E-mail: relst@religion.ucsb.edu
Website: www.religion.ucsb.edu (will open in a new browser window)

Department Chair: Wade Clark Roof

Faculty

Catherine L. Albanese, Ph.D., The University of Chicago, Professor (American religious history, religion and American culture)

Jose Ignacio Cabezón, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Professor (Tibetan Buddhism, Indo-Tibetan Buddhist philosophy, Buddhism and popular culture, sexuality and gender studies, theoretical issues in the study of Tibet)

Juan E. Campo, Ph.D., The University of Chicago, Associate Professor (history of religionsIslam, 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)

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 religionsChina)

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, Associate Professor (Hellenistic religions, early Christianity, archaeology of religions)

Vesna B. Wallace, Ph.D., UC Berkeley, Assistant Professor (Sanskrit languages and literature)

David White, Ph.D., The University of Chicago, Professor (South Asian religions)

Emeriti Faculty

W. Richard Comstock, Ph.D., Union Theological Seminary, Professor Emeritus (religion in western culture)

Phillip E. Hammond, Ph.D., Columbia University, Professor Emeritus (sociology of religion)

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

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

Affiliated Faculty

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.

Foreign Languages

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.

Undergraduate Honors

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 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. During their senior year, students 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.

Awards

The Edward C. Truman award is presented annually to a freshman, sophomore, or junior major deemed outstanding by the department and the UCSB Affiliates.

Undergraduate Program

Bachelor of Arts--Religious Studies

Preparation for the major. One lower-division religious studies course.

Upper-division major. Forty-four units, 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. A maximum of 12 units from related fields may apply towads credit for the major.

1. Methodological Approaches. Eight units from Religious Studies 102, 106, 107, 110B, 110C, 116C, 126, 131H, 141A-B-C, 143, 144, 145, 146, 153, 162A, 162C, 156A, 174, 179, 180, 184B; Anthropology 116B, 196; Comparative Literature 183; French 169EX; History 114A-B, 114C-D, 114P, 117D, 119Q; Philosophy 112.

2. Cultural Areas and Traditions. Twenty-four units divided into 12 units in an area of emphasis and 12 units in three other areas.

   1. 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, 168A, 168D, 169, 170, 171, 181A-B-C, 184A, 184B.

   2. East Asian Religious Traditions. Religious Studies 120, 157, 161B, 163, 164B, 166A-B-C-E-F-G-H, 167A-B-D, 175, 178, 183.

   3. 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, 185, 186A-B, History 117 D, 199, 189A-B-C.

   4. 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; Classics 108, German 187; History 114A-B-C-D-P, 117D, 119, 119O.

   5. Religions of the Americas. Religious Studies 101, 110B, 110D, 114B-C-D, 123, 124, 124R, 126, 141B-C, 147, 150, 151A-B, 152, 153, 176, 191, 192, 193.

3. Topics in the Study of Religion. Eight units from Religious Studies 101, 102, 103, 106, 108, 109, 110, 110B, 110C, 112, 113, 114X, 119A, 125, 128, 131H, 132, 134, 136, 144, 145, 146, 153, 155, 162C, 172A-B, 173, 177, 182, 190AA-ZZ, 1933B; Classics 108; French 169EX; German 143, 159, 187; History 117D, 119, 119Q, 150.

4. Problems in the Study of Religion. Four units. Religious Studies 104, or a Senior Project: Religious Studies 195, or Independent Studies: Religious Studies 199.

Graduate Program

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.

Master of Arts--Religious Studies

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 201, Core Issues in the Study 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.

Doctor of Philosophy--Religious Studies

The Ph.D. program in the Department of Religious Studies comprises a cross-cultural and multidisciplinary approach to the study of religion. The cross-cultural 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.

Optional Ph.D. Emphasis in Women's Studies

The Women's Studies Program, with over 30 core and affiliated faculty members in over eleven disciplines, serves as a mode of interdisciplinary work and scholarly collaboration at UCSB. Women's studies doctoral emphasis students are required to complete successfully four seminars that will enhance their understanding of feminist pedagogy, feminist theory, and topics relevant to the study of women, gender, and/or sexuality. Using an interdepartmental set of conversations and intellectual questions, women's studies support a multifaceted undergraduate curriculum at UCSB. Graduate emphasis students are encouraged to apply to teach women's studies courses as teaching assistants and associates as part of their women's studies training.

