Department of Religious Studies
Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies and Philosophy
Students on Summer 2019, Fall 2019, or Spring 2020 requirements RELPHILBA
The Interdepartmental Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies and Philosophy allows students to study both disciplines within a single major. It offers students an opportunity to explore and understand the religious traditions and various expressions of religious life around the world, as well as to explore foundational questions about who we are, what we can know, how we should live, and what there is. 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. It also emphasizes study of the history of philosophy and training in contemporary philosophical research, including skills in identifying and critically evaluating arguments, thinking clearly and independently, writing analytically, and applying principles of logic and good reasoning. The program prepares students for a wide variety of careers, including careers in education, the social sciences, law, medicine, public service, and politics.
Requirements
The major requires at least 42 credit hours, including the requirements listed below.
- Religious Studies Courses. 21 credit hours, with no more than one 100-level course counting toward the minimum and with at least 12 credit hours in courses at the 300–499 level (other than REL-X 370, REL-X 371, REL-X 498 and REL-R 499), including:
- At least one (1) course:
- 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 SHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 SHcourseSpring 2024CASE SHcourse
- At least one (1) course at the 200–499 level chosen from two (2) of the remaining three areas from the Area A, Area B, and Area C lists.
- 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-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-C 202 Issues in Religion in the Americas
- REL-C 220 American Religion and Politics
- REL-C 230 American Jewish History
- REL-C 300 Studies in Religion in the Americas
- REL-C 303 Superheroes and Religion in American Culture
- REL-C 320 African American Religions
- REL-C 323 Jews and Race in the United States
- REL-C 325 Race, Religion, and Ethnicity in the Americas
- REL-C 330 Evangelical America
- REL-C 335 New Religious Movements in the Americas
- REL-C 345 Disaster in American Religion and Culture
- REL-C 355 Religion and Sex in America
- REL-C 401 Topics in American Religious History
- REL-C 402 Religion, Illness, and Healing
- REL-C 420 Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X in American Religion
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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourseSpring 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 SHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourseSpring 2024CASE GCCcourse
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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 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 AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-C 202 Issues in Religion in the Americas
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Selected topics, issues, and movements in American religions.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-C 220 American Religion and Politics
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- American religious institutions and public policy. Religious liberty. Religious communities as political forces on selected issues, e.g., war, poverty, racism.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of REL-C 220 or REL-R 271.
- Fall 2024CASE SHcourseSummer 2024CASE SHcourseSpring 2024CASE SHcourse
REL-C 230 American Jewish History
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Explores American Jewish history from its beginnings to the present through primary source readings, documentary films, and historical readings.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of HIST-H 259, JSTU-J 259, or REL-C 230.
- Fall 2024CASE SHcourseSummer 2024CASE SHcourseSpring 2024CASE SHcourse
REL-C 300 Studies in Religion in the Americas
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Selected topics and movements in American religions.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated with different topics for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-C 303 Superheroes and Religion in American Culture
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Through reading, watching, and creating superhero stories, course explores what such stories may have to say about religion, spirituality, science, race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, class and age in American culture.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE DUScourseSummer 2024CASE DUScourseSpring 2024CASE DUScourse
REL-C 320 African American Religions
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Examines the varieties of African American religions, especially Christianity, Islam, Yoruba, Vodun, and Humanism, from the colonial era to the present. Methodologies will also be critically examined.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of REL-C 320 or REL-R 321.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE DUScourseSummer 2024CASE DUScourseSpring 2024CASE DUScourse
REL-C 323 Jews and Race in the United States
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Explores the spectrum of Jewish thought on race and ethnicity from historical and regional perspectives. Addresses the questions "Are Jews white?" and "Are Jews a race?" looking at both contemporary and historical sources to see how the answers differ in relation to the specific racial landscapes of particular times and places.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of JSTU-J 310 or REL-C 323.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-C 325 Race, Religion, and Ethnicity in the Americas
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- A comparative study of the role religious narratives and beliefs have played in the shaping of racial and ethnic boundaries.
