Schedule of Classes

Survey of human values and religious experiences found in major religions of the world.

An overview of both theory and method in the psychological study of religion. Emphasis will be on understanding the biological and psychological underpinnings of religious belief, behavior, and experience. Cross listed as PSY 280.

Human values in the early Christian experience as reflected in its scriptures.

Academic study of Christian asceticism from the fourth to the seventh centuries. This course analyzes the earliest literature of the Christian monastic movements, primarily located in Egypt and the eastern Mediterranean lands. The course gives particular attention to understanding moral values developed in monasticism that influenced Western civilization.

The course introduces students to the writings that comprise rabbinic literature, particularly the Talmud, the single most influential document in the history of Judaism. Rabbinic texts are set within a broader cultural, historical, and religious context as the values, beliefs, and practices of the first rabbis are analyzed and appreciated.

Historical and theoretical analysis of relationships between Muslims and Christians, including a careful examination of the Middle Eastern Christian communities at the time of Muhammad, and after. Explores the ways Muslims and Christians have developed theological and social categories for characterizing each other.

Historical and cultural study of the religions of India, Southeast Asia, and China.

Historical and literary study of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Historical survey of the development of Buddhism in the civilizations of India, Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Tibet. Origins of the Buddhist tradition and the development of its basic beliefs, practices, and institutions within the context of Asian civilizations.

Historical and cultural survey of religion in Japan, primarily Buddhism and Shinto. Folk religion, Chinese influences, and the New Religions.

Topics of special interest which may vary each time course is offered. Topic stated in current Schedule of Classes.

Primarily for undergraduate RLS majors: comprehensive and integrated survey of the discipline at an advanced level; projects in special areas.