Department of Religion | Fall 2000 Course Atlas

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Fall 2000 Course Atlas

REL 100: Introduction to Religion: Buddhism & Christianity
R. Jones, MWF 9:35-10:25, MAX: 30
Content: The course will introduce Buddhism and Christianity, using a social-historical approach and the universal human experience of suffering as a central organizing theme. The course is divided into two parts: history/major doctrines and ethics. In the first half of the course, we will trace a comparative history of these two traditions, in order to gain a clearer understanding of the development of the major doctrines of each tradition in their historical and social context. In the second half of the course, we will examine Buddhist and Christian ethics in relation to issues of suffering (e.g., sickness, death and dying). Continuing the emphasis on the relationship between religious doctrines and social setting, we will think through traditional Buddhist and Christian approaches to suffering in light of two particularly modern problems: 1) the transformation of sickness, death, and dying brought about by the rise of the modern scientific model of medicine; and 2) the influences of pluralism and/or secularization in the modern world.
Texts:

BR - Richard Robinson and Willard Johnson, The Buddhist Religion: A Historical Introduction (Fourth Edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1997.

IC - Mary Jo Weaver, Introduction to Christianity (Third Edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1998.

TBLD - Sogyal Rinpoche, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1993.

GMC - Stanley Hauerwas, God, Medicine, and Suffering. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1990.

LLTD - Vigen Guroian, Life's Living toward Dying. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1996.

Requirements and Methods of Evaluation:
- 20% - Written exam over Buddhist historical material (9/29).
- 20% - Written exam over Christian historical material (10/25).
- 20% - Class participation and two analytical reflection papers (2-4 pp., see course schedule for due dates and topics) on readings and lectures.
- 10% - Three experiential learning projects: analytical reflection papers (2-4 pp.) on site visits to a Buddhist service/teaching (10/1), a Christian service (11/1), and a cemetery (11/12).
- 30 % - Research paper (12 pp.) that compares Christian and Buddhist perspectives on an ethical issue related to sickness, suffering, death and dying. Each student must get topic and summary paragraph approved by 11/19; final paper due 12/13.
Particulars: (2/3 reserved for freshmen)
****Although content is different in REL 100 courses, you may not repeat for credit.****

REL 100: Introduction to Religion: Blacks and Jews
Smith, TTh 1:00-2:15, MAX: 40
Content: This course will explore the convergences and divergences between African American and Jewish American traditions of religion. Beginning in colonial America there is a long history of comparison between the two people's religious experience,starting with slavery and liberation and extending to diaspora experiences today. We will explore some of the religious and theological, ethical and ritual developments that draw these peoples both together and apart.
Texts:

Yvonne Chireau, Nathaniel Deutsch, eds., Black Zion: African American Religious Encounters With Judaism

Michael Lerner and Cornel West, Jews & Blacks: A Dialogue on Race, Religion, and Culture in America

Emil Fackenheim, God's Presence in History: Jewish Affirmations/Philosophical Reflections

Anthony Pinn, Varieties of African American Religious Experience

Joseph Telushkin, Jewish Literacy: The Most Important Things to Know about the Jewish Religion, Its People,and Its History

Gayraud Wilmore, Black Religion and Black Radicalism

Particulars: 1) Weekly reviews of readings and of other class members writings; (2) midterm media project (e.g. video collage, website, photo-journal) or site visits (ethnographic fieldwork); (3) a final term paper that addresses the central
issues of the course.

REL 100: Introduction to Religion: Christianity & Hinduism
Gray, MW 4:00-5:15, MAX: 30, WRT: Yes
Content: "Public Religion" in India and the U.S. introduces Christianity and Hinduism as major world religions from national cultural and social perspectives. Aside from learning major beliefs and practices of each, the focus is on the public dimensions of these dominant religious traditions in the United States and India. Specifically, we will examine Christianity and Hinduism as: (1) religious systems comprising creed, code, cultus, and community; (2) social and ethical systems as dimensions of collective life constrained by and constraining other social forces and facts (i.e., ethnicity, race, gender, socioeconomic status); (3) The cultural and social constructedness of "public" life, its practices and ethics, in the U.S. and India; (4) The institutional role of the "church" and the modern state in the U.S. and India.
Texts:

Albanese, America: Religion and Religions

Hunter, Culture Wars: The Struggle to Define America

Flowers, That Godless Court? Supreme Court Decisions on Church-State Relationships

Embree, Ainslie T., Utopias in Conflict: Religion and Nationalism in Modern India

Kinsley, David, Hinduism: A Cultural Approach

Wolpert, Stanley A., India

Particulars: Students choose from a menu of writing assignments (short inquiries and reflections, research papers, book reviews, and exams) on which to be evaluated. In addition to required mid-term and final examinations student choose TWO options from the following: Directed Writing Assignments (several three-page responses drawing on weekly assigned readings due at the class assigned; Queries (questions asked about readings and class presentations); Research Paper on an approved topic (10-12 pp.); Critiques of Supplemental Readings: 4 four-page critiques of supplementary texts chosen from the selected bibliography.
Additionally, there will be occasional in-class writing assignments on class presentations and assigned reading. (2/3 reserved for freshmen)

REL 150: Intro to Sacred Text
Patton/Jordan/Newby, MWF 9:35-10:25, (Cross-Listed with MES 160), MAX: 30, WRT: No
Content: An introduction to the life of oral and written sacred traditions in Hindu, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim communities in various periods. We will explore sacred texts in translation and investigate their origins, their transmission, and the processes by which they became authoritative for their communities. We will study ways the texts were interpreted in the past, how they are used and understood today, and we will visit local worship communities to observe contemporary uses of sacred texts. In addition to the written texts we will delve into the sights, sounds, feel, and in some cases, the taste of some of the world's most sacred texts.
Texts:

Richard Bush et al, The Religious World: Communities of Faith

Muhammed Marmaduke Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran

Wendy Doniger, Textual Sources for the Study of Hinduism

Barbara Stoler Miller, The Bhagavad-Gita

HarperCollins Study Bible

Photocopy Course Pack

Particulars: The course is open to Freshmen (2/3) and Sophomores (1/3) only. There will be short written assignments on LearnLink, some short site visit reports, three short examinations during the semester, and a comprehensive final examination.

REL 190: Freshman Seminar: Islamic Fundamentalism
Martin, TTh 1:00-2:15, MAX: 18, WRT: Yes
Content: The seminar will make a comparative study of the Western perception of Islamic fundamentalism and extremism against the background of the history of Islamic thought and social movements in modern times. Students will discuss and evaluate Western literature and films about Islamic fundamentalism as well as texts on the lively debate within Islam about modernism, secularism, gender issues, democracy, and relations with non-Muslims; contemporary fiction by a Muslim writer struggling with the problem of Islam in the modern world will be included among the texts read.
Particulars: Reserved for Freshmen; meets the Freshman Seminar General Education Requirement. Grades will be based on frequent brief written evaluations of texts and videos, a short term paper, and the quality of class participation.

REL 190: Freshman Seminar: The Chinese Body
Reinders, MWF 4:00-4:50, MAX: 18
Content: This class will bring together three distinct kinds of learning:
1. Culture: a survey of topics related to the body in traditional Chinese culture, including yin-yang thought, birth and death, medicine, sex, diet, and meditation. These topics will illustrate the theoretical discussions and build up a cultural context for the practice of Taiji.
2. Theory: an exploration of some of the themes of current theory on the body and practice. We will explore the idea of the body as a historical and "produced" object, and the notion of "habitus" as "embodied culture."
3. Practice: we will learn a complete, brief set of Taiji (T^Òai-chi), so that students will not only think but experience the theoretical and cultural ideas of the course. This will be taught once a week by Jim Hamilton, M.A., who has been teaching Taiji through Evening at Emory for
more than 15 years.
Texts: Tao Te Ching, Krisofer Schipper, The Taoist Body, and selected readings.
Particulars: A journal of practice, presentation, quizzes, paper, class participation.

REL 205: Biblical Literature
Buss, TTh 10:00-11:15, MAX: 30, WRT: OLD,Yes - NEW, No
Content: The course will focus on becoming acquainted with and understanding biblical literature with attention to the relationship of the Bible to religious faith and ethics in Judaism and Christianity.
Texts:

Harper Collins Study Bible

P. Harner, An Inductive Approach to Biblical Study

Elie Wiesel, Messengers of God

R. Weems, Just a Sister Away

Particulars: Two tests and final. (The final can be waived for students who keep up with the course as it goes). Two critical papers which can meet the writing requirement.

