Religious Studies
E-mail: relst@religion.ucsb.edu
Web site: http://www.religion.ucsb.edu (will
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Department Chair: Wade Clark Roof
Catherine L. Albanese, Ph.D., The University of Chicago, Professor (American religious history, religion and American culture)
Juan E. Campo, Ph.D., The University of Chicago, Associate Professor (history of religions-Islam, Arabic)
Magda Campo, M.A., American University in Cairo, Lecturer (Arabic)
Thomas A. Carlson, Ph.D., The University of Chicago, Associate Professor (Christianity and culture; religion and philosophy)
Roger Friedland, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Professor (sociology and religion, cultural analysis)
W. Randall Garr, Ph.D., Yale University, Associate Professor (Northwest Semitic languages, Hebrew bible, ancient Near East)
Phillip E. Hammond, Ph.D., Columbia University, Professor (sociology of religion)
Richard D. Hecht, Ph.D., UC Los Angeles, Professor (history of religions, Judaic studies)
Barbara A. Holdrege, Ph.D., Harvard University, Associate Professor (comparative history of religions, South Asian religions, Judaic studies)
Gurinder Singh Mann, Ph.D., Columbia University, Professor (Sikh studies, South Asian religions)
William Powell, Ph.D., UC Berkeley, Associate Professor (history of religions-China)
Dwight F. Reynolds, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, Associate Professor (Arabic languages and literatures, folklore and folklife)
Wade Clark Roof, Ph.D., University of North Carolina, Professor (sociology and psychology of religion, American religion)
Inés Talamantez, Ph.D., UC San Diego, Associate Professor (Native American religions)
Christine M. Thomas, Ph.D., Harvard University, Assistant Professor (Hellenistic religions, early Christianity, archaeology of religions)
B. Alan Wallace, Ph.D., Stanford University, Lecturer (Tibetan)
Vesna B. Wallace, Ph.D., UC Berkeley, Lecturer (Sanskrit languages and literature)
David White, Ph.D., The University of Chicago, Associate Professor (South Asian religions)
W. Richard Comstock, Ph.D., Union Theological Seminary, Professor Emeritus (religion in western culture)
Nandini Iyer, M.A., Oxford University, Lecturer Emerita (Sanskrit)
Gerald J. Larson, Ph.D., Columbia University, Professor Emeritus
Charles H. Long, Ph.D., The University of Chicago, Professor Emeritus
Robert S. Michaelsen, Ph.D., Yale University, Professor Emeritus
Raimundo Panikkar, Ph.D., D.Sc., University of Madrid; Th.D., University of Rome, Professor Emeritus
Birger A. Pearson, Ph.D., Harvard University, Professor Emeritus
Ninian Smart, B. Phil., Oxford University, Professor (philosophy of religion, comparative religions)
Sarah Cline, Ph.D. (History)
Harold Drake, Ph.D. (History)
Ronald Egan, Ph.D. (East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies)
Robert Erickson, Ph.D. (English)
Sharon Farmer, Ph.D. (History)
Mario Garcia, Ph.D. (History and Chicano Studies)
Giles Gunn, Ph.D. (English)
Allan Grapard, Ph.D, (East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies)
Elvin Hatch, Ph.D. (Anthropology)
R. Stephen Humphreys, Ph.D. (History)
Mark Juergensmeyer, Ph.D. (Sociology)
Nuha N.N. Khoury, Ph.D. (History of Art and Architecture)
Mattison Mines, Ph.D. (Anthropology)
Marianne Mithun, Ph.D. (Linguistics)
Anne Marie Plane, Ph.D. (History)
Jeffrey Russell, Ph.D. (History)
Jon R. Snyder, Ph.D. (French and Italian)
Paul R. Spickard, Ph.D. (History)
Elisabeth Weber, Ph.D. (Germanic, Slavic, and Semitic Studies)
Simonetta Zamponi-Falasca, Ph.D. (Sociology)
All students who take a religious studies course learn both to appreciate the importance of religion to human thought, action, and creativity and to judge its character and historical impact in cultural context. Moreover, they discover how the critical study of religion leads to increased understanding of the relationships among the various fields of knowledge that constitute the humanities and social sciences. A departmental major gains sound general knowledge about religion east and west, ancient and modern. Careful selection of upper-division electives allows the undergraduate major to pursue a concentration in a variety of religious traditions. Students also become familiar with the ideas and methods employed in the critical study of religious phenomena. Enterprising students can qualify for a double major in religious studies and some other major field such as English, history, anthropology, political science, philosophy, art, or economics.
The bachelor of arts degree in religious studies is a solid liberal arts degree, providing graduates an excellent basis from which to pursue careers requiring imagination, problem-solving and communication skills, and awareness of human diversity. International studies and graduate work in the humanities and certain areas of the social sciences are other strong possibilities. Students with a bachelor's degree in religious studies who are interested in pursuing a California Teaching Credential should contact the credential advisor in the Graduate School of Education as soon as possible.
Religious studies majors are encouraged to meet with the department's undergraduate advisor periodically for assistance in planning their curriculum. Also, the department chair and other faculty are available to consult about programs and academic plans. The department provides an information sheet for undergraduate majors, an up-to-date major requirement list, and a description of courses to be offered each quarter.
Many of the greatest ideas and writings concerning the study of religions, or of a religious character, were formulated in languages other than English. Majors are strongly urged to acquire proficiency in one or more European (e.g., French, German, Spanish, Greek, Latin) or non-European (e.g., Chinese, Japanese, Hindi, Arabic, Hebrew, Sanskrit) languages. Election to the Phi Beta Kappa honor society requires proficiency in one foreign language, usually demonstrated by completion of the fifth quarter or its equivalent. Students should consult with their departmental advisor to select the most appropriate language. Also, they should seriously consider participating in the university's Education Abroad Program, particularly in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America.
The department offers honors sections in lower-division survey courses such as Religious Studies 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, and 15. Upper-division College Honors Program students may design their own contract courses and independent studies courses with religious studies faculty. Candidates for the religious studies honors program should formally petition the department chair in the spring or early fall; each petition must be supported by a faculty letter of reference. Candidates must be in residence at UCSB for at least one year (three quarters) as religious studies majors, have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.5, and a grade-point average of 3.75 in religious studies. Once admitted, they work closely with department faculty to prepare an honors thesis. The honors seminar, Religious Studies 195, is designed to facilitate research and writing of the thesis. Honors program graduates are identified separately each year at the head of the graduation list for religious studies, and receive the award of Distinction in the Major upon graduation.
Students who complete the departmental honors program are eligible for induction into Theta Alpha Kappa, the national honor society in religious studies.
The Edward C. Truman award is presented annually to a freshman, sophomore,
or junior major deemed outstanding by the department and the UCSB Affiliates.
Preparation for the major. Religious Studies 1.
Upper-division major. Forty-four units or 11 courses, distributed as described below. The same course units may not be used to fulfill the requirements in more than one of the areas listed below. Only one language course may apply toward credit for the major.
Methodological Approaches. Eight units from Religious Studies 102, 106, 107, 116C, 141A-B-C, 143, 144, 145, 146, 156A, 174, 179, 180.
Cultural Areas and Traditions. Twenty-four units divided into 12 units in an area of emphasis and 12 units in three other areas.
South Asian Religious Traditions. Religious Studies 146E, 157, 158, 159D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L, 160, 161A-B, 162A, 162C, 164A-C, 165, 168, 168A-B-C-D, 169, 170, 181A-B-C.
East Asian Religious Traditions. Religious Studies 120, 157, 161B, 163, 164B, 166A-B-C-E-F-G-H, 167A-B-D, 175, 178, 183.
Jewish, Islamic, and Near Eastern Religious Traditions. Religious Studies 115A-B-C-D, 117A-B, 118J, 129, 130, 131A-B-C-D-E-F-H-J, 133, 140A-B-C-D-E-F, 142A-B-C, 149, 186, 189A-B-C.
Christian, Mediterranean, and European Religious Traditions. Religious Studies 105, 107, 115D, 116A-B-D, 118J, 126, 127A-B-C, 128A-B-C, 137, 139A-B-C-D-E, 187, 188.
Religions of the Americas. Religious Studies 110D, 114B-C-D, 118, 123, 124, 126, 141B-C, 147, 150, 151A-B, 152, 176, 191, 192, 193.
Topics in the Study of Religion. Eight units from Religious Studies 102, 103, 106, 109, 110, 110C, 112, 113, 114X, 119A, 132, 134, 136, 144, 145, 146, 155, 172A-B, 173, 177, 182, 193B.
Problems in the Study of Religion. Four units. Religious Studies 104, or a Senior Project: Religious Studies 195, or Independent Studies: Religious Studies 199.
The Department of Religious Studies offers courses in the religious dimensions of the human experience in diverse traditions and cultures around the world and through time.
All programs emphasize a cross-cultural comparative study of religions and use multi-disciplinary approaches as appropriate to religious studies, incorporating such disciplines as philology, history, anthropology, sociology, comparative literature, psychology, and philosophy. Undergraduate and master's programs provide a general orientation toward religious studies; the doctoral program offers specialized training leading to professions in teaching and research.
In addition to departmental requirements, candidates for graduate degrees must meet the university degree requirements described in the section "Graduate Education at UCSB."
The department has available a number of fellowships to support graduate study, including the J.F. Rowny Endowment Fellowship, the Japan Bamboo Foundation Fellowship, and the Eloise K. and Stephen Hay Fellowship for the Study of Prayer.
Admission
Applicants are admitted on a competitive basis. Undergraduate grade-point average counts heavily, and scores from the aptitude test of the Graduate Record Examination are required. In addition to departmental requirements for admission, applicants must fulfill university requirements for admission to graduate status described in the section "Graduate Education at UCSB." Applicants interested in pursuing a Ph.D. who have completed the M.A. degree in religious studies (or its equivalent) elsewhere may apply directly to the Ph.D. program. Others should apply to the M.A./Ph.D. program, which entails completion of the M.A. Plan 1. Applications for the M.A./Ph.D. program are accepted for fall quarter only; the deadline is December 15. The same schedule is normally required for M.A. Plan 2 applicants.
Plan 1 (M.A./Ph.D.). Students admitted to the M.A./Ph.D. program will undertake the M.A. Plan 1. Students are required (1) to complete Religious Studies 200A-D, Proseminar in History and Theory of Religion; (2) to pass a language exam in French or German; (3) to complete 36 units, including no fewer than 24 graduate units; and (4) to write a research thesis under the guidance of the religious studies faculty.
