Department of Religion | Fall 2002 Course Atlas

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Fall 2002 Course Atlas

REL 100: Introduction to Religions: Judaism and Hinduism
Berger, Flueckiger, MWF 10:40-11:30, MAX: 60
Content: Introduction to basic questions and categories with which to approach the study of religion through examination of two religious traditions: Judaism and Hinduism. We will first inspect each religious tradition briefly but intensively through major categories of understanding articulated within each tradition, and then broaden our questioning to consider both similarities and differences between these indigenous categories, and what it means to study a tradition from outside of it.
Texts:
The Bhagavad Gita, tr. W. J. Johnson
Diana Eck, Darsan: Seeing the Divine Image in India
Vasudha Narayanan, The Hindu Traditions: An Introduction
Blu Greenberg, How to Run a Traditional Jewish Household
Samuel Heilman, Synagogue Life
Norman Solomon, Judaism: A Very Short Introduction
Joseph Telushkin, Jewish Literacy
selected articles
Particulars: Two site visits, two in-class exams; take-home final exam. Meets General Education Requirement V.C. (2/3 reserved for freshmen)
****Although content is different in REL 100 courses, you may not repeat for credit.****
REL 100: Introduction to Religions: African Traditional Religion & Christianity
Stewart, TTh 10:00-11:15, MAX: 30
Content: This class will introduce students to the study of religion by examining one major set of religious traditions (African Traditional Religion) and another major religious tradition (Christianity). During the first part of the semester, we will focus upon spiritual and religious dimensions of traditional sub-Saharan Africa where students will explore the foundations of African thought and ethics via the indigenous/classical religious traditions of select African peoples. In so doing, we will engage important theoretical and methodological issues that have emerged in the study of African Traditional Religions. During the second part of the semester, we will examine salient trajectories in the history of Christianity, including that of ancient Africa, and the ancient, modern and postmodern West, with special emphasis upon African American Christianity. We will conclude our study with a brief examination of the encounter between African Traditional Religion and Christianity as it has spawned religious movements and traditions in colonial and post-colonial African/Black societies on the continent and in the African Caribbean and American diaspora.
Texts: Readings may include articles, sections, or chapters from the following texts:
Jacob K. Olupona ed., African Traditional Religion in Contemporary Society
John S. Mbiti, African Religions and Philosophy
Benjamin C. Ray, African Religions: Symbol, Ritual, and Community
Chukwunyere Kamalu, Foundations of African Thought: A Worldview Grounded in the African Heritage of Religion, Philosophy, Science and Art
Dominique Zahan, The Religion, Spirituality and Thought of Traditional Africa
John Mason, Black Gods-Orisa Studies in the New World
E. E. Evans-Pritchard, The Position of Women in "Primitive" Society and In Our Own
Rosalyn Terborg-Penn, ed., Women in Africa and the African Diaspora
Amadiume Ifi, Male Daughters and Female Husbands: Gender and Sex in African Society
Mercy Oduyoye, Daughters of Anowa: African Women and Patriarchy
Laurenti Magesa, African Religion: The Moral Traditions of Abundant Life
R. Dean Peterson, A Concise History of Christianity
C. Eric Lincoln & Lawrence Mamiya, The Black Church in the African American Experience
Albert Raboteau, Slave Religion: The "Invisible Institution" in the Antebellum South
Burton Sankeralli, ed., At the Crossroads: African Religion and Christianity
Particulars: mid-term exam, paper, final examination. Meets General Education Requirement V.C.
(2/3 reserved for freshmen)

****Although content is different in REL 100 courses, you may not repeat for credit.****

REL 100: Introduction to Religions: Hinduism and Christianity
Courtright, MWF 9:35-10:25, MAX: 60
Content: An exploration of ways of being religious in the Hindu and Christian traditions. The course will focus on sacred texts, rituals, architectures, communities, and formations of religious identities within each of these traditions.
Particulars: (2/3 reserved for freshmen) Readings, film and video, visits to Hindu and Christian sites in Atlanta, and in-class interviews with local religious leaders from these communities will make up the work of the course. Brief in-class writing exercises, exams, and final paper. The course will make use of the Blackboard technology for storing and retrieving most of the course materials. Meets General Education Requirement V.C.

