RELB 502 - (3) (IR)
Seminar in Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism: the spread of Buddhism to Tibet and its
development, with emphasis on the outer, inner, and secret biographies
of Tibetan yogis.
RELB 525 - (3) (O)
Seminar in Japanese Buddhism
Prerequisite: REL 213 or REL 3l6 or permission of instructor
Examination of selected topics in the major schools of Japanese
Buddhism: Tendai, Shingon, Pure Land, Nichiren and Zen.
RELB 526 - (3) (IR)
Seminar in Tibetan Buddhism II
The theory and practice of Tibetan Buddhism.
RELB 527 - (3) (O)
Seminar in Chinese Buddhism
Studies of selected doctrinal and historical issues in Chinese
Buddhism.
RELB 535, 536 - (4) (IR)
Literary and Spoken Tibetan III, IV
An intermediate course in the philosophical and spiritual
language of Tibet, past and present.
RELB 543, 544 - (3) (SI)
Sanskrit Religious Texts
Prerequisites: SANS 501, 502 or equivalent
Readings in Sanskrit religious and philosophical works-their syntax,
meaning, and translation.
RELB 546 - (3) (IR)
Seminar in Mahayana Buddhism
The Middle Way School of Madhyamika-Nagarjuna's reasoning,
its intent and place in the spiritual path.
RELB 547, 548 - (4) (IR)
Literary and Spoken Tibetan V, VI
Prerequisites: REL 500, 501, 535, 536 or equivalent
Advanced study in the philosophical and spiritual language of
Tibet, past and present.
RELB 555 - (3) (IR)
Buddhist Philosophy
Prerequisite: REL 210 or equivalent
Advanced study of a major issue, thinker, or text (in translation)
from the Pali/Sanskrit Buddhist tradition.
RELB 560 - (3) (SI)
Elementary Pali
Prerequisites: SANS 501, 502, Elementary Sanskrit or equivalent
Pali religious and philosophical works: their grammar and translation.
RELB 561 - (1-3) (IR)
Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit
Prerequisites: SANS 501, 502 or equivalent
Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit works: their grammar and translation.
RELB 566 - (3) (E)
Approaches to Buddhist Studies
Investigation of the techniques and presuppositions involved
in the methods used to study Buddhism-textual, historical, philosophical,
and social scientific.
RELB 591 - (3) (E)
Seminar in Chinese Buddhism
Examination of the major schools of Chinese Buddhism: T'ien-t'ai,
Hua-yen, Pure Land, and Ch'an.
RELB 599 - (3) (O)
South and Inner Asian Buddhist Bibliography
Detailed critical survey of Theravada and Mahayana literature
including modern secondary and tertiary sources with practical
exercises in using the materials for study and research.
RELB 700, 701 - (3) (Y)
Readings in Japanese Buddhist Studies I
Prerequisite: JAPN 102 or permission of instructor
Practice in reading and translating selected works of modern Japanese
Buddhist scholarship. Introduction to research materials in Japanese.
RELB 702, 703 - (3) (Y)
Readings in Chinese Buddhist Texts
Instruction in the reading and interpretation of Chinese Buddhist
texts and the use of reference tools such as Chinese language
dictionaries, bibliographies, encyclopedias, and indices.
RELB 818 - (3) (SI)
Buddhist Logic and Epistemology
Detailed examination of the Dignaga-Dharmakirti school of
Buddhist logic and epistemology, with emphasis on syllogisms,
consequences, modes of debate, the meaning of words, and types
of mental activity.
RELB 820, 821 - (4) (IR)
Literary and Spoken Tibetan VII, VIII
Prerequisites: REL 500, 501, 535, 536, 547, 548 or equivalent
Examination of the Yogachara-Svatantrika system as presented in
Jang-kya's Presentation of Tenets, as well as work in oral
debate and exercises in spoken Tibetan.
RELB 823 - (3) (S)
Advanced Literary and Spoken Tibetan
Examination of selected topics and techniques of Tibetan education.
RELB 831, 832 - (1-3) (SI)
Advanced Sanskrit/Pali I, II
Advanced readings in poetry, psychology, or philosophy.
RELC 510 - (3) (Y)
Natural Law in Judaism and Christianity
A study of the concept of natural law in Jewish and Christian
theology and how these respective religious traditions dealt with
a concept that claims that all morality is not the direct result
of specific religious prescription.
