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) (Instructor: 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 (Instructor: 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.
29 (2A) Kierkegaard and Existentialism (Instructor: Green)
A study of the thought, writings, and influence of Søren Kierkegaard, who is widely acknowledged to be the founding figure of existentialism. The course will examine the development of Kierkegaard's philosophical and religious thinking and will follow its influence on both religious and non-religious thinkers, including Martin Buber, Reinhold Niebuhr, Jean Paul Sartre, and Simone de Beauvoir. Open to all classes. Dist: TMV; WCult: W.
80 (2A) The Sacred City: Rome (Instructor: MacEvitt)
Rome is several cities; classical, medieval, and Renaissance Rome are squeezed into the same space. This course explores the multiple Romes through the city's religious topography. How did the capital city of the Roman Empire become one of Christianity's holiest cities? We will examine the history of Rome through the lives of emperors, popes, holy women, and aristocratic families as well as through the landscape of the city itself and its religious monuments.
Dist: TMV.