The department awards financial aid only to those students in the M.A./Ph.D. program (and not necessarily to all of them, depending upon departmental resources). Students receiving financial aid from the department must meet their degree requirements in a timely fashion. Those who do not fulfill the requirements within a two-year period may be granted a terminal M.A. provided they have completed the 36-unit requirement.
Plan 2 (M.A. only). Students entering the M.A.-only program are required (1) to complete at least 36 units, of which at least 24 must be graduate-level units; (2) to complete Religious Studies 200A, Anthropology and Sociology of Religion; and (3) to pass a comprehensive examination following Religious Studies 201. The Department of Religious Studies considers the M.A.-only program to be most appropriate for individuals seeking professional or career development in fields not exclusively related to university teaching and research.
The Ph.D. program in the Department of Religious Studies comprises a crosscultural and multidisciplinary approach to the study of religion. The crosscultural component of the program is concerned with the comparative study of religious traditions from among five cultural areas: Christian, Mediterranean, and European religious traditions; East Asian religious traditions; Jewish, Islamic, and near Eastern religious traditions; religions of the Americas; and South Asian religious traditions. Students are expected to engage with the multiple disciplinary approaches to the study of religion, and their concomitant methodologies: philosophical, historical anthropological, and sociological.
All Ph.D. students must take Religious Studies 200A, 200B, 200C, and 200D. Other courses in fulfillment of the Ph.D. requirement will be selected in consultation with the student's advisor. Students admitted directly into the doctoral program without the M.A. or its equivalent are required to take 36 units of advanced work. Doctoral students must complete a second examination in a modern or classical language in which a substantive religious studies bibliography exists: either French or German (depending on the language chosen to fulfill the M.A. requirement), or a language appropriate to their cultural area of concentration. Programs in certain cultural areas will require additional language competency. With the completion of these requirements, students will, in consultation with a doctoral advisor and committee, sit for no less than three field examinations in their areas of specialization. Students will also prepare a dissertation prospectus and pass an oral qualifying exam. In addition to required coursework and language competency, advancement to candidacy (C. Phil.) is dependent on the satisfactory completion of these three requirements.
Candidates must then write a dissertation, under the supervision of the doctoral committee, demonstrating an ability to do significant research and scholarly analysis and to present findings and conclusions with precision and clarity. The dissertation must normally be completed within two to three years after passing the qualifying examination.
The Women's Studies Program offers an interdisciplinary doctoral emphasis to students previously admitted to a Ph.D. program in art history, English, French, German, history, religious studies, or sociology. Students pursuing the emphasis in women's studies must complete four graduate courses; only one of the four required courses may be taken in the student's home department. The courses are Women's Studies 270, Feminist Epistemology; Women's Studies 280, Research Seminar; a course in feminist theory selected from those approved by the Women's Studies Program; and a topical seminar that addresses topics relevant to the study of women and gender, offered either in the Women's Studies Program or in another department. The student's doctoral committee must include a faculty member who is officially affiliated with the Women's Studies Program, either as one of the three required members or as an additional appointee. This committee conducts the student's Ph.D. qualifying examinations and supervises the student's dissertation research. Contact the Women's Studies Program for additional information on faculty interests, course offerings, and program requirements.
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1. Introduction to the Study of Religion
(4) Staff
A consideration of major themes, issues, types of figures and phenomena, and
traditions-all selected from the history of religion so as to illustrate the
great variety of religious phenomena and to suggest some of the ways such things
may be responsibly studied.
3. Introduction to Asian Religious Traditions
(4) Staff
Same course as East Asian Cultural Studies 3.
An introduction to the basic texts, institutions, and practices of the religious
traditions of South Asia and East Asia.
5. Introduction to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
(4) Staff
An introduction to the basic texts, institutions, and practices of western religious
traditions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
7. Introduction to American Religion
(4) Albanese, Roof, Hammond
Religion and religions in America. Survey of the variety of religions or religious
traditions in America, including Native American, Asian, African-American, Judaism,
Roman Catholicism, and the varieties of Protestantism. Focus also on such common
features as "civil religion."
8. Introduction to Religion and Ethics
(4) Roof
An introductory survey of the basic issues and themes in the relationship between
religion and ethics.
9. Ethnicity and Religion
(4) Staff
The religions and philosophies of four major ethnic groups in the United States
and their relation to East Asian, African, Latin and other cultures.
10A. Arabic I
(5) Campo
Introductory Modern Standard Arabic: pronunciation, script, basic grammar, and
vocabulary. Includes lessons in reading, conversation, and oral comprehension.
Weekly sections involve cultural materials such as elementary calligraphy, Middle
Eastern cooking, Arabic television shows, films, singing, and folk dance.
10B. Arabic II
(5) Campo
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 10A.
Continuation of Arabic I.
10C. Arabic III
(5) Campo
Prerequisites: Religious Studies 10A-B.
Continuation of Arabic II.
10D. Arabic IV
(5) Reynolds
Prerequisites: Religious Studies 10A-B-C.
Intermediate Arabic: complex grammar and vocabulary, readings in classical and
modern Arabic literature, including short stories, newspaper articles, and poetry.
Extensive use of audio-visual materials including news broadcasts, television
shows, and films. Weekly conversation section.
10E. Arabic V
(5) Reynolds
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 10D.
Continuation of Arabic IV.
10F. Arabic VI
(5) Reynolds
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 10E.
Continuation of Arabic V.
11A. Hindi I
(4) Boyle
The beginning course in Hindi. Survey of grammar. Graded exercises and readings
drawn from Hindi literature, leading to mastery of grammatical structures and
essential vocabulary and achievement of basic reading and writing competence.
11B. Hindi II
(4) Boyle
Continuation of Hindi I.
11C. Hindi III
(4) Boyle
Continuation of Hindi II.
11D. Hindi IV
(4) Boyle
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 11C.
Intermediate Hindi. Selected readings in Hindi fiction and nonfiction, with
exercises in grammar, composition, and conversation.
11E. Hindi V
(4) Boyle
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 11D.
Continuation of Religious Studies 11D.
11F. Hindi VI
(4) Boyle
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 11E.
Continuation of Religious Studies 11E.
12. Religious Approaches to Death
(4) Comstock
An examination of traditional and modern works dealing with the art of dying
and death. Current discussions amongst sociologists and psychologists as well
as significant literary works are related to materials on death in religious
traditions like Christianity and Buddhism.
14. Introduction to Native American Religious Studies
(4) Talamantez
This course is designed as an introduction to the contribution that Native American
religions make to the general study of religion. Metaphysical and philosophical
aspects of North American native culture. Major concepts of belief systems,
religion, and medicine. Theories of balance, harmony, knowledge, power, ritual,
and ceremony.
15. Religion and Psychology
(4) Roof
A survey of theories and approaches to the study of religion from the perspective
of psychology, with an emphasis on psychoanalytical, analytical, and humanistic
psychology as well as on other theorists and trends emerging out of or relating
to these traditions in psychology.
17A. Introduction Biblical Hebrew I
(4) Garr
This course will introduce the student to the orthography, phonology, grammar,
and lexicon of Tiberian Biblical Hebrew as found in most printed Bibles. There
will be extensive grammatical exercise in recitation and written forms in which
the student learns the bulk of Hebrew grammar. The course will conclude with
selected Pentateuchal readings when the student applies grammatical knowledge
to actual texts.
17B. Introduction to Biblical Hebrew II
(4) Garr
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 17A.
Continuation of Religious Studies 17A.
17C. Introduction to Biblical Hebrew III
(4) Garr
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 17B.
Continuation of Religious Studies 17B.
20. Nature: East Asian Views
(4) Grapard
Same course as East Asian Cultural Studies 20.
An introduction to the ways in which Chinese and Japanese cultures have conceptualized
nature and humankind's place in it.
21. Zen
(4) Grapard
Same course as East Asian Cultural Studies 21.
An introduction to the history and texts of the major lineages of Ch'an Buddhism
in China, and Zen Buddhism in Japan.
22. Religious Narratives and Paintings of Japan
(4) Grapard
Same course as Japanese 22.
A survey and cultural analysis of the painted scrolls and texts related to historical
records of religious institutions in medieval and premodern Japan.
25. Dimensions of Christianity
(4) Staff
In some ways Christianity is the least understood of the world's religions,
perhaps because those who study it are either too close to it, too alienated,
or too specialized. This course places Christianity in its plural and multidimensional
context and uses the methods of the history of religions to examine it.
30A. Elementary Tibetan I
(4) Wallace
Not open for credit to students who have completed Religious Studies 30.
Introduction to the grammar of standard or classical Tibetan. Textual materials
concentrate on prose readings drawn from Tibetan historical and literary sources.
30B. Elementary Tibetan II
(4) Wallace
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 30A.
Continuation of Tibetan I.
30C. Elementary Tibetan III
(4) Wallace
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 30B.
Continuation of Tibetan II.
30D. Intermediate Tibetan I
(4) Wallace
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 30C.
Intermediate spoken and written Tibetan, with an emphasis on written Tibetan.
Written materials include readings from Tibetan Buddhism and other branches
of literature, including opera and poetry.
30E. Intermediate Tibetan II
(4) Wallace
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 30D.
Intermediate spoken and written Tibetan, with an emphasis on written Tibetan.
Written materials include readings from Tibetan Buddhism and other branches
of literature, including opera and poetry.
30F. Intermediate Tibetan III
(4) Wallace
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 30E.
Intermediate spoken and written Tibetan, with an emphasis on written Tibetan.
Written materials include readings from Tibetan Buddhism and other branches
of literature, including opera and poetry.
35. Religion and Politics in Latin America
(4) Staff
This course examines the political, social, economic, and religious factors
contributing to the development of liberation theology in Latin America. Overview
of twentieth century Latin American history including: colonial legacy; economic
patterns; role of the military as a political force.
40. Religion and Society
(4) Hammond, Roof
An introduction to the analysis of how social forces shape religion and religious
forces shape the behavior of persons and institutions. The contemporary scene
is emphasized, although attention is also given to cross-cultural and historical
matters.
41. Heresies
(4) Thomas
Study of a selection of heretical movements from a variety of religious traditions
in the ancient and medieval periods. Illustrates the sociological, political,
economic and philosophical dimensions of heresy formation and self-definition
within religious traditions.
42. Religion and Sexuality
(4) Staff
Examination and analysis of how various religious communities in different cultural
settings define and prescribe sexuality and related moral issues.
57A. Elementary Persian I
(5) Staff
Introduction to Persian pronunciation, script, and basic grammar, and vocabulary.