RELC 511 - (3) (IR)
Phenomenology and Christology
A systematic exposition of the phenomenon of selfhood on the
basis of some traditional materials from Christology and of some
recent investigations in phenomenology.
RELC 512 - (3) (E)
Development of Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Catholic Liberalism
Roman Catholic theology underwent a significant change in
the middle of the 19th century as the Catholic Church sought to
defend itself against the secular liberal state and emerging historical
consciousness within philosophy and theology. This course traces
this change from the Thomistic revival (1878), through the condemnation
of Modernism (1907), to the emergency of the "New Theology"
with such theologians as Karl Rahner, Yves Congar, and Henri deLubac.
RELC 513 - (3) (IR)
Being and God
A constructive treatment of questions related to the possibility
of the experience of being and God or of the being of God.
RELC 519 - (3) (O)
Theology in the Nineteenth Century
An analysis and interpretation of the theology of major thinkers
in the 19th century. Special attention to Kant, Hegel and Schleiermacher.
RELC 520 - (3) (E)
Contemporary Theology
An analysis and interpretation of major currents in philosophical
and systematic theology in the 20th century.
RELC 530 - (3) (IR)
Early Christianity and Classical Judaism
Study of early Christian writings directed to Judaism; the
role of Judaism in shaping the Christian intellectual tradition;
the Christian interpretation of Jewish scripture.
RELC 531 - (3) (IR)
Early Christianity and Graeco-Roman Culture
Pagan criticism of Christianity and the response of Christian
apologists; Christianity and the Greek philosophical traditions,
especially Stoicism and Platonism.
RELC 551 - (3) (E)
Early Christian Thought
Prerequisite: REL 205 or permission of instructor
Intensive consideration of a selected issue, movement, or figure
in Christian thought of the second through the fifth centuries.
RELC 552 - (3) (Y)
Seminar in American Catholic History
Intensive consideration of a selected movement, issue, or
figure in the history of Catholicism in America.
RELC 553 - (3) (IR)
Puritanism
An examination of English and American Puritans, with attention also to Continental sources.
RELC 564 - (3) (IR)
Seminar in Modern Christian Thought
A critical examination of a major modern Christian thinker
or movement, or of a major problem in modern Christian thought.
RELC 567 - (3) (SI)
Early Christian Ethics
A survey of ethical thought and moral issues in early Christianity,
on the basis of New Testament and early patristic materials.
RELC 580 - (3) (E)
Advanced Exegesis of the New Testament I
Reading and interpretation of the Greek test of one of the
Gospels. Intermediate knowledge of Hellenistic Greek required.
RELC 581 - (3) (O)
Advanced Exegesis of the New Testament II
Reading and interpretation of the Greek test of one or more
of the epistles. Intermediate knowledge of Hellenistic Greek required.
RELC 583 - (3) (E)
Love and Justice
An examination of various conceptions of love and justice
in selected Protestant and Catholic literature mainly from the
last 50 years.
RELC 711 - (3) (IR)
Seminar in Roman Catholic Moral Theology
A systematic review of the Catholic tradition in moral theology,
with special focus on the manner in which historical consciousness
has influenced post-Vatican II ethics in natural law, the use
of scripture, social ethics, and issues of authority.
RELC 724 - (3) (SI)
Popular Religion, 1300-1700
Analysis of various approaches to the study of western Christianity,
focusing on the experience and practice of religion by the laity.
Also listed as HIEU 724.
RELC 815 - (3) (IR)
Patristic Greek
Readings of Greek fathers such as John Chrysoston and Gregory
of Nazianzus, with emphasis on grammar, syntax and rhetoric. An
intermediate to advanced level course.
RELC 841 - (3) (IR)
Seminar on American Religious Thought I: Edwards to Emerson
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
An historical and theological examination of seminal figures in
the development of American religious thought from the Enlightenment
through the "American Renaissance."
RELC 842 - (3) (IR)
Seminar on American Religious Thought II: Liberalism Through Neo-Orthodoxy
An historical and theological examination of the work of major
religious thinkers in American from 1860 to 1960.
RELC 844 - (3) (Y)
Seminar in Reformation Studies
Intensive study of a selected movement, issue, or figure in
the 16th century.
RELC 846 - (3) (SI)
Development of Catholic Social and Political Thought
Catholic social teaching has developed in response to new
economic and political situations. This course focuses on papal
encyclicals since Renum Novarium (1891) and on American Catholic
attitudes toward organized labor and social action.
