RELS Religious Studies
RELS 2100 World Religions
3 Credit Hours. 3 Lecture Hours. 0 Lab Hours.
Survey of the major religious traditions of the world.
RELS 2130 Introduction to Religious Studies
3 Credit Hours. 3 Lecture Hours. 0 Lab Hours.
Introduction to definitions, perspectives, and methods used in religious studies, as well as, to the varieties of religious issues and expressions.
RELS 3030 Selected Topics
3 Credit Hours. 3 Lecture Hours. 0 Lab Hours.
Selected Topics in Religious Studies.
RELS 3134 Introduction to Asian Religions
3 Credit Hours. 3 Lecture Hours. 0 Lab Hours.
This course is an introduction to the religious traditions of Asia. Traditions covered include Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Islam, Daoism, and Confucianism.
RELS 3135 Introduction to Hinduism
3 Credit Hours. 3 Lecture Hours. 0 Lab Hours.
This course is an in-depth exploration of the Hindu traditions, and the beliefs, rituals, and cultural expressions of those who practice them.
RELS 3136 Introduction to Islam
3 Credit Hours. 3 Lecture Hours. 0 Lab Hours.
This course is an in-depth exploration of Islam around the world, and the beliefs, rituals, and cultural expressions of those who practice it.
RELS 3137 Introduction to Christianity
3 Credit Hours. 3 Lecture Hours. 0 Lab Hours.
This course will introduce students to the academic study of diverse social, intellectual, and political movements that have been classified as Christian.
RELS 3138 Introduction to Buddhism
3 Credit Hours. 3 Lecture Hours. 0 Lab Hours.
This course is an introduction to the wide range of Asian Buddhist ideas and practices, including Theravada, Mahayana, and Tantric Buddhisms and Buddhism's interaction with indigenous traditions.
RELS 3139 History of Religion in the U.S.
3 Credit Hours. 3 Lecture Hours. 0 Lab Hours.
A survey and analysis of the major religious patterns in the United States with special attention given to belief systems, institutional forms, social composition, and historical development.
Cross Listing(s): HIST 3139.
RELS 3233 The Early Church
3 Credit Hours. 3 Lecture Hours. 0 Lab Hours.
How did Christianity turn from an illegal, persecuted cult into the official religion of the Roman empire? The course will focus on the first five hundred years of the Christian church: its development, doctrine, and especially its relationship with the ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean world (Greece, Rome, and the Near East).
Cross Listing(s): HIST 3233.
RELS 3234 Asian Religious Philosophy
3 Credit Hours. 3 Lecture Hours. 0 Lab Hours.
This course is a study of Asian religious philosophy based on reading and analysis of primary texts (in translation). Through close investigation of philosophical texts, the course will explore ideas about ethics, truth, and the nature of reality.
RELS 3235 Religion, Sex, and Gender
3 Credit Hours. 3 Lecture Hours. 0 Lab Hours.
This course explores the complex and varied constructions of gender and sex in different religious texts, practices, and institutions. While an essential part of the course will take the form of lectures, a major component will consist of discussion and co-inquiry.
RELS 3238 The Hebrew Prophets
3 Credit Hours. 3 Lecture Hours. 0 Lab Hours.
This course will focus on a detailed and careful reading of the text of the book of Genesis, with two primary aims in mind: 1) an understanding of the narratives, within the historical context and more importantly the theological nexus of the narrative; and 2) the implications and applications for contemporary society and the issues we face.
RELS 3250 The Muslim World to Tamerlane
3 Credit Hours. 3 Lecture Hours. 0 Lab Hours.
A study of the rise of Islam in the seventh century and of the various Muslim societies that arose prior to the fifteenth century from the Iberian Peninsula to South Asia.
RELS 3251 The Muslim World Since Genghis Khan
3 Credit Hours. 3 Lecture Hours. 0 Lab Hours.
A study of the global reach of Islam since the thirteenth century. The focus is on how Muslim societies have dealt with the precipitous decline in their well-being since their pinnacle of influence in the seventeenth century.
RELS 3330 Introduction to the Hebrew Bible
3 Credit Hours. 3 Lecture Hours. 0 Lab Hours.
This course is designed to introduce the student to the fundamental ideas, themes, and trajectories in the Hebrew Bible. We shall examine the various historical, cultural, and religious contexts of the Hebrew Bible as far as this is possible, and seek to broaden our understanding of the various claims of the text, and in turn to stimulate questions and reflections on contemporary relevance. Close attention will be paid to the reading and interpretation of the text.