- Fall 2024CASE DUScourseSummer 2024CASE DUScourseSpring 2024CASE DUScourse
- Fall 2024CASE SHcourseSummer 2024CASE SHcourseSpring 2024CASE SHcourse
REL-C 330 Evangelical America
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Assesses the causes, nature, and implications of evangelical influence from the Great Awakening to the present.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of REL-C 330 or REL-R 337.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE DUScourseSummer 2024CASE DUScourseSpring 2024CASE DUScourse
REL-C 335 New Religious Movements in the Americas
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Offers a theoretical and comparative survey of the emergence of religious traditions. Groups may include early Christianity, early Islam, Nichirin Shoshu, Mormonism, Tenrikyo, the Nation of Islam, Scientology, Falun Gong, and the Branch Davidians.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of REL-C 335 or REL-R 334.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-C 345 Disaster in American Religion and Culture
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Examines selected American disasters (e.g., 9/11, the sinking of the Titanic) to consider how diverse populations at different historical moments in American history have sought to understand disaster. Considers events in their historical, social, and political contexts and interprets them to understand more fully the religious ideas, beliefs, practices, and disputes in play among representative groups.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE DUScourseSummer 2024CASE DUScourseSpring 2024CASE DUScourse
REL-C 355 Religion and Sex in America
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Examines the relationship between American religion and sex from the early 1600s to the 21st century. Readings include culture theory, contemporary literature, missionary documents, theological tracts, and legal documents from early and contemporary periods. Students are encouraged to draw upon the resources of the Kinsey Institute archives.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of REL-C 355 or REL-R 391.
- Fall 2024CASE SHcourseSummer 2024CASE SHcourseSpring 2024CASE SHcourse
REL-C 401 Topics in American Religious History
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- A selected topic such as American Catholicism in the twentieth century, religion and nationalism in America, or the problem of race and the American churches.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours in REL-C 401 and REL-R 434.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
REL-C 402 Religion, Illness, and Healing
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- What is the meaning of illness and healing? Is religion good or bad for health? How should healthcare providers respond to patients' religious beliefs? What is the relationship between complementary and alternative medicine or prayer and religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, or Christianity? This course is ideal for pre-med, pre-law, business/management, and other interested students.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE DUScourseSummer 2024CASE DUScourseSpring 2024CASE DUScourse
REL-C 420 Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X in American Religion
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- An examination of the religious thought of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X in the context of American religious cultures.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of REL-C 420 or REL-R 438.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
- At least one (1) course in Religious Studies (3 credit hours) at the 400–499 level (other than REL-X 498 and REL-R 499).
- One (1) course:
- REL-R 389 Majors Seminar in Religion
REL-R 389 Majors Seminar in Religion
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- Limited to majors
- Description
- Investigation of a theme or topic in the study of religion, with close attention to method, theory, and history of the discipline.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
- At least one (1) course:
- Philosophy Courses. 21 credit hours, with no more than one 100-level course counting toward the minimum and with at least 12 credit hours in 300–499 level courses:
- Ethics and value theory. At least one (1) course:
- PHIL-P 242 Applied Ethics
- PHIL-P 246 Introduction to Philosophy and Art
- PHIL-P 332 Feminism and Value
- PHIL-P 340 Classics in Ethics
- PHIL-P 342 Problems of Ethics
- PHIL-P 343 Classics in Social and Political Philosophy
- PHIL-P 345 Problems in Social and Political Philosophy
- PHIL-P 346 Classics in Philosophy of Art
- PHIL-P 347 Contemporary Controversies in Philosophy of Art
- PHIL-P 375 Philosophy of Law
- PHIL-P 393 Biomedical Ethics
PHIL-P 242 Applied Ethics
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Application of moral theory to a variety of personal, social, and political contexts, such as world hunger, nuclear weapons, social justice, life-and-death decisions, and problems in medical ethics.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 246 Introduction to Philosophy and Art
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Introduction to the philosophical study of art and the relationship between art and philosophy. Topics include the nature of a work of art, the role of emotions in art, the interpretation and appreciation of art, and the way philosophy is expressed in art.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 332 Feminism and Value
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours in philosophy or advanced work in a field related to the course topic. Students without this background should take PHIL-P 103
- Description
- Selected topics from philosophical feminism. Topics may include gender and its relationship to sex; the relationship among sexism, feminism and sexuality; theories of the institutions through which sexist norms are perpetuated and reified and of the intersections and interactions amongst sexism, classism, racism and heterosexism. Focus is on philosophical frameworks underlying feminist theorizing.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 340 Classics in Ethics
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours in philosophy or 300-level work in a related field such as religious studies, political theory, or intellectual history. Students without this background should take PHIL-P 140
- Description
- Readings from Plato and Aristotle to Kant, Mill, and Nietzsche. Topics include virtue and human nature, pleasure and the good, the role of reason in ethics, the objectivity of moral principles, and the relation of religion to ethics.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 342 Problems of Ethics
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours in Philosophy or 300-level work in a related field such as religious studies or political theory. Students without this background should take PHIL-P 140
- Description
- May concentrate on a single large issue (e.g., whether utilitarianism is an adequate ethical theory), or several more or less independent issues (e.g., the nature of goodness, the relation of good to ought, the objectivity of moral judgments, moral responsibility, moral emotions, concepts of virtue, cultural conflicts of value, the nature of moral discourse).