RELC 847 - (3) (SI)
American Catholic Approaches to Religious Liberty
Religious Liberty was the distinctive contribution of American
Catholicism to the Second Vatican Council. This course traces
the development of this doctrine from the 17th to the 20th century
in the United States.
RELC 889 - (3) (E)
Seminar in New Testament Theology
Consideration of the nature and scope of New Testament theology
and of one central theme, such as Christology.
RELC 890 - (3) (O)
Topics in New Testament Studies
Systematic consideration of selected issues in the theory
and methods of New Testament criticism.
RELC 892 - (3) (Y)
Seminar in Early Christianity
Selected topics in early Christian history and thought. Topic
varies from year to year.
RELG 506 - (3) (IR)
Interpretation of Myth
This seminar takes an interdisciplinary approach to the study
of myth, focusing on structuralist, hermeneutical, and history
of religion's methodologies.
RELG 507 - (3) (O)
The Nature and Problems of Interpretation
Existentialist, phenomenological, structuralist, literary,
historical, and psychological approaches to the interpretation
of texts, especially narrative religious texts; the interactions
of language, history, and understanding.
RELG 508 - (3) (IR)
Seminar on Religion and American Culture
An examination of a major movement or issue in American religion
and its impact on American culture and society. Possible topics
include Puritanism, revivalism, religion and social reform, religion
and science controversies, popular religious movements, and civil
religion.
RELG 514 - (3) (SI)
Seminar on a Major Religious Thinker
The relationship between philosophical and religious thought
as seen in a selected philosopher or theologian.
RELG 515 - (3) (Y)
Issues in Religious Ethics
Study of selected issues such as mysticism and morality, conscience,
natural law, nonviolence, and methodology in religious ethics.
RELG 517 - (3) (Y)
Seminar in History of Religions
An introduction to the basic thinkers in the field of History
of Religions (Otto, van der Leeuv, Eliade, Wach) and to fundamental
problems in the study of religious sociology, mythology, and ritual.
RELG 518 - (3) (IR)
Seminar in Philosophical Theology
Ideas of God in western thought from Plato through Descartes.
RELG 524 - (3) (SI)
Problems in Philosophy of Religion
A critical examination of classic and contemporary discussions
of selected problems in philosophy of religion.
RELG 541 - (3) (O)
Seminar in Social and Political Thought
An examination of the social and political thought of selected
religious thinkers.
RELG 563 - (3) (S)
Seminar: Issues in the Study of Religion and Literature
An analysis, in terms of fundamental theory, of the purposes,
problems, and possibilities of interdisciplinary work in religion
and literary criticism.
RELG 569 - (3) (IR)
Contemporary Religious Movements
A study of the psychological, sociological and political dimensions
of conversion and ideological commitment in selected contemporary
religious movements.
RELG 571 - (3) (O)
Victorian Crisis of Faith: Its Religious and Literary Expressions
Analysizes the central religious and philosophical issues
of Victorian thought (as they gained expression at once in imaginative
literature and in formal philosophy and theology) from the time
of Keble's Assize sermon and the advent of the Oxford Movement
into the period of Thomas Hardy.
RELG 573 - (3) (IR)
Theology of Culture
Explores the relationship between religion and culture, including
such areas of inquiry as a theological assessment of the value
of culture; the impact of secularization; the critique of religion
levied by various disciplines; the problems of doing theology
in a pluralistic context.
RELG 575 - (3) (IR)
Myth and Ritual
An examination of theories of myth and ritual from an interdisciplinary
perspective, including the study of selected mythological and
ritual texts.
RELG 578 - (3) (Y)
Human Genetics, Ethics, and Theology
Prerequisites: RELG 265 or permission of instructor
Study of ethical problems in genetic screening, counseling, and
prenatal diagnosis. Ideas of biological and theological determinism
are explored critically.
RELG 590 - (3) (IR)
Ethics, Politics and Rhetoric
Perennial problems of politics and morals, considered primarily
by the reading of plays, novels, speeches, and historical documents.
RELG 705 - (3) (Y)
Myth and Modern Drama
An examination of the religious and narrative elements of
Greek, biblical, and other mythic traditions as they are found
in the process of transformation by modern dramatists.