REL 190: Freshman Seminar: She Doesn't Live Here Anymore: Women, Christianity, and Globalization
Patterson, TTh 11:30-12:45, MAX: 18, TPL
Content: This course will take a journey through and with the voices and witnesses of Christian women who are searching for histories, rituals, texts, theologies, and communities that reflect their spiritual paths in this tradition. From early Christian women, through the Middle Ages women mystics, to the first waves of Christian feminist theology, to the voices of contemporary women around the world, we will explore how women have reshaped traditional categories and blazed new trails for understanding their faith and giving testimony in word and activism.
Texts: The texts for this class will be wide-ranging. They will include writings by Elizabeth Clark, Julian of Norwich, Teresa of Avila, Elizabeth Schussler-Fiorenza, Elizabeth Johnson, Mary Daly, Kwok Pui-Lan, Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz, Katie Cannon, and Rebecca Chopp.
Particulars: The class will be participatory and experiential. Critical thinking skills will be emphasized along with imaginative exercises in theological construction. Short papers and response journaling will be required.
REL 190: Freshman Seminar: Qur'an and the Bible
V. Robbins, TTh 10:00-11:15, MAX: 18
Content: The Qur'an contains significant information about more than twenty-five people who play an important role in the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh/Old Testament), and all of these people also are important for the New Testament. In addition, the Qur'an contains significant information about five people (including Jesus and Mary) who play an important role in the New Testament. This course will lead the student into comparison of the manner in which the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and the Qur'an present and value these people.
Careful investigation of the people who appear both in the Bible and the Qur'an is an informative and exciting manner to enter the religious world of three collections of holy writings. Whether a person knows something about one or two of these collections, or very little about any of the three, studying the people who appear or reappear in them is a remarkable learning experience. Also, this information contributes substantively to one's ability to live intelligently in a world where Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are moving into ever closer, dynamic relationships with one another.
Texts:
Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall, The Glorious Koran
The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha. Third Edition.
Gordon D. Newby, A Concise Encyclopedia of Islam
Gordon D. Newby, The Making of the Last Prophet
Robert J. Miller, The Complete Gospels
Vernon K. Robbins, Exploring the Texture of Texts
Particulars: Students will write four 2-page papers on biblical people (both Tanakh [Old Testament] and New Testament) in the Qur'an. Mid-semester and final exams. LearnLink will be used for discussions, submitting written work, and revising written work. Professor Gordon Newby, a specialist in the relationships of Islam to Judaism and Christianity during the seventh through the ninth centuries of the Common Era, will be present during many of the class sessions.

REL 205: Biblical Literature
Buss, TTh 10:00-11:15, (same as JS 205), MAX: 15
Content: In this course, we will seek to understand the dynamics of various parts of the Jewish Bible, called "Old Testament" by Christians. This will involve questions such as the following: What is said? How is it said? What appears to be the aim? Insofar as there can be disagreement in regard to these questions, we will look at different answers, both as they have been given by others and as they are presented by members of the class.
Texts:

The New Oxford Annotated Bible: The New Revised Version with the Apocrypha
A course pack
Particulars: The course fulfills General Education Requirement IV.A (Humanities). Students will bring to each class an analysis of the text studied and will be ready to discuss their analysis orally in class. Two of the analyses are to be written up formally in about five pages. Students who have to miss class can turn their analysis into a short paper and discuss it at an individual conference (which will normally cover two or three such papers covering the topics of two or three missed classes). There will be a midterm and a final.

REL 205: Biblical Literature
Gilders, MWF 10:40-11:30, (same as JS 205), MAX: 15
Content: This course provides an introduction to the anthology of Hebrew texts that have the status of sacred scripture in Judaism and constitute the "Old Testament" of Christian Bibles. Students will learn how the texts were composed, collected together, and read in their earliest historical settings. They will also study reflections and interpretations of the texts in ancient Jewish writings and the Christian New Testament, and will explore ways of reading the texts in modern contexts. Priority will be given to understanding how the Bible has been read and understood in different times and places. Students will be expected to engage in close and careful reading of the texts and to reflect actively on their reading activity. Prior study of the Bible is not a requirement for taking this course, and no particular religious commitments or beliefs about the Bible are assumed or required. What is required is openness to new and different ideas, and a willingness to engage in disciplined reading of the biblical texts.
Texts:
The New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version with the Apocrypha (Third Edition)
Richard Elliot Friedman, Who Wrote the Bible? (1997 Edition)
Particulars: This course fulfills General Education Requirement IV.A (Humanities). Students will make regular entries to an on-line Learning Journal; there will be two short (5 pages) writing assignments, a mid-term test, and a final examination. Careful preparation and active participation in class discussions (including on-line discussions in the course Learnlink site) are required.