Applicants must first be admitted to, or currently enrolled in, a UCSB Ph.D. program participating in the women's studies graduate emphasis: anthropology; English; French and Italian; Germanic, Slavic, and Semitic Studies; history; history of art and architecture; religious studies; or sociology. Candidates complete four graduate courses and select a member of the women's studies faculty or affiliated faculty to serve on their Ph.D. exam and dissertation committees. Applications to the women's studies doctoral emphasis may be submitted at any stage of Ph.D. work and will be considered throughout the academic year.

Students pursuing the emphasis in women's studies will successfully complete four graduate courses. Only one may be taken in the student's home department. The courses are the following:

Women's Studies 270, Issues in Feminist Epistemology and Pedagogy: A one-quarter seminar that offers an interdisciplinary exploration of feminist theories of knowledge production and teaching practices. Readings present past and present critical debates and provide theoretical approaches through which to analyze interdisciplinary epistemological and pedagogical issues.

Women's Studies 280, Research Seminar: A cross-disciplinary seminar in which fundamental questions in contemporary feminist research practice are considered in light of the students' own graduate projects.

Feminist Theories. A one-quarter seminar in feminist theory offered by any department, including women's studies.

Topical Seminar. A one-quarter graduate seminar, outside the student's home department, that addresses topics relevant to the study of women, gender, and/or sexuality.

Optional Ph.D. Emphasis in European Medieval Studies

The Medieval Studies Program offers an interdisciplinary doctoral emphasis to students previously admitted to a Ph.D. program in the Departments of Dramatic Art, English, French and Italian, History, History of Art and Architecture, Music, Religious Studies, and Spanish and Portuguese. Students pursuing the emphasis in European medieval studies must receive a grade of B or better in each of the following: Medieval Latin (Latin 103); one course in a vernacular, western European or Middle Eastern medieval language (English 205, English 230, French 206, Spanish 222A, Spanish 222B, Portuguese 222, Religious Studies 148A, Religious Studies 148 B, Religious Studies 210); Paleography and/or Diplomatics (History 215S, History 215T); Medieval Studies 200A-B-C; and 8 additional units in graduate courses on medieval topics. Students may petition to have appropriate courses from other institutions, or independent study, substituted for these requirements. Medieval Studies 200A-B-C is the program's colloquium series; graduate students in the emphasis attend the series and write brief papers on each colloquium (one per term), to be reviewed by the chair of the program (2 units). To qualify for the emphasis, at least one member of a Ph.D. candidate's dissertation committee must be an affiliated faculty member of the European Medieval Studies Program. Contact the European Medieval Studies Program for additional information on faculty interests, course offerings, and program requirements, or visit our website at medievalstudies.ucsb.edu.

Go to Top of Page

Lower Division

1. Introduction to the Study of Religion
(4) Staff
A consideration of major themes, issues, types of figures and phenomena, and traditionsall 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) Powell, Wallace
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."

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.

10X. Egyptian Colloquial Arabic
(1) Campo
Introduction to the spoken colloquial Arabic of Egypt, the most widely understood dialect in the Arab world. Covers pronunciation, basic grammar, and vocabulary taught through conversation and selected viewing of television programs and film. Emphasis is on spoken communication.

11A. Hindi I
(4) Staff
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) Staff
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 11B.
Continuation of Hindi I.

11C. Hindi III
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 11B.
Continuation of Hindi II.

11D. Hindi IV
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 11C.
Intermediate Hindi. Selected readings in Hindi fiction and nonfiction, with exercises in grammar, composition, and conversation.

11E. Hindi V
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 11D.
Continuation of Religious Studies 11D.

11F. Hindi VI
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 11E.
Continuation of Religious Studies 11E.

12. Religious Approaches to Death
(4) Staff
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
Introduces 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.

19. The Gods and Goddesses of India
(4) Holdrege
An introduction to the gods and goddesses of the Hindu pantheon. Consideration is given to mythological, iconographic, and pilgrimage traditions as well as to the various types of movements - ascetic, devotional, and Tantric - associated with each deity.

21. Zen
(4) Grapard, Staff
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.

30A. Elementary Tibetan I
(4) Staff
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) Staff
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 30A.
Continuation of Tibetan I.

30C. Elementary Tibetan III
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 30B.
Continuation of Tibetan II.

30D. Intermediate Tibetan I
(4) Staff
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) Staff
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) Staff
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.