RELG 714 (1) (IR)
Comparative Indo-European Mythology
Study of structural parallels between myths of the Indo-European
language family, based on the methods pioneered by Georges Dumezil.
RELG 720 - (3) (SI)
Wittgenstein and Philosophy of Religion
A study of several major works of Ludwig Wittgenstein as they
bear on the problems raised by the philosophical study of religion.
RELG 721 - (3) (SI)
Kant and Philosophy of Religion
Examination of Kant's Critique of Practical Reason and Religion
Within the Limits of Reason Alone, with special attention to Kant's
view of the relation between the theoretical and practical employments
of reason, and the implications for theistic belief.
RELG 722 - (3) (SI)
Rationality, Justification and Religious Belief
Examination of several major contemporary approaches to the
question of the justification of religious belief, involving issues
of relativism and kinds of rationality.
RELG 800 - (3) (E)
Negativity and Religious Imagination
Constructive examination of the ways in which imaginative
literature, theological reflection, and hermeneutical inquiry
interpret aspects of negativity in human experience and understanding.
RELG 808 - (2) (Y)
Principles and Practice of Bioethics Services
This course reviews the underlying principles, existing models,
and literature in the practice of ethics consultation in health
care.
RELG 809 - (3) (Y)
Proseminar on Current Controversies in Bioethics
A study of controversies regarding research with the embryo
and fetus, issues in AIDS prevention, diagnosis and treatment,
and requests for assistance with suicide or euthanasia.
RELG 810 - (3) (Y)
Proseminar in Clinical Ethics
This proseminar explores ethical perspectives and clinical
decisions: situation ethics, casuistry, principlism, and feminist
perspectives.
RELG 812, 813 - (1-3) (Y)
Figures and Traditions in Philosophical and Religious Ethics
This two-semester course introduces students to the basic
ethical works and theories of central figures in the Western tradition:
Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Acquinas, Hume, Kant, Hegel,
Kirkegaard, Bentham, Mill, Buber, Dewey, and Rawls.
RELG 814 - (3) (Y)
History of Bioethics Via the Great Cases
Tuskegee, Jewish Hospital for Chronic Diseases, Jehovah Witness
cases, Philadelphia Head-Injury Studies, Quinlan and Cruzan, Jehovah's
Witness, Bouvia, Quill and Freud, Baby Jane Doe, Baby Theresa,
Angela Carder, Wanglie, the Oregon Plan, etc. Course concentrates
on analysis of cases and turning points in field of bioethics.
RELG 833 - (3) (E)
Comparative Religious Ethics
An examination of the theoretical and methodological questions
lying behind the attempt to study religious ethics comparatively.
Several methods are tested in relation to materials from different
religious traditions.
RELG 834 - (3) (O)
Contemporary Theological Ethics
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
An examination of trends and controversies in contemporary theological
ethics.
RELG 840 - (3) (IR)
Historiography Seminar in American Religion
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
An examination of current historiographical issues in the interpretation
of religion in American history.
RELG 855 - (3) (SI)
Seminar in the Thought of Martin Heidegger
An examination of the works of Heidegger (especially Being
and Time) and their contribution to contemporary theology.
RELH 554 - (3) (E)
Hinduism and Indian Culture
This graduate-level introductory seminar devotes equal attention
to the phenomenon of Hinduism and scholarly approaches to the
study of this tradition.
RELH 558 - (3) (E)
Hindu Epics
An examination of emergent classical Hinduism through the
epic Mahabharata and Ramayana, this seminar will
also concentrate on the narrativization of ritual and Indo-European
parallels.
RELH 589 - (3) (IR)
Vedic Hinduism
Taking the Vedic textual tradition and the theories of Jan
Heesterman as its dual starting point, this seminar investigates
the interplay of myth, ritual, and society in ancient India.
RELH 718 - (3) (O)
Hindu Tantrism
A study of Medieval Hindu mysticism, concentrating on the
sects, texts, worship forms, esoteric practices, and literary
genres grouped under the heading of Tantra, with particular attention
to the disciplines of hatha-yoga and alchemy.
RELI 710 - (3) (SI)
Islamic Religious Law
Prerequisite: REL 207 or RELC 530
A study of the sources and implications of the Islamic Religious
Law (the Sharia).
RELI 860 - (3) (SI)
Seminar in Shi'ite Theology
Prerequisites: RELI 540, two years of Persian or Arabic
An in-depth study of Shi'ite Islamic Theology from its origin
through the 14th century.