Includes lessons in reading, writing, conversation, and oral comprehension.
Sections involve audio-visual materials and a general introduction to the literatures
and cultures of Persian-speaking Iran, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan.
57B. Elementary Persian II
(5) Staff
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 57A.
Continuation of Persian I.
57C. Elementary Persian II
(5) Staff
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 57B.
Continuation of Persian II.
57D. Intermediate Persian IV
(5) Staff
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 57C.
Continuation of Persian III.
57E. Intermediate Persian V
(5) Staff
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 57D.
Continuation of Persian IV.
57F. Intermediate Persian VI
(5) Staff
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 57E.
Continuation of Persian V.
60A. Elementary Punjabi I
(4) Staff
Introduction to Punjabi, a major language of northern India and Pakistan. Beginning
with the Gurmukhi script, the course offers an intensive study in the speaking,
reading, and writing of the language.
60B. Elementary Punjabi II
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 60A.
Continuation of Punjabi I.
60C. Elementary Punjabi III
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 60B.
Continuation of Punjabi II.
61A. Religion in Black America (Part I)
(4) Staff
Same course as Black Studies 60A.
A historical examination, beginning with West African heritage, of Afro-American
religious leaders and organizations in the United States during slavery and
until the end of the nineteenth century.
61B. Religion in Black America (Part II)
(4) Staff
Same course as Black Studies 60B.
A historical survey of major Black religious figures, organizations, movements,
philosophies, and issues. Emphasis on contemporary religious phenomena in the
Black religious community of the United States during the twentieth century.
70. Writing and Religious Traditions
(4) Garr
A survey of writing systems in the world's religious traditions concentrating
on origins, evolutionary trajectories, and manifestations. Special attention
given to the alphabet, the social and religious significance of writing, as
well as the issue of literacy within religious traditions.
80A. Religion and Western Civilization I: Ancient
(4) Hecht, Comstock, Carlson, Thomas
The religions of classical antiquity; myths, rituals, and cults of Greece and
Rome; religious dimensions of Greek and Roman philosophy; beginnings and development
of Christianity to time of Theodosius the Great (379-395 C.E.)
80B. Religion and Western Civilization II: Medieval
(4) Carlson
The decline of classical antiquity; the emergence of medieval Christendom; religion
and culture of the Middle Ages (eleventh-thirteenth centuries); subsequent development
of the Renaissance and Reformation.
80C. Religion and Western Civilization III: Modern
(4) Carlson
Religious responses to the emergence of modern science in the seventeenth century;
religion in eighteenth century Europe; religion in America; the challenges of
the twentieth century.
90AA-ZZ. Topics in Religious Studies
(4) Staff
May be repeated for credit to a maximum of 8 units provided letter designations
are different.
Lectures in special areas of interest in religious studies. Specific course
titles to be announced by the department each quarter offered.
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Please note that the letter suffixes attached to the numbers of many of the upper-division courses do not necessarily indicate a prerequisite sequence.
102. Symbolizations of the Feminine in Cross-Cultural Perspective
(4) Holdrege
A comparative analysis of symbolizations of the feminine in Western and Asian
religious traditions, with attention to contrasting images of the feminine as
an inherently passive principle on the one hand and as an activating principle
of divine power on the other.
103. The Ritual Dimensions of Religious Life
(4) Holdrege, Grapard
An exploration of the nature, structure, and function of ritual in religious
life, including analysis of the sacred time and space of ritual and of categories
of ritual such as sacrifice, communal worship, festivals, rites of passage,
and prayer and meditation.
104. Problems in the Study of Religion
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Religious Studies majors only.
Recommended for junior year.
Problems involved in the meaning of "religion," the goals of religious studies,
religious pluralism, and the role of religion in the modern world.
105. The Teachings of Jesus
(4) Thomas
Exploration and analysis of the teachings of Jesus, the significance of his
person, and the sources of our knowledge about him, in historical, comparative,
and contemporary terms.
106. Modernity and the Process of Secularization
(4) Carlson
A study of sociological, psychological, and philosophical attempts to define
the modern West in terms of the marginalization and/or transformation of traditional
Christian thought and institutions.
107. Critique and Christianity
(4) Carlson
Examination of the modern critical thinking that grounds the major nineteenth-
and twentieth-century attacks on Christianity. Attempts, within Christian thought,
to answer and/or appropriate such critical perspectives.
109. Religion, Culture, and Millennialism
(4) Staff
Millennialism deals with the expectation of an imminent age of well-being within
human history. The course examines the history of both religious millennial
movements and secular utopian versions; contemporary religious groups; and "New
Age" communities that focus on the year 2000.
110. Religion and Literature
(4) Staff
An examination of the interaction between religion and literature through the
study of literary works. Figures like John Milton, William Blake, and T. S.
Eliot are among those considered.
110C. Religion and Art
(4) Hecht
Exploration of the relationships between religion and twentieth-century art.
Special attention on the symbolisms of space, body, time, word, and memory in
modern artists such as Mondrian, Chagall, and O'Keefe, and in contemporary artists
like Bill Viola, James Turrell, Marina Abramovic, Wolfgang Laib, Anselm Kiefer,
Anish Kapoor and Christian Boltanski.
110D. Ritual Art and Verbal Art of the Pacific Northwest
(4) Talamantez
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 14.
Religious ethos of selected peoples of the Pacific Northwest, as is expressed
in masking, body paint, art, and architecture. Study of mythology, ritual, symbolism,
and contemporary developments.
112. Ethics of Biomedical Technology
(3) Gibor, Kohl
Same course as MCDB 121.
An interdisciplinary approach to questions raised by advances in biotechnology
including advances in human reproduction, definitions of "human life," the right
to die, organ transplantation and donation, and animal rights. Discussants will
include biologists, ethicists, and religious leaders.
113. Religion and Film
(4) Staff
An examination of religious themes and forms as they appear in significant works
of modern film. The nature of man, the problem of suffering, the quest for meaning
are among the topics considered.
114B. Religious Traditions of the Southwest
(4) Talamantez
Survey of the cultures of the southwestern United States to discern the place
of religion in the life of Athabascan, Pueblo, Uto-Aztecan, and native peoples
of California. Consideration of the relationships between social structure,
environment, and history as they affect religious behavior. Brief overview of
the Native American church, folk Catholicism, curanderismo, and espiritualismo.
114C. Myths, Symbols, and Transitions in Native American Religions
(4) Talamantez
An exploration of the nature, structure, and meaning of ritual act and ritual
language in the religious life of native cultures of the Southwest. Intensive
study of selected ritual oratory with particular attention to myth and symbol.
The relevance of linguistic models for interpreting ritual. Approaches to symbolism
including the interrelations between different media (oral, aural, tactile,
plastic), and to features of formalism, redundancy, and condensation in ritual.
Examination of a select number of monographs.
114D. Religion and Healing in Native America
(4) Talamantez
An interdisciplinary and comparative study of representative Native American
cultures and their religio-medico systems. Emphasis on understanding the experimentation,
evaluation, and sacralization of the biosphere in culture to meet human physical
and spiritual needs. Examination of the special place of language in well-being.
Attention will be given to changes which are a result of contact with European
culture.
114X. Dante's "Divine Comedy"
(4) Snyder
Prerequisites: Writing 2 and 50.
Same course as Italian 114X.
Dante's masterpiece, The Divine Comedy, remains among the most astonishing
works of world literature. This course follows the pilgrims progress through
Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso in search of "the love
that moves the sun and the other stars." In English.
115A. Literature and Religion of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
(4) Hecht, Garr
Introduction to the varieties of literature, traditions, and institutions of
ancient Israel through the prophetic period.
115AX. Religious Texts of the Hebrew Bible
(1) Hecht
Prerequisite: concurrent enrollment in Religious Studies 115A.
Recommended preparation: one year of either Classical or Modern Hebrew.
An opportunity to read selected texts from the Hebrew Bible coordinated with
the lectures for Religious Studies 115A. Texts include I-II Samuel, I-II Kings,
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Amos, Esther, Ruth, and Ezra.
115B. The Prophets
(4) Hecht
The origins, development, and enduring significance of the prophetic movement
in ancient Israel.
115C. The Hebrew Bible and Its Interpretation in the Jewish Tradition
(4) Holdrege
A study of the history of interpretations of the Hebrew Bible in the Jewish
tradition, including an analysis of the principal modes and trends of biblical
exegesis-halakhic and aggadic Midrash, medieval commentaries, philosophical
exegesis, kabbalistic interpretations, and modern commentaries. (Knowledge of
Hebrew not required.)
115D. The Social and Cultural History of the Bible
(4) Hecht
Examination of the role of the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament in the formation
of western civilization. Central topics are the interplay between the Bible
and art, architecture, iconography; liturgy, poetry, literature; cosmology,
scientific thought, economics, politics.
116A. The New Testament and Early Christianity
(4) Thomas
Study of the varieties of early Christian traditions and literature of the first
century, with special (but not exclusive) attention to the New Testament.
116B. Second-Century Christianity
(4) Thomas
Recommended preparation: Religious Studies 116A or any lower-division course
in religious studies.
Study of the various religious trends in developing Christianity as represented
in the writings of the early Fathers, the later books of the New Testament Apocrypha,
and "heretical" movements.
116C. Archaeology and the Study of Religion
(4) Thomas
Prerequisite: any lower-division religious studies class.
An examination of the uses of archaeological materials to reconstruct the history
of religions in the ancient world, with special attention to the relationships
between material culture, religious iconography, epigraphy, and sacred texts.
116D. Early Christian Novels
(4) Thomas
A study of the roots of Christian biography in literary-critical and historical
perspective, as both entertainment and edification, in a series extending from
poytheist (pagan) and intertestamental Jewish novels to the Gospels, the Acts
literature, and Christian hagiography.
117A. The Language and Religion of the Mishnah and Talmud
(4) Garr
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 115A or 115B or 115C.
Examination of the religious traditions of Mesopotamia, the Hittites, and the
peoples of Syria-Palestine as seen through their literary and archeological
remains.
117B. The Language and Religion of the Mishnah and Talmud
(4) Hecht, Garr
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 117A.
Continuation of 117A. Based on textual sources, this course will focus upon
the religion of Jews in Parthian and Sassanian periods, as well as on the cultural
and social problems which Jews faced while living in a Persian culture.
118. Religious Contours of the Western Hemisphere
(4) Talamantez
Surveys history and forms of religion in Western Hemisphere. Paleolithic and
Pre-Columbian traditions and distribution. Conquest and colonization: Latin
America and Caribbean. North and Latin American evangelism and political organization.
