-A 275 Sex and Gender in Islam
- REL-A 300 Studies in African, European, and West Asian Religions
- REL-A 305 Ancient Mediterranean Religions
- REL-A 314 Gender and Power in the Hebrew Bible
- REL-A 315 Prophecy in Ancient Israel
- REL-A 316 Jews, Christians, and Others in Late Antiquity
- REL-A 317 Judaism in the Making
- REL-A 318 Rabbinic Judaism: Literature and Beliefs
- REL-A 319 Magic and Witchcraft in the Ancient World
- REL-A 320 Jesus
- REL-A 321 Paul and His Influence in Early Christianity
- REL-A 325 Christianity: Christ to Constantine
- REL-A 326 Early Christian Monasticism
- REL-A 335 Introduction to Jewish Mysticism
- REL-A 350 Christianity, 400--1500
- REL-A 351 Christianity and Modernity
- REL-A 355 The Right Belief: History of Orthodox Christianity
- REL-A 375 Women in the Bible
- REL-A 380 Knowing the Will of God in Islam I: Law
- REL-A 415 Topics in Ancient Israelite Religion
- REL-A 426 Gnostic Religion and Literature
- REL-A 430 Topics in the History of Judaism
- REL-A 435 Catholic Controversies
- REL-A 440 Judaism and Gender: Philosophical and Theological Perspectives
- REL-A 450 Topics in the History of Christianity
- REL-A 470 Topics in Islamic Studies
- REL-A 480 Knowing the Will of God in Islam II: Theology
- REL-A 485 The Life and Legacy of Muhammad
REL-A 202 Issues in African, European, and West Asian Religions
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Selected issues and movements in African, European, and West Asian religions.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-A 210 Introduction to the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Development of the beliefs, practices, and institutions of ancient Israel from the patriarchs to the Maccabean period. Introduction to the biblical literature and other ancient Near East documents.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of REL-A 210 or REL-R 210.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourse
REL-A 220 Introduction to the New Testament
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- What is the "New Testament"? This introductory course considers both literary and historical approaches to the literature of the New Testament, with particular emphasis on the Gospels and Pauline literature. Topics include the concept of "canon," the history of reception and interpretation, gender and sexuality in early Christian literatures, the Apocryphal Gospels, and relationships between early Judaism and early Christianity.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of REL-A 220 or REL-R 220.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourse
REL-A 230 Introduction to Judaism
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- The development of post-biblical Judaism; major themes, movements, practices, and values.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of JSTU-J 230, REL-A 230, or REL-R 245.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-A 235 Sacred Books of the Jews
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Explores the sacred texts of Judaism after the Bible. Considers how tradition works; how people created new religious knowledge after the Bible was canonized; why some texts are considered sacred, while others are not. Includes a variety of sacred texts, including Mishnah, Talmud, Midrash, and Kabbalah.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of JSTU-J 220 or REL-A 235.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourse
REL-A 250 Introduction to Christianity
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Introduces an array of Christian ideas, practices, and texts ranging from the first century to the present day in order to foster an appreciation of Christianity\'s important but complicated role in shaping culture, society, and politics.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of REL-A 250 or REL-R 247.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourse
REL-A 270 Introduction to Islam
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Introduction to the religious world of Islam: the Arabian milieu before Muhammad's prophetic call, the career of the Prophet. Qur'an and hadith, ritual and the pillars of Muslim praxis, legal, and theological traditions; mysticism and devotional piety, reform and revivalist movements.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of REL-A 270 or REL-R 257.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourse
REL-A 275 Sex and Gender in Islam
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- No prior knowledge of Islam required. Explores the role of sex and gender in shaping the lives of Muslims. Focuses on the experiences of Muslim women, men, as well as people who inhabit non-normative genders and sexualities. Investigates the ways in which Muslims negotiate and respond to the sexual politics of the times in which they live.