31. The Religions of Tibet
(4) Cabezon
Survey of Tibetan religions focusing on Tibetan Buddhism (from its origins to the present) but also touching on the Tibetan indigenous religion Bon and on Tibetan Islam. Special attention is paid to the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, their history, doctrines, and meditational practices.

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.

80A. Religion and Western Civilization I: Ancient
(4) Hecht, 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) Staff
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.

Go to Top of Page

Upper Division

Please note that the letter suffixes attached to the numbers of many of the upper-division courses do not necessarily indicate a prerequisite sequence.

101. New Religious Movements
(4) Staff
Looks at new religious movements over the past several decades, both sectarian movements within religious traditions and cult movements that are syncretistic and eclectic in nature. Focus is primarily on the United States, though not exclusively.

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: open to religious studies majors only.
Advanced research seminar treating selected topics in the study of religion. Offered at least twice a year by various faculty, and organized largely around the instructor's own work and/or intellectual interests.

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.

108. Global Religion
(4) Hecht, Juergensmeyer
Prerequisite: upper-division standing.
Same course as Global Studies 102.
Examines the globalization or religious traditions in the modern world. Topics include the polarities between homeland and diaspora, the relationships between transnational religions and nationstates, and how these dynamics change the very nature of religious traditions.

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.

110B. Religion and Journalism
(4) Hecht
Explores how the place of religion has changed in American journalism, how journalists are involved in the articulation of religion, and how journalism of religion is related to the larger issue of the changing nature of American religious pluralism.

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.

111A. Religions of the Silk Road
(4) Wallace
A study of the transformation of religious ideas and practices along the Central Asian trade and missionary routes that constitute the Silk Road, including an analysis of patterns of religious exchange and contestation among Buddhist, Islamic, Christian, and Hindu communities.

111B. Religions of Mongolia
(4) Wallace
A historical analysis of the development of Shamanic, Buddhist, Islamic, and Christian traditions in Mongolia, including a consideration of the ways in which the mutual interactions of these traditions have shaped and transformed the religious and political climate of Mongolia.

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 exegesishalakhic 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: a prior upper-division course in religious studies.
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.

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 Onkelosthe "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
Course examines 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.

124R. Latino Religious Traditions in Historical Perspective
(4) Garcia
Same course as Chicano Studies 168R and History 168R.
Focuses on the role of religion in the Chicano/Latino historical experience. Includes pre-Colombian traditions, Spanish colonial traditions, religion of the U.S.-Mexico borderlands, immigrant religious traditions, the changing nature of Latino religions in the twentieth century.

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.

128. Religion, Oppression, and Resistance
(4) Staff
Is religion the opiate of the people? The voice of the oppressed? The tool of dominance? This course explores theories of religion and oppression in light of several different examples of religion in oppression and resistance.

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.

135. Readings in Tibetan Buddhist Texts
(4) Cabezon
Prerequisites: Religious Studies 30A-F.
Close readings of the classical texts of Buddhism in the original Tibetan. The course presumes that students have had a minimum of two years of Tibetan language or its equivalent. The goal of the course is to provide students with exposure to different genres of classical literary Tibetan: philosophy, history, autobiography, poetry, and ritual.

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 upper-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
(1-4) 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
(1-4) 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 in South Asia
(4) Campo
Prerequisite: upper-division standing.
Examines the religious, cultural, social, and political formation of Islam in India, from the twelfth century to the present. Special consideration is given to patterns of Islamization and Hindu-Muslim encounters in pilgrimage, mysticism, and music. Religious aspects of Indian nationalist movements and the 1947 partition are also discussed.

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.

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
Prerequisite: a prior upper-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.

153. The Religious Cultures of the Beat Generation
(4) Hecht
Examines the religious worlds of the Beat generation and the ongoing literary tradition of rebellion against conformity, the outsider, and rebel.

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.

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.

158A. Hindu Myth and Image
(4) Holdrege
Not open for credit to students who have completed Religious Studies 158.
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.

158B. Pilgrimage Traditions of South Asia
(4) Holdrege
A multimedia exploration of Hindu, Buddhist, and Islamic pilgrimage traditions associated with sacred sites in South Asia, including an investigation of models of sacred space, patterns of religious exchange and contestation, mythological representations, pilgrimage accounts, ritual performances, and iconographic traditions.

158C. Consciousness and the Body in Hindu Traditions
(4) Holdrege
An exploration of Hindu constructions of embodiment and the relationship of the mind-body complex to consciousness. Critical analysis of discursive representations and practices in various Hindu traditions, including ritual traditions, ascetic movements, legal codes, medical discourses, devotional movements, and Tantric traditions.