Mestizaje, syncretism in Native American, Euro-American, and African populations.
118J. Jesus, Judaism, and the Origins of Christianity
(4) Friedland
Prerequisite: upper-division standing.
Same course as Sociology 118J.
A sociohistorical perspective that analyzes the relationship between the Jesus
movement and the Jewish society of his day. Examines the organization and meaning
of sanctity and sovereignty, and positions the Jesus movement within the politics
of these institutions.
119A. Epics of the World
(4) Reynolds
Introduction to epic traditions from Central Asia, India, Iran, Turkey, the
Arab World and Africa through texts, recordings, films and live performance
exploring relationships between epic and religion, social structures, gender
roles, and communal identities using literary and performance theory.
120. Shugendo: Japanese Mountain Religion
(4) Grapard
Same course as Japanese 119.
Historical study of texts and practices of Japanese mountain ascetics (Yamabushi),
and of their role in the formation of Japanese culture, from 700 to present.
121A. Introduction to Targumic Aramaic I
(4) Garr
Prerequisites: Religious Studies 17A-B-C.
The grammar and basic vocabulary of Targumic Aramaic, concentrating on Targum
Onkelos-the "official" Jewish Aramaic translation of the Old Testament. Students
memorize the nominal and verbal paradigms of the dialect, and read selected
passages from the Joseph story.
121B. Introduction to Targumic
Aramaic II
(4) Garr
Prerequisites: Religious Studies 17A-B-C and 121A.
Continuation of Religious Studies 121A.
122A. Syriac I
(4) Garr
Prerequisites: Religious Studies 17A-B-C.
Introduction to the grammar and literature of the Syriac language. Emphasis
on the acquisition of Syriac language skills.
122B. Syriac II
(4) Garr
Prerequisites: Religious Studies 17A-B-C and 122A.
Continuation of Religious Studies 122A.
122C. Syriac III
(4) Garr
Prerequisites: Religious Studies 17A-B-C and 122A-B.
Continuation of Religious Studies 122B.
123. Asian American Religions
(4) Staff
A historical overview of the Asian religious traditions in America as experienced
by Asian immigrants themselves. Focus includes an analysis of how Asian religious
traditions are reflected in the context of America and how generational patterns
affect religious identity.
124. The History of Religions in Aztlan
(4) Hecht
This course will examine the religious constituents of Chicano identities by
focusing on different Chicano myths and rituals, orientations to and manifestations
of the sacred, centers and peripheries, discourses, pilgrimage, sacrifice, and
general modes of symbolizations.
125. Special Topics
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: upper-division standing or one prior course in religious studies.
No more than 8 units of major credit will be given, but course may be repeated
up to a 12-unit maximum.
Lectures in special areas of interest in religious studies. Specific course
titles to be announced by the department each quarter.
126. Roman Catholicism Today
(4) Hammond
A survey of the history of Roman Catholic Christianity, leading to Vatican II
and subsequent changes in the church.
127A. Christian Thought and Cultures of the Ancient World
(4) Thomas
Outline of the primary philosophical, sociological, and cultural trends in the
first four centuries of Christianity: the changing relationship to imperial
government, the "parting of the ways" with Judaism, the cultural inheritance
of paganism, problems of self-definition against heresies.
127B. Christian Thought and Cultures of the Middle Ages
(4) Carlson
Exploration of some of the major intellectual and cultural developments defining
medieval Christian Europe. Materials considered include both contemporary historical
studies and selected primary sources in theology, philosophy, literature, and
the arts.
127C. Christian Thought and Cultures of the Reformation
(4) Carlson
Addresses major intellectual and cultural developments relating to the disintegration
of medieval Christianity and the birth of modern Europe. Attention given to
both contemporary historical studies and selected primary sources in theology,
philosophy, literature, and the arts.
128A. Religion and Spirituality in the Roman Empire
(4) Thomas
Not open for credit to students who have completed Religious Studies 128.
Introduction to "pagan" spirituality: rites marking the seasonal and life cycles,
syncretism and multiculturalism, initiation into religious associations, dreams
and oracles, with attention both to religious texts and to the symbolic, iconographic,
and structural evidence offered by archaeological data.
128B. The Legacy of Greek Philosophy in Ancient Religion
(4) Thomas
Recommended preparation: a lower-division course in religious studies.
Traces the development of Greek philosophy from its religious roots, the emergence
of the major schools as voluntary associations, and their afterlife in Hellenistic
Judaism, Christian piety, Gnosticism, patristic writings, and Neoplatonism.
128C. The Sacred Geography of the Ancient Mediterranean World
(4) Thomas
A survey of religious sites in polytheism and early Christianity. After general
introduction to the sites, the topos of sacred space and ritual, and the methods
of secondary research for archaeological materials, students produce audiovisual
presentations in seminar format.
129. Religions of the Ancient Near East
(4) Campo, Garr
Examination of the religious traditions of Mesopotamia, the Hittites, and the
peoples of Syria-Palestine as seen through their literarary and archaeological
remains.
130. Judaism
(4) Hecht
Elements of traditional Judaism in biblical and rabbinic times.
130X. Religious Texts of the Jewish Tradition
(1) Hecht
Prerequisite: concurrent enrollment in Religious Studies 130.
Recommended preparation: one year of either Classical or Modern Hebrew.
Readings from the Jewish texts correlated to lecture themes of Religious Studies
130. Texts include the Siddur and festival Machzor, the Passover Haggadah, Haim
Bialik and Yehoshua Ravnitzky's Sefer Ha-Agadah, and S.Y. Agnon's Yamin Nora'im
and collected short stories.
131A. Palestinian Judaism from Ezra to Akiba
(4) Hecht
Study of the various religious trends in Palestine from the time of Ezra to
the second revolt, with special attention to the rise and development of the
apocalyptic.
131B. Judaism in the Graeco-Roman World
(4) Hecht
Study of the cultural and religious interactions of Judaism with Hellenism among
the Greek-speaking Jews of the Diaspora. Special attention will be given to
the writings of Philo of Alexandria.
131C. Judaism in the Medieval World
(4) Hecht
Course covers period from 650 to 1500 CE and topics: Karaite movements; biblical
and talmaudic commentaries; growth of mystical movements; disputations between
Christians and Jews.
131D. Judaism in Modern Times
(4) Hecht
Challenge of the Enlightenment and emancipation movements to traditional Jewish
life in Western and Eastern Europe. Religious and secular responses to these
challenges (orthodox, conservative, reform, Zionism, socialism) in Europe and
the United States.
131DX. Jewish Religious Texts from Modern Times
(1) Hecht
Prerequisite: concurrent enrollment in Religious Studies 131D.
Recommended preparation: one year of Modern Hebrew.
Readings from a selection of Hebrew texts correlated to lecture themes of Religious
Studies 131D. Texts include the works of Isaac Luria, Shneur Zalman of Ladi,
Nachman of Bratzlav, the Musar tradition, Samson Raphael Hirsch, Ahad Ha-Am
and Aaron David Gordon.
131E. Contemporary Trends in Judaism
(4) Hecht
An examination of the variety of trends in Judaism from the First World War
to the present. Major areas of study include the following: the philosophies
of Franz Rosenzweig, Martin Buber, and Abraham Heschel; the growth of the conservative
and reform movements in America; the Holocaust; the postwar disorientation and
responses to the Holocaust.
131F. The History of Anti-Semitism
(4) Hecht
A systematic examination of the history of anti-Semitism, beginning with the
emergence of anti-Judaism in the world of late antiquity, its transformation
into theological anti-Semitism in the Middle Ages, and the emergence of racial
anti-Semitism in the modern world. The central focus will be anti-Semitism as
a religio-historical category.
131H. Politics and Religion in the City: The Case of Jerusalem
(4) Hecht
Same course as Sociology 131H.
This course examines relationships between religion and politics in Jerusalem.
As a sacred center for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and national center
for Israelis and Palestinians, Jerusalem provides the unique opportunity to
examine co-existing groups holding opposite world views.
131J. Introduction to Rabbinic Literature
(4) Holdrege
An introduction to the basic texts of rabbinic literature through an analysis
of representative passages from the Mishnah, Talmud, and Midrash. Particular
attention will be given to the various types of Midrash and the principles and
methods of Midrashic interpretation. (Knowledge of Hebrew not required.)
132. The Contemplative Life
(4) Hecht
A comparative study of the role of contemplation in religious traditions. Exploration
of the relationships between contemplation and prayer, ethics, the arts, mysticism,
and community.
133. Introduction to Jewish Mysticism
(4) Holdrege
An introduction to the schools and texts of Jewish mysticism, with particular
attention to the Zohar, Lurianic Kabbalah, and Hasidism. Examination of conceptions
of God and the sefirot, Torah, creation, and redemption, along with consideration
of the role of meditative techniques.
134. Religion and Violence
(4) Hecht
This course examines the capacity of religion to both mobilize and legitimate
human destructiveness. A number of theoretical perspectives will be explored
alongside of historical case studies drawn from India, Northern Ireland, Egypt,
Lebanon, Israel-Palestine, and Sri Lanka.
136. Creation Myths
(4) White
Survey of cosmogonic myths within the world's mythological traditions with special
attention to pervasive mythemes, historical connections between cognate traditions,
and major scholarly theories relating cosmogony to broader social, psychological,
ethical, and theological constructs.
137. Gnosticism and Manichaeism
(4) Thomas
Prerequisite: a prior lower-division course in religious studies.
Not open for credit to students who have completed Religious Studies 137A or
137B.
Study of the Gnostic and Manichaean religions as philosophical and ritual systems,
as book religions, and in their interrelations with Christianity, Judaism, Zoroastrianism,
and Platonism.
139A. Early Christian Literature in Greek
(4) Thomas
Not open for credit to students who have completed Religious Studies 139.
Recommended preparation: two quarters of Greek.
Reading of the New Testament and other first and second-century works as illustrations
of Greek style, with attention to the development of Koine Greek, the influence
of the Septuagint, textual apparatuses, and interpretational tools available
to the reader of Greek.
139B. Greek and Latin Religious Texts
(4) Thomas
Recommended preparation: knowledge of Greek or Latin.
Readings illustrating the range of religions in the Roman empire, from the Septuagint
to Epictetus to Tertullian, from dream interpretations to the Hermetica, with
attention to the texts as examples of the development of Koine Greek and later
Latin.
139C. Religious Literature in Coptic
(4) Thomas
Not open for credit to students who have completed Religious Studies 138A.
