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- 4 (2) Religion of Israel: The Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) (Stern)
*Identical to JWST 4
An introduction to the religion of ancient
Israel through an examination of a number of the books of the Old Testament
(Hebrew Bible), including Genesis, Exodus, Joshua, Samuel, the Psalms, Job, and
the prophets. Attention will also be given to the religion of Israel's
Phoenician and Mesopotamian neighbors. Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult:
W
- 13 (10A) Beyond God the Father: An Introduction to Gender and Religion
(Frankenberry)
- *Identical to WGST
43.1
A survey of contemporary writings that explore
the relations between gender and religion in the West from historical,
anthropological, theological, and philosophical perspectives. The course serves
as an introduction both to gender studies and to the study of religion. Topics
to be discussed include: current theories of "gender" and of "religion,"
androcentric scriptures, patriarchal institutions and matriarchal myths, sexual
prohibitions, body politics, queering religion, feminist theology, and the
emergence of feminist philosophies of religion. Authors may include: Mary Daly,
Judith Butler, Caroline Walker Bynum, Donna Haraway, Pamela Anderson, Grace
Jantzen, Howard Eilberg-Schwartz, Pierre Bourdieu, Rosemary Ruether, Elizabeth
Schussler-Fiorenza, and others. Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: W.
- 16 (10) Modern Islam (Reinhart)
*Identical to AMES 15
An introduction to developments in religious
thought and practice since 1800, with special emphasis on topics of current
controversy, including the status of women, the nature of government, and the
place of Islamic law. Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: NW.
- 17 (12) Introduction to Black Religion in the United States (Hardy)
*Identical to AAAS 37
This course explores and analyzes the highly
diverse religious expressions and postures among persons of African descent in
the United States. While the direction of the course is largely chronological,
it is not intended as a comprehensive survey of black religion in the United
States. This course will, however, situate black religious practice and thought
in the larger terrain of American religious history and explore several themes
that will help us grapple with how black people have shaped their religious
culture and thought since slavery. Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult:
W.
- 19 (2A) Special Topics in Religion—Introductory Level (Balmer)
Religion, Politics, and the Presidency.
- 35 (2A) Religion and Science (Frankenberry)
The purpose of this course is to provide an
overview of current developments in the natural sciences and religious or
theological interpretations of them. Emphasis is given to understanding an
emerging consonance between religion and science in contrast to models of
dissonance and conflict, or independence and dialogue. Particular attention is
given to (1) evolutionary biology, (2) relativity physics, (3) cosmology, and
(4) process theology and philosophy. Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors.
Dist: TMV.
- 49 (11) The Body in Japanese Religion (Drott)
An examination of the role of the body in
Japanese religion and the ways in which religion has shaped somatic experience
in Japan. Topics will include the relationship of religious knowledge and
medical knowledge prior to the introduction of European medicine, asceticism
and philosophies of cultivation in Japanese religious thought, the influence of
religion on the construction of gender roles and life-stages, and how
traditional religio-cultural attitudes have influenced bio-ethical debates in
contemporary Japan.
- 57 (2A) The Bible and Beyond: The History and Literature of the Second
Temple Period (Stern)
How did the sacrificial cult of the ancient
Israelites transform into the internally-focused culture of the rabbis? This
course examines the social, historical, and cultural steps that facilitated
this metamorphosis and takes a diachronic and political approach to the
development of Judaism in antiquity. It addresses the connections between the
military, cultural and legal policies of Persian, Hellenistic and Roman powers,
and transformations of Israelite to "Jewish" identity, from the fifth century
B.C.E. through the sixth century C.E. Students will address questions which
include: What aspects of empire governance effected the development of Jewish
identity and self-understandings? Did ruling powers treat Judeans and Jews any
differently than other minority groups? Did a concept of "diaspora" develop in
the ancient world, and how did Jewish communities throughout the Mediterranean
relate to those in Judah/Judaea? Last, how did the distinct cultural policies
of Persian, Hellenistic, Roman powers shape the development of Jewish identity
and Judaism itself? Students will become acquainted with second temple biblical
literature, Josephus' histories, rabbinic and Christian texts, Roman and
Christian legal codes, early Jewish archaeology, and Jewish donative and
funerary inscriptions from throughout the Mediterranean. Open to all
classes. Dist: TMV. WCult: Varies.