REL 210: Classic Religious Texts: Serpents, Sages, and Sex: The Book of Genesis and Its Psychology
Stipe, TTh 1:00-2:15, MAX: 30
Content: This course will explore in depth the book of Genesis, the first book in the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible/Old Testament). The material will be placed in its historical and socio-cultural context; however, the focus of the course will be literary-narratological and psychological. Relations will be an organizing theme: interrelations in creation; divine-human relations; gender and sexual relations; sibling relations, etc. No prior familiarity with the biblical materials or any specific faith tradition is required: a readiness to consider a variety of interpretive strategies and options is essential.
Texts:
Everett Fox, The Five Books of Moses (for the Genesis text)
Norman J. Cohen, Self, Struggle, and Change
Selections from texts such as the Enuma Elish, The Epic of Gilgamesh, the Talmud and the several Targumim may be used.
Additional writings by Elie Wiesel, Renita Weems, Ilona Rashkow, Frederick Buechner and others will provide a variety of contemporary readings of Genesis. These materials will be made available electronically or through library reserve.
Particulars: Careful reading of and reflection upon the assigned texts is essential, as is regular attendance and thoughtful class participation. Reading reflections will be submitted electronically before most classes. In addition, there will be two short (4-5 page) writing assignments and two exams. This course fulfills General Education Requirement IV.A (Humanities).
REL 210: Classic Religious Texts: Ancient Religious Novels
Weaver, MWF 10:40-11:30, MAX: 30
Content: This course explores a cross-cultural selection of ancient novels, each richly textured with religious imagery. The course develops skills in reading, interpreting, and comparing such religious texts through attention to their narrative features and socio-cultural contexts. Special attention will be given to the prominence of women, chastity, and religious conversion in these entertaining, and often bizarre texts. Museum tours and slide presentations will illuminate the Jewish, Christian, Greek, and Roman cultures of the ancient novels.
Texts: The primary texts for the course may include:
Daniel; Susanna; Bel and the Dragon
Joseph and Aseneth
Third Maccabees
Apuleius, The Golden Ass
Longus, Daphnis and Chloe
Heliodorus, An Ethiopian Story
Acts of the Apostles
Acts of Paul and Thecla
Acts of Thomas
Particulars: Reading reports, interpretation briefs, and two exams. Class participation emphasized. This course fulfills General Education Requirement IV.A (Humanities).
REL 210S: Classic Religious Texts: The Works of Maimonides
Chervin, TTh 2:30-3:45, (same as JS 370), MAX: 13
Content: Theologian, philosopher, and legal codifier Moses Maimonides (1135-1204), asked the question: Is traditional Judaism consistent with the dictates of reason and philosophy? His answer: Yes, and I can prove it! In this course, we will explore how Maimonides (also known as the Rambam) sought to answer this question, by examining exerpts from the vast corpus of his work, particularly his monumental legal code - Mishneh Torah - and his philosophical masterpiece The Guide of the Perplexed. We will also look at some of the influences that affected Maimonides' thinking - i.e. rabbinic Judaism, Greek philosophy, medieval Islamic philosophy - as well as the historical context, in order to better understand his work. Students will be expected to critically analyze Maimonides' thought, and evaluate its relevance to contemporary dilemmas of religious belief and faith.
Texts: may include selections from:
Mishneh Torah
The Guide of the Perplexed (trans. Shlomo Pines, Univ of Chicago Press)
A Maimonides Reader (Isadore Twersky)
The Teachings of Maimonides (Jacob Minkin)
A History of Medieval Jewish Philosophy (Isaac Husik)
Maimonides: A Guide for Today's Perplexed (Kenneth Seeskin)
Jewish People, Jewish Thought (Robert Seltzer)
Maimonides: Torah and Philosophical Quest (David Hartman)
Introduction to the Code of Maimonides (Isadore Twersky)
Particulars: In addition to regular attendance, class participation, and regular reading assignments, this course requires short analytic essays and critical reflection papers, as well as a mid-term exam and a final exam.

REL 212: Asian Religious Traditions: Hindu and Buddhist Practices of South Asia
Doyle, TTh 10:00-11:15, (same as AS 212), MAX: 15, TPL
Content: This “theory-practice-learning” (TPL) class is an introduction to a number of prominent texts and associated religious practices found within the Hindu and Buddhist traditions of South Asia. Texts will include Vedic hymns, selections from the Upanishads, Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, the Devi-mahatmya, medieval bhakti poetry, Ashvaghosa’s Buddha-carita, the Satipatthana Sutta, Shantideva’s Bodhicaryavatara, and selections from Buddhist tantras. In line with the TPL nature of this course, students will also witness important rituals and/or festivals at the Hindu Temple of Atlanta and Wat Buddha Bucha, study about and practice Hindu yoga and Buddhist meditation, and watch performances of Carnatic devotional music and Tibetan chanting. All these will be studied within historical and contemporary contexts, thus revealing both the continuity and innovativeness of these two major religious traditions.
Texts:
Coburn, Encountering the Goddess
Eck, Darsan
Shantideva, Way of the Bodhisattva
Thich Nhat Hanh, Heart of Understanding
photocopied sourcebook of articles
Particulars: Class participation (15%), three 3-5 page reflection papers (30%), mid-term exam (25%), and final exam (30%). Meets General Education Requirement V.C.