Recommended preparation: at least one year of Greek language.
An introduction to Sahidic-Coptic grammar, with special reference to the Coptic
Gospel of Thomas.
139D. Religious Literature in Coptic
(4) Thomas
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 139C.
Not open for credit to students who have completed Religious Studies 138B.
Readings from the Gospel of Thomas and the Sahidic New Testament.
139E. Religious Literature in Coptic
(4) Thomas
Prerequisites: Religious Studies 139C-D.
Not open for credit to students who have completed Religious Studies 138C.
Readings from selected Subakhmimic Coptic texts.
140A. Islamic Traditions
(4) Campo
Introduction to history, doctrines, and practice of the Sunni, Shi'i, and Sufi
expressions of Islam. Includes study of Qur'an, Hadith literature, religious
law, and holy places.
140AX. Islamic Religious Texts
(1) Campo
Prerequisites: Religious Studies 10E; concurrent enrollment in Religious Studies
140A.
Reading and analysis of brief Islamic texts selected from the Our'an, Hadith,
and historical texts. Emphasis on key topics addressed in Religious Studies
140A, such as religious belief and practice, law, relations with Judaism and
Christianity, Shi'ism, and mystical experience.
140B. Religion, Society, and Politics in the Persian Gulf Region
(4) Campo
Prerequisite: upper-division standing.
History of Islam and politics in societies of Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Iraq since
1500. Emphasis on topics such as Shi'i and Sunni movements, religion and the
state, Iranian revolution, economic development, and modernity.
140C. Islamic Mysticism and Religous Thought
(4) Campo
Prerequisite: upper-division standing.
Sufi mystics, ideas, practices, and movements. The relationship of Sufism to
other currents of religious thought, such as theology and philosphy in the Middle
East, Africa, and Asia.
140CX. Islamic Mystical Texts
(1) Campo
Prerequisites: Religious Studies 10E; concurrent enrollment in Religious Studies
140C.
Reading and analysis of brief Islamic texts in Arabic selected from the authors
and intellectual traditions covered in Religious Studies 140C, with focus on
the most famous thinkers, mystics, and philosophical works from the seventh
to the twentieth centuries.
140D. Islam and Culture
(4) Campo
Prerequisite: upper-division standing.
Islam is often seen in terms of its formal components, or its controversial
political impact in the modern world. This course presents Islam as it is incorporated
into the daily lives of its adherents, ranging from Arabia to Europe, from Asia
to America. It also includes a survey of Islamic contributions to world art
and literature.
140E. Islam in America
(4) Campo
Prerequisite: upper-division standing.
Same course as Black Studies 140E.
Examines Islam in American setting, from introduction by African slaves and
immigrants from Islamic countries, to transformation into the Black Muslim movement,
to rise as one of the leading non-Christian religions in the United States during
the 1970s and 80s.
140F. Modern Islamic Movements
(4) Campo
Prerequisite: upper-division standing.
Analysis of the variety of movements that have emerged in the modern Muslim
world: Sufi, reformist, and revolutionary. Includes comparison of Islamic political
movements, leaders, and ideologies in Arabia, Africa, Iran, India, and South
East Asia.
140FX. Modern Islamic Texts
(1) Campo
Prerequisites: Religious Studies 10E; concurrent enrollment in Religious Studies
140F.
Reading and analysis of brief Islamic texts in Arabic selected from the authors
and intellectual traditions covered in Religious Studies 140F, with focus on
the most famous reformers, idealogies, and activist organizations of the nineteenth
and twentieth centuries.
141A. Sociology of Religion: The Classical Statements
(4) Hammond
Religion as it is treated by major social theorists, including Marx, Weber,
Durkheim, Freud, Simmel, Malinowski.
141B. Sociology of Religion: Religious Organizations in Contemporary Society
(4) Hammond
Religion as it appears in formal institutions, including the study of religious
beliefs, religious professionals, and the dynamics of religious organizations.
Emphasis is on contemporary U.S.
141C. Sociology of Religion: Church and State Relations
(4) Hammond
Prerequisites: upper-division standing; a prior lower-division course in religious
studies.
Religion as it exists in the American civic realm, including the political aspects
of churches, the religious aspects of politics, and the role of the courts in
mediating the relationship of church and state.
142A. Religious Literature in Hebrew
(4) Garr
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 17A-B-C.
May be repeated for credit to a maximum of 8 units.
An application of grammatical and analytic skills acquired in introductory Hebrew
to the rapid reading of Biblical Hebrew texts, complemented by an emphasis on
critical and interpretive approaches to the Hebrew Bible. Texts change with
each offering of the course.
142B. Religious Literature in Hebrew
(4) Hecht, Garr
Prerequisites: Religious Studies 17A-B-C.
Introduction to poetry of the Hebrew Bible with special reference to cultic
songs. Texts will be selected from Psalms, Song of Songs, and Koheleth in order
to examine the varieties of poetic style.
142C. Religious Literature in Hebrew
(4) Hecht, Garr
Prerequisites: Religious Studies 17A-B-C.
Introduction to Palestinian midrashic literature with special emphasis upon
the development of reading skills. Texts to be selected from Bereshit Rabbah,
Wayyikra Rabbah, and Pesikta de-Rav Kahana.
143. Seminar in Religion and Society: Research Methods
(4) Roof
Applied research experience, with attention to practical aspects of research
such as interviewing, field work, analysis, and write-up.
144. Scripture in Cross-Cultural Perspective
(4) Holdrege
A study of scripture as a general religious category through the examination
of representative texts from the major religious traditions. Particular attention
will be given to the ways in which various religious communities have delimited
and conceptualized these texts as "scripture."
145. Patterns in Comparative Religion
(4) Holdrege
Study of major religious issues as addressed by more than one religious tradition.
The problem of comparative religion as an academic discipline.
146. Comparative Mysticism
(4) Staff
Historical and descriptive analysis of selected mystical traditions in South
and East Asia, the Middle East, and Europe; and the study of selected key figures,
e.g. Chuang Tzu, Shankara, Plotinus, St. John of the Cross, etc.
146E. Hindu Mysticism
(4) White
The history of Hindu mysticism and the lived experience of the Hindu mystic
from the Vedas through the Tantras in doctrinal literature, mythology, ritual,
and art.
147. Religion and the American Experience
(4) Albanese
May be repeated for credit in combination with Religious Studies 147A-J to a
maximum of 8 units.
Study of one selected topic in US religious history in cultural context. Examples
include evangelism, revivalism, fundamentalism, millennialism, communalism,
transcendentalism, new religions past and present, metaphysical traditions,
religion and ethnicity, religion and healing, nature religion, New Age.
148A. Advanced Arabic
(4) Reynolds
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 10F.
Advanced study of grammar and vocabulary; readings in the major genres of classical
and modern Arabic literature, including Qur'an, medieval poetry and prose modern
short story and novels, etc.
148B. Advanced Arabic
(4) Reynolds
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 148A.
Continuation of Religious Studies 148A.
148C. Advanced Arabic
(4) Reynolds
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 148B.
Continuation of Religious Studies 148B.
150. American Spiritualities
(4) Albanese
Study of different forms of spirituality in the United States past and present.
Topics include relation of past to present and relation of spirituality to religion
in the context of American culture.
151A. Religion in American History to 1865
(4) Albanese
Principal figures, groups, trends, and issues in religion in America to 1865.
151B. Religion in American History Since 1865
(4) Albanese
Principal figures, groups, trends, and issues in religion in America since 1865.
152. Religion in America Today
(4) Albanese, Roof, Hammond
Recent trends in American religion and in interrelationships between religion
and American society.
155. Religion and the Impact of Vietnam
(4) Hecht
Impact of the Vietnam War upon American values, religion, and senses of national
purpose.
156A. Anthropology of Religion
(4) Staff
Religion as a cultural phenomenon; the nature of religious experience among
preliterate peoples; influence of social structure on the development of myth
and ritual; comparison between various scientific methods in the study of religion.
157. Religious Arts of Asia
(4) Grapard
Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
Same course as EACS 157. Not open for credit to students who have completed
East Asian Cultural Studies 157.
Introduction to the study of ritual through an understanding of iconography
specifically and aesthetics generally, using the religious traditions of Hinduism,
Buddhism, Taoism, and Shinto. This course is, therefore, more akin to a history
of ancient cultures than to art history.
157A. Advanced Persian I
(5) Staff
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 57F.
Continuation of Persian VI.
157B. Advanced Persian II
(5) Staff
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 157A.
Continuation of Advanced Persian I.
157C. Advanced Persian III
(5) Staff
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 157B.
Continuation of Advanced Persian II.
158. Hindu Myth and Image
(4) Holdrege
A study of the myth complexes and images associated with the major gods and
goddesses of the Hindu pantheon. Consideration will be given to the appropriation
and transformation of the mythology and iconography in the context of living
devotional traditions.
159A. Introduction to Sanskrit
(4) Wallace
An introduction to the phonology, morphology, and syntax of classical Sanskrit.
159B. Introduction to Sanskrit
(4) Wallace
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 159A.
Reading and analysis of classical Sanskrit religious texts: Mahabharata and
Hitopadesa.
159C. Introduction to Sanskrit
(4) Wallace
Prerequisites: Religious Studies 159A-B.
Reading and analysis of classical Sanskrit religious texts: Mahabharata and
Hitopadesa.
159D-E-F. Religious Literature in Sanskrit
(4-4-4) Wallace
Prerequisites: Religious Studies 159A-B-C.
Reading and analysis of classical Sanskrit religious texts (courses need not
be taken in sequence):
D. Bhagavad-Gita
E. Upanisads
F. Epics
159G-H-I. Religious Literature in Sanskrit
(4-4-4) Wallace
Prerequisites: Religious Studies 159A-B-C.
Reading and analysis of classical Sanskrit religious texts (courses need not
be taken in sequence):
G. Puranas
H. Yoga Literature
I. Dharma-Sastras
159J-K-L. Religious Literature in Sanskrit
(4-4-4) Wallace
Prerequisites: Religious Studies 159A-B-C.
Reading and analysis of classical Sanskrit religious texts (courses need not
be taken in sequence):
J. Philosophical Literature
K. Tantras
L. Medical Literature
160. Religious Traditions of India
(4) Holdrege, White
An introduction to the classical religious traditions of India, with particular
attention to three major areas of Indian religion and culture: the ritual, moral,
and social order; philosophical perspectives and traditions; and traditions
of mythology and devotion.