- Fall 2024CASE SHcourseSummer 2024CASE SHcourse
REL-A 300 Studies in African, European, and West Asian Religions
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Selected topics and movements in African, European, and West Asian religions.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-A 305 Ancient Mediterranean Religions
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- A survey of the various religions in the ancient Near East (Egypt, Babylon, Persia) and the Greco-Roman worlds. Attention will be paid to ritual, philosophy, and community formation.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of REL-A 305 or REL-R 318.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-A 314 Gender and Power in the Hebrew Bible
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Traces the relationships among gender, sexuality, and political power in Jewish antiquity, primarily through the Hebrew Bible. Examines how fertility, virginity, sexuality, and foreignness intersect with gender-constructions in these texts. Demonstrates the diverse ways in which gender is depicted, attuned to differences in context and genre.
REL-A 315 Prophecy in Ancient Israel
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- The prophetic movement and its relationship to religious, social, and political traditions and institutions in the ancient Near East. The thought of major prophetic figures in Israel, such as Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of REL-A 315 or REL-R 310.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-A 316 Jews, Christians, and Others in Late Antiquity
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Explores the interactions and so-called parting of the ways between Jews, Christians, and other religious groups in Roman Palestine and Sasanian Persia from the first through seventh centuries C.E. Pays special attention to the portrayals of Christians in Jewish literature such as the Mishnah and Talmud.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of JSTU-J 316 or REL-A 316.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourse
REL-A 317 Judaism in the Making
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- The development of Jewish traditions from circa 400 BCE to 200 CE in their linguistic, geographical, and cultural diversity. Discusses emergence of scripture, apocalyptic traditions, place in Hellenistic and Roman cultures, relationship with early Christianity, and emergence of Judaism as a religion.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of JSTU-J 317 or REL-A 317.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-A 318 Rabbinic Judaism: Literature and Beliefs
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- The rabbis of late antiquity were masters of the Bible who produced a corpus of writings in which they interpret holy scriptures. These writings, known as rabbinic literature, remain to this day the foundation of normative Jewish behavior and traditions. This course explores what these rabbis believed and how they interpreted the Bible.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of JSTU-J 320 or REL-A 318.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourse
REL-A 319 Magic and Witchcraft in the Ancient World
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Focuses on magic and witchcraft in the ancient world, emphasizing Mesopotamian, Greco-Roman, Jewish, and early Christian contexts. Explores common theoretical models for researching magic in antiquity and introduces some inherent problems in the field. Includes close readings of literary and archaeological sources, such as cuneiform tablets, spell books, incantation bowls, amulets, and legal literature.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of REL-A 319 or JSTU-J 319.
REL-A 320 Jesus
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Comparative and analytical study of traditions about Jesus: their development and function in various historical periods, social contexts, and intellectual traditions.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-A 321 Paul and His Influence in Early Christianity
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Life and thought of Paul in the context of first-century Christian and non-Christian movements. Development of radical Paulinism and anti-Paulinism in the second century; their influence on the formation of Christianity.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of REL-A 321 or REL-R 325.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-A 325 Christianity: Christ to Constantine
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- History and literature of Christianity from Paul and Jesus to the rise of Constantine. Topics include Christianity and the state, gender and sexuality, asceticism, persecution and martyrdom, heresy.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of REL-A 325 or REL-R 327.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-A 326 Early Christian Monasticism
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- The origins and development of varieties of the monastic life in ancient and early medieval Christianity; social forms of monastic groups, ascetic practices, types of spirituality.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of REL-A 326 or REL-R 323.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-A 335 Introduction to Jewish Mysticism
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- The development of Jewish mystical practice and thought from the Middle Ages to the present, thirteenth-century Spanish Kabbalah, sixteenth-century Safed, Sabbatianism, Hasidism, contemporary manifestations of mysticism.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of REL-A 335 or REL-R 341.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-A 350 Christianity, 400--1500
