[Philosophy and Religion]

The study of religion is a humanistic discipline that focuses on religion as one important element in culture. Historical, literary, anthropological, and theological methods of study offer a critical approach to understanding religion and its expressions in myths, symbols, and ideas, as well as in religious communities, rituals, and moral actions.

Because this study often considers fundamental human questions that are asked by every generation, it is closely linked with other academic disciplines that study the nature and character of human life.

Majoring in the field of religion provides a focus for integrated study in the humanities. Majors are expected to consult with members of the department in designing their program. The study of religion often embraces work in other fields, and majors are encouraged to coordinate courses in other fields with their work in religion.

Cross-listed Courses. Note that unless otherwise specified, when a department/program references a course or unit in the department/program, it includes courses and units cross-listed with the department/program.

Major Requirements. The religion major consists of eleven courses (twelve for honors candidates), one of which must be taken in another academic program. These courses must include:

1) Two courses in theoretical and comparative studies of religion. The courses that satisfy this requirement are: any 100-level religion course, 200, 222, 260, 261, 262.

2) Two two-course sequences (four courses total). Each sequence must be drawn from a different area below and may consist of any pair of courses listed for that area. Note: courses need not be taken in the order in which they are listed.

Area A (Ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean Religions): 225-236, 235-236, 235-238, 236-241, 235-264, 264-214, 235-214, 235-210, 235-213.

Area B (Medieval, Modern Western, and American Religions): 238-258, 241-245, 241-242, 242-245, 242-243, 243-260, 217-247, 200-258, 264-214.

Area C (South and East Asian Religions): 249-250, 208-209, 208-251, 250-208, 250-209, 250-251, 250-263.

3) A 300-level seminar associated with one of the two sequences.

Area A: 303A.

Area B: 301, 303A, 304, 306A, 310, 365A, 365B.

Area C: 308, 309.

4) A course from outside the religion curriculum that is associated with one of the two two-course sequences, and that must be approved by the student's advisor. Courses cross-listed with religion (e.g., in anthropology or philosophy) may be used to satisfy this requirement. This requirement may also be met through two semesters of a relevant foreign language at the college level.

5) Religion 450, the senior research seminar.

6) Thesis (Religion 457) or honors thesis (Religion 457 and 458).

Pass/Fail Grading Option. Pass/fail grading may not be elected for courses applied toward the major.

Secondary Concentration. The secondary concentration in religion consists of six courses (or five courses and one Short Term unit), which must normally be specified prior to the start of a student's senior year. These courses are to be selected according to the following guidelines and in consultation with a member of the religion faculty who is chosen or appointed as the student's departmental secondary concentration advisor: a) at least one (and preferably two) of the six courses must be seminars at the 300 level; b) at least four must be related in a coherent group; and c) at least two must reflect a diversity of approaches or fields within the study of religion. The principle of coherence and the assurance of diversity must be discussed with the student's secondary concentration advisor, and approved by the department chair.

Pass/Fail Grading Option. Pass/fail grading may be elected for only one course applied toward the secondary concentration.

General Education. Any one religion Short Term unit may serve as an option for the fifth humanities course. First-Year Seminar 071, 288 and 289 count toward the humanities requirement.

Courses

REL 100. Religion and Film. This course introduces students to cinematic representations of religion in feature and documentary films. Films about religion are cultural documents in and through which individual artists, religious and nonreligious groups, and nations symbolically construct their conceptions of themselves and the world. They are also the occasion for political, social, and cultural debates about ethnic and national identities. This course adopts a cultural studies approach to the study of films about religion and invites students to investigate the public debate and interdisciplinary questions and issues raised by the release of films such as Jesus of Montreal (Canada), The Last Temptation of Christ (the United States), The Mahabharata (England and India), Shoah (France), and The Color Purple (the United States). Enrollment limited to 40 per section. Normally offered every year. M. Bruce.

CM/RE 101. Religion and Empire: Religious Conflict in Late Antiquity. This introduction to the age we call late antiquity (the third through the eighth centuries) explores the emergence of many of today's religions from complex circumstances of the post-classical world. In addition to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, this course investigates Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism as well as the continuation of Greco-Roman polytheism and religious philosophies (Neoplatonism). Topics include state control of religion, the increasing importance of community and ethnicity associated with religious doctrines in this period, mysticism, and ways of thinking about the individual, the divine, and eternal life. Enrollment limited to 40. Offered with varying frequency. R. Allison.