161A. Yoga Traditions of India
(4) White
Religio-historical analysis of classical Samkhya and Yoga, Jain and Buddhist
Yoga, and Tantric Yoga. Study of the role and function of meditation in Indian
religion.
161B. Buddhist Meditation Traditions
(4) Grapard
Same course as East Asian Cultural Studies 161B.
A consideration of major forms of Buddhist meditation, from both the South Asian
and the East Asian traditions, with special attention given to determining the
nature of meditation as a variety of religious experience.
162A. Indian Philosophy and Religion
(4) Staff
The course examines the degree to which certain representative metaphysical
systems reflect religious interests and experiences-systems such as those of
Nagarjuna, Shankara, Ramanuja, and Madhva.
162C. Sikhism
(4) Mann
Prerequisite: a prior lower-division course in religious studies.
Focusing on the beliefs, literature, and the history of the Sikhs, the course
will trace the development of Sikhism from its inception as a part of a devotional
movement to its modern manifestation as a powerful religious minority in contemporary
India.
163. Images of Japan: The Ideology of Representation
(4) Grapard
Not open for credit to students who have completed Japanese 163.
Analysis of how Japanese culture represented itself to itself: religion, art,
literature, and maps.
164A. Buddhist Traditions in South Asia
(4) White
Origin and development of Buddhist tradition in India and South Asia.
164B. Buddhist Traditions in East Asia
(4) Powell
Same course as East Asian Cultural Studies 164B.
Recommended preparation: background in Indian Buddhism.
A consideration of the Buddhist tradition and its evolution in China, with emphasis
on the changes which Buddhism underwent in its encounter with Chinese traditions
and historical circumstances.
165. The Vedic Traditions of India
(4) White, Holdrege
A study of the Vedic traditions of India, including an analysis of Vedic gods
and goddesses, creation narratives, ritual traditions, sociocultural taxonomies,
and metaphysical speculations.
166A. Religion in Chinese Culture
(4) Powell
Same course as Chinese 166A.
A survey of major periods and themes in the history of the Confucian, Taoist,
and Chinese Buddhist traditions, with particular emphasis on the differences
and tensions among them and on the contributions of each to the formation of
the Chinese civilization.
166AX. Chinese Texts
(1) Powell
Prerequisites: Chinese 6; concurrent enrollment in Religious Studies 166A.
Readings from some of the primary texts associated with various Chinese religious
traditions considered in Religious Studies 166A. Texts from which selections
will be drawn include the Lun Yu, the Tao Te Ching, and the Lotus
Sutra.
166B. Taoist Traditions of China
(4) Powell
Same course as Chinese 166B.
A study of the classical sources of Taoism, followed by a consideration of the
varieties of religious practice which developed from those sources.
166C. Confucian Traditions: The Classical Period
(4) Powell
Same course as Chinese 166C.
A treatment of the origins of Confucianism and of its development through the
Han dynasty (to A.D. 200), with special attention to the variety of humane and
spiritual disciplines which came to be called "Confucian." Emphasis on the interpretation
of primary texts like the Analects, the Mencius, the Hsun Tzu,
etc.
166E. The Flowering of Chinese Buddhism
(4) Powell
Same course as Chinese 166E.
Recommended preparation: Religious Studies 164B.
A study of the distinctively Chinese forms of Buddhism which emerged in the
sixth and seventh centuries A.D. Emphasis will be on the Hua-Yen, T'ien-t'ai,
and Ch'an traditions, and on the features of those traditions which distinguish
them most clearly from Indian Buddhism.
166F. Religious Literature in Chinese: Buddhist Texts
(4) Powell
Same course as Chinese 166F.
Recommended preparation: one year of formal study of classical Chinese.
Selected readings in important Buddhist texts which were either originally written
in Chinese or translated into that language. Only texts not available in Western
language translation are chosen. Attention not only to the content but to the
grammatical, syntactical, and terminological peculiarities of Buddhist Chinese.
166G. Religious Literature in Chinese: Confucian Texts
(4) Powell
Same course as Chinese 166G.
Recommended preparation: one year of formal study of classical Chinese.
Readings in selected texts from the classical Confucian tradition (Chou dynasty),
Han dynasty Confucianism and the Neo-Confucianism of the Sung and Ming dynasties.
166H. Religious Literature in Chinese: Taoist Texts
(4) Powell
Same course as Chinese 166H.
Recommended preparation: one year of formal study of classical Chinese.
Readings in the Lao Tzu (Tao-te-ching) and the Chuang Tzu and
their latter commentaries.
167A. Religion in Japanese Culture
(4) Grapard
Same course as Japanese 167A.
A historical analysis of the major components of the classical and medieval
religious systems of Japan, through investigation of texts, rituals, and institutions.
167B. Religion in Japanese Culture
(4) Grapard
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 167A or Japanese 167A.
Same course as Japanese 167B.
A historical analysis of the major components of premodern Japanese ideology
through investigation of texts, institutions, and rituals.
167D. Shinto
(4) Grapard
Same course as Japanese 167D.
A systematic analysis of the principle institutions, texts, and rituals of the
Shinto traditions of Japan, in historic perspective.
168. Modern Buddhism in Sri Lanka and Its Roots
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 3 or 161A.
Introduction in-depth to Buddhism primarily Theravada Buddhism in India and
Sri Lanka; work in Sri Lanka; treatment of various dimensions (practice, temple
rituals, experience in meditation, ethical teaching, symbiosis of the lay public,
the monks, Buddhist art, doctrine and analysis, religious phenomena, Hindu deities,
etc.).
168A. The Life and Thought of the XIV Dalai Lama
(4) Wallace
A biographical and religio-philosophical study of the present Dalai Lama and
the recent history of Tibet. Attention given to his dual role as temporal and
spiritual leader of Tibet, and his emergence as an international proponent of
non-violence.
168B. The Pursuit of Individual Liberation in Tibetan Buddhism
(4) Staff, Wallace
Examines the incorporation of theories and practices of the "Individual Vehicle"
of Buddhism into Tibetan tradition, and the relation of these elements with
Theravada Buddhism. Readings include vinaya-based ethics, abhidharma-based psychology,
and Vaibhasika and Sautrantika philosophical tenets.
168C. The Bodhisattva Ideal in Tibetan Buddhism
(4) Staff, Wallace
Not open for credit to students who have completed Religious Studies 164C.
Focus on the Bodhisattva ideal and way of life, as adapted to the Tibetan tradition.
Readings include classics of Indian Mahayana Buddhism, Tibetan works, and works
explaining the relations of Buddhist Tantra with the Mahayana tradition.
168D. Sleeping, Dreaming, and Dying in Tibetan Buddhism
(4) Wallace
An introduction to Tibetan Buddhist theories and meditative practices concerning
sleeping, dreaming, and waking and their relation to dying, the intermediate
state after death, and rebirth. Readings include Padmasambhava's teachings on
the six transitional processes and other readings on dream yoga.
169. Hindu Devotional Traditions
(4) Holdrege, White
An introduction to the devotional schools and poet-saints of the Saiva, Vaisnava,
and Sakta traditions. Particular attention will be given to the different paradigms
of devotion represented, respectively, by the images of servant-master, child-parent,
friend-companion, and lover-beloved.
170. Hindu Dharma: Law and Ethics in Indian Society
(4) Holdrege, White
A study of the ritual, moral, and social order of Indian society, with particular
attention to the dichotomy between the fulfillment of one's ritual and social
duties (dharma) on the one hand and the quest for ultimate salvation (moksa)
on the other.
172A. Religion and Science
(4) Staff, Wallace
Not open for credit to students who have completed Religious Studies 172.
The impact of western science on religion; the compatibility and complementarity
of their discourses. The implications for religion of contemporary scientific
theories concerning man and the universe in which he lives.
172B. Religion, Science, and the Problem of Consciousness
(4) Wallace
Comparative exploration of the nature of consciousness as presented by western
scientists and philosophers and by Hindu and Buddhist philosophers and contemplatives.
Western, Indian, and Tibetan of the mind and its potentials are examined in
historical contexts.
173. Religious Myth and Language
(4) Staff
A survey of contemporary studies about the nature and function of religious
symbol and language.
174. Religious Thought and Existentialism
(4) Staff
An examination of the nineteenth- and twentieth-century literary and philosophical
movement of existentialism and its implications for philosophy of religion and
theology. Typical figures like Kierkegaard, Sartre, Camus, and Buber are examined.
175. Sacred Geography in China and Japan
(4) Grapard, Powell
Same course as East Asian Cultural Studies 175.
A consideration of the cultural and conginitive dimensions of East Asian sacred
geography.
176. Religious Contours of California
(4) Staff
California contains virtually all the religious variety known to humankind.
It serves as a window, therefore, to the world's religions. This course uses
the history of California to introduce these religions.
177. Religion and Law
(4) Hecht, Powell
A comparative study of the interrelationship of law and religion within society.
Examples selected from the legal traditions of small-scale societies, the great
civilizations of the past, and modern societies.
178. The Body Religious in Chinese Culture
(4) Powell
Same course as East Asian Cultural Studies 178.
The human body both as constituted by and constitutive of Chinese religion,
culture, society, and geography. Neither purely philosophical nor biological,
the course explores the understandings of the body as both subject and object
of knowledge.
179. Religion and Humanistic Psychology
(4) Staff
Religion from the perspective of humanistic psychology. Emphasis on William
James, Gordon Allport, Abraham Maslow, and on trends emerging out of this tradition
in psychology.
180. Problems in the Philosophy of Religion
(4) Staff
A study of the religious dimension of philosophy and the philosophical aspect
of religion. Relationship between religion and philosophy cross-culturally examined.
181A-B-C. Religious Literature in Hindi
(4) Staff
Prerequisites: Religious Studies 11A-B-C.
Selected readings in medieval and modern Hindi religious texts, and an introduction
to the use of Hindi commentarial literature.
182. Ethics of the Life Cycle
(4) Staff
A study of contrasting models of the life cycle; rites of passage; moral problems
associated with birth, growth, sex, work, leisure, aging, and death.
183. The Quest for Narrative in Late Imperial China
(4) Powell
Same course as Chinese 183.
An exploaration of quest themes, narrative forms and performative modes in the
culture of Late Imperial China based on a reading of an English translation
of the sixteenth century masterpiece, The Journey to the West (Monkey).
186. The Arabic Qur'an
(4) Campo
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 10F.
Systematic study of vocabulatry, grammar, syntax, and content of the Qur'an.
Includes introduction to Qur'anic recitation, calligraphy, and commentary (tafsir)
from historic and cultural perspectives.