RELJ 510 - (3)(Y)
Natural Law in Judaism and Christianity
Prerequisite: Courses in religious thought and/or philosophy.
The problem of natural law as a perennial issue in both Judaism
and Christianity.
RELJ 522 - (3) (IR)
The Shaping of the Rabbinic Tradition
The seminar, in any particular semester, investigates specific
aspects of pre-modern development of Rabbinic Judaism, e.g., "The
Holy Man," "Mysticism and Society," "Camon
and Exegesis," "Law as Theology."
RELJ 523 - (3) (IR)
Modern Judaic Imagination
The seminar takes up specific problems in the interpretation
of Judaism in the 19th and 20th centuries.
RELJ 528 - (3) (O)
Seminar in Israelite Religion
Advanced study in a selected aspect of the religion of ancient Israel.
RELJ 529 - (3) (SI)
Seminar in Hebrew Bible
Investigation of a selected topic in the study of Hebrew Scriptures.
RELJ 594 - (3) (Y
Judaism and Kantian Philosophy
Prerequisite: Courses in philosophy of Jewish thought, or
permission of instructor; reading knowledge of German helpful
The interaction of the philosophy of Immanuel Kant and Jewish
theology in the 19th century and early 20th century, primarily
concentrating on the thought of the German-Jewish thinker Hermann
Cohen (1842-1918).
RELJ 596 - (3) (SI)
Judaism and Existentialist Philosophy
The interaction of existentialist philosophy and modern Jewish
theology especially in the works of Martin Buber, Franz Rosenzweig,
and Abraham Joshua Heschel.
RELJ 597 - (3) (Y)
Judaism and Aristotelian Philosophy
Prerequisites: Courses in philosophy or Jewish thought, or
permission of instructor
The interaction of the philosophy of Aristotle and Jewish theology,
especially in the 12th century, primarily concentrating on the
thought of Maimonides (1135-1204).
RELJ 888 - (3) (SI)
Biblical and Jewish Palestinian Aramaic
An introduction to the Aramaic language, intended especially
for New Testament graduate students. Emphasis is on mastery of
the grammar and syntax of Official or Imperial Aramaic and especially
Middle Aramaic (second century BCE to second century CE).
RELS 896 - (3-9) (S)
Research
Research on problems leading to a Master's thesis.
RELS 897 - (3-12) (S)
Non-Topical Research, Preparation for Research
For Master's research, taken before a thesis director has
been selected.
RELS 898 - (3-12) (S)
Non-Topical Research
For Master's thesis, taken under the supervision of a thesis
director.
RELS 997 - (3-12) (S)
Non-Topical Research, Preparation for Doctoral Research
For Doctoral research, taken before a dissertation director
has been selected.
RELS 999 - (3-12) (S)
Non-Topical Research
For Doctoral dissertation, taken under the supervision of
a dissertation director.
Master of Arts Candidates for the degree of Master of Arts in Religious Studies are required to pass a total of 30 credits in courses at or above the 500 level, and satisfactory performance in a comprehensive examination; or students have the option of completing 24 credits of coursework and the preparation and successful defense of a thesis. Normally candidates for the Master of Arts degree must demonstrate by examination a reading competency in either French or German, and will be expected to have a knowledge of such other languages as may be necessary for the study of primary religious texts.
Doctor of Philosophy Candidates for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Religious Studies are required to pass a minimum of 54 credits in courses at the 500 level and above plus 18 credits of non-topical research. Students who already hold a graduate degree in Religious Studies from another University (M.A., M.Div., or equivalent) may petition for advanced standing at the end of their first year of residence and be permitted to waive 24 credits of the course-work requirement. The student would then need 30 credits of course work plus 18 credits of non-topical, thus giving them a total of 48 credits. Normally candidates for the Ph.D. must demonstrate by examination a reading competency in both French and German, but substitutions may be approved when another language is appropriate to the field of concentration. Candidates who have completed the course and language requirements must successfully complete a series of comprehensive examinations before being permitted to proceed to dissertation work.
Candidates for the Ph.D. may elect to concentrate their studies in one of the following areas: Religious Ethics, Religion and Literature, American Religious History, History of Religions (specializations available in all major religious traditions), Christianity and Judaism in Antiquity, and Philosophy of Religion and Theology. Detailed descriptions of the various concentrations are available from the Department on request.