REL 110. Death and Afterlife: Bodies and Souls in Comparative Perspective. An introduction to the comparative study of religion centering around the ways in which various traditions have addressed a basic question: What happens to humans when they die? Primary attention is given to the answers of at least three of the following religions: Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Chinese and Japanese religions. Ways of studying these answers in their many dimensions (ritual, doctrinal, mythological, sociological, psychological) are introduced; and topics such as notions of heaven and hell, reincarnation, relics, burial patterns, ghosts, visionary journeys to the other world, quests for immortality, near-death experiences, and resurrections are addressed. Enrollment limited to 40. Normally offered every other year. J. Strong.

REL 115. Sacred Space: Religion and the Sense of Place. An introductory study of the ways religious traditions help define and develop a sense of place, lending significance to landscapes and cityscapes alike. Particular attention is given to understanding the nature of religion as a phenomenon that takes place, and continues to take place, in all cultures and historical periods. Enrollment limited to 40. Normally offered every other year. C. Straub.

REL 124. Religion and Life Stories. An introduction to Western religious thought through autobiographical writings. Topics explored include the nature and functions of religion, the formation and questioning of religious beliefs, religious conceptions of good and evil, and the links between religion and social-political action. Readings are drawn from figures such as Augustine, Joyce Hollyday, Malcolm X, Rigoberta Menchu, and Elie Wiesel. Enrollment limited to 40. Normally offered every other year. T. Tracy.

RE/WS 200. Women's Journey: Still Waters Run Deep. Women in biblical literature, post-biblical literature, and the oral literature of the Middle East are not silent bystanders. They actively define the world around them and pursue their own relationship with the divine, their environment, and the search for perfection. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 40. Not open to students who have received credit for Religion 200 or Women and Gender Studies 200. Normally offered every other year. M. Caspi.

AS/RE 208. Religions of East Asia: China. A study of the various religious traditions of China in their independence and interaction. The course focuses on the history, doctrines, and practices of Taoism, Confucianism, and various schools of Mahayana Buddhism. Readings include basic texts and secondary sources. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 40. Not open to students who have received credit for Religion 208. Normally offered every other year. J. Strong.

AS/RE 209. Religions of East Asia: Japan. A study of the various religious traditions of Japan in their independence and interaction. The course focuses on the doctrines and practices of Shinto, folk religion, and various schools of Buddhism. These are considered in the context of Japanese history and culture and set against their Korean and Chinese backgrounds. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 40. Not open to students who have received credit for Religion 209. Normally offered every other year. J. Strong.

REL 210. The Binding of Isaac: Three Traditions. The story of Abraham and Isaac is a paradigmatic story of faith in three traditions. In the biblical narrative, Isaac (Jesus, Ishmael) does not speak upon the altar, nor does he cry out. Is it possible that he would not say a word? Still, he became the focus of a dialogic connection between God and the individual. As a reborn object of the transformative sacrifice, he became the crux (Jesus, the second Isaac) around which the world unfolded. Prerequisite(s): one course in religion. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 40. Normally offered every other year. M. Caspi.

REL 211. Religion and Sex. A study of the variety of ways human conceptions of sexuality are constructed, complicated, consecrated, and institutionalized by religious discourses. This course examines major doctrines, institutional rituals and practices, and visual representations concerning sexuality in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. Additional topics include figurations of the sacred; myths of origin; gender; singleness, marriage, and celibacy; sexual orientation; sanctified and taboo sexual practices; eroticism and mysticism; and religious iconography. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 40. Normally offered every other year. M. Bruce.

PL/RE 212. Contemporary Moral Disputes. The course focuses on particular moral issues and the ethical arguments provoked by them. Topics discussed in the course may include abortion and euthanasia, war and nuclear arms, world hunger, and the use of natural resources. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 30 per section. Not open to students who have received credit for Philosophy 212 or Religion 212. Normally offered every year. D. Cummiskey.

REL 213. From Law to Mysticism. The literary works of Jewish sages were largely formed under the impact of catastrophe. This course surveys how social, religious, and political events shaped Jewish writings, beginning with the post-biblical works of the Chariot in the first century B.C.E. and C.E., through the Qabbala (Jewish mysticism) in thirteenth-century Spain, to the Hassidic movement in eighteenth-century Eastern Europe. This course includes readings from the Book of Formation, the Zohar, and stories of Hassidic masters, as well as interpretive texts. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 40. Normally offered every other year. M. Caspi.