- 74 (10A) Special Topics in Religion—Intermediate Level (Balmer)
Mormonism
- 75 (12) Foundational Figures in the Study of Religion (Reinhart)
In this course we will read the works of a
number of the “greats”—Tylor, Durkheim, Freud, Weber, among them—who shaped the
modern, scholarly study of religion. We will also read critical literature on
their work. The course is designed to give students a grounding in the methods
and approaches taken for granted in the field of the study of religion. Open to
sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Dist: TMV.
- 81 (10A) Dickinson Distinguished Scholar Seminar: The Creation of
“Buddhism.” (Ohnuma)
This seminar will focus on “Buddhism” not as a
living religious tradition, but as an academic object created, solidified, and
defined by the West. How was “Buddhism” created in the libraries and
academies of the West, and how does this creation continue to define what
“Buddhism” is today? This seminar will highlight the work of Professor
Donald S. Lopez, Jr., of the University of Michigan, who will visit Dartmouth
toward the end of the term.
- 8 (10) Introduction to Islam (Reinhart)
*Identical to AMES 8
This course will provide students with useful
tools for reading about, thinking about, or otherwise engaging with Islam and
Muslims. It is first a survey of important topics in the study of the religion
of Islam, including the Qur'an and the Prophet, the role of Islamic mysticism,
Islam and the state, Islamic law, and Islamic theories of family and person. We
also discuss Orientalism and the western study of Islam, so that we can
understand ourselves as students of the Islamic tradition. Open to all classes.
Dist: TMV; WCult: NW.
- 74 (3A) Special Topics in Religion - Intermediate Level (Mitchell -
Edinburgh Visiting Faculty)
The contents of this course will vary from
term to term.
- 75 (12) Foundational Figures in the Study of Religion (Reinhart)
In this course we will read the works of a
number of the “greats”—Tylor, Durkheim, Freud, Weber, among others—who shaped
the modern, scholarly study of religion. We will also read critical literature
on their work. The course is designed to give students a grounding in the
methods and approaches taken for granted in the field of the study of religion.
Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Dist: TMV.
- 1 (11) Patterns of Religious Experience (Hardy and Ohnuma)
A comparative study of some of the basic
patterns of religion. The course will focus upon such themes as religious
experience, myths of creation, stories of religious founders and heroes, the
origin and resolution of human suffering, and the structure and meaning of
religious community and ritual. Source material for these themes will be taken
from the literary and artistic resources of the following religious traditions:
Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism. Open to all classes. TMV
or INT.
- 6 (10) Introduction to Judaism (Benor)
*Identical to JWST 6
The readings and lectures in this course will
be devoted to giving an outline of the Jewish religion, both in its ideas and
its practices. Materials will be drawn from rabbinic, medieval, and modern
Judaism. Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: W.
- 11 (10A) Religion and Morality (Green)
An examination of the process of moral
reasoning and its relationship to religious belief. Emphasis will be given to
the analysis of issues that have drawn the special attention of religious
ethicists; among these are abortion, stem cell research, the treatment of
congenitally impaired newborns, same-sex marriage, and physician assisted
suicide. Open to all classes. Dist: TMV. Green.
- 19 (10) Introduction to Japanese Religions (Drott)
- 22 (12) Jewish Mysticism (Benor)
*Identical to JWST 62
The course examines the nature of claims to
mystical experience and knowledge as they appear in various aspects of the
Jewish tradition, with primary focus on the enchanted and demonic worlds of
medieval Kabbala. Forms of ecstasy and magic will be studied, along with their
theoretical and social backgrounds and their impact on elitist and popular
Jewish practice. Dist: TMV; WCult: W.
- 29 (2A) Kierkegaard and Religious Existentialism (Green)
A study of the correlation between religious
and existential writings in the modern period of Western thought. Critical
assessment will be made of the writings of Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Bultmann,
Jaspers, Buber, and Tillich. Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: W.