159A. Introduction to Sanskrit
(4) Staff
An introduction to the phonology, morphology, and syntax of classical Sanskrit.

159B. Introduction to Sanskrit
(4) Staff
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 159A.
Continuation of Relgious Studies 159A.

159C. Introduction to Sanskrit
(4) Staff
Prerequisites: Religious Studies 159A-B.
Reading and analysis of classical Sanskrit religious texts.

159D-E-F. Religious Literature in Sanskrit
(4-4-4) Staff
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

160A. Religious Traditions of India
(4) Holdrege, Wallace, White
Not open for credit to students who have completed Religious Studies 160.
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.

161C. Buddhist Tantric Traditions
(4) Wallace
Recommended preparation: background in South or Central Asian Buddhist traditions.
A comparative historical study of Buddhist Tantric traditions in South and Central Asia.

162A. Indian Philosophy
(4) Wallace, Cabezon
An overview of the six classical philosophical schools (darshanas) of Hinduism. May also include analysis of selected portions of the Jain and Buddhist philosophical traditions.

162C. Sikhism
(4) Mann
Prerequisite: a prior upper-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 of South Asia
(4) Wallace
A historical analysis of Buddhist ideas and practices in South Asia from inception of Buddhist traditions to the fifteenth century CE.

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.

164C. Buddhist Ethics
(4) Wallace
A study of Buddhist ethical traditions, including a consideration of soteriological, social, political, environmental, and gender issues. Critical analysis and assessment of various ethical perspectives based on Buddhist textual sources and ethnographic evidence from the lives of contemporary Buddhist practitioners.

165. The Vedic Traditions of India
(4) 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.

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
Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
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.

168A. The Life and Thought of the XIV Dalai Lama
(4) Staff
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.

168D. Sleeping, Dreaming, and Dying in Tibetan Buddhism
(4) Staff
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
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.

171A-B-C-D. The Schools of Tibetan Buddhism
(4-4-4-4) Cabezon
A detailed treatment of one (or a combination) of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, focusing on their history, major figures, texts, institutions, doctrines, and principal practices:
A. Nyingma
B. Sakya
C. Kargyu
D. Gelug

172A. Religion and Science
(4) Staff
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) Staff
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. The Comparative Philosophy of Religion
(4) Cabezon
Introduction to key topics in the philosophy of religion from a cross-cultural and comparative perspective. Focuses on some of the great religious-philosophical questions: the existence of God, the problem of evil, the existence of past and future lives, human perfectibility, etc.

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).

184A. The Practice of Tibetan Buddhism
(4) Cabezon
An examination of contemporary Tibetan Buddhist religious practices, both elite and popular, including monastic life, meditation, worship at temples, daily recitation routines, divinatory and oracular practices, the propitiation of protector deities, pilgrimage, funerary, and other ritual practices.

184B. Tibetan Buddhist Thought
(4) Cabezon
May be repeated for credit to a maximum of 12 units, but only 4 units may be applied to the major.
A detailed thematic and text-centered investigation of an aspect of the Tibetan Buddhist religious/philosophical tradition. In any given year, focuses on a given genre of the Tibetan religious/literary corpus; e.g., the "stages of the path", "great perfection", Madhyamaka, or Tantric literature.

185. Food, Religion, and Culture in the Middle East
(4) Campo
Prerequisite: a prior course in global studies, religious studies, history, anthropology, or sociology.
Explores the significance of foods in the religious and cultural life of Middle Eastern peoples. Focuses on Jewish, Christian, and Muslim feasting, fasting, and dietary rules. Includes culinary traditions of Arab, Persian, Turkish, and Israeli ethnic groups, and related topics.

186A. The Qur'an and the Bible
(4) Campo
Prerequisite: upper-division standing.
Introduction to the Qur'an in relation to Jewish and Christian scriptures. Includes critical study of key themes, including God, creation, sacred history, human nature, salvation, and mortality, in comparative perspective. Also examines textual origins, structures, and practices.

186B. The Arabic Qur'an
(4) Campo
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 10F.
Systematic study of the Arabic vocabulatry, grammar, syntax performance, calligraphy, and commentary (tafsir) from historical and cultural perspectives.

187. Christian Asceticism
(4) Staff
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.

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.