RELS 3334 Christian Europe 450-1750
3 Credit Hours. 3 Lecture Hours. 0 Lab Hours.
The major theme of this course is the development of various Christian traditions in Europe from the early middle ages to the Enlightenment. Topics include the spread of Christianity, formation of distinct Christian churches, and the many wars fought in the name of Christianity.
Cross Listing(s): HIST 3334.
RELS 3335 Introduction to the New Testament
3 Credit Hours. 3 Lecture Hours. 0 Lab Hours.
This course introduces the fundamental ideas, themes, and trajectories represented in New Testament texts. We shall examine the historical, cultural, and religious contexts of the New Testament and broaden our understanding of the various claims of its texts. We shall also question and reflect upon the New Testament's contemporary relevance. Close attention will be paid to the texts.
RELS 3340 The History and Archaeology of the Biblical World
3 Credit Hours. 3 Lecture Hours. 0 Lab Hours.
This course investigates the ancient worlds from which the Hebrew Bible and New Testament emerged. To do so, our class attends principally to the material culture that has been unearthed through archaeological excavations carried out in what is today the Middle East from the eras during which the Bible was written down (ca. 1200 BCE – 200 CE). While our class will engage a number of biblical texts, the primary intent of this course is to better understand the historical and cultural contexts out of which the biblical writings arose by focusing on specific archaeological and historical topics throughout the semester, such as (but not limited to) ritual, ethnicity, family and society, gender, and empire.
RELS 3416 Religion and Irish Identity
3 Credit Hours. 3 Lecture Hours. 0 Lab Hours.
The course examines the relationship between religion and Irish identity within the nation-state of Ireland as well as in diverse forms of transnational Irishness.
RELS 3430 Religion and Politics
3 Credit Hours. 3 Lecture Hours. 0 Lab Hours.
This course will examine the production of religion and politics from a global perspective. Students will learn about political theories of religion as well as consider the intersection of religion and politics in different national and international contexts.
RELS 3435 Religion, Sports, and Society
3 Credit Hours. 3 Lecture Hours. 0 Lab Hours.
This course explores the intersection of religion and sports in society using a range of case studies and interdisciplinary approaches. Students will explore issues such as whether or not sports function like religions; whether religion should have a place in sports, and sports a place in religion; what happens when religion and sports come into conflict; and what sort of religious and ethical dilemmas can arise in sports.
RELS 3440 Religion and Law
3 Credit Hours. 3 Lecture Hours. 0 Lab Hours.
This course examines systems of law within different religious traditions as well as the relationship between religion and civil law in diverse global contexts.
RELS 4336 Science and Religion
3 Credit Hours. 3 Lecture Hours. 0 Lab Hours.
Examines the interactions between science and religion from ancient times to the present.
Cross Listing(s): HIST 4336.
RELS 4890 Religious Studies Capstone
3 Credit Hours. 3 Lecture Hours. 0 Lab Hours.
Students will complete a capstone project in Religious Studies.
Prerequisite(s): Must have taken at least two classes in the major.
RELS 5030 Special Topics in Religious Studies
3 Credit Hours. 3 Lecture Hours. 0 Lab Hours.
Special topics in Religious Studies. May be repeated for additional credit when topics change.
Cross Listing(s): RELS 5030G.
RELS 5332 The Age of Reformations
3 Credit Hours. 3 Lecture Hours. 0 Lab Hours.
Focuses on the breakup of western European Christian unity in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, with a particular focus on the Continental (Lutheran, Calvinist, and Radical) denominations and the social, political, and economic consequences for all Europeans.
Cross Listing(s): RELS 5332G, HIST 5332, HIST 5332G.
RELS 5030G Special Topics in Religious Studies
3 Credit Hours. 3 Lecture Hours. 0 Lab Hours.
Special topics in Religious Studies. May be repeated for additional credit when topics change. Graduate Students will be given an extra assignment determined by the instructor that undergraduates will not be required to do.
Cross Listing(s): RELS 5030.
RELS 5332G The Age of Reformations
3 Credit Hours. 3 Lecture Hours. 0 Lab Hours.
Focuses on the breakup of western European Christian unity in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, with a particular focus on the Continental (Lutheran, Calvinist, and Radical) denominations and the social, political, and economic consequences for all Europeans.
Cross Listing(s): HIST 5332, HIST 5332G, RELS 5332.