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- The history and literature of western Christianity during the Middle Ages.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of REL-A 350 or REL-R 330.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-A 351 Christianity and Modernity
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- The history and literature of western Christianity from the Reformation to the present.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of REL-A 351 or REL-R 331.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-A 355 The Right Belief: History of Orthodox Christianity
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Introduction to the doctrines, spirituality, and practice of Orthodox Christianity as expressed in various cultural and national contexts. Particular attention is paid to Orthodox asceticism, monasticism, parish life, theology, and religious rivalry within the confession.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-A 375 Women in the Bible
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Considers representations of women and the feminine in the Hebrew Bible, New Testament, and literature of early Judaism and Christianity. Explores how these texts have been interpreted in the history of Western culture, and how they continue to shape attitudes about women, gender, and sexuality in the contemporary world.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of JSTU-J 375 or REL-A 375.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-A 380 Knowing the Will of God in Islam I: Law
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Students gain understanding of how Muslims have traditionally interpreted the texts of revelation (Qur\'an and Hadith) through the development of practical \"hands-on\" methods. Designed to resemble classes in theology, jurisprudence, and law in a medieval Islamic college.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of REL-A 380 or REL-R 378.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourse
REL-A 415 Topics in Ancient Israelite Religion
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Selected problems in ancient Israelite religion, such as pre-Yahwistic religion, Israel\'s cultic life, royal theology and messianism, the wisdom movement, sectarian apocalyptic.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-A 426 Gnostic Religion and Literature
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- The myth, ritual, and beliefs of the ancient Gnostics and related Christian and non-Christian movements of the late Roman empire: classic Gnostic scripture, Valentinus and his followers, the School of St. Thomas, Basilides, the Corpus Hermeticum, and the possibility of Gnosticism in the New Testament.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of REL-A 426 or REL-R 425.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-A 430 Topics in the History of Judaism
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Special topics such as problems in Jewish mystical tradition, the nature of religious community, charismatic leadership, religious biography.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours in REL-A 430 and REL-R 445.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-A 435 Catholic Controversies
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Controversial issues in the history of Catholicism from Martin Luther's critique of the church's corruption to recent court cases indicting the church's response to sex abuse cases. Examines the place of Catholicism in the modern imagination as well as key historical figures and events.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-A 440 Judaism and Gender: Philosophical and Theological Perspectives
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Studies the concepts of sex and gender in modern Judaism through categories including law, ritual, and theology. Uses gender theory to explore historical and contemporary struggles over interpretations of traditional Jewish texts. Discusses Jewish ideas about masculinity, femininity, human bodies, and their places in religious life.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of REL-A 440 or REL-R 421.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-A 450 Topics in the History of Christianity
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Significant figures, issues, and movements in the history of Christianity examined in their social and religious contexts, with attention to their continuing religious and cultural impact.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours in REL-A 450 and REL-R 430.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-A 470 Topics in Islamic Studies
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Selected topics on Islamic law, philosophy, theology, and mysticism.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours in REL-A 470 and REL-R 456.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-A 480 Knowing the Will of God in Islam II: Theology
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Develops students\' understanding of the central theological issues in Muslim thought as they were developed by various groups and individuals over the last 1,300 years.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of REL-A 480 or REL-R 468.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourse
REL-A 485 The Life and Legacy of Muhammad
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Explores the ways in which sacred biography is used in various contexts to develop theories of authority and history. Applies theories and methods of textual interpretation to the earliest known biography of the Prophet Muhammad (d. 632 C.E.).
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of REL-A 485 or REL-R 467.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourse
- Area B (South and East Asia).