REL 214. Bible and Quran. Judaism and Islam are each presented by a religious text that is considered the "word of God." This course explores the "divinity" of the texts vis-ā-vis their "secular" aspects. Special attention is given to a comparative literary examination of selected stories in each text (e.g., the story of Joseph, Elijah, the Queen of Sheba), and to an analysis of the sociopolitical features of these major religious texts. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 40. Normally offered every other year. M. Caspi.

ES/RE 215. Environmental Ethics. Values are important influences on the ways human communities relate to ecological communities, and hence on the character of the interaction between persons and their natural worlds. The course examines a range of environmental issues as moral problems requiring ethical reflection. This ethical reflection takes into account both the cultural and religious contexts that have given rise to what is understood as a technological dominion over nature, and the cultural resources still remaining that may provide clues on how to live in friendship with the earth. Recommended background: one course in philosophy or religion. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 40. Not open to students who have received credit for Environmental Studies 214 or 215, Philosophy 214, or Religion 215. Normally offered every other year. Staff.

CM/RE 218. Greek and Roman Myths. Did the Greeks and Romans believe their myths about winged horses, goddesses, and golden apples? How are myths related to the religious, political, and social world of Greece and Rome? This course examines Greek and Roman myths from a variety of theoretical perspectives in order to understand their meaning in the ancient world and their enduring influence in Western literature and art. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 60. Not open to students who have received credit for Classical and Medieval Studies 218 or Religion 218. Normally offered every other year. L. Maurizio.

REL 222. Myths and Their Meaning. Specific examples of myths drawn from a variety of religious traditions (ancient Greece, the ancient Near East, India, and nonliterate societies) are examined in the light of classic and contemporary theories about myth. What role do myths play? What do they mean? How do they reflect and relate to other forms of religious expression? These questions are among those addressed from a variety of perspectives. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 40. Offered with varying frequency. J. Strong.

AN/RE 225. Gods, Heroes, Magic, and Mysteries: Religion in Ancient Greece. An anthropological and historical approach to ancient Greek religion in which archeological, literary, and art historical sources are examined and compared with evidence from other cultures to gain an understanding of the role of religion in ancient Greek culture and of changing concepts of the relationship between human beings and the sacred. Topics explored include pre-Homeric and Homeric religion, cosmology, mystery cults, civil religion, and manifestations of the irrational, such as dreams, ecstasy, shamanism, and magic. Open to first-year students. Not open to students who have received credit for Anthropology 225 or Religion 225. Normally offered every other year. L. Danforth, R. Allison.

INDS 228. Caring for Creation: Physics, Religion, and the Environment. This course considers scientific and religious accounts of the origin of the universe, examines the relations between these accounts, and explores the way they shape our deepest attitudes toward the natural world. Topics of discussion include the biblical creation stories, contemporary scientific cosmology, the interplay between these scientific and religious ideas, and the roles they both can play in forming a response to environmental problems. Cross-listed in environmental studies, physics, and religion. Enrollment limited to 40. Not open to students who have received credit for Environmental Studies 228, Physics 228, or Religion 228. Offered with varying frequency. J. Smedley, T. Tracy.

REL 230. Religion in Literature. The most fruitful approach to the meeting of religion and literature is not simply to examine literature for its explicitly religious content, but to discover how literature expresses what it means to be human (or inhuman). The course examines religious metaphors, images, and similes that express holistic meanings and human values in literature. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 40. Normally offered every other year. M. Caspi.

AN/RE 234. Myth, Folklore, and Popular Culture. A variety of "texts," including ancient Greek myths, Grimms' folktales, Apache jokes, African proverbs, Barbie dolls, Walt Disney movies, and modern Greek folk dances, are examined in light of important theoretical approaches employed by anthropologists interested in understanding the role of expressive forms in cultures throughout the world. Major emphasis is placed on psychoanalytic, feminist, Marxist, structuralist, and cultural studies approaches. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 80. Not open to students who have received credit for Anthropology 234 or Religion 261. Normally offered every other year. L. Danforth.