REL 205: Biblical Literature
Gilders, MWF 10:40-11:30, MAX: 30
Content: This course deals with the anthology of Hebrew texts that have the status of sacred scripture in Judaism and Christianity. We will seek to understand how the texts were composed, collected together, and read in their earliest historical settings. We will also study reflections and interpretations of the texts in early Jewish writings and the Christian New Testament, and will explore ways of reading the texts in our modern context. Priority will be given to understanding how readers in different times and places have read and understood the texts. Participants in the course will be expected to reflect actively on their own responses to the documents.
Texts:

Harper Collins Study Bible

Richard Elliott Friedman, Who Wrote the Bible?

Jack Dean Kingsbury, Matthew as Story

Course packet of photocopied materials

Additional readings on reserve

Particulars: Weekly short (2 page) contributions to a "learning journal"; two short (5 page) papers; mid-term and final exams. Class attendance and active participation will be important.

REL 210: Classic Religious Texts: Genesis and its Interpreters
Gilders, MWF 2:00-2:50, (Cross-Listed with JS) MAX: 30
Content: The Book of Genesis has fascinated and perplexed readers since ancient times. It contains some of the best-known and best-loved biblical narratives, and has often been the focus of controversy and sharp debate. As we read the book we will ask questions about how it was composed, and how it was understood by its earliest readers. We will also give considerable attention to how the book has been received and interpreted at various times, with a special emphasis on pre-modern Jewish readings of Genesis (such as appear in the Book of Jubilees, the writings of Philo, rabbinic texts, and Bible commentaries of the Middle Ages). Throughout the course we will reflect on how readers make sense of Genesis. Students will be asked to reflect critically on their own attempts to interpret the text.
Texts:

Nahum N. Sarna, Genesis (JPS Bible Commentary)

Course packet of photocopied materials

Additional readings on reserve

Particulars: Students will prepare three assignments. Two will be academic writing assignments: 1) a short analysis of a pre-modern interpretation or retelling of Genesis; 2) a research paper on a topic chosen in consultation with the instructor. The third assignment will involve the creative retelling of a Genesis story (the retelling may be submitted in written form or using visual or performance media). Class attendance and active participation are essential.

REL 210S: Classic Religious Text: Western Texts in Diverse Contexts
Smith, Mon., 2:00-5:00, MAX: 18
Content: This course presents one version of a larger effort to 'connect the dots' between the classic religious texts of Western civilization and our more diverse modern contexts; more diverse in terms of ethnic and religious pluralism and gender parity. We will do this by persistently pairing a classic text with contemporary readings including some video and film. The result is a highly engaging and rewarding encounter with classical religious issues concerning truth and meaning, goodness and value, reality and false consciousness, God and ultimate reality.
Sample Texts in Correlation:

Homer, The Iliad (selections) . . . Simone Weil, The Iliad or The Poem of Force
Emil Fackenheim, God's Presence in History: Jewish Affirmations and                Philosophical Reflections

Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound . . . Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus

Euripides, The Bacchae . . . . . Wole Soyinka, The Bacchae of Euripides
Mary Renault, The King Must Die

Plato, "The Last Days of Socrates:
Euthyphro/Apology/Crito/Phaedo". . . Martin Luther King, Jr., Loving Your Enemies, with Letter from a Birmingham Jail

Lucretius, On the Nature of the Universe . . . David Bohm, Wholeness and The Implicate Order

The Confessions of St. Augustine. . . The Autobiography of Malcolm X

Seamus Heany, Beowulf . . . . . . . . . John Gardner, Grendel

Video/Film in Correlation:
Film: Beloved (1999; starring Oprah Winfrey) . . . . Euripides, Medea
Video: The Gospel at Colonus (1985; starring Morgan Freeman & James Earl Jones) . . . Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus
Film: Doctor Faustus (1967; starring Richard Burton & Elizabeth Taylor) . . . . . . . . . . Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus
Video: Mother Teresa (1986; narr. Richard Attenborough) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Life of St. Teresa of Avila By Herself
Particulars: (1) Weekly reflection papers posted on LearnLink; (2) midterm media project (options: photography, slides, music, audio, video, computer power point or web production) with 1 page outline; (3) final term paper on the major themes of the course.