Green.
- 49 (2) Japanese Buddhism and the Arts (Drott)
- 77 (12) Reason and Religious Belief (Frankenberry)
A study of the principal religious and
philosophical arguments for and against religious belief. The first part of the
course will consider the question of the justifiability of religious belief
through an appeal to religious experience and mysticism, to rational theistic
arguments, and to faith, showing the difficulties in each case. The second part
of the course will cover alternatives to classical theism and the contemporary
challenge of conceptual relativism and religious pluralism. Open to sophomores,
juniors, and seniors. Dist: TMV.
- 80 (10A) Advanced Seminar: Richard Dawkins and His
Critics (Frankenberry)
-
- 1 (11) Patterns of Religious Experience (Benor and Raz)
A comparative study of some of the basic
patterns of religion. The course will focus upon such themes as religious
experience, myths of creation, stories of religious founders and heroes, the
origin and resolution of human suffering, and the structure and meaning of
religious community and ritual. Source material for these themes will be taken
from the literary and artistic resources of the following religious traditions:
Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism. Open to all classes.
Dist: TMV or INT.
- 7 (10A) First Year Seminar: TBA (MacEvitt)
Consult special listings
- 12 (10) Religion and Society in America (Hardy)
A study of religious groups and movements in
this country, ranging from the major institutional faiths to religious protest
groups, cults, and the religions of the 'counter-culture.' Special attention is
given to the social forces which shape religious expression in America. Open to
all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: W.
- 17 (12) Introduction to Black Religion in the United States (Hardy)
*Identical to AAAS 37
This course explores and analyzes the highly
diverse religious expressions and postures among persons of African descent in
the United States. While the direction of the course is largely chronological,
it is not intended as a comprehensive survey of black religion in the United
States. This course will, however, situate black religious practice and thought
in the larger terrain of American religious history and explore several themes
that will help us grapple with how black people have shaped their religious
culture and thought since slavery.Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: W.
- 19 (12) Zen Buddhism (Drott)
- 34 (2A) Christianity and Conversion in the Northern World: Vikings,
Celts, and Anglo-Saxons (MacEvitt)
This course explores the transformation of
Christianity in the early medieval period. The conversion of ‘barbarian’
peoples in northwest Europe between 400-1000 meant Christianity had to adapt to
a new environment—one without the Roman Empire, without cities, with different
languages, cultures, and notions of relations between the human and divine
worlds. By exploring the impact the conversion of the people of Ireland,
England, and Iceland had on Christianity, we will understand how ancient
Christianity was transformed into medieval Christianity. We will also explore
the appeal this Mediterranean religion had for communities that surrounded the
much colder North Sea.Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: W.
- 36 (11) New Directions in American Religious Thought
(Frankenberry)
This course explores a distinctively American
tradition of religious thought that developed outside of the strictly
doctrinal or theological thinking of churches, synagogues, and mosques.
Readings range from the religious writings of the classical pragmatists,
including Peirce, James, Santayana, and Dewey, to neopragmatists such as
Richard Rorty, and prophetic pragmatists such as Cornel West, and their
critics. Topics include the character of religious experience, divinity and
nature, the problem of evil, and the meaning of truth. Open to sophomores,
juniors, and seniors. Dist: TMV; WCult: W.
- 46 (2) Daoism: Transformations of Tradition (Raz)
In this course we will explore the historical
developments and transformations of Daoism from its ancient roots to
present-day practices. We will begin by looking at early traditions of
immortality seekers and self-cultivation and at the religious and philosophical
ideas in the ancient Chinese texts of the Laozi, Zhuangzi, and Guanzi. We will
also examine recent archaeological findings, Imperial religious practices, and
the complex interaction of Daoism with Buddhism. We will also look at
contemporary Daoist practices in China and Taiwan. Along the way we will devote
special attention to meditation and divination techniques; alchemy and sexual
techniques for transcendence; the place of women and the feminine in Daoism.
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: NW. Raz.