- REL-B 202 Issues in South and East Asian Religions
- REL-B 210 Introduction to Buddhism
- REL-B 220 Introduction to Hinduism
- REL-B 230 Introduction to Chinese Religion
- REL-B 300 Studies in South and East Asian Religions
- REL-B 310 East Asian Buddhism
- REL-B 312 Mythologies of Martial Arts
- REL-B 315 Tantric Buddhism
- REL-B 320 Hindu Goddesses
- REL-B 330 Women in South Asian Religious Traditions
- REL-B 333 Seeing the Buddha: Buddhist Art of India and Tibet
- REL-B 335 Bollywood and Beyond: Religion in South Asian Film
- REL-B 360 Religions in Japan
- REL-B 374 Classical Chinese Thought
- REL-B 410 Topics in the Buddhist Tradition
- REL-B 412 Buddhism and Popular Culture
- REL-B 414 Buddhist Philosophy in India
- REL-B 420 Topics in Hindu Religious Traditions
- REL-B 433 Embodying Nirvana
- REL-B 440 Topics in Daoism and Chinese Religion
- REL-B 460 Topics in East Asian Religions
REL-B 202 Issues in South and East Asian Religions
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Selected issues and movements in South and East Asian religions.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-B 210 Introduction to Buddhism
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Introduction to the basic beliefs and practices of Buddhism from its beginnings to the present. Special attention to the life and teachings of the founder, significant developments in India, and the diffusion of the tradition to East Asia, Central Asia, and the West.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of REL-B 210 or REL-R 250.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourse
REL-B 220 Introduction to Hinduism
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Beliefs, rites, and institutions of Hinduism from the Vedic (c. 1200 B.C.) to modern times: religion of the Vedas and the Upanishads, epics and the rise of devotional religion, philosophical systems (Yoga and Vedanta), sectarian theism, monasticism, socioreligious institutions, popular religion (temples and pilgrimages), modern Hindu syncretism.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of REL-B 220 or REL-R 255.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourse
REL-B 230 Introduction to Chinese Religion
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Introduction to religion in premodern and contemporary China. Examines the concept of religion, the notion of religious identity, and various debates that have shaped religious traditions (Confucians, Daoists, Mohists, Chinese Buddhists, Confucian-Muslims) in China.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourse
REL-B 300 Studies in South and East Asian Religions
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Selected topics and movements in South and East Asian religions.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-B 310 East Asian Buddhism
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Adaptation and assimilation of Buddhism in East Asia, early philosophical and ritual schools, social issues, Tiantai synthesis of Mahayana Buddhism, devotional Buddhism, Ch\'an/Zen school of meditation, impact of Buddhism on East Asian cultures and arts.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of REL-B 310 or REL-R 350.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourse
REL-B 312 Mythologies of Martial Arts
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Covers the development of ideologies and mythologies connected to martial arts in Chinese and Japanese thought. Looks at a diverse range of texts, including philosophical and medical literature, novels, and martial arts manuals.
REL-B 315 Tantric Buddhism
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- This class explores the rise and circulation of tantric practices, ideas, and texts among Indian and Tibetan Buddhists. The class also considers the advantages and limitations of various approaches that modern scholars have taken in their attempts to make sense of these practices, ideas, and texts.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourse
REL-B 320 Hindu Goddesses
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Introduction to the goddesses in Hindu traditions, including Lakshmi, Saraswati, Sita, Radha, Parvati, Durga, Kali, Ganga, and Sitala. Focus on the mythology, iconography, cultic practices, embodied forms, and theology associated with these goddesses.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of REL-B 320 or REL-R 348.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-B 330 Women in South Asian Religious Traditions
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Historical view of the officially sanctioned roles for women in several religious traditions in South Asia, and women\'s efforts to become agents and participants in the religious expressions of their own lives.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of INST-I 380, REL-B 330, or REL-R 382.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourse
REL-B 333 Seeing the Buddha: Buddhist Art of India and Tibet
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- An exploration of Buddhist art and its multiple social and ritual contexts, with particular attention given to works produced in India and Tibet. Designed to provoke reflection on the roles played by images in the religious life of Buddhist communities and in other religions over time.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourse
REL-B 335 Bollywood and Beyond: Religion in South Asian Film
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- A consideration of the nature and meaning of religion in South Asia using film as the lens to explore the South Asian continuum running from the sacred to the secular.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of REL-B 335 or REL-R 388.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-B 360 Religions in Japan
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Religious movements in Japan, with emphasis on the development of Shinto, Buddhism, Confucianism, Christianity, and the rise of the \"new religions.\"
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of REL-B 360 or REL-R 357.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourse
REL-B 374 Classical Chinese Thought
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- An introduction to the early development of Chinese thought, from ancient divination to the religious, ethical, and political theories of classical Confucianism, Mohism, and Daoism. Focuses on debates over human nature and self-cultivation, the nature of the cosmos, and the proper ordering of society. Readings are in English translation.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of EALC-E 374, REL-B 374, REL-R 368, or PHIL-P 374.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourse
REL-B 410 Topics in the Buddhist Tradition
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Selected topics such as Mahayana Sutra literature, Buddhist cult practice, Indian Buddhist inscriptions, Prajñåpåramitå thought, or Zen in Korea and Japan.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours in REL-B 410 and REL-R 450.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-B 412 Buddhism and Popular Culture
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Seminar examines several major questions on Buddhism in a global context. How do popular media such as manga, film, and fiction, shape and change our understandings of Buddhism? What does it mean for a human being, a given practice, or a particular object to be "Buddhist"? What do Buddhist doctrine and practice have to say about how we perceive and participate in popular culture?