190AA-ZZ. 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
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) Wallace
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 Thesis
(1-8) Roof
Prerequisites: two upper-division courses in religious studies; consent of instructor and department; senior standing; open to religious studies majors only.
May be repeated for credit to a maximum of 12 units, but only 8 units count toward the major.
Projects for advanced work in religious studies in conjunction with individual members of the faculty and developed by students. For honors students who wish to graduate with the distinction in Religious Studies.

199. Independent Studies in Religion
(1-5) Staff
Prerequisites: two prior upper-division course in religious studies; consent of instructor and department; open to religious studies majors only.
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 98/99/198/199/199DC/199RA courses combined.
Projects for work in religious studies in conjunction with individual members of the faculty and developed by students.

199RA. Independent Research Assistant
(1-4) Staff
Prerequisites: two prior upper-division course in religious studies; consent of instructor and department; open to religious studies majors only.
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 98/99/198/199/199DC/199RA courses combined.
Faculty supervised research. Written work is usually required.

Go to Top of Page

Graduate Courses

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.

205A. Religious Literature in Greek
(1-4) Thomas
Selected readings in both Christian and polytheist texts.

205B. Religious Literature in Latin
(1-4) Thomas
Selected readings in both Christian and polytheist texts.

205C. Religious Literature in Coptic
(1-4) Thomas
Study of selected Coptic religious texts in the Sahidic, Sub-Achmimic, Achmimic, or Bohairic dialects.

206A. Seminar in South Asian Religious Studies
(4) Holdrege, Mann, Wallace, White
Course content varies. May be repeated for credit.
Historical, textual, and critical analyses of selected topics in South Asian religious traditions.

206B. Seminar on Vedic Traditions
(4) Holdrege
An examination of the mythological and ritual traditions of Vedic India, focusing on the Samhitas, Brahmanas, and Srauta Sutras. Includes consideration of the canonical authority of Veda, cosmogonic and cosmological speculations, the discourse of ritual, and issues of social hierarchy.

206C. Seminar on Epic and Puranic Traditions
(4) White, Holdrege
An examination of classical Hindu traditions as reflected in the two Sanskrit epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, and/or in the Puranas. Includes an exploration of literary genres, cosmological speculations, ritual practices, devotional traditions, and didactic material.

206D. Seminar on Bhakti Traditions
(4) Mann, Holdrege
A study of medieval bhakti traditions in India, including an examination of the devotional schools and poet-saints of Saiva, Vaisnava, and Sakta traditions as well as devotional movement in Islamic and Sikh traditions.

206E. Seminar on Tantric Traditions of South Asia
(4) White, Wallace
An exploration of the varieties and forms of Tantric traditions in South Asia. Includes a consideration of the various schools, literary genres, forms of worship, and esoteric practices associated with Hindu and Buddhist Tantra.

206F. Seminar on Philosophical Traditions of South Asia
(4) Wallace, Cabezón
An examination of selected topics in South Asian philosophical traditions, including consideration of the six classical Hindu philosophical schools (Darsanas) as well as Jain and Buddhist philosophical traditions.

206G. Seminar on Hindu Discourses of the Body
(4) Holdrege
An exploration of the contributions of Hindu discourses of the body to scholarship in religious studies and the human sciences generally. Particular attention to modalities of embodiment: ritual body, ascetic body, purity body, medical body, devotional body, and tantric body.

206H. Seminar on Pilgrimage Traditions of South Asia
(4) Holdrege
A study of Hindu, Buddhist, and Islamic pilgrimage traditions in South Asia, including an analysis of models of sacred space, patterns of religious exchange and contestation, mythological representations, pilgrimage accounts, ritual performances, and iconographic traditions associated with particular sacred sites.

206I. Seminar on Comparative Ethics in South Asia
(4) Wallace
A comparative historical study of Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist ethics, including an analysis of classical textual sources as well as ethnographic accounts of ethical disciplines among contemporary practitioners of the three traditions.

206J. Seminar on Contemporary Issues in South Asian Religions
(4) Holdrege, Juergensmeyer, Mann, White
Course content varies. May be repeated for credit.
Analyses of selected topics concerning contemporary South Asian religions. Possible topics include issues in post-colonial studies, religious nationalisms, responses to globalization, diaspora and the homeland, constructions of gender, and vernacular traditions.