- 57 (10A) History of Heaven (Wright)
- 76 (2) Magic, Science, and Religion (Benor)
Can significant distinctions be drawn between
religious and magical ritual? Do magic and religion thrive in opposition to the
science of their time or in congruence with it? The course addresses such
theoretical questions in the study of religion from perspectives of history,
philosophy of science, anthropology, and cognitive science. The course will
suggest a general theory of conditions under which religion tends to be or
tends not to be magical. Students will be invited to challenge that theory.
Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Dist: SOC (pending faculty approval).
- 85 (10A) Senior Colloquium: Inventing
Religion (Frankenberry/Heschel)
As a culminating activity for senior majors,
this colloquium serves as a forum for researching and writing the Senior Essay.
Two faculty members convene the colloquia and guide the selection of essay
topics. Other faculty and guest speakers may visit during the first five weeks
of the term for discussion of common readings. The 25-page Senior Essay is
expected (1) to display expertise in at least one cultural area, historical
period, methodological approach, or body of literature, (2) to build upon
previous course preparation, and (3) to engage with one of several approaches
or readings discussed in the colloquium. Students who choose to enroll in
Religion 84 or Religion 86 and 87 as their Culminating Experience are normally
expected to participate in the Senior Colloquium but are excused from the
writing component. Prerequisite: Religion 1. Open only to senior majors. Dist:
TMV.
- 4 (2) Religion of Israel: The Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) (Ackerman)
*Identical to JWST 4
An introduction to the religion of ancient
Israel through an examination of a number of the books of the Old Testament
(Hebrew Bible), including Genesis, Exodus, Joshua, Samuel, The Psalms, Job, and
the prophets. Attention will also be given to the religion of Israel's
Phoenician and Mesopotamian neighbors. Open to all classes. Dist: TMV;
WCult: W.
- 10 (11) The Religions of China (Raz)
*Identical to AMES 10
An introduction to China’s three major
religions—Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism—through the reading of classic
texts. Also, a look at important elements in Chinese folk religion—ancestor
worship, temples, heavens and hells, and forms of divination. Special
attention will be paid to the importance of government in Chinese religious
thought and to continuity and change in the history of Chinese religion. Open
to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: NW.
- 15 (10) The Christian Tradition (MacEvitt)
An introduction to the variety of Christian
beliefs, institutions, and practices from the first century to the end of the
sixteenth century. Attention will be focused on understanding how Christian
communities adapted and developed religious beliefs and practices in the face
of changing historical circumstances. Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult:
W.
- 19 (10) Introduction to Shinto (Drott)
- 25 (12) Islamic Mysticism (Sufism) (Reinhart)
An introduction to Sufism, using primary
texts, films, and recordings. The course will first trace the development
of Sufism, including its Christian and Hindu heritage. Then, using a Sufi
manual of instruction, students will work their way through one influential
approach to Sufi metaphysics. Finally, using films and recordings, the
class will consider the rituals, practices, and role of the Sufi orders of
Islam in Islamic history. Desirable background: Religion 1, 8, or another
College course on Islam or Islamicate culture, or permission of the instructor.
Dist: TMV; WCult: NW.
- 31 (12) Sex, Celibacy and the Problem of Purity: Asceticism and the Human
Body in Late Antiquity (MacEvitt)
*Identical to WGST 43.2 X Classical Studies 11
Late Antiquity (c. 300-500 AD) was a time when
Christians struggled to understand how gender, family life, and religion could
intermesh. Did virgins get to heaven faster than those who marry? Can a chaste
man and woman live together without succumbing to lust? Were men holier than
women? What about women who behaved like men? This course examines the changing
understanding of the body, marriage, sexuality, and gender within Christianity
through reading saints' lives, letters, polemical essays, and legal texts. Open
to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: W.
- 49 (12) Body in Japanese Religion (Drott)
-
- 62 (10A) Contemporary Christianity (Hardy)
A survey of Christianity from World War I to
the 1980s. The emphasis will be placed on intellectual and social developments
in the Christian Church as it adjusted itself to the social and cultural
effects of the World Wars and the Depression, changes in historical and
scientific outlooks, the civil rights struggles of minorities, the end of the
colonial era, and the rise of mass urbanism and high technology in
Euro-America. Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: W.