REL 300: Interpreting Religion: Theories and Methods of Religious Studies

Laderman, TTh 2:30-3:45, MAX: 30, (Majors Only or Instructor Approval)
Content: This course will introduce Religion majors to the history of the field and to basic methods and theories used in the interpretation of religion. The course will explore a variety of approaches to the study of religion, including history of religions, anthropology, sociology, psychology, theology, and cultural studies. 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.
Particulars: Short focus papers, one book review, and a final project proposal using methods studied in the class will be required. Class participation is emphasized.

REL 301WR-S: Early & Medieval Hinduism: An Introduction to Religious Practices, Precepts, and Politics in Early India
Patton, TTh 1:00-2:15, (same as AS 301), MAX: 10
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. We will focus in particular on the mediation of religious conflict, and how Hindus have served as intriguing figures in this regard.
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 306: Tibetan Buddhism: Psychology of Enlightenment
Negi, TTh 11:30-12:45, (same as AS 306), MAX: 20
Content: This course will present a portrait of Tibetan Buddhism as a living tradition. The spiritual techniques used by Tibetan Buddhist practitioners, as well as the philosophical and psychological perspectives of these methods, will be the focus of the classwork. The course will concentrate on the tradition known in Tibetan as Lam Rim or "Stages of the Path." Lam Rim is a living tradition for systematically transforming ordinary distorted states of consciousness into the enlightened experience. For purposes of contextualization, the course will begin with a brief survey of the basic terms and concepts that form the Buddhist worldview.
Texts:
William Hart, Vipassana Meditation as Taught by S.N. Goenka
The Dalai Lama and Glenn. H. Mullin, The Path to Enlightenment
The Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler, The Art of Happiness
The Dalai Lama and Alexander Berzin, The Gelug/Kagyu Tradition of Mahamudra
Handout Materials Provided by Instructor
Particulars: All students are expected to attend all classes, read the assigned materials, make class presentations, and participate actively in class discussions. In-class quizzes, mid-term and final paper.

REL 311: Early & Medieval Christianity
Sorry: COURSE CANCELLED- to be offered Spring 2003
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.
Texts:

The Gospels according to Mark and John, NRSV
Gonzales, The Story of Christianity, Vol. 1
The Passion of Sts. Perpetua and Felicitas
St. Basil, On the Holy Spirit, selections
St. Gregory, On the Soul and the Resurrection, selections
Kavanagh, On Liturgical Theology, selections
Gregory of Nyssa, The Life of St. Macrina
Dorotheos of Gaza: Discourse and Sayings
Augustine, Confessions
The Rule of St. Benedict
Flinders, Enduring Grace
Particulars: Class preparation, attendance, and participation, as well as field work beyond the classroom are important elements of this class. Assignments will include three critical analyses of texts, and an extended interview with a practicing Christian.