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourse
REL-B 414 Buddhist Philosophy in India
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Examines ideas, methods, and practices of seminal importance for Buddhist philosophical traditions in and beyond the Indian subcontinent. Explores how certain Buddhist thinkers have asked and attempted to answer questions regarding the self, reality, knowledge, conduct, and liberation.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourse
REL-B 420 Topics in Hindu Religious Traditions
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Selected topics such as Upanishadic thought, the Bhagavad Gita, Advaita Vedanta, Hindu ethics, monastic traditions, Hindu soteriology.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours in REL-B 420 and REL-R 458.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-B 433 Embodying Nirvana
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Addresses the divergent ways in which Buddhists have understood the figure of the Buddha and the nature of Buddhahood. Draws from a number of primary texts in translation, concentrating principally (although not exclusively) on Indian Buddhist materials.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourse
REL-B 440 Topics in Daoism and Chinese Religion
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Selected topics within the Chinese religious traditions.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours in REL-B 440 and REL-R 469.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-B 460 Topics in East Asian Religions
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Examination of a selected theme, movement, or period in the religious history of China, Japan, or Korea. Topics might include interactions of traditions, new religions in Japan, or religious change in Sung China.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours in REL-B 460 and REL-R 452.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
- Area C (The Americas).
- Any REL-C 100–499
- Area D (Theory, Ethics, Comparison).
- REL-D 201 Shamans, Spirit Mediums and Prophets
- REL-D 202 Issues in Theory, Ethics, and Comparison
- REL-D 250 Religion, Ecology, and the Self
- REL-D 300 Studies in Theory, Ethics, and Comparison
- REL-D 301 Religion and Its Critics
- REL-D 310 Contemporary Religious Thought
- REL-D 315 Religion and Personality
- REL-D 325 Religions in Practice: Social Theories of Religion
- REL-D 330 From Christian Ethics to Social Criticism I
- REL-D 331 From Christian Ethics to Social Criticism II
- REL-D 339 Pilgrimage and Sacred Landscapes
- REL-D 340 Religion and Bioethics
- REL-D 349 Religion, Science Fiction, and Fantasy
- REL-D 350 Religion, Ethics, and the Environment
- REL-D 362 Religious Issues in Contemporary Judaism
- REL-D 365 Friendship, Benevolence, and Love
- REL-D 369 Religion and the Arts
- REL-D 370 Topics in Gender and Western Religions
- REL-D 375 Religion and Literature
- REL-D 380 Comparative Study of Religious Phenomena
- REL-D 385 Messianism and Messiahs in Comparative Perspective
- REL-D 410 Topics in Religious Thought
- REL-D 430 Problems in Social Ethics
- REL-D 485 Religion and Media
REL-D 201 Shamans, Spirit Mediums and Prophets
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Study of spirits and their interaction with human beings in the material world. Exploration of shamanism, spirit mediumship and prophecy--not simply as oddities on the margins of what is properly religious, but as central to how religion and modernity are defined.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-D 202 Issues in Theory, Ethics, and Comparison
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Selected issues and movements in theory, ethics, and comparison.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-D 250 Religion, Ecology, and the Self
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Deep ecology seeks fundamental transformations in views of world and self. It claims that there is no ontological divide in the forms of life and aims for an environmentally sustainable and spiritually rich way of life. This course is an introductory examination of Deep Ecology from a religious studies perspective.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of REL-D 250 or REL-R 236.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-D 300 Studies in Theory, Ethics, and Comparison
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Selected topics and movements in theory, ethics, and comparison.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-D 301 Religion and Its Critics
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Examines major critics of religion, including Spinoza, Hume, Marx, and Freud.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of REL-D 301 or REL-R 333.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourse
REL-D 310 Contemporary Religious Thought
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Interpretation of the human condition and destiny in contemporary religious and antireligious thought. Topics can include study of a major figure (e.g., Kierkegaard) or movement (e.g., peace studies).