- 80 (10A) Upper-Level Seminar (Raz)
- 8 (10) Introduction to Islam (Reinhart)
*Identical to AMES 8
This course will provide students with useful
tools for reading about, thinking about, or otherwise engaging with Islam and
Muslims. It is first a survey of important topics in the study of the religion
of Islam, including the Qur’an and the Prophet, the role of Islamic mysticism,
Islam and the state, Islamic law, and Islamic theories of family and person. We
also discuss Orientalism and the western study of Islam, so that we can
understand ourselves as students of the Islamic tradition. Open to all classes.
Dist: TMV; WCult: NW. Reinhart.
- 74 (10A) Special Topics in Religion—Intermediate Level (Edinburgh
Visitor)
-
- 75 (10) Foundational Figures in the Study of Religion
In this course we will read the works of a
number of the “greats”—Tylor, Durkheim, Freud, Weber, among others—who shaped
the modern, scholarly study of religion. We will also read critical literature
on their work. The course is designed to give students a grounding in the
methods and approaches taken for granted in the field of the study of religion.
Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Dist: TMV. Reinhart.
- 1 (11) Patterns of Religious Experience (Ackerman and MacEvitt)
A comparative study of some of the basic
patterns of religion. The course will focus upon such themes as religious
experience, myths of creation, stories of religious founders and heroes, the
origin and resolution of human suffering, and the structure and meaning of
religious community and ritual. Source material for these themes will be taken
from the literary and artistic resources of the following religious traditions:
Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism. Open to all classes.
Dist: TMV or INT.
- 4 (2) Religion of Israel: The Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) (Ackerman)
*Identical to JWST 4
An introduction to the religion of ancient
Israel through an examination of a number of the books of the Old Testament
(Hebrew Bible), including Genesis, Exodus, Joshua, Samuel, The Psalms, Job, and
the prophets. Attention will also be given to the religion of Israel's
Phoenician and Mesopotamian neighbors. Open to all classes. Dist: TMV;
WCult: W.
- 11 (10A) Religion and Morality (Green)
An examination of the process of moral
reasoning and its relationship to religious belief. Emphasis will be given to
the analysis of issues that have drawn the special attention of religious
ethicists; among these are abortion, stem cell research, the treatment of
congenitally impaired newborns, same-sex marriage, and physician assisted
suicide. Open to all classes. Dist: TMV. Green.
- 12 (9L) Religion and Society in America (Hardy)
A study of religious groups and movements in
this country, ranging from the major institutional faiths to religious protest
groups, cults, and the religions of the 'counter-culture.' Special attention is
given to the social forces which shape religious expression in America. Open to
all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: W.
- 29 (2A) Kierkegaard and Religious Existentialism (Green)
A study of the correlation between religious
and existential writings in the modern period of Western thought. Critical
assessment will be made of the writings of Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Bultmann,
Jaspers, Buber, and Tillich. Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: W.
Green.
- 33 (2A) Christians, Jews and Muslims in the Age of the Crusades
(MacEvitt)
This course will focus on the interactions of
the three major religious communites of the medieval Mediterranean - Christian,
Jewish and Muslim, beginning with the First Crusade in 1096 and ending with the
arrival of the Black Death in 1347. Most towns in the Mediterranean held
at least two different religious communities, and many held all three. By
examining topics such as pilgrimage, crusade and jihad, the status of minority
communities and intellectual life, we will explore how Christians, Jews and
Muslims clashed, cooperated, influenced and misunderstood each other.
Open to all classes.
- 80 (2) Black Religion in the Modern World (Hardy)
-
- 1 (11) Patterns of Religious Experience (Hardy and Ohnuma)
A comparative study of some of the basic
patterns of religion. The course will focus upon such themes as religious
experience, myths of creation, stories of religious founders and heroes, the
origin and resolution of human suffering, and the structure and meaning of
religious community and ritual. Source material for these themes will be taken
from the literary and artistic resources of the following religious traditions:
Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism. Open to all classes.
Dist: TMV or INT.