REL 210: Classic Religious Texts: New Testament and Early Christian Texts
Roncace, TTh 11:30-12:45, MAX: 30
Content: The course is an introduction to the New Testament and early Christian
literature (Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Peter, Infancy Gospels, etc.) and to academic approaches to those texts. Students will undertake detailed analysis and interpretation of the documents in their historical, social, cultural and literary context. A variety of methodological approaches will be used, but the primary and unifying one will be socio-rhetorical. Students will develop an understanding for each text's defining characteristics and an appreciation for the way in which it contributes to early Christian discourse. We will also be concerned to identify the different perspectives that interpreters bring to the literature, particularly one's own.
Texts:

The HarperCollins Study Bible.

Harris, Stephen L., The New Testament: A Student's Introduction.

Robbins, Vernon K., Exploring the Texture of Texts.

Particulars: There will be 3 exams (75%), 10 weekly assignments of which students must complete at least 5 (20%), and class discussions based on the readings
(5%).

REL 211: Western Religion
Martin, TTh 10:00-11:15, MAX: 40, WRT: Yes
Content: The course is divided into three parts. Part one examines two concepts that are generally applied to Western religions: monotheism and "the West."   What do these ideas mean in the modern secular, Christian, Jewish and Islamic imagination? Part two briefly studies the history, thought, and practice of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Part three is a comparative study of common problems among the three traditions, including responses to modernity, gender, religion and politics, religions and violence/war.
Texts: In addition to a textbook on Judaism, Christianity and Islam, the class will read shorter selected essays and view and discuss videos.
Particulars: Meets General Education Requirement V-B (Historical Perspectives on Western Culture). Grades will be based on three written exams, occasional 1-page discussion assignments on Learnlink, and the quality of participation in class discussions.

REL 212: Asian Religious Traditions: South & Southeast Asia
Doyle, TTh 11:30-12:45, (Cross-Listed with AS 370T), MAX: 30
Content: This course is an introduction to three of the religious traditions found in South and Southeast Asia: Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. An historical overview will be given for each tradition, and special topics investigated. These topics, which will demonstrate both similarities between these religious traditions (given that they all originated in India) and differences (given that they nonetheless developed distinctive features), will include cosmology, kingship, ritual performance, life-cycle rites, renunciant/meditation traditions, spirit worship, and religious art, theater, and dance. While Jainism never spread beyond the Indian subcontinent, both Hinduism and Buddhism profoundly influenced their South and Southeast-Asian neighbors. We shall thus, with respect to Hinduism and Buddhism, also investigate issues of continuity and change as these traditions spread beyond India's borders to such countries as Nepal, Thailand, and Bali.
Texts:

Babb, Absent Lord: Ascetics and Kings in a Jain Ritual Culture

Bennett, Dangerous Wives and Sacred Sisters

Eck, Darsan: Seeing the Divine Image in India

Gellner, Monk, Householder, and Tantric Priest

Tambiah, The Buddhist Saints of the Forest and the Cult of Amulets

Eiseman, Bali Sekala and Niskala: Essays on Religion, Ritual, and Art

Xerox Sourcebook of articles

Particulars: Class participation (10%), three essays (30%), midterm exam (30%), final take-home exam (30%).

REL 230: Early & Medieval Christianity
Mellott, MWF 10:40-11:30, MAX: 30, WRT: Yes
Content: This course will study the early and middle stages of the Christian story from its beginnings in the New Testament through the Patristic and early Medieval periods. Primarily, we will identify and track how and why certain issues and questions began to predominate these stories. We will explore the sources of those questions and the personal, communal, and/or institutional perspectives and needs served by them. These analyses will draw us naturally to examine those communities, practices, and persons whose questions were dismissed or deemed heretical. We will examine the monastic movements, different theological systems, religious practices, mysticism, styles of art, etc. Our study will focus on careful readings of texts, examinations of architecture and art indicative of historical shifts and meanings, cultural and political dynamics, and personal stories. As a Theory Practice Learning course, this class will entail field work to local Christian communities including interviews and site visits. Learning about Christianity in Atlanta will not only deepen our understandings of its complex history but also highlight its interactions with other religions and cultures.
Texts:

Gonzales, The Story of Christianity, Vol. 1

The Passion of St Perpetua and Felicitas

writings by Arius

Ward, Sayings of the Desert Fathers

Augustine, Confessions

The Rule of St. Benedict

Flinders, Enduring Grace

Particulars: Class participation and field work beyond the classroom are important elements of this class. Assignments will include two critical analyses of texts, an extended interview with a practicing Christian, and a final project which can either flow from the student's field work, or be a research paper.