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 343 Classics in Social and Political Philosophy
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours in philosophy
- Description
- Readings from Plato and Aristotle to Hobbes, Locke, Hegel, and Marx. Topics include the ideal state, the nature and proper ends of the state, natural law and natural right, social contract theory, and the notion of community.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 345 Problems in Social and Political Philosophy
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours in Philosophy or in a field related to the course. Students without this background should take PHIL-P 145
- Description
- Problems of contemporary relevance: civil disobedience, participatory democracy, conscience and authority, law and morality.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 346 Classics in Philosophy of Art
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours in philosophy
- Description
- Readings from Plato and Aristotle to Nietzsche and Dewey. Topics include the definition of art, the nature of beauty, and art and society.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 347 Contemporary Controversies in Philosophy of Art
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours of philosophy
- Description
- Topics include the intersection of art, art criticism, philosophy, modernism and post-modernism, and the relation of aesthetic and cognitive judgment.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 375 Philosophy of Law
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours of philosophy
- Description
- Selective survey of philosophical problems concerning law and the legal system. Topics include nature and validity of law, morality and law, legal obligation, judicial decision, rights, justice, responsibility, and punishment.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 393 Biomedical Ethics
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- A philosophical consideration of ethical problems that arise in current biomedical practice, e.g., with regard to abortion, euthanasia, determination of death, consent to treatment, and professional responsibilities in connection with research, experimentation, and health care delivery.
- History of philosophy. At least one (1) course:
- PHIL-P 201 Ancient Greek Philosophy
- PHIL-P 205 Modern Jewish Philosophy
- PHIL-P 211 Early Modern Philosophy
- PHIL-P 301 Medieval Philosophy
- PHIL-P 304 19th Century Philosophy
- PHIL-P 305 Topics in the Philosophy of Judaism
- PHIL-P 319 American Pragmatism
- PHIL-P 328 Philosophies of India
- PHIL-P 330 Marxist Philosophy
- PHIL-P 335 Phenomenology and Existentialism
- PHIL-P 374 Early Chinese Philosophy
PHIL-P 201 Ancient Greek Philosophy
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours of philosophy
- Description
- Selective survey of ancient Greek philosophy (pre-Socratics, Plato, Aristotle).
