Lower-Division Courses

The study of religion offers students an opportunity to inform themselves about the major religious traditions of the world and to think critically and constructively about religion as a dimension of human experience and a mode of human expression. The curriculum includes courses on major religious traditions, significant issues in religion, and methods of studying religion.

There is no major in religion but an emphasis in religion is available through the general studies program and a minor in religion is also possible.

Students contemplating an emphasis or minor in religion should discuss their academic program with a member of the department. A Bachelor of Arts degree field major provides an additional option.

Minor

A minor in religion requires a minimum of 15 hours. A maximum of 6 may be taken at the 100 level.

Rel 110 Old Testament(3)
  • General education introductory course. An introduction to the literature, history, and religion of the Old Testament.
Rel 115 New Testament(3)
  • General education introductory course. An introduction to the literature, history, and religion of the New Testament.
Rel 280 Special Studies (3)
  • A concentrated examination of a significant figure, event, or issue in religion of the study thereof. Repeatable for credit. Prerequisite: departmental option.
Rel 150 Workshop in Religion (2-4)

Upper-Division Courses

Rel 301 Archaeology and the Bible (3)

  • General education course. Explores the intersection of the biblical text and the archaeology of “biblical lands.” Includes a consideration of the history of archaeological exploration in the areas and time periods associated with the Bible, and how archaeology has impacted the study of the Bible, including ethical challenges of heritage management and politically sensitive contexts of archaeological exploration. Students learn about the social and religious aspects of the cultures and people of the ancient Middle East. Periods and cultures covered include: the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, Persian period Yehud, Judea under Hellenistic and Roman rule, the empires of the ancient Middle East. Topics include: social organization and settlement patterns, urban and rural life, trade and commerce, gender roles in ancient societies, religious and cultic life, culture, arts and literature.

Rel 302 Religion and Society (3) ~ Cross-listed as SOC 302

  • General education course. This course introduces undergraduate students to the sociology of religion. Students will engage with classic and contemporary theorists and approaches. Topics to be studied include practices, customs, beliefs, and rituals in the context of social structures such as religious institutions, politics, education, community, media, and family. Students will explore religion from the perspectives of popular culture, media, gender, sexuality, and immigration, among other topics. In addition, this course will investigate how people’s religious behavior is shaped by a variety of social factors such as sociodemographic characteristics, social relationships, subcultural distinctives, institutional contexts, geography, and beliefs. The impacts of religion on other domains of social life such as health, well-being, and social attitudes will also be investigated. Throughout the course, students will examine the importance of different levels of sociological analysis, including micro, meso, and macro levels.

Rel 303 The Bible and the Ancient Near East (3)

  • General education course. Examines the Hebrew Bible in its ancient Near Eastern literary and historical contexts. Using a comparative approach, students will study a variety of Egyptian, Babylonian, Assyrian, and Canaanite texts together with readings from the Hebrew Bible. Ancient Near Eastern texts range from myths, epics, and tales of various genres to hymns, ritual texts, divinatory texts, “wisdom literature,” chronicles, and various monumental inscriptions, archival records, and “graffiti.” Artifacts examined include iconographic and decorative objects as well as architecture and religious objects.

Rel 311 Old Testament Topics (3)

  • An in-depth study of a major facet of the religion of the Hebrew Bible, such as prophecy, law, covenant, historiography, and wisdom, or a genre of biblical literature, such as poetry or narrative.
  • For example:
    • REL311C The Bible and the Ancient Near East
    • REL311F Violence and the Bible
    • REL311G Archaeology and the Bible

Rel 321 New Testament Topics (3)

  • An in-depth study of a major facet of the religion of the New Testament such as the synoptic traditions, Johannine theology, Pauline theology, apocalyptic, and canonization.

Rel 327 Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion (3) ~ Cross-listed as ANTHR 327

  • An examination of various concepts concerning the realm of the supernatural as held by various peoples around the world. Relates such religious beliefs and the resultant practices to the larger patterns of cultural beliefs and behaviors.

Rel 339 Religion in America (3) ~ Cross-listed as HIST 339

  • Surveys various religious traditions in American history from colonial times to the present. Discusses how religions groups. beliefs, and issues have changed over time and how they interact with each other. Includes the different branches of Christianity and Judaism; the study of awakenings and revivals; the stories of prominent religious thinkers and leaders; immigrant religious traditions; the tensions between liberal and traditional religious forms; the prophetic and apocalyptic traditions in America; and the impact of Native America, Asian, and African beliefs and practices on the religious landscape.

Rel 346 Philosophy of Religion (3) ~ Cross-listed as Phil 346

 

Rel 370 Women in World Religions (3) ~ Cross-listed as Woms 370

 

Rel 380 Special Studies (3)

  • A concentrated intermediate study of a particular component of religious studies. Repeatable for credit.
  • For example:
    • Rel 380 Prophets in Ancient Israel

Rel 382 Early Christianity (3)

 

Rel 393 Race and the Bible (3)

 

Rel 420 Women and the Bible (3)
  • A concentrated study of Biblical texts focused on women characters and women's perspectives in biblical narrative and poetry.

Rel 476 The Reformation (3) ~ Cross-listed as HIST 576

 

Rel 480 Special Studies (3)

  • A concentrated study of a religious issue or text announced by the instructor when course is scheduled. Repeatable for credit. Prerequisite; instructor's consent.

Rel 490 Independent Work (1-3)

  • Designed for the student capable of doing advanced independent work in a specialized area of the study of religion that is not formally offered by the department. Repeatable for credit. Prerequisite:departmental consent.

Courses for Graduate/Undergraduate Credit

Rel 780 Topics in Religion (3)

  • A concentrated study of a religious issue or text announced by the instructor whoen course is scheduled at the graduate level. Prerequisite; Instructor's consent.

Rel 790 Independent Study (1-3)

  • For the student who is capable of doing graduate work in a specialized area of the study of religion not formally offered by the department. Repeatable for credit. Prerequisite: departmental consent.