REL 235. Ancient Israel: History, Religion, and Literature. Introduction to the Hebrew Bible (in English translation) with readings in related ancient literature. This course traces the history of ancient Israel from its prehistory in the Bronze Age (the time of the Patriarchs) through to the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonian Empire (the end of the First Temple Period). Major topics of study include the evolution of Israelite religious ideas and practices and the various literary traditions represented in the Hebrew Bible (especially the prophetic, priestly, and wisdom traditions) and such topics as biblical mythology, nationhood, women in ancient Israel, internal politics, and international relations with the ancient Near Eastern centers of civilization. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 40. Normally offered every other year. R. Allison.

REL 236. Introduction to the New Testament. Readings in the New Testament and related Greek and early Christian literature. Studies of the gospels include investigation into the nature of the early Jesus movement and Jesus' place in the Judaism of his day, the interpretation of Jesus' teaching in the context of Roman-occupied Palestine, and the growth of the Jesus tradition in the early Church. Topics such as the diversity of ideas about salvation, influence of Greco-Roman religious thought, the place of women in the early Church, the break between Christianity and Judaism, and the formation of the early Church in its first century are covered in the study of the New Testament epistles (emphasis on the apostle Paul's epistles) and the Book of Revelation. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 40. Normally offered every other year. R. Allison.

REL 238. Early Jewish History and Thought. Introduction to the later books of the Hebrew Bible and to the literature, religion, and history of Judaism from the Persian Period through the Second Temple Period and the beginnings of the Roman occupation of Palestine. Major topics of study include the formation of Judaism, concepts of nationhood and the Diaspora, the origins of anti-Semitism, Hellenized Judaism, and Jewish apocalyptic. Readings include the later biblical books, selected writings from wisdom and apocalyptic works from the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha and from the Dead Sea Scrolls, Jewish historian Josephus, Philo of Alexandria, and selected early rabbinical writings. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 40. Normally offered every other year. R. Allison.

REL 241. History of Christian Thought I: Conflict, Self-Definition, and Dominance. This course is a study of the convictions, controversies, and conflicts by which an egalitarian Jewish revitalization movement in Palestine became a worldwide religion. Students follow Christianity's development from martyrdom and persecution to a state-sponsored religion of the Roman Empire, from internal heresy and schism to the "One Great Holy and Apostolic Catholic Church." Special attention is given to regional diversity and the changing place of women in the church. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 40. Offered with varying frequency. R. Allison.

REL 242. History of Christian Thought II: The Emergence of Modernity. A study of the development of Christian thought from the fall of the Roman Empire to the beginnings of the modern era. The history of religious ideas in the West is considered in its social and political context. Readings include selections from Augustine, Gregory the Great, Anselm, Hildegard von Bingen, Aquinas, Luther, and Calvin. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 40. Offered with varying frequency. T. Tracy.

REL 243. Christianity and Its Modern Critics. A study of some encounters between Christian traditions and modern culture, as they have developed since the Enlightenment. Attention is given to significant critiques of religion that have helped define the context for understanding religious meaning in a post-Christian culture. Readings are drawn from critics such as Kant, Hume, Schleiermacher, Kierkegaard, Feuerbach, Marx, Nietzsche, and Freud. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 40. Offered with varying frequency. C. Straub.

AR/RE 244. Visual Narratives: Lives Beyond Lives. This course examines the narrative art of South and Southeast Asian traditions and the important artistic tradition of narrative paintings, bas-reliefs, and stone carvings. The course focuses on Buddhist and Hindu legends, stories, and folklore. Philosophically, it deals with religious and popular concepts of reincarnation, rebirth, cause and effect, meritorious accumulation, wisdom perfection, and the ultimate enlightenment from the visual perspective. The course explores different contexts in which the artworks were produced. Topics include narrative theory, text-image relationships, Jataka stories (the Buddha's previous lives), a youthful Suddhana's long search for wisdom and enlightenment, and the Ramayana epic. Open to first-year students. Normally offered every other year. T. Nguyen.

REL 245. Monks, Nuns, Hermits, and Demons: Ascetic and Monastic Christianity. The history of Christian monasticism from the hermits of the Egyptian and Palestinian deserts to the monastic orders of the Western Middle Ages, to Eastern Orthodox Palamism, and to modern monastic revivals. Topics include monastic demonology; hermit sages and wonderworkers; ascetical mysticism; virgins, widows, and the escape from sexual suppression; pilgrimage and the cult of relics; and the rise of monastic orders. Includes a field trip to a New England monastery. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 40. Offered with varying frequency. R. Allison.