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourseSpring 2024CASE GCCcourse
PHIL-P 205 Modern Jewish Philosophy
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- A survey and critical analysis of modern Jewish philosophers and thinkers such as Mendelssohn, Cohen, Rosenzweig, Buber, and Fackenheim. Topics: concepts of God; the nature of religion; autonomy and revealed morality; God and history; theodicy and the Holocaust; empiricists and analytic criticism of divine human encounter; Jewish philosophy and modern philosophy.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 211 Early Modern Philosophy
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours in Philosophy
- Description
- Selective survey of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century philosophy, including some or all of the following: Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Kant.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 301 Medieval Philosophy
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours in philosophy
- Description
- A selective survey of Western philosophy from the turn of the Christian era to the end of the Middle Ages. Readings from some or all of Augustine, Boethius, Anselm, Abelard, Bonaventure, Aquinas, Duns Scotus, and Ockham.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
- Fall 2024CASE GCCcourseSummer 2024CASE GCCcourseSpring 2024CASE GCCcourse
PHIL-P 304 19th Century Philosophy
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours in philosophy
- Description
- Selective survey of post-Kantian philosophy. Readings from some or all of Hegel, Marx, Kierkegaard, Mill, and Nietzsche.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 305 Topics in the Philosophy of Judaism
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours of philosophy
- Description
- Comparative analysis of two or more Jewish philosophers; or selected topics in the philosophical treatment of contemporary Jewish experience; or topics in the history of Jewish philosophy.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated once with different topic.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 319 American Pragmatism
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours of philosophy
- Description
- Examination of the central doctrines of Peirce, James, Dewey, Mead.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 328 Philosophies of India
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Historical and critical-analytic survey of the major traditions of Indian philosophy. Attention to early philosophizing and the emergence of the classical schools in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain traditions. Attention also to contemporary thought in India including critical theory and subaltern theorizing.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of PHIL-P 328 or REL-R 368.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 330 Marxist Philosophy
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours of philosophy
- Description
- An examination of major philosophical issues in the light of Marxist theory. Historical materialism and the critique of idealism in metaphysics, the theory of knowledge, ethics, and social science. Discussion of both classical and contemporary sources.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 335 Phenomenology and Existentialism
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours in philosophy or advanced work in a related field
- Description
- An overview of the main problems, themes, and foundational texts of Phenomenology and Existentialism, as well as intensive study of the writings of several of the most prominent thinkers in these movements. Selected readings from Buber, Camus, de Beauvoir, Heidegger, Husserl, Jaspers, Kierkegaard, Marcel, Merleau-Ponty, Nietzsche, Sartre, and others.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 374 Early Chinese Philosophy
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Origins of Chinese philosophical traditions in the classical schools of Confucianism, Taoism, Mohism, and Legalism. Explores contrasting agendas of early Chinese and Western traditions.
- Repeatability
- Credit given for only one of EALC-E 374, PHIL-P 374, REL-B 374, or REL-R 368.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
- Spring 2024CASE GCCcourse
- Epistemology and metaphysics. At least one (1) course:
- PHIL-P 310 Topics in Metaphysics
- PHIL-P 312 Topics in the Theory of Knowledge
- PHIL-P 320 Philosophy of Language
- PHIL-P 360 Philosophy of Mind
- PHIL-P 366 Philosophy of Action
PHIL-P 310 Topics in Metaphysics
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours in philosophy
- Description
- Topics such as existence, individuation, contingency, universals and particulars, causality, determinism, space, time, events and change, relation of mental and physical.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 312 Topics in the Theory of Knowledge
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours in philosophy
- Description
- Topics such as various theories of perceptual realism, sense-datum theories, theories of appearing, phenomenalism, the nature of knowledge, the relation between knowledge and belief, relation between knowledge and evidence, and the problem of skepticism.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 320 Philosophy of Language
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: PHIL-P 250 (or another logic course involving formal languages and methods, such as COGS-Q 350 or MATH-M 384) and at least one other course in Philosophy. Students who have not successfully completed a course in logic may find this course difficult
- Description
- A study of selected philosophical problems concerning language and their bearing on traditional problems in philosophy.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 360 Philosophy of Mind
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours of philosophy or coursework in cognitive science or brain and psychological science
- Description
- Selected topics from among the following: the nature of mental phenomena (e.g., thinking, volition, perception, emotion); the mind-body problem (e.g., dualism, behaviorism, functionalism); connections to cognitive science issues in psychology, linguistics, and artificial intelligence; computational theories of mind.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 366 Philosophy of Action
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 3 credit hours of philosophy
- Description
- The nature of human and rational action: the structure of intentions and practical consciousness; the role of the self in action; volitions; the connections of desires, needs, and purposes to intentions and doings; causation and motivation; freedom; the structure of deliberation; rational actions and duties, whether moral or institutional.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
- Logic. At least one (1) course:
- PHIL-P 150 Elementary Logic
- PHIL-P 250 Introductory Symbolic Logic
PHIL-P 150 Elementary Logic
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Development of critical tools for the evaluation of arguments. Not a prerequisite for PHIL-P 250.