REL 239: Early & Medieval Judaism
Berger, MWF 12:50-1:40, (Cross-Listed with JS 100), MAX: 20, WRT: No
Content: This course will offer a general overview of the history of Jews and Judaism, beginning with the Biblical period and ending with modern times. Each week we will focus on a specific period of Jewish history, sketching the general sociohistorical context, followed by a description of how Jews practiced religion at the time, how they related to their neighbors, and what problems they faced and how they solved them. Each Friday, we will break out into smaller groups to examine an exemplary primary text, trying to understand how that specific period produced that
source.
Texts: Required:

The JPS Bible (pbk)

Raymond Scheindlin, A Short History of the Jewish People

H. Ben-Sasson, A History of the Jewish People

J. Marcus, The Jew in the Medieval World

P. Mendes-Flohr and J. Reinharz, The Jew in the Modern World

Recommended:

M. Cohen, Under Crescent and Cross

M. Jaffee, Early Judaism

Particulars: Weekly 1-2 pp. focus papers; in-class mid-term; final.

REL 250: Early & Medieval Hinduism: An Introduction to Religious Practices, Precepts, and Politics in Early India
Patton, MWF, 11:45-12:35, MAX: 15, WRT: Yes
Content: The purpose of this course is to provide an historical overview of the origins of the religious movements in India we now call "Hinduism." Through the reading of mythological, philosophical and poetic primary texts, as well as historical and anthropological studies, we will show how such a tradition was constructed through a set of ongoing tensions: between ascetic and sacrificer, between villager and city-dweller, between outcaste and brahmin, between poet and philosopher. In tracing these tensions throughout Indian history, we will: 1) examine the roots of Indian tradition; 2) master the basic terminology of Indian thought; 3) use that terminology to study the development of Indian philosophy and popular religious movements.
Texts:

Klostermaier, Klaus K. A Survey of Hinduism. Albany: SUNY Press, 1989

O'Flaherty, Wendy The Rg Veda. New York: Penguin, 1981

O'Flaherty, Wendy. Hindu Myths. New York: Penguin, 1977

Olivelle, Patrick. The Upanisads. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996

Ramanujan, A.K. Speaking of Siva. New York: Penguin, 1973

Dimock, Edward and Levertov, Denise. In Praise of Krishna Chicago: Chicago University Press, 1967

Radhakrishnan and Moore. A Sourcebook for Indian Philosophy Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1957

Stoller Miller, Barbara. The Bhagavad Gita. New York: Bantam, 1986

Patton, Laurie. Authority, Anxiety, and Canon. Albany: SUNY Press, 1994

Hawley, Jack and Jurgensmeyer, Mark, eds. Songs of the Saints of India

Particulars: Two short answer exams, One mid-term paper (5-8 pp), One final research paper (15-20 pp).

REL 255: Chinese Buddhism
Reinders, MWF 12:50-1:40, (Cross-Listed with AS 370N), MAX: 30
Content: We start with an overview of the different forms of Buddhism throughout Asia, but our focus is Buddhism in China. Chinese Buddhism is a distinct religious tradition: Buddhism both transformed and was transformed by Chinese culture. We will give special attention to the interactions of Buddhism with Taoism and Confucian, Buddhism and the imperial state, images of holy monks and nuns, pilgrimage and monastic space, Buddha images, Chan (well known by its Japanese pronunciation, Zen), Pure Land Buddhism, and Buddhism under Communism. We will cover scriptural themes and doctrinal systems, and also explore some of the political and material implications of Buddhism in China.
Texts:
Readings may include: Sally Hovey Wriggins, Xuanzang: A Buddhist Pilgrim on the Silk Road, John Keenan, How Master Mou Removes Our Doubts, John Kieschnick, The Eminent Monk, The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch, Han Shan, Cold Mountain, a selection of scriptures and biographies.
Particulars: quizzes, a mid-term exam, research paper, creative projects, class participation, take-home final.

