Schedule of Classes

Examines the history of various Arabic Christian communities from pre-Islamic times to modernity, giving special attention to the relationship between Arab Churches and Muslim society. Teaches students ways to interpret primary source literature of Arab Christians, enabling students to understand Christianity in the light of Christians living as minorities in the Islamic 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 relevant to contemporary life found in ancient writings of Judaism and Christianity.

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.

Nature of religion; function and validity of religious concepts in the modern world. Cross listed as PHL 344.