New and Recently Added Courses
The following courses are new to the Department of Religion's course offerings since the Fall 2008 semester. If we have information about future availability for these courses, it is included in parentheses next to the course number, title, and instructor.
RLST 170 Nature Religion (Treat) (Spring 2010)
This is an introductory survey of religious traditions that locate sacred realities in the natural world, and of ecological traditions that attribute spiritual significance to nature. The term "nature religion" is an interpretive construct that guides our exploration of various movements and expressions emphasizing convergences of the ecological and the spiritual. Assigned readings are drawn from key texts in the fields of religious studies and environmental studies. Class discussions are supplemented by audiovisual materials, guest speakers, campus events, and web-based assignments. Course grades are based on class participation and two examinations. Students have the opportunity to gain a basic understanding of the relationship between religion and nature and to develop their critical skills for use in educational, professional, and personal settings. (3 undergraduate credits)
RLST 199 Indigenous Religious Traditions (Treat) (Fall 2010 or Spring 2011, tentatively)
This is an interdisciplinary survey of indigenous religious traditions, centered on North America. Assigned readings are drawn from representative texts in indigenous religious studies. Class discussions are supplemented by audiovisual materials, guest speakers, campus events, and web-based assignments. Course grades are based on class participation and two examinations. Students have the opportunity to gain a basic understanding of indigenous religions and to develop their critical skills for use in educational, professional, and personal settings. (3 undergraduate credits)
RLST 341 Native People and Christianity (Treat)
This interdisciplinary survey focuses on a fundamental aspect of American religious life: the native encounter with Christianity. Situated at the intersection of native studies and religious studies, this course charts the cultural contexts for native religious history and explores native religious diversity in the contemporary period, particularly the relationship between tribal and Christian traditions in reservation and urban communities. Assigned readings include historical interpretation, theological reflection, philosophical argument, cultural criticism, social analysis, political advocacy, autobiographical narrative, ethnographic description, and fictional stories by contemporary native writers. Class discussions are supplemented by audiovisual materials, guest speakers, and campus events. Students have the opportunity to gain a basic understanding of native religious traditions; to reflect on the broader theoretical and practical questions raised by the intersections of religion, culture, and politics in a diverse and conflicted world; and to develop their critical skills for use in academic, professional, and personal settings. (3 undergraduate credits)
RLST 470 Indigenous Ecologies (Treat) (Spring 2010)
This is an interdisciplinary seminar exploring the relationship between human experience and natural environment in indigenous communities, focusing especially on ecological traditions among native North Americans. Assigned readings present historical and contemporary case studies, including noteworthy examples of adaptation in the context of settler colonialism and in response to the dominant paradigm of scientific ecology. Class discussions are supplemented by audiovisual materials, guest speakers, campus events, and web-based assignments. Students have the opportunity to gain a basic understanding of indigenous ecologies; to conduct research on a relevant theme, issue, region, or community; and to develop their critical skills for use in educational, professional, and personal settings. (3 undergraduate credits; 4 graduate credits)
RLST 480/LAW 792 Islamic Law (Khalil) (Fall 2009)
This course will introduce students to Islamic legal philosophy and the historical evolution of Islamic legal and jurisprudential systems. We will begin by studying the origins, nature, sources, and interpretive methodologies of classical Islamic law, and the main institution for upholding this law, the madhhab, or school of law, examining its development from the formative to the post-formative periods and highlighting important controversies generated along the way. We will then look at the early encounter of Islamic law with modernity. This will be followed by an exploration of several contemporary topics that have served as catalysts for new tensions and alternative approaches and interpretive theories. (3 undergraduate/law credits; 4 graduate credits)
RLST 483 Salvation in Islamic Thought (Khalil) (Spring 2010)
This course will introduce students to salvation in Islamic thought, with emphasis on discussions of the fate of “Others" (i.e., non-Muslims). We will begin by studying the origins and sources of this discourse. We will then examine evolving orientations from the formative to the post-formative periods, looking at important controversies generated along the way, particularly the exclusivist-inclusivist and universalist-anti-universalist debates, as well as Sufi approaches. This will be followed by an assessment of the new approaches to salvation in modern Islamic thought, with particular emphasis on the contemporary pluralist-inclusivist debate. We will conclude by considering alternative yet controversial approaches to the topic of salvation, including reincarnation. This course will overlap with the Department of Religion's international symposium "Islam, Salvation, and the Fate of Others" (April 16-17, 2010). (3 undergraduate credits; 4 graduate credits)
RLST 499 Ecological Criticism (Treat) (Fall 2010 or Spring 2011, tentatively)
Course description forthcoming. (3 undergraduate credits; 4 graduate credits)