REL 246. Biblical Narrative. Biblical narratives present various stories where we find fear, loss of love, death, and anxiety, all of which are part of the human condition. These aspects are examined through the narratives of Creation, and the stories of Joseph, Moses, Samson, Jonah, and Job. Enrollment limited to 40. Offered with varying frequency. M. Caspi.

REL 247. City upon the Hill. From John Winthrop to Ronald Reagan, Americans imagined themselves as a chosen people, a righteous empire, and a city upon a hill. The course examines this religious view of America and its role in shaping American ideas regarding politics, education, work, women, ethnic groups, and other countries. Assigned readings include works by Edmund Morgan, Sacvan Bercovitch, R. W. B. Lewis, and William Clebsch. Prerequisite(s): one course in religion. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 40. Normally offered every other year. M. Bruce.

REL 248. Religion and Sacred Texts. This course has two major goals. The first is to understand the nature and role of "sacred texts" in the three monotheistic traditions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam). The second is to evoke the wonderful variety of their teachings and to engage the spiritual world they present. Readings are drawn from the Hebrew Bible, New Testament, Quran, Dead Sea Scrolls, Midrash, Fathers of the Church, and Qisas. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 40. Normally offered every other year. M. Caspi.

AS/RE 249. Religions of India: The Hindu Tradition. An examination, through the use of primary and secondary texts, of the various traditions of Hinduism, with some consideration of their relation to Jainism and Indian Buddhism. Special attention is paid to the Vedas, Upanishads, and Bhagavad-Gita, as well as to the classical myths of Hinduism embodied in the Puranas. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 40. Not open to students who have received credit for Religion 249. Normally offered every other year. J. Strong.

AS/RE 250. The Buddhist Tradition. The course focuses on the Buddha's life and teachings; on early Buddhism in India and the rise of various Buddhist schools of thought; on the development of Mahayana philosophies; on rituals, meditation, and other forms of expression in India and Southeast Asia. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 40. Not open to students who have received credit for Religion 250. Normally offered every other year. J. Strong.

AS/RE 251. Religions of Tibet. Tibetan religions are a complex mixture of Indian, Chinese, and indigenous elements. This course focuses on the history, doctrines, practices, literatures, major personalities, and communities of the different religious traditions that are expressions of this mixture, including the rNying ma, bKa' brgyud, Sa skya, and dGe lugs sects of Buddhism as well as the Bön and "folk" traditions. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 40. Not open to students who have received credit for Religion 251. Normally offered every other year. J. Strong.

REL 255. African American Religious Traditions. This course examines the origins, historical development, and diversity of African American religious traditions from the colonial era to the present. Throughout American history, African Americans have used religion not only as a means of expressing complex views of themselves and their world, but also as a form of cultural critique, social reform, economic independence, and political activism. Among the movements and topics discussed are African and Caribbean religious influences, slave religion, the rise of African American denominations, the Nation of Islam, the importance of spirituals and gospel music, Afrocentricity, and the civil rights movement. Given the complex nature of African American religious experience, this course adopts an interdisciplinary approach and draws upon scholarship on religion in sociology, political science, history, art, literature, and music. Prerequisite: Religion 100. Enrollment limited to 40. Offered with varying frequency. M. Bruce.

REL 258. From Shoah to Shoah: Judaism in the Modern World. This course explores issues and thinkers in modern Judaism. Topics vary from year to year, and may include one or more of the following: twentieth-century European and American Jewish experience, the varieties of modern Judaism, religion and politics in contemporary Jewish thought, gender issues in Judaism, and interreligious relations with Islam or Christianity. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 40. Normally offered every other year. M. Caspi.

PL/RE 260. Philosophy of Religion. A consideration of major issues that arise in philosophical reflection upon religion. Particular issues are selected from among such topics as the nature of faith, the possibility of justifying religious beliefs, the nature and validity of religious experience, the relation of religion and science, and the problem of evil. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 30. Not open to students who have received credit for Philosophy 260 or Religion 260. Normally offered every other year. T. Tracy.

AN/RE 263. Buddhism and the Social Order. The West looks upon Buddhism as an otherworldly religion with little interest in activity in this world. Such has not been the case historically. The Dhamma (Buddhist doctrine) has two wheels, one of righteousness and one of power, one for the other world and one for this world. Lectures and discussions use this paradigm to consider the several accommodations Buddhism has struck with the realities of power in various Theravada Buddhist societies in ancient India, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia. Open to first-year students. Not open to students who have received credit for Anthropology 244 or Religion 263. Normally offered every other year. S. Kemper.