- 3 (12) Modern Religious and Anti-Religious Thinkers
Critical examination of some of the most
influential modern proponents and opponents of religious faith, with special
emphasis on the question: what is involved in belief in God? Open to all
classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: W.
- 7 (10A) First Year Seminar (Raz)
- 10 (10) The Religions of China (Raz)
*Identical to AMES 10
An introduction to China’s three major
religions—Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism—through the reading of classic
texts. Also, a look at important elements in Chinese folk religion—ancestor
worship, temples, heavens and hells, and forms of divination. Special
attention will be paid to the importance of government in Chinese religious
thought and to continuity and change in the history of Chinese religion. Open
to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: NW.
- 15 (12) The Christian Tradition (MacEvitt)
An introduction to the variety of Christian
beliefs, institutions, and practices from the first century to the end of the
sixteenth century. Attention will be focused on understanding how Christian
communities adapted and developed religious beliefs and practices in the face
of changing historical circumstances. Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult:
W.
- 19 (10A) Evangelical Life in Modern America (Hardy)
- 20 (10) Judaism in Late Antiquity (Benor)
*Identical to JWST 60
- 23 (2) Jewish Philosophers of Religion (Benor)
*Identical to JWST 63
The course is conducted through close reading
and discussion of works by Spinoza, Buber, and Levinas that translate insights
from the Jewish experience to the idiom of modern European culture and, in so
doing, make unique contributions to such subjects of modern religious thought
as: God and infinity; religion, morality, and politics; autonomy and
transcendence; and the role of Jewish intellectuals in the modern era. Open to
all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: W.
- 30 (2A) Rome: The Holy City (MacEvitt)
- 42 (2) Goddesses of India (Ohnuma)
*Identical to WGST 43.4
This course will use both elite and popular
Hindu religious texts in conjunction with contemporary sociological and
anthropological accounts, scholarly analyses, visual art, and film to explore
the diverse identities and roles of India's many goddesses, both ancient and
modern. Special emphasis will also be given to the relationship between
goddesses and women. Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: NW.
- 55 (2A) Ancient Egyptian Religion (Ackerman)
Ancient Egyptian Religion. The great
civilization of ancient Egypt, which spanned a period of almost 3000 years, has
left us a wealth of literary, artistic, architectural, and funerary religious
remains. This course will focus on three major aspects of Egypt’s religious
heritage: (1) the pantheon and the myths and stories about Egypt’s gods; (2)
temple complexes; and (3) tombs, especially the tombs of royalty and other
nobles. Dist: TMV; WCult: NW. Ackerman.
- 85 (10A) Senior Colloquium: TBA (Frankenberry/Heschel)
As a culminating activity for senior majors,
this colloquium serves as a forum for researching and writing the Senior Essay.
Two faculty members convene the colloquia and guide the selection of essay
topics. Other faculty and guest speakers may visit during the first five weeks
of the term for discussion of common readings. The 25-page Senior Essay is
expected (1) to display expertise in at least one cultural area, historical
period, methodological approach, or body of literature, (2) to build upon
previous course preparation, and (3) to engage with one of several approaches
or readings discussed in the colloquium. Students who choose to enroll in
Religion 84 or Religion 86 and 87 as their Culminating Experience are normally
expected to participate in the Senior Colloquium but are excused from the
writing component. Prerequisite: Religion 1. Open only to senior majors. Dist:
TMV.
- 16 (12) Modern Islam (Reinhart)
*Identical to AMES 15
An introduction to developments in religious
thought and practice since 1800, with special emphasis on topics of current
controversy, including the status of women, the nature of government, and the
place of Islamic law. Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: NW.
- 27 (10) The Qur'an and the Prophet (Reinhart)
The Qur'an and the Prophet Muhammad are the
source and center of Islam. In this course we will consider the form and
content of the Qur'an and the form and content of various accounts of the
Prophet's life: the hadith or ancedotes of the Prophet's life, the sirah or
biography of Muhammad, and the maghazi, or accounts of the Prophet's battles
and campaigns. Topics covered include the aural Qur'an, the dating of the
Qur'an and the hadith, diverse images of the Prophet, and "what can we know
about the life of Muhammad?" Desirable background: A College Course on Islamic
history, culture, or society, including Religion 8 and Religion 16. Dist: TMV;
WCult: NW.