- Repeatability
- Not open to students who have taken or are enrolled in PHIL-P 250.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 250 Introductory Symbolic Logic
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Description
- Propositional logic and first-order quantificational logic.
- Repeatability
- No credit for PHIL-P 150 if PHIL-P 250 taken first or concurrently.
- Fall 2024CASE NMcourseSummer 2024CASE NMcourseSpring 2024CASE NMcourse
- Research. At least one (1) course:
- PHIL-P 401 History of Philosophy: Special Topics
- PHIL-P 470 Special Topics in Philosophy
- PHIL-P 498 Honors Thesis Directed Research
- PHIL-P 499 Honors Thesis
PHIL-P 401 History of Philosophy: Special Topics
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 6 credit hours of philosophy. This course will be difficult for students who have not taken a 300-level philosophy course
- Description
- A focused look at a particular thinker, movement, period, or set of ideas in the history of philosophy.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 470 Special Topics in Philosophy
- Credits
- 3
- Prerequisites
- None
- Notes
- R: 6 credit hours of philosophy. This course will be difficult for students who have not taken a 300-level philosophy course
- Description
- Advanced study of a topic (or cluster of related topics) in an area of philosophy.
- Repeatability
- May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
- Fall 2024CASE AHcourseSummer 2024CASE AHcourseSpring 2024CASE AHcourse
PHIL-P 498 Honors Thesis Directed Research
- Credits
- 4
- Prerequisites
- Approval of departmental honors committee
- Description
- Directed research course preparatory to writing the senior honors thesis. Training in skills necessary for original philosophical research. Goals are to achieve appropriate mastery over a body of philosophical material relevant to the honors thesis project, and to develop core ideas for a successful honors thesis.
PHIL-P 499 Honors Thesis
- Credits
- 3–6 credit hours
- Prerequisites
- Approval of departmental honors committee
- Description
- None
- Ethics and value theory. At least one (1) course:
- Major GPA, Hours, and Minimum Grade Requirements.
- At least 18 credit hours in the major must be completed in courses taken through the Indiana University Bloomington campus or an IU-administered or IU co-sponsored Overseas Study program.
- At least 18 credit hours in the major must be completed at the 300–499 level.
- Except for the GPA requirement, a grade of C- or higher is required for a course to count toward a requirement in the major.
- A GPA of at least 2.000 for all courses taken in the major—including those where a grade lower than C- is earned—is required.
- Exceptions to major requirements may be made with the approval of the department's Director of Undergraduate Studies, subject to final approval by the College of Arts and Sciences.
The Bachelor of Arts degree requires at least 120 credit hours, to include the following:
- College of Arts and Sciences Credit Hours. At least 100 credit hours must come from College of Arts and Sciences disciplines.
- Upper Division Courses. At least 42 credit hours (of the 120) must be at the 300–499 level.
- College Residency. Following completion of the 60th credit hour toward degree, at least 36 credit hours of College of Arts and Sciences coursework must be completed through the Indiana University Bloomington campus or an IU-administered or IU co-sponsored Overseas Study program.
- College GPA. A cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.000 is required for all courses taken at Indiana University.
- CASE Requirements. The following College of Arts and Sciences Education (CASE) requirements must be completed:
- CASE Foundations
- CASE Breadth of Inquiry
- CASE Culture Studies
- CASE Critical Approaches: 1 course
- CASE Foreign Language: Proficiency in a single foreign language through the second semester of the second year of college-level coursework
- CASE Intensive Writing: 1 course
- CASE Public Oral Communication: 1 course
- Major. Completion of the major as outlined in the Major Requirements section above.
Most students must also successfully complete the Indiana University Bloomington General Education program.