REL 264. The Islamic Tradition. An introduction to the history and the classical forms of Islam with special attention to the Shi'ah and the Sunnis. In addition to introducing the Quran, the course explores basic teachings of Islam in their historical and social contexts, and covers such subjects as the life and teachings of the Prophet, the Khalifahs and the expansion of Islam, Islamic theology and law, Islamic worship and ritual, and Islamic mysticism. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 40. Offered with varying frequency. M. Caspi.

AN/RE 265. Anthropological Approaches to the Study of Religion. As human societies change, so do the religious beliefs and practices these societies follow. The course examines the symbolic forms and acts that relate human beings to the ultimate conditions of their existence, against the background of the rise of science. Emphasis is placed on both Western and non-Western religions. Open to first-year students. Not open to students who have received credit for Anthropology 241, Religion 262, or Sociology 241. Offered with varying frequency. S. Kemper.

REL 270. Religion and American Visual Culture. A study of the constitutive role of visual culture in the formation of American religious traditions and the influence of religious experience on American art and mass culture. Moving from the colonial period to the present, this course examines the symbiotic relationship between American visual culture and religion in painting, photography, illustrated media, mass-produced objects, memorials, architecture, and decorative items. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 40. Normally offered every other year. M. Bruce.

REL 301. Seminar in Religion and Culture. A consideration of religious experience and of the consequent creation of religious symbols. Historical and theoretical study aims for an appreciation of the cultural forms of religious meaning. Enrollment limited to 15. Written permission of the instructor is required. Normally offered every other year. C. Straub.

REL 303. Seminar in Biblical Criticism. Each year the seminar focuses upon a particular subject in biblical studies, employing the techniques of textual, historical, and form criticism and exegesis for the purpose of developing sound hermeneutical conclusions.

REL 303A. Tolerance and Intolerance in the Bible and Ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean Cultures. This seminar, a comparative study of the phenomenon of religious tolerance and intolerance, begins with the Hebrew Bible and contemporary literature of the ancient Near East. Then students examine relations among ancient Greco-Roman paganism, Judaism, and Christianity, including the policies of Alexander the Great and his successors and the early Roman Empire. The semester concludes by turning to questions of tolerance and intolerance in the Middle Ages among the religions of the Book — Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Prerequisite(s): one of the following: Religion 235, 236, or 238. Enrollment limited to 15. Offered with varying frequency. R. Allison.

REL 303C. Apocalypse. From the perspective of a new millennium, this seminar looks back at 2,000 years of Christian apocalypses and books of revelation to gain an understanding of how this kind of thinking originated and developed. The seminar focuses on apocalypse as a genre and on the major themes, images, and symbol systems of Judeo-Christian apocalyptic imagination. Readings include a wide range of Jewish and Christian books of revelation and personal accounts of journeys out of the body to heavens and hells. These texts are from the Bible, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and Jewish and Christian Apocrypha ("hidden books"). Prerequisite(s): one of the following: Religion 100, 235, 236, or 238. Enrollment limited to 15. Offered with varying frequency. R. Allison.

REL 304. The Problem of Evil. The presence of profound suffering and appalling injustice in the world raises some of the deepest questions that religions seek to address. Can the evils we see around us be reconciled with the classical affirmation that the world is created by a just and all-powerful God? This seminar considers the problem of evil as it arises in the theological and philosophical traditions of the West. Readings include Genesis and Job, Holocaust literature and Jewish theological responses, and contemporary writings in philosophy of religion and theology. Prerequisite(s): one course in philosophy or religion. Enrollment limited to 15. Offered with varying frequency. T. Tracy.

REL 305. Seminar in Western Religious Thought. The seminar focuses upon a different figure, movement, or issue of significance for the development of Western religious thought. Enrollment limited to 15. T. Tracy.

REL 306. Seminar on American Religious Thought and History. The seminar focuses on a different figure, movement, or issue of significance for the development of American religious thought and history. Recommended background: a course in American cultural studies or philosophy. Enrollment limited to 15.