REL 255(D) LAC course in conjunction with REL 255
Reinders/ Li Hong, TBA, (Cross Listed with CHN375D), One credit hour. This is a "Language Across the Curriculum" course.
Content: Students will meet for one hour a week in addition to the classes for Rel 255 (Buddhism). We will read texts in Chinese relevant to Chinese Buddhism, selected for the students' appropriate reading level. Students must be enrolled in Rel 255, and have taken at least one year college level Chinese or equivalent.

REL 258: Psychology of Enlightenment
Negi, Mon. 2:00-4:30 p.m. (Cross-Listed with AS 370W), MAX: 15

REL 260: Archaeology & the Bible
Borowski, TTh 10:00-11:15, (Cross-Listed with MES 250/JS 250), MAX:5, WRT: No
Content: An examination of the relationship between Archaeology and the bible with an introduction to the field of Biblical archaeology and a careful examination of theory and methodology. The famous discoveries (inscriptions, architecture) and important sites (Megiddo, Hazor, Gezer, Dan) which form the historical background to some of the biblical stories will be examined as well as issues and topics such as the Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacobs) Exodus (Moses) and settlement of Canaan (Joshua, the kings of Israel and Judah, and more. Other topics that will be studied include daily life, religion and ancient art.
Texts:

Drinkard, Joel F., Mattingly, Gerald L., Miller, J. Maxwell, Benchmarks in Time and Culture (Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1988)

Rast, Walter E., Through the Ages in Palestinian Archaeology (Philadelphia: Trinity Press International, 1992)

May, H.G., Oxford Bible Atlas (New York, Toronto: Oxford University Press), 3rd edition

The Bible

Particulars: Examinations: Midterm (25%) and Final (35%), 2 papers (20%); quizzes (10%); attrendance (10%)
Comments: This course fulfills the methodology requirements for a Minor in Mediterranean Archaeology; it serves as an excellent background for students planning to go on an archaeological summer program, and fulfills Area III.A in the old distribution requirements and the writing requirements.

REL 300: Interpreting Religion: Theories and Methods of Religious Studies
                                        (Majors Only or Instructor Approval)
Patterson, MWF 12:50-1:40, MAX 35, WRT:
Content: This course will introduce Religious Studies Majors to four basic methods and theories used in the interpretation of Religion. The course will begin with textual analysis, emphasizing Socio-Rhetorical Method and the History of Religions approach. Then it will focus on ethnographic analysis, emphasizing Indigenous and Feminist methodologies and theories. Students will have the opportunity to directly apply the theories and methods examined in the course through a series of self-designed projects.
Texts: To be announced, may include works by Wilfred Cantwell Smith, Vernon Robbins, Talal Asad, Caroline Walker Bynum, Mark C. Taylor, Abu Lagood.
Particulars: Short focus papers and a final project proposal using methods studied inthe class will be requied. Class participation is emphasized.

REL 323: Death & Dying
Holcomb, MWF 11:45-12:35, MAX: 30
Content: Death is a universal fact of human life. Yet throughout history different cultures have responded to death, and the dead body, in a variety of ways. In this course we will explore human responses to mortality in a number of cultural settings, examining the symbols, rituals, and meaning-systems people have used to make sense of the end of life.
Texts:
Books will focus on a number of topics and may include:

Phillipe Aries, Western Attitudes Toward Death from the Middle Ages to the Present

Kenneth Kramer, The Sacred Art of Dying: How World Religions Understand Death

Gary Laderman, The Sacred Remains

Carol Zaleski, Otherworld Journeys: Accounts of Near-Death Experiences in Medieval and Modern Times

Evelyn Waugh, The Loved One

David Stannard, The Puritan Way of Death

Particulars: Three exams; one research paper; class attendance and participation required; guest speakers; field trips to local cemetery, funeral home, and museum.