- Repeatability
- May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours in REL-D 310 and REL-R 340.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-D 315 Religion and Personality
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Different ways of relating psychological concepts and data from personality theory to the study of religion and theology. Topics include psychoanalytic interpretation, existential psychology, and psychohistorical study of religious leaders.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours in REL-D 315 and REL-R 365.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-D 325 Religions in Practice: Social Theories of Religion
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Acquaints students with different theoretical and analytical approaches through which religious beliefs, experiences, feelings, and practices have conventionally been studied by anthropologists. Readings cover key domains and concepts such as totemism, myth, esoteric knowledge/power (\"magic\"), ancestor/ spirit cult, shamanism, possession and healing, ritual (performance), and notions of purity/impurity.
- Fall 2024CASE SHcourseSummer 2024CASE SHcourse
REL-D 330 From Christian Ethics to Social Criticism I
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Christian ethics from the New Testament through the early modern period. Readings include first- and second-century authors, patristic fathers, Augustine, Bernard, Abelard, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, Anabaptists, Vitoria, Locke, among others. First of a two-semester sequence.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of REL-D 330 or REL-R 374.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-D 331 From Christian Ethics to Social Criticism II
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Christian ethics from the New Testament through the early modern period. Readings include first- and second-century authors, patristic fathers, Augustine, Bernard, Abelard, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, Anabaptists, Vitoria, Locke, among others. Second of a two-semester sequence.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of REL-D 331 or REL-R 375.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-D 339 Pilgrimage and Sacred Landscapes
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Studies sacred spaces, landscapes, heritage, and tourism in an attempt to answer such questions as: What is a sacred place? What is the difference between pilgrimage and tourism? How are sacred places made, unmade, and transformed? Resources include pilgrimage diaries, travel literature, music, and film. Incorporates visits to local sacred sites.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-D 340 Religion and Bioethics
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Examines questions about human nature, finitude, the meaning of suffering, and appropriate uses of medical technology in the face of natural limitations, such as disease and death, that humans encounter. Issues include prenatal/genetic testing, transhumanism, enhancement technologies, cloning, euthanasia, and organ transplantation. Judeo-Christian and cross-cultural perspectives on illness are considered.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-D 349 Religion, Science Fiction, and Fantasy
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Explores how speculation and religion intersect. Themes studied may include: post-apocalyptic narratives and prophecy, religion as a form of fantasy, and religious dimensions of fandom. Course focuses on in-class discussion and written projects.
REL-D 350 Religion, Ethics, and the Environment
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Exploration of relationships between religious worldviews and environmental ethics. Considers environmental critiques and defenses of monotheistic traditions, selected non-Western traditions, the impact of secular \"mythologies,\" philosophical questions, and lifestyle issues.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of REL-D 350 or REL-R 371.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-D 362 Religious Issues in Contemporary Judaism
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Religious problems confronting Jews and Judaism in our own time: women and Judaism, the impact of the Holocaust on Judaism, contemporary views of Zionism, religious trends in American Judaism.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated with different topics for a maximum of 12 credit hours.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-D 365 Friendship, Benevolence, and Love
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- By closely reading relevant classic works from Western and East Asian cultures, students examine ideas of friendship, benevolence, and love. Questions include: What are the varieties of love and friendship? Is romantic love uniquely Western? Is compassion for others natural to human beings? Could true benevolence require actions that appear cruel?
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of REL-D 365 or REL-R 377.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-D 369 Religion and the Arts
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Explores how religious traditions interact with literary and visual artifacts. Focuses on one or more regions and artistic forms. Examines such issues as representation, presence, visibility, gender, genre, syncretism, etc. in religious and artistic contexts.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credits in CMLT-C 345 and REL-D 369.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-D 370 Topics in Gender and Western Religions
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Specific topics regarding gender in Western religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; studies of specific historical periods; or feminist critiques in theology and ethics.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-D 375 Religion and Literature
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Examines how literature furthers and also critiques religious agendas. Studies specific genres (e.g., poetry, fiction, epic, diaries) with an eye to the interplay between religious realities and literary expressions in specific cultural contexts (e.g., medieval Hindu devotion or twentieth-century North American counter-culture).