207A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L. Religious Literature in Sanskrit
(4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4) Holdrege, Wallace, White
Courses need not be taken in sequence.
Selected readings in Sanskrit religious texts.
A. Religious literature in Sanskrit
B. Bhagavad-Gita
C. Upanishads
D. Epics
E. Vedic literature
F. Dharma-Shastras
G. Puranas
H. Yoga literature
I. Philosophical literature
J. Tantric literature
K. Buddhist literature
L. Jain literature

208. Seminar on South Asian Buddhist Traditions
(4) Wallace
Historical, textual, and critical analyses of selected topics in Buddhist traditions of South Asia.

209A. Seminar on South Asian Islamic Traditions
(4) Campo
Historical, textual, and critical analyses of selected topics in Islamic traditions of South Asia.

209B. Seminar on Hindus and Muslims in South Asia
(4) Campo
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.

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.

213A. Seminar in Sikh Studies
(4) Mann
Historical, textual, and critical analyses of selected topics in Sikh traditions.

213B. Seminar on Religion and Society in the Punjab
(4) 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.

220. Seminar in Religion and Science
(4) Staff
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.

224. Sacred/Profane
(4) Carlson, Friedland
Through a close reading of texts in philosophy, and social theory, this seminar explores understandings of "sacred" and "profane" in economic, political, scientific, and technological contexts.

225. Religion and Material Culture
(4) Cabezón
Overview of selected semiotic, anthropological, and economic theories relevant to the study of religion and material culture and application of these theories to case studies from one or more religious traditions.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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
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.

254A. Seminar on Tibetan Buddhist Traditions
(4) Cabezón
Overview of the history and major schools/doctrines of Tibetan Buddhism leading to a more detailed analysis of one or more selected topics in the philosophy, history, or ethnography of Buddhist Tibet.

254B. The Study of Tibet from the Missionaries to Cultural Studies
(4) Cabezón
Historiographical exploration of the ways in which Tibet (and especially Tibetan Buddhism) has been studied from the eighteenth century to the present. Explores the missionary accounts, the adventure-travel literature, as well as philology, philosophy, and cultural studies as vehicles for understanding Tibet.

254C. Seminar on Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Philosophy
(4) Cabezón
May be repeated for credit.
A text-centered, critical analysis of the philosophical literature of Buddhist Tibet. In any given year the course may focus on the doxographical literature as a whole, or on one or more of the classical philosophical schools (e.g., Abhidharmika, Pramanika, Yogacara, or Madyamaka).

255A-B-C-D-E-F. Guided Readings in Tibetan Buddhist Texts
(4-4-4-4-4-4) Cabezón
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 30F.
May be repeated for credit.
Close readings of the different genres of the classical texts of Tibetan Buddhism in the original Tibetan: philosophy, history, auto/biography, religious poetry, ritual, etc. Also provides a hands-on introduction to available digital tools.

256. Seminar in Jain Studies
(4) Wallace
Historical, textual, and critical analysis of selected topics in Jain traditions.

257. Seminar in Buddhist Studies
(4) Staff
May be repeated for credit.
Historical, philosophical, methodological, and/or bibliographical analysis of different aspects of Buddhism or of selected areas in the study of Buddhism.

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.

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.

263B. Seminar on Religion and Societal Change
(4) Hecht
Same course as Sociology 263B. May be repeated.
This seminar examines the role of religion in societal change. Content varies 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.

270. Seminar in Myth and Symbol
(4) Holdrege
A critical examination of the categories of myth, symbol, language, meaning, text, and discourse from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, including a consideration of the theoretical approaches of historians of religions, philosophers, anthropologists, psychologists, and social theorists.

272. Seminar in Comparative Methods in the Study of Religion
(4) Holdrege
A study of current issues in the comparative study of religions, including postmodern critiques of the comparative enterprise. A critical assessment of various methodological approaches to comparative study drawn from the history of religions, philosophy, anthropology, sociology, psychology, and literary theory.

286. The Arabic Qur'an
(4) Thomas
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 10F.
Systematic study of the Arabic vocabulary, grammar, syntax, and content of the Qur'an. Includes introduction to oral-aural performance, calligraphy, and commentary (tafsir), from historical and cultural perspectives.

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.

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.

598. Master's Project Research and Preparation
(1-12) Staff
No unit credit allowed toward advanced degree.
For research underlying the project, writing the project.

599. 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, 205C
Greek: see 139A-B, 205A
Hebrew: see 17A-B-C, 142A-B-C, 208A-B-C
Hindi: see 11A-B-C-D-E-F, 181AB-C
Latin 205B
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

Go to Top of Page