- 40 (12) Topics in the Religions of India (Ohnuma)
In 10S, Gods, Demons, and Monkeys: The
Ramayana Epic in India. The ancient Indian epic known as the Ramayana is
a stirring, martial tale of gods, demons, and monkeys, family loyalty and
betrayal, romance, religion, and politics. This story has served for
thousands of years to create, preserve, and transmit cultural and religious
values for millions of people throughout the Indian subcontinent. Far
from being monolithic, however, the Ramayana epic tradition is characterized by
enormous multiplicity and diversity—diversity in terms of religion, culture,
language, class, gender, region, caste, and performative media. Beginning
with the classical Sanskrit version of Valmiki composed perhaps as early as 200
B.C.E., India has produced hundreds of different versions of the Ramayana, in
different languages and different media, with different agendas and for
different audiences—including, for example, the devotional Hindu version of
Tulsidas, the dramatic festival version known as Ram-lila, and a 78-episode TV
miniseries that brought the entire country to a standstill every Sunday morning
in 1988. We will examine this epic tradition in all of its complexity
through an interdisciplinary approach and by making ample use of different
forms of media, such as slides, videos, comic books, and music. Open to
all classes. Dist: TMV, WCult: NW.
- 41 (10) Readings in Buddhist Literature (Ohnuma)
In 10S, Mahayana Buddhist Texts. This
course offers an in-depth exploration of a wide variety of Mahayana Buddhist
texts from premodern India. The Mahayana (or “Great Vehicle”) was a
significant movement that profoundly shaped the nature of Buddhism in its
original Indian homeland, and later exerted an enormous influence upon the
further development of Buddhism as it spread to China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam,
Tibet, and the Himalayan region. The literature of the Mahayana is vast
in scope and extremely rich in imagination, offering to its readers a fantastic
world populated by Buddhas, advanced bodhisattvas, heavenly paradises,
supernatural occurrences, profound philosophical discussions, and enigmatic
words of wisdom. This course presumes no prior knowledge of the Buddhist
tradition and has no prerequisites. The course will begin with a few
background sessions placing the Mahayana tradition in context and then turn to
an intensive reading of Mahayana Buddhist literature from India. The
readings will include both Mahayana scriptures (such as the Perfection of
Wisdom Sutras, the Lotus Sutra, the Vimalakirtinirdesha Sutra, and the Pure
Land Sutras) and Mahayana philosophical treatises (from the Madhyamaka,
Yogachara, and Tathagatagarbha schools of thought). We will focus both on
placing these texts within their proper historical context within the
development of Indian Buddhism and engaging them creatively as modern readers,
through a mixture of lectures, discussions, student presentations, and written
assignments. Open to all classes. Dist: TMV, WCult: NW.
- 47 (11) Buddhism in China (Raz)
A study of the advent of Buddhism in China,
its accommodating yet transforming response to Chinese traditions and values,
the emergence of the authentically Chinese schools of T'ien-T'ai, Hua-yen,
Ch'an, and Pure Land Buddhism, and the enduring Buddhist heritage of China.
Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: NW.
- 77 (11) Reason and Religious Belief (Frankenberry)
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A study of the principal religious and
philosophical arguments for and against religious belief. The first part of the
course will consider the question of the justifiability of religious belief
through an appeal to religious experience and mysticism, to rational theistic
arguments, and to faith, showing the difficulties in each case. The second part
of the course will cover alternatives to classical theism and the contemporary
challenge of conceptual relativism and religious pluralism. Open to sophomores,
juniors, and seniors. Dist: TMV.
- 80 (10A) Seminar
-
- Go to: Dartmouth
Weekly Schedule (What time is a 10A?!)
- Go to: Registrar's Prospectus
of Courses (tentative Course Listings)
- Go to: Current
Course Enrollments (BannerStudent)
- Go to: Class
Locations (Registrar's Timetable of Class Meetings)
- Related link: Religion
Major Worksheet (PDF download)
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