REL 1 - Religion and American Life
This thematic sequence acquaints students with fundamental themes in the relationship between religion and society, as exemplified in the development of American religious pluralism in theory and practice, as well as in the impact of religious themes in the development of an American cultural identity.
1. REL 101 Varieties of Religious Expression
(MPF) (3), or
REL 102 Religion and Modern
Culture (MPR) (3), or
REL 103 Religion, History
and Society (MPF) (3); and
2. AMS/REL 241 Religions of the American Peoples (4), or
AMS/REL 242 Religious Pluralism in Modern America (4), or
REL 245 Women, Religion, and Social Change in America (4); and
3. AMS/REL 341 Protestantism and the Development
of American Culture (4), or
AMS/REL 442 Religion, Society,
and Culture in New England (4), or
REL 343 African-American Religions (4), or
REL 445 Issues in the Study of Native American Religions (4)
Note:
Not open to majors in The Department of Religion.
REL 2 - The Historical and Comparative Study of Religion
Uses the approach of the history of religions to provide
perspective continuity and depends heavily on the
study and interpretation of classical foreign-language
texts in English translation, while using case studies,
surveys, and field reports. Unlike some sequences
in the humanities that concentrate on religious ideas
and doctrines, this sequence utilizes categories developed
from the field of comparative religion to acquaint
students with the diversity of religious phenomena.
Emphasizes the importance of studying religion in
comparative and global context; allows a choice of
emphasis of either major Eastern or Western religious
traditions, at the second level.
1. REL 101 The Varieties of Religious Expression (MPF) (3); and
2. REL 202 Religions of Asia (3), or
REL 211 Introduction to the
Religion of Ancient Israel (3); and
3. REL 302 Methods for the Study of Religion (4)
Note:
Not open to majors in The Department of Religion.
REL 3 - Religion and Philosophy of Buddhist Asia
Seeks to give students a firm grounding in the patterns
of thought, symbolism, and behavior originating in
and associated with Buddhism. Students follow the
path of Buddhism from its birth in Upandishadic Asia
to its function as a bridge culture knitting together
much of Asia.
1. PHL 106 Thought and Culture of India and South Asia (MPF) (3); and
2. REL 323 Buddhism in India and South Asia (3); and
3. REL 324 Buddhism in Korea, China, and Japan (3)
Note:
Not open to majors in The Departments of Philosophy
or Religion.
REL 5 - Jewish Civilization Throughout History
Acquaints students with the history of the Jewish
people through their religious culture, social ideas,
and political institutions; helps students understand
the distinctive forms of Jewish ethnic self-identity
as they have developed through history; and helps
students appreciate both the positive and negative
aspects of the interaction of Jews with Christians
and Muslims in a variety of geographical and cultural
settings.
1. HST 346 Medieval Jewish History (3), or
REL 211 Introduction to the
Religion of Ancient Israel (3), or
REL 213 Judaism in the Modern
World (3); and
2. Two from the following:
REL 385 Religious Roots
of Anti-Semitism (3)
REL 388 Jerusalem:
The Meeting of Jews, Christians, and Muslims in the
Oly City (3)
REL 465 The Holocaust
(4)
REL 475 Judaism in
Modern Israel (3)
Note: Not open to majors in The Department of Religion.