REL 306A. William James, Pragmatism, and American Culture. This course introduces students to the work of William James and explores, first, how his work developed new and radical definitions of human experience and reality; second, the extent to which his thought was representative of the rapidly changing culture and society of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century America; third, how his work influenced and anticipated the work of a whole new generation of thinkers such as W. E. B. Du Bois, Gertrude Stein, Walter Lippmann, and Horace Kallen, each of whom used James's pragmatism to address pressing social, political, and cultural problems of twentieth-century America. Prerequisite(s): Religion 100. Enrollment limited to 15. Offered with varying frequency. M. Bruce.

AS/RE 308. Buddhist Texts in Translation. This seminar involves the close reading and discussion of a number of texts representing a variety of Buddhist traditions. Emphasis is placed on several different genres including canonical sutras, commentarial exegeses, philosophical treatises, and popular legends. Prerequisite(s): Asian Studies/Religion 250 or Anthropology/Religion 263 (formerly Anthropology 244/Religion 263). Enrollment limited to 15. Not open to students who have received credit for Religion 308. Offered with varying frequency. J. Strong.

AS/RE 309. Buddhism in East Asia. This seminar focuses on the teachings, traditions, and contemplative practices of a number of East Asian schools of Buddhism, including the T'ien-t'ai (Tendai), Huayen (Kegon), Ch'an (Zen), Chen-yen (Shingon), and Pure Land traditions. Special consideration is given to the question of the continuities and discontinuities in the ways these schools became established in China, Korea, and Japan. Prerequisite(s): one of the following: Asian Studies/Religion 208, 209, or 250. Enrollment limited to 15. Not open to students who have received credit for Religion 309. Normally offered every other year. J. Strong.

REL 310. "Wilderness" in the Religious Imagination. "Wilderness," like "desert" or its antinomies, "garden" or "paradise," carries a complex set of religious and hence cultural meanings. These meanings continue to inform our effort to locate ourselves not only in an ecological place, but also in mythological space. The maps of meaning that we draw are often works of our imagination, religious and secular. This course, dependent on significant individual student research, considers these maps and this map making. Prerequisite(s): one course in religion, or Environmental Studies 205. Junior and senior majors in environmental studies or religion are given preference for registration. Enrollment limited to 15. Offered with varying frequency. C. Straub.

REL 312. Why Hidest Thy Face? Job in Three Traditions and Literature. Victor Hugo, the nineteenth-century poet and essayist, once declared that the Book of Job is perhaps the greatest masterpiece of human history. Indeed, readers, scholars, and poets have gradually elevated this impressive amalgamation of poetry, prose, monologues, and dialogues to a monolithic stature. Nevertheless, in spite of initial portrayals of Job as a biblical rebel who courageously protests the judgment and the action of his Creator, the epilogue of the story leaves the reader somewhat disturbed. In response to Job's silent repentance the reader objects: Repent? For what sin? Enrollment limited to 15. Normally offered every other year. M. Caspi.

REL 360. Independent Study. Students, in consultation with a faculty advisor, individually design and plan a course of study or research not offered in the curriculum. Course work includes a reflective component, evaluation, and completion of an agreed-upon product. Sponsorship by a faculty member in the program/department, a course prospectus, and permission of the chair are required. Students may register for no more than one independent study per semester. Normally offered every semester. Staff.

REL 365. Special Topics. Offered from time to time on topics of special interest.

REL 365A. The Sublime. What is the sublime? Can it be described, labeled, categorized, analyzed, and/or presented? Or is it, as the French philosopher Jean-Francois Lyotard suggests, the unpresentable, that which we can conceive of and allude to but never present? Can both the desire and attempt to present the sublime in some enduring form become the occasion for terror? This seminar seeks to address these questions in the writings of Lyotard and four contemporary authors who have become witnesses of the unpresentable: Toni Morrison, Primo Levi, Edward Said, and Paul Monette. Each views narration as both a responsible act and a way of mediating the terror of such moments as slavery, genocide, exile, and disease; each attempts to say and write what seems and appears to be unpresentable. Students review the history of the concept of the sublime, discuss works by the above-mentioned authors, and examine the critical reception of their writings. Prerequisite(s): one 100-level religion course. Enrollment limited to 15. Written permission of the instructor is required. Offered with varying frequency. M. Bruce.