REL 324: Holocaust
Lipstadt, TTh 11:30-12:40, (Cross Listed with JS 324), MAX: 80
Content: This course will study the history of the Holocaust. Topics to be examined include:
history of antisemitism which preceded the Holocaust, steps involved in the Nazi demonization of the Jews, the role of "ordinary" Germans in the killing process, evolution of the Final Solution and the establishment and operation of the death camps. We will also examine the role of the bystanders, including the Vatican, Protestant churches, Red Cross, Allied governments, media and public. We will explore the nature of Jewish resistance to the Holocaust and the role of the Christian rescuers who aided Jews in Europe. We will also examine the theological question, "Where was God during the Holocaust?" Students will have the opportunity to meet with and talk to survivors of the Holocaust.
On a select number of Wednesday evenings during the semester we will screen films on the
Holocaust.
Texts:

Leni Yahil, The Holocaust

Elie Wiesel, Night

Raul Hilberg, The Destruction of European Jewry

Claude Lanzmann, Shoah

Primo Levi, Survival in Auschwitz

Art Spiegelman, Maus

Films:
     Shoah
Particulars: Midterms, Final.

REL 329: Religion & Ecology: A Theory Practice Learning Approach
Patterson, MWF, 9:35-10:25, (Cross Listed with ENVS 329 & IDS 385K),
MAX: 15
Content: This class explores the relationship between nature and religion including theological, spiritual, and philosophical considerations. It also emphasizes how these approaches shape practices in wilderness or natural settings. We also will examine several paradigms of nature as sacred including one's from Christianity, Buddhism, Amerindian. Perspectives from Feminism, Deep Ecology, Global Ethics, and poetic discourse will be used for further analysis.
This class is a Theory Practice Learning class. Students will learn the theories and methods of the TPL approach to learning and teaching as they specifically relate to our questions about the relationships between nature and religion. The course is designed to develop competence not only in theoretical and epistemological understanding of presented ideas but also in the relevant practices. There will be opportunities for the class to develop consciousness of "place" including the relationships of "place" and eco-justice. We will learn about and visit urban natural environments on the Emory campus, in Atlanta, and in North Georgia.
Texts:

Rosemary Radford Reuther: Gaia and God

Forest Meditations

Texts from the Patristics

Sally McFague: The Body of God

Selections from: Dharma Gaia

Selections from Joanna Macy: Coming Back to Life

Gary Snyder: Practice of the Wild

Other articles

Particulars: Class participation is crucial. Assignments will include an 8 page topic paper (with references and footnotes), creation of a portfolio, and development of an "active learning activity" to be presented to the class (and hopefully beyond) relevant to our topics.

REL 343: Modern Jewish Thought: Heschel/Kaplan
Blumenthal, TTh 2:30-3:45, (Cross Listed with JS 343), MAX: 12, WRT: Yes
Content: Abraham Joshua Heschel and Mordecai Kaplan were, probably, the two most important Jewish religious thinkers of the twentieth century. Heschel tried to evolve a religious philosophy rooted in religious experience while Kaplan tried to evolve one rooted in reason and community. They, thus, embodied the perennial conflict of reason and feeling in religion. This course will study carefully the key works of each of these two thinkers, read critiques of their work, and consider the implications of each.
Texts:

Abraham J. Heschel, God in Search of Man [sic]

Mordecai M. Kaplan, Questions Jews Ask. The Meaning of God in Jewish Religion

David R. Blumenthal, Facing the Abusing God: A Theology of Protest

Arthur Green, Seek My Face; Speak My Name

Particulars: We will read the assigned texts carefully. For this, we will use the "study partner" system. Grading will be based on class participation and a final paper.

REL 344S: Jewish Ethics
Berger, MWF 10:40-11:30, (Cross Listed with JS 344S), MAX: 11, WRT: No
Content: As a discipline, ethics is the way one analyzes a situation and reaches a conclusion as to what one should do. As such, ethics must be done from within a particular tradition, maintaining certain assumptions and following unique patterns of thought. This course is meant to introduce the student to what ethical discourse is like in the Jewish tradition: what sources are used, how arguments are constructed, and how one weighs competing arguments. Through the analysis done largely in class, students will learn the skills involved in doing Jewish ethics, and actively participate in the process. Topics to be discussed are social ethics, such as lying and self-sacrifice, and sexual ethics. A final paper on medical ethics is the student's own attempt at writing Jewish.
Texts:

Sourcebooks of primary texts (in translation), available at the department office.

Particulars: Two in-class exams, final paper on a topic approved by the instructor. One special project done in groups. Active participation in class is crucial, and is part of the grade.