187. Christian Asceticism
(4) Thomas
The religion of the hermitage and cloister from St. Anthony and St. Benedict.
Special attention to current revivals of asceticism, east-west exchanges, and
the writings of Thomas Merton.
188. Western Mysticism
(4) Staff
Study of western mystical religion from Bernard of Clairvaux, Eckhart, St. John
of the Cross, St. Teresa, to Pascal, Blake, and the modern era.
189A. History of Arabic Literature in Translation
(4) Reynolds
Survey of the history of Arabic poetry and prose from the pre-Islamic era to
the 20th century with emphasis on the development of specific genres and styles
and changing historical perspectives on enduring themes in Arabic literature.
189AX. Arabic Texts
(1) Reynolds
Prerequisites: Religious Studies 10E; concurrent enrollment in Religious Studies
189A.
Reading and analysis of brief literary texts in Arabic selected from the authors
and genres covered in Religious Studies 189A with a focus on the most famous
figures and masterpieces of Arabic literary history from the fifth to twentieth
centuries.
189B. Critical Reading of Medieval Arabic Literature in Translation
(4) Reynolds
Critical readings from a selection of medieval poetical and prose works in translation
including love manuals, spiritual allegories, encyclopedias, collections of
comic erotica, autobiographies, travel accounts, and others. Lectures and readings
in English.
189C. Critical Readings in Modern Arabic Literature in Translation
(4) Reynolds
Critical readings from a selection of 19th- and 20th-century works in translation
including autobiographies, novels, short stories, and poems from the Arab world.
Readings will focus on issues central to modern Arab society. Lectures and readings
in English.
190. Topics in Religious Studies
(4) Staff
May be repeated for credit to a maximum of 8 units.
Recommended preparation: upper-division standing.
This course features lectures by various visiting professors or adjunct lecturers
on topics pertaining to the study of religions using various methodological
approaches to subjects which are the speciality of the instructor. Course content
will vary.
191. Contact, Conflict, and Syncretism in Latin American Religions
(4) Staff
Following an initial review of relevant theoretical concepts and terminology
of cultural contact, the course will examine case studies of varied types of
religio-cultural interfaces from Latin America.
192. Women and Religion in America
(4) Staff
A study of women as active producers and shapers of American religious culture.
Historical and contemporary perspectives. Emphasis on gender roles, women's
experiences, leadership, sexuality, identity, and on ways that race and class
influence American ideas about gender and religion.
193. Religion and Ecology in the Americas
(4) Talamantez
Prerequisite: a prior lower-division religious studies or environmental studies
course.
Same course as Environmental Studies 189.
An overview of the growing field of religion and ecology in the Americas. Focus
on spiritual traditions and land-based knowledge indigenous to the Western Hemisphere.
193B. Religion and Healing in Global Perspective
(4) Albanese
Comparative and cross-cultural introduction to relationships between religion,
science, and healing arts, using selected case studies and stressing alternatives
to mainstream Western medicine. Attention to underlying religio-philosophical
worldviews and to the ways in which they influence healing practices.
194. Group Studies for Advanced Students
(1-4) Staff
Enrollment normally limited to 12 or fewer students. Students may repeat this
course once for credit, subject to departmental approval, but only 4 units may
apply to the major.
Recommended preparation: a prior lower-division course in religious studies.
Topics vary according to instructor.
195. Senior Honors Program
(1-8) Roof
Prerequisite: a prior lower-division course in religious studies.
Open only to upper-division students who have been accepted into the department's
honors program.
Projects for advanced work in religious studies in conjunction with individual
members of the faculty and developed by students who have qualified for the
department's honors program. May be repeated once for credit.
199. Independent Studies in Religion
(1-5) Staff
Prerequisites: a prior lower-division course in religious studies; upper-division
standing; completion of two upper-division courses in religious studies.
Students must have a minimum 3.0 grade-point average for the preceding three
quarters and are limited to 5 units per quarter and 30 units total in all 98/99/198/199/199RA
courses combined.
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200A. Proseminar in History and Theory of Religion
(4) Staff
Critical analysis of key themes and figures in anthropology and sociology of
religion, with attention to their role in the emergence and current practice
of religious studies. Includes the works of such figures as Tylor, Frazer, Mauss,
Lévi-Strauss, Douglas, Turner, Geertz, Durkheim, Weber, and Berger.
200B. Proseminar in History and Theory of Religion
(4) Staff
Critical analysis of key themes and figures in modern philosophy and psychology
of religion, with attention to their role in the emergence and current practice
of religious studies. Includes the works of such figures as Spinoza, Hume, Kant,
Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Wittgenstein, Freud, and Jung.
200C. Proseminar in the History and Theory of Religion
(4) Staff
Prerequisites: Religious Studies 200A-B.
Critical analysis of key themes and figures in phenomenology and history of
religions, with attention to their role in the emergence and current practice
of religious studies. Includes the works of such figures as Otto, van der Leeuw,
Pettazzoni, Wach, Eliade, W.C. Smith, Smart, Long, J.Z. Smith, and Lincoln.
200D. Proseminar in the History and Theory of Religion
(4) Staff
Critical analysis of key themes and figures in contemporary critical theory
and cultural studies, with attention to their role in the current practice of
religious studies. Includes the works of such figures as Benjamin, Foucault,
Bourdieu, Derrida, Lacan, Kristeva, Butler, and Taussig.
201. Core Issues in the Study of Religion
(4) Staff
Introduces graduate students to core issues in modern studies of religions and
other world views.
202A-F. Religious Literature in Pali
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
Phonology, morphology, and syntax of the Pali language with readings of early
Buddhist texts from the Pali Canon.
203. Introduction to Ugaritic
(4) Garr
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 142A.
Basic grammar of the Ugaritic language, selected readings in Ugaritic mythological
literature, and discussion of the relationship between Ugaritic literature and
the Hebrew Bible.
204. Religious Literature in Vedic Sanskrit
(4) Staff
Prerequisites: Religious Studies 159A-B-C.
Phonology, morphology, and syntax of Vedic; and reading of Rig Veda I. 1, I.32,
X.90, X.129, and other hymns.
205A. Religious Literature in Greek
(4) Thomas
Selected readings in both Christian and polytheist texts.
205B. Religious Literature in Latin
(4) Thomas
Selected readings in both Christian and polytheist texts.
205C. Religious Literature in Coptic
(4) Thomas
Study of selected Coptic religious texts in the Sahidic, Sub-Achmimic, Achmimic,
or Bohairic dialects.
206A-B-C-D-E-F. Seminar in South Asian Religious Studies
(4-4-4-4-4-4) Holdrege, White
Prerequisites: Religious Studies 159A-B-C.
Historical and critical analysis of selected topics in South Asian religious
traditions.
A. Topics in South Asian religions.
B. Vedic traditions.
C. Hindu epics.
D. Hindu mythological and devotional traditions.
E. Tantric traditions.
F. Contemporary issues.
207. Guided Readings in Sanskrit Religious Texts
(4) Staff
May be repeated for credit.
Selected readings in classical Sanskrit, Pali, and Vedic religious texts.
208 A-B-C. Guided Readings in Hebrew Religious Texts
(4) Garr
Course content variable; may be repeated.
Selected readings in Biblical Hebrew texts. Course may be repeated.
209. Seminar on Hindus and Muslims in South Asia
(4) Campo, Holdrege, White
An inquiry into the interactions of Hindus and Muslims in South Asian history
and cultures. Topics include religious beliefs and rituals, social and political
issues, mystical traditions, science and medicine, music, art, and literature.
210. Guided Readings in Arabic Religious Texts
(4) Campo
Prerequisites: Religious Studies 10A-F.
Selected readings on Islamic subjects in Arabic. Focus on scripture, interpretation,
and religious biography.
211. Orality, Literacy, and the Study of Religion
(4) Reynolds
A survey of differing theories of orality and literacy in the writings of Havelock,
Parry, Lord, Luria, Vygotsky, Ong, Goody, Graff, Stock, Tedlock, and others.
The significance of these ideas for the study of religious texts, practices,
and world views.
213. Seminar on Sikhism
(4) Singh Mann
Focusing on the selected compositions of Farid (Sufi), Gorakh (Nath Yogi), Kabir
(Hindu), and Nanak (Sikh), examination of the rich diversity of religions and
cultural beliefs prevalent in medieval Punjab.
219. Seminar on Buddhist Epistemology
(4) Staff
A critical examination of perceptual and conceptual ways of knowing according
to Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and contemplative practice. Special emphasis
is on the distinctions among perception, inference, and belief with respect
to both external phenomena and the nature of the mind itself.
220. Seminar in Religion and Science
(4) Wallace
Exploration of fundamental problems in physics in comparative analysis using
examples from quantum and relativity theory and Buddhist Madhyamaka philosophy.
223. Religion and the Question of Subjectivity in Contemporary European
Thought
(4) Carlson
Exploration of critical responses within contemporary European thought to modern
conceptions of subjectivity (from Luther and Descartes through Hegel and Nietzsche).
Writers may include Husserl, Heidegger, Levinas, Derrida, and Marion.
227. Religion, Ethics, and the Modernity Debate
(4) Roof, Carlson
Examination of issues arising out of the modernity/post-modernity debate regarding
religion and ethics. Topics include, among others, community tradition, identity,
and agency. Special attention to the works of Giddens, Bauman, Caputo, and Dupré.
228. Seminar on Religion and Violence
(4) Hecht
Prerequisite: graduate standing.
This seminar examines the relationship between religion and violence as a new
problem for the history of religions. Readings for the seminar will reflect
the major theoretical positions taken in the debate over whether violence is
essential or secondary to religious symbolizations.
229. The Archaeology of Religious Knowledge
(4) Staff
An investigation of the relevance to religious studies, particularly to the
history of religions, of the work of the philosopher/historian Michel Foucault.
230. Seminar in the History and Theory of Religion
(4) Staff
Scholarly perspectives and disciplinary approaches to critical study and research
in the history and theory of religion.
231. Phenomenology of Religion
(4) Staff
The course involves an examination of some approaches to phenomenology in recent
literature; and then examines specific concepts and phenomena, such as worship,
shamanism, sacrament, and religious identity.
232. Seminar in Religion and Philosophy
(2-4) Comstock
May be repeated for credit.
A survey of ways in which religion and philosophy have been related in the history
of western civilization. Religious metaphysics, theology, and the approach of
contemporary analytic philosophy to religion are considered.
233. Seminar in Religion and Literature
(2-4) Comstock
May be repeated for credit.
A survey of the work of literary critics and religious thinkers who have developed
connections between the study of literature and religious thought.