REL 365B. W. E. B. Du Bois and American Culture. William Edward Burghardt Du Bois (1868-1963) is one of the twentieth century's leading American educators, political activists, scholars, and cultural critics. Du Bois was the first African American to receive a Ph.D. from Harvard, a founder of the NAACP, author of the first major sociological study of an African American community, a crucial precursor of the American civil rights movement, a spokesperson for Pan-Africanism, and a supporter and eventually a citizen of the African state of Ghana. He witnessed and, in many instances, played a role in shaping contemporary perspectives on the major historical, political, and social events of American society. This course offers a chronicle and critical examination of Du Bois's life, career, and role in the formation of American culture. Prerequisite(s): Religion 100 or African American Studies 140A. Enrollment limited to 15. Written permission of the instructor is required. Offered with varying frequency. M. Bruce.

REL 450. Senior Research Seminar. A course designed to give senior majors a common core experience in research in religion. Through writing, presenting, and discussing several papers, students explore topics of their own choosing from different theoretical and comparative perspectives. Required of all majors. Enrollment is limited to junior and senior majors and, by written permission of instructor, to interdisciplinary majors. Normally offered every year. T. Tracy.

REL 457, 458. Senior Thesis. Research for and writing of the senior thesis, under the direction of a member of the department. Majors writing a regular thesis register for Religion 457 in the fall semester. Majors writing an honors thesis register for both Religion 457 in the fall semester and 458 in the winter semester. Normally offered every year. Staff.

Short Term Units

REL s20. The Life and Writings of Mircea Eliade. The Romanian historian of religions, Mircea Eliade (1907-1986), was one of the twentieth century's leading scholars of the study of religion. Renowned for his authoritative writings on such topics as yoga, shamanism, alchemy, myth, and the sacred and the profane, he was also a diligent diarist and a prolific writer of fiction (novels, short stories, and plays). The seminar considers both his scholarly and his fictional oeuvre in the context of his life story, as he moved from Bucharest to Calcutta to Paris and to Chicago. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 25. Offered with varying frequency. J. Strong.

PL/RE s23. Environmental Ethics. This unit uses readings, seminar discussions, and field trips to examine and evaluate environmental issues. Consideration is given to the idea of expanding the moral universe to include forests, oceans, and other species. The class may travel to different locales in Maine to look at specific environmental situations. Internships also may be arranged for more extended study in the field. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 12. Written permission of the instructor is required. Not open to students who have received credit for Philosophy s23 or Religion s23. Offered with varying frequency. Staff.

REL s24. Religion and the City. This unit examines the specific challenges faced by religious communities and organizations working to meet the needs of inner-city residents in Lewiston, Maine. It analyzes 1) the manner in which religious leaders within a particular community articulate and set about realizing the social, political, and economic agenda of their communities and 2) how religious communities and organizations often become the site of the very conflicts that characterize their interactions with other groups on their boundaries. The course addresses intrafaith/interfaith conflicts and the problems of the city. It includes discussions led by those working in the inner city, field trips to various institutions, and fieldwork in agencies and religious communities in Lewiston. Recommended background: a course in religion. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 12. Offered with varying frequency. M. Bruce.

INDS s26. Reading in the Greek New Testament. Intensive introduction to New Testament Greek. Students begin reading in the Gospel of John, while studying the Koine, or commonly spoken Greek language of late classical and early Christian times. No previous knowledge of Greek is assumed. Cross-listed in classical and medieval studies, Greek, and religion. Enrollment limited to 8. Not open to students who have received credit for Classical and Medieval Studies s26, Greek s26, or Religion s26. Offered with varying frequency. R. Allison.

REL s27. Field Studies in Religion: Cult and Community. The unit provides an opportunity for in-depth study of one of the many religious groups in southern Maine. In addition to mainstream Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish communities, there are many nearby religious movements of particular interest: Shakers, Jehovah's Witnesses, Eckanckar, Transcendental Meditation, the Shiloh Community, Catholic charismatics, Unitarians, and others. Students carry out their own field research, focusing on the social structure, beliefs, and practices of a community of their choice. The unit ends with a seminar in which students share the results of their research. Enrollment limited to 15. Offered with varying frequency. T. Tracy.

REL s50. Independent Study. Students, in consultation with a faculty advisor, individually design and plan a course of study or research not offered in the curriculum. Course work includes a reflective component, evaluation, and completion of an agreed-upon product. Sponsorship by a faculty member in the program/department, a course prospectus, and permission of the chair are required. Students may register for no more than one independent study during a Short Term. Normally offered every year. Staff.

[Philosophy and Religion]