- Repeatability
- May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-D 380 Comparative Study of Religious Phenomena
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Eastern and Western religions on a selected subject such as time and the sacred, sacrifice, initiation.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours in REL-D 380 and REL-R 360.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-D 385 Messianism and Messiahs in Comparative Perspective
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Examines the messianic phenomenon as central to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Focuses on Jewish messianism. Christianity and Islam will be employed to compare and contrast how this idea developed in two competing religions. Studies the history of the idea, its relationship to orthodoxy and heresy, and its political implications.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of REL-D 385 or REL-R 307.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-D 410 Topics in Religious Thought
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Selected focus on major movements and issues in religious thought.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours in REL-D 410 and REL-R 462.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-D 430 Problems in Social Ethics
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Intensive study of a selected problem in religion and society such as religion and American politics, war and conscience, medical ethics.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-D 485 Religion and Media
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- An introduction to recent debates on the nexus between religious experience and communities, and various forms and technologies of mediation. Combines perspectives on religion and ritual with scholarship on media, media consumption, and critical theory. Readings also include an array of ethnographic studies of religiously-inspired movements in South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and the Middle East.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of REL-D 485 or REL-R 411.
- Fall 2024CASE SHcourseSummer 2024CASE SHcourse
- Area A (Africa, Europe, and West Asia).
- Electives.
- Additional Religious Studies courses
- COLL-C 103 Critical Approaches to the Arts and Humanities (approved topics only; see academic advisor)
- COLL-C 104 Critical Approaches to the Social and Historical Studies (approved topics only; see academic advisor)
COLL-C 103 Critical Approaches to the Arts and Humanities
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Specific topics will vary by section and over time, but all versions of COLL-C 103 will meet the objectives of the College of Arts and Sciences Critical Approaches curriculum. The curriculum is intended for freshmen and sophomores, who will learn how scholars from the arts and humanities Breadth of Inquiry area frame questions, propose answers, and assess the validity of competing approaches. Writing and related skills are stressed.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of COLL-C 103 or COLL-S 103.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE CAPPcourseSummer 2024CASE CAPPcourse
COLL-C 104 Critical Approaches to the Social and Historical Studies
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Specific topics will vary by section and over time, but all versions of COLL-C 104 will meet the objectives of the College of Arts and Sciences Critical Approaches curriculum. The curriculum is intended for freshmen and sophomores, who will learn how scholars from the social and historical studies Breadth of Inquiry area frame questions, propose answers, and assess the validity of competing approaches. Writing and related skills are stressed.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of COLL-C 104 or COLL-S 104.
- Fall 2024CASE CAPPcourseSummer 2024CASE CAPPcourse
- Fall 2024CASE SHcourseSummer 2024CASE SHcourse
- Minor GPA, Hours, and Minimum Grade Requirements.
- Minor GPA. A GPA of at least 2.000 for all courses taken in the minor—including those where a grade lower than C- is earned—is required.
- Minor Minimum Grade. Except for the GPA requirement, a grade of C- or higher is required for a course to count toward a requirement in the minor.
- Minor Upper Division Credit Hours. At least 9 credit hours in the minor must be completed at the 300–499 level.
- Minor Residency. At least 9 credit hours in the minor must be completed in courses taken through the Indiana University Bloomington campus or an IU-administered or IU co-sponsored Overseas Study program.
Minor Area Courses
Unless otherwise noted in the requirements above, courses that may apply toward the Credit Hours and GPA requirements in this academic program include all courses with theREL
prefix.This program of study cannot be combined with the following:
- Bachelor of Arts in African American and African Diaspora Studies and Religious Studies (AAADRELBA)
- Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Religious Studies (PHILRELBA)
- Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies (RELBA)
- Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies and African American and African Diaspora Studies (RELAAADBA)
- Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies and Philosophy (RELPHILBA)