REL 345: Women in Judaism
Peskowitz, TTh 10:00-11:15, (Cross Listed with JS 345), MAX: 10
Content: "Women and Judaism" looks at the various voices that have both alerted us to how gender works in Judaism and in various Jewish communities, and imagined creative alternatives to Judaism's classic and contemporary notions about women's lives, characters and spiritual
possibilities. The first part of the semester will be devoted to reading a wide range of these voices. In the second part of the semester students will develop reseach projects that trace the history of Jewish Feminism (and its responses) from the mid-1960's to the present.
Texts:
Readings include coursepak; Tribe of Dinah; Laura Levitt and Miriam Peskowitz, Judaism Since Gender; Merle Feld, A Spiritual Life: A Jewish Feminist Journey.
Particulars: weekly readings, midterm, final paper.

REL 370K: Buddhism in N. America
Doyle, TTh 2:30-3:45, (Cross Listed with AS 370K), MAX: 10
Content: Since Shakyamuni Buddha's enlightenment in India, the Buddhist tradition has taken root and flourished in numerous cultures, both transforming and being transformed by each society it encountered as it spread throughout Asia and beyond. in North America, this process began in the 19th century, with the arrival of thousands of Chinese and Japanese immigrants. during this same period, American intellectuals, merchants, and wealthy dilettantes became interested in Buddhism, due, in large part, to their exposure to Orientalist works of scholarship and, to a lesser extent, to the Asian peoples they encountered here and abroad. During the 20th centure, particularly during the last thirty years, the number of Asian-American Buddhists, as well as scholarly and personal interest inBuddhism among non-asian-americans, has escalated dramatically. This has resulted in the establishment of a wide-range of Buddhist temples, meditation centers, and institutions. In short, Buddhist people, places, and practices are now an integral part of North America's religiously plural, rapidly changing demographic landscape.
In this course, we will trace this complex historical process, focusing particularly on groups, temples, and institutions within easy reach of Emory University. Throughout, we shall also investigate such issues as Orientalism, cultural accommodation, identity formation, conversation, and religious pluralism in our attempts to understand the various Buddhisms which exist today in the U.S.A.

Texts:

Fields, How the Swans Came to the Lake

Prebish & Preish &Tanaka, The Faces of Buddhism in America

Numrich, Old Wisdom in the New World

Snyder, A Place in Space

Thich Naht Hahn, Being Peace

Glassman, Bearing Witness

Tricycle (VI, 1: Fall 1996) "Buddhism & Psychedelics Issue"

Kamenetz, The Jew in the Lotus

Xerox sourcebook of articles

Particulars: Class participation (10%), two response papers (20%), ethnography on local Buddhist temple/meditation center/group (40%), final paper (30%).

REL 370L: Early Christian Art & Architecture
Pevny, MWF 3:00-3:50, (Cross Listed with HART 329G/Classics 329G), MAX: 5

REL 370M: Psycholbiologic Fdns. of Personhood: Wester & Tibetan Buddhist Perspectives
Negi/Raison, TTh 11:30-12:45, (Cross Listed with AS 370X), MAX: 10

REL 470: Philosophy of Religion
Zupko, MWF 11:45-12:35, (Cross Listed with Phil 358), MAX: 10, WRT: New: No, Old: Yes
Content: This course examines the extent to which reason is applicable to religious questions such as the existence of God, the divine attributes, the problem of evil, the relationship of faith to reason, religion and ethics, and personal immortality. We will pay special attention to religious language, asking ourselves what significance should be attached to the various ways we have of speaking about God. How are we acquainted with divinity? What kind of evidential value should be attached to scriptural authority and religious experience? When should reason and ordinary considerations of evidence be rejected as inappropriate?
Text:

Rowe and Wainwright (eds.), Philosophy of Religion: Selected Readings

Particulars:Two examinations (a mid-term and final, worth 20% and 30% , respectively), a term paper written in two drafts (40%), and class participation (10%).

REL 495R: Directed Reading (honors)
Faculty,(Permission of Instructor Required)
Content: Independent research for senior major and joint major students selected to participate in the department's Honors program. Readings on special topics in Religion as arranged between individual students and a specific member of the Department who consents to guide the student in her/his study, arrange requirements and appointments.

REL 497R: Directed Reading
Faculty, (Permission of Instructor Required)
Content: Readings on special topics in Religion as arranged between individual students and a specific member of the Department who consents to guide the student in her/his study, arrange requirements and appointments.

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