234. The World's Religions: Learning and Teaching Them
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: graduate standing.
Introduction to religions, explains and explores ways of understanding them
and discusses modes of teaching them. Aimed to explain issues where the activities
of religions affect theory; as well as sketching issues of pedagogy.
235. Seminar in Western Religious Thought
(4) Thomas
Historical and critical examination of selected figures and movements.
236. Philosophy of Religion: European Foundations
(4) Carlson
A seminar on the philosophy of religion in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century
Europe. Emphasis given to the specifically Christian genealogy of the general
concept of religion. Thinkers covered may include Hume, Kant, Schleiermacher,
Hegel, and Nietzsche.
237. Seminar in Religion and Psychology
(4) Roof
A review of major theorists in the psychology of religion, including Freud,
Jung, Maslow, Erikson, Kohlberg, and others, and their significance for the
field of religious studies.
239. Seminar in Religion and Ethics
(4) Roof
A review of theory and research on religion and ethics. Topics include moral
pluralism, modes of religious thinking about behavior, and selected moral problems
in the contemporary world.
240. Seminar in the Sociology of Religion
(4) Hammond, Roof
Course content variable; may be repeated.
Detailed examination of major figures, schools, and types of research.
243. Seminar in Religion & Society: Research Methods
(4) Roof
Prerequisite: consent of instructor
Applied research experience, with attention to practical aspects of research
such as interviewing, field work, analysis, and write-up.
244. Problems in Religion and Society
(4) Hammond, Roof
Prerequisite: graduate standing.
Course content variable; may be repeated.
Influence of religion upon society and society upon religion; institutional
roles; transcendent referents; law and justice; value conflicts. Analysis of
the thought of one or more major figures.
245A. Seminar in African-American Religious History
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
A historical examination, beginning with West African heritage, of Afro-American
religious leaders and organizations in the United States during slavery and
until the end of the nineteenth century.
245B. Seminar in African-American Religious History
(4) Staff
A historical survey of major Black religious figures, organizations, movements,
philosophies, and issues. Emphasis on contemporary religious phenomena in the
Black religious community of the United States during the twentieth century.
246. Seminar in Comparative Mysticism
(4) Staff
Historical and comparative analysis of selected mystical traditions in the East
and the West.
247. Seminar in Native American Religious Traditions
(4) Talamantez
Course content variable; may be repeated.
Historical and critical examination of selected figures, categories, and phenomena
pertaining to the diversity of Native American religious traditions.
249. Islam in the History of Religions: Basic Problems
(4) Campo
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 140 A or 140B or 140C or D or 200 A or 200B
or 200C.
Analysis of selected issues that highlight the continuities and discontinuities
between the study of Islam and the comparative study of religions-e.g., texts
and contexts, sacred space and time, ritual, society, human-divine relations,
peace and violence, saints.
250. Seminar in the History of Religions
(4) Staff
Course content variable; may be repeated.
Comparative study of selected religious structures or symbols, from eastern
and/or western religious traditions.
251A. Seminar in Hellenistic Religions
(4) Thomas
Prerequisite: reading knowledge of Greek required.
Course content variable; may be repeated for credit. Not open for credit to
students who have completed Religious Studies 251.
Historical and critical examination of selected figures, texts, and phenomena
pertaining to Graeco-Roman religion.
251B. The Novelistic Impulse in Religious Texts
(4) Thomas
Examination of the development of interiority, the construction of a religious
self, the narrative presentation of the divine, and the articulation of genre
in ancient texts ranging from epic to novel to hagiography, guided by selected
readings in modern literary theory.
252A. Seminar in Christian Origins
(4) Thomas
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 116A.
Course content variable; may be repeated. Not open for credit to students who
have completed Religious Studies 252.
Historical and critical examination of selected figures, ideas, and movements
pertaining to nascent Christianity.
252B. Asceticism and the Construction of Self
(4) Thomas
Survey of the relationship between humanity and holiness, self and other, in
the focal point of the physical body and its disciplined management, beginning
with Christian late antiquity and employing examples from a variety of religious
traditions.
253. Seminar in Hellenistic Judaism
(4) Hecht
Recommended preparation: knowledge of Greek or Hebrew highly recommended.
Historical and critical examination of selected figures, texts, and phenomena
pertaining to Judaism in the Graeco-Roman world, and its interaction with Hellenistic
culture and religion.
257. Seminar in Buddhist Studies
(4) Staff
Historical, philosophical, and bibliographic analysis of selected traditions
within Buddhism. Also, consideration of the relation of Buddhist traditions
to related phenomena within Hinduism.
258. Seminar in Religion in America
(4) Albanese
Prerequisite: graduate standing.
May be repeated.
Examination of selected topics in American religion to investigate its basic
religious structures and to explore the relationship of religious phenomena
to their cultural context. Course content variable.
259. Topics in East Asian Buddhist Thought
(4) Powell
Prerequisite: graduate standing.
Same course as East Asian Cultural Studies 259.
A historical and critical analysis of selected issues in the development of
Buddhist thought in China, Korea, and Japan.
260. Seminar on Religion and Art in South Asia
(4) Staff
A study of the relation between the religious and the aesthetic in the cultures
of South Asia, with special reference to the morphology and iconography of the
mother goddess.
262. Seminar in Comparative Philosophy of Religion
(4) Staff
Prerequisites: Religious Studies 200A-B-C.
Study of the basic principles for doing systematic religious thought in a cross-cultural
context, based on a critical reading and analysis of selected systematic thinkers-e.g.,
Nagarjuna, Plotinus, Sankara, Chu Hsi, Aquinas, Kant, Hegel, et al.
263A-B. Seminar on Religion and Societal Change
(4-4) Hecht
Same course as Sociology 263A-B. May be repeated.
This seminar examines the role of religion in societal change.
A. Will discuss major theories from Durkheim and Weber to Rokkan and Foucault.
B. Will consider specific cases which will vary from year to year.
264. Problems in the Study of Japanese Religions
(4) Grapard
Prerequisites: Religious Studies 200A-B-C.
An analysis of methodological issues raised by the study of Japanese religions;
their relevance for the field of history of religions.
265. Problems in the Study of Chinese Religions
(4) Powell
May be repeated for credit up to 8 units.
Consideration of basic problems and methodological issues in the study of Chinese
religions.
266. Race, Religion, and Community
(4) Staff
An examination of the interplay of race and religion in the formation of Chicano,
African-American, Asian-American, and Native American communities.
270. Seminar in Religious Myth and Symbol
(4) Comstock, Holdrege
A detailed survey of important approaches to religious myth and symbolism. The
various methods of literary analysis, anthropological and sociological study,
linguistic analysis, and the phenomenology of religion will be considered.
289A. Guided Readings in the History of Arabic Literature
(4) Reynolds
Prerequisites: Religious Studies 10A-F or 148A-C.
Survey of the history of Arabic poetry and prose from the Pre-Islamic era to
the 20th century with emphasis on the development of specific genres and styles
and changing historical perspectives on enduring themes in Arabic literature.
289B. Guided Readings in Medieval Arabic Literature
(4) Reynolds
Prerequisites: Religious Studies 10A-F or 148A-C.
Critical readings from a selection of medieval poetical and prose works in Arabic
including love manuals, spiritual allegories, encyclopedias, collections of
comic erotica, autobiographies, travel accounts, and others. Lectures in English.
289C. Guided Readings in Modern Arabic Literature
(4) Reynolds
Prerequisites: Religious Studies 10A-F or 148A-C.
Critical readings from a selection of 19th- and 20th-century works in Arabic,
including autobiographies, novels, short stories, and poems from the Arab world.
Readings will focus on issues central to modern Arab society. Lectures in English.
290. Seminar in Major Texts and Figures
(4) Staff
Course content variable; may be repeated.
Seminar focuses on an intensive study of a major text or figure within a religious
tradition.
291. Seminar in Hebrew Bible
(4) Garr, Hecht
Prerequisites: Religious Studies 115A; and, Religious Studies 142A or 142B.
Course content variable; may be repeated.
Critical examination of selected texts in the Hebrew Bible, as well as interpretive
and historical problems pertaining thereto.
294. Seminar on Cultural Analysis
(4) Friedland
Using religion as its primary site, exploration of interpretations and explanations
of the structure and practice of sacred phenomena, including embodiment, symbol,
narrative, myth and ritual, architecture and technology, and power and institution.
Theories and topics will vary.
292. Special Topics
(4) Staff
Seminar in special areas of interest in religious studies. Specific course titles
to be announced by the department each quarter offered. Course content will
vary.
591. T.A. and Associate Training Program
(1-4) Staff
May be repeated; no unit credit allowed toward advanced degree.
Required orientation and on-the-job training of teaching assistants and associates
through consultations with instructors, evaluation of their teaching through
videotapes or other means of observation, follow-up consultations, teaching,
evaluation.
592. Directed Reading
(1-12) Staff
Course content variable; may be repeated.
Special readings selected under guidance of individual instructor to help students
make up particular gaps in their intellectual backgrounds that are pertinent
to their graduate program.
593. Colloquium
(4) Staff
Course content variable; may be repeated.
A series of discussions involving panels, debates, special speakers, etc. at
which the presence of all enrolled graduate and selected faculty is required.
594AA-ZZ. Special Topics
(1-12) Staff
Special seminar on research subjects of current interest.
595AA-ZZ. Group Studies
(1-12) Staff
Critical review of research in selected fields.
596. Directed Reading and Research
(1-12) Staff
Research and preparation of dissertation.
597. Individual Study for Master's or Ph.D. Examinations for Advancement
to Candidacy
(1-12) Staff
No unit credit allowed toward advanced degree.
598AA-ZZ. Master's Project Research and Preparation
(1-12) Staff
No unit credit allowed toward advanced degree.
For research underlying the project, writing the project.
599AA-ZZ. Ph.D. Dissertation Preparation
(1-12) Staff
Terminal preparation of the dissertation.
Language Offerings in Religious Studies
Arabic: see 10A-F, 148A-B-C, 210, 289A-B-C
Chinese: see 166F-H
Coptic: see 139C-D-E, 205
Greek: see 139A-B
Hebrew: see 17A-B-C, 142A-B-C, 208A-B-C
Hindi: see 11A-B-C-D-E-F, 181AB-C
Pali: see 202A-F
Sanskrit: see 159A-L, 204, 207
Syriac: see 122A-B-C
Targumic Aramaic: see 121A-B
Tibetan: see 30A-B-C-D-E-F
Ugaritic: see 203
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