REL 324: Holocaust
Lipstadt, Sorry: COURSE CANCELLED- to be offered Spring 2003
(same as JS 324; HIST 385)
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 331: Culture of Buddhist Tibet
Negi, TTh 2:30-3:45, (same as AS 375), MAX: 15
Content: This course explores the fundamental cultural elements that have shaped the Tibetan Buddhist world, and that spread from Tibet throughout Central Asia to the north and the Himalayas to the south. It will draw from not only literary sources, but also some of the unique film documentation that has become available in recent years. The aim of this course is to examine how various values, belief-systems and rituals have produced a unique culture that sustained the peoples of Tibet for many centuries. The course will also look at the relevance of these cultural facets to the modern world.
Texts: The course readings may include selections from the following:
The Sacred Life of Tibet by Keith Dowman
In Exile From the Land of Snows by John Avedon
Living in the Face of Death: The Tibetan Tradition by Glenn Mullin
Photocopied Reader (available from instructor)
Particulars: Students will be graded on class participation, presentations, response papers, and a final paper.
REL 351: Paul's Letters: Rhetoric, Theology, Politics
Holland, TTh 4:00-5:15, MAX: 10 (same as LIT 389)
Content: This course will introduce students to the entanglement of language and politics in the Pauline corpus. Paul draws upon the Jewish tradition of midrashic exegesis and the Greco-Roman tradition of rhetoric to structure his arguments. On the basis of our readings, a theology of the cross will emerge, a theology intertwined with politics. Once we gain access to Paul's arguments through his literary strategies, we shall be in a position to see how his language constitutes a particular thinking of the political. The challenge of the course will be to measure our own understanding of the political against Paul's.
Texts: The Oxford Annotated Bible (RSV)
Particulars: Students will be asked to do some additional reading, but for the most part it will consist of other biblical texts. In the third week, each student will choose one letter, excepting 1 Thessalonians, for special study, give a presentation, and lead the class discussion. A 12-15 page paper on the same letter will be due at the end of the semester. Also, after the fourth week, 1-2 page writing assignment per week will be required. Grade: 25% class participation, 25% presentation, and 50% paper.
REL 352R-S: Gender and Judaism
Gilders, M 2:00-3:40 and W 2:00-2:50, (same as JS 352R-S and WS 352R-S), MAX: 15
Content: In this course we will examine a variety of Jewish answers to questions about what it means to be male and female, and the roles, statuses, and religious and social obligations and privileges that are based on these gender identities. The course is historical in orientation. We will trace the development and consolidation of what are commonly termed "traditional" conceptions of male and female identity and status, and will also consider how these conceptions have been challenged and reconstructed, with special attention to modern Jewish feminism(s) and the perspectives of gay-lesbian-bisexual-transgender ("queer") Jews.

A primary goal of the course is to provide access to a variety of perspectives on the issues, and some of the resources for critically evaluating and understanding these perspectives. More generally, the course provides an opportunity to think through questions about gender identities and roles, and their relationships to religious thought and practice. The course should be of interest to Jews and non-Jews, women and men. Some previous study/knowledge of Judaism will be helpful, but is not a prerequisite.
Texts: Readings will be drawn from the following works:
Carol Meyers, Discovering Eve: Ancient Israelite Women in Context (New York: Oxford University Press, 1988)
Judith Hauptman, Rereading the Rabbis: A Woman's Voice (Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1998)
Miriam Peskowitz, Spinning Fantasies: Rabbis, Gender, and History (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997)
Daniel Boyarin, Carnal Israel: Reading Sex in Talmudic Culture (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993)
Daniel Boyarin, Unheroic Conduct: the Rise of Heterosexuality and the Invention of the Jewish Man (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997)
Judith Plaskow, Standing Again at Sinai: Judaism from a Feminist Perspective (San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1990)
Miriam Peskowitz and Laura Levitt, eds., Judaism Since Gender (New York: Routledge, 1997)
Blu Greenberg, On Women and Judaism: A View from Tradition (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America, 1981)
Lynn Davidman, Tradition in a Rootless World: Women Turn to Orthodox Judaism (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1991)
Pamela S. Nadell and Jonathan D. Sarna, eds., Women and American Judaism: Historical Perspectives (Hanover, NH: Brandeis University Press, 2001)
Particulars: This course combines lectures with seminar discussion. Regular attendance, careful preparation, and active participation will be expected of all students. Written work: book review; research report; regular on-line journal entries. The course will have a Learnlink site and students will be expected to contribute regularly to on-line discussions.

REL 354R-S-WR: Jewish Ethics
Berger, MWF 12:50-1:40, (same as JS 354R-S-WR), MAX: 10
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 responsum.
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 356R: Theological Reflection: Christianity Meets Buddhism
Bianchi, W 2:30-5:00, MAX: 20
Content: This course focuses on writings by modern exponents of Christian and Buddhist spirituality who reach over into other traditions for dialogue, insight and practice. It is, therefore, a course in transtraditional spirituality, a process of enriching a particular heritage by encounters with another tradition.
Texts:
Thich Nhat Hanh, Living Buddha, Living Christ
Robert Kennedy, Zen Spirit, Christian Spirit
Jon Kabat-Zinn, Wherever You Go, There You Are
Charlotte Joko Beck, Everyday Zen
Stephen Mitchell version, Tao Te Ching
The Dalai Lama, The Good Heart
Marcus Borg, Jesus and Buddha
Wayne Teasdale, The Mystic Heart
Particulars: Students will write short weekly papers as well as two longer papers.

REL 370: Religion and Conflict: The Sudan
Click here to see course FLYER!
Smith, Thursday 2:30-5:30, MAX: 20, TPL
Content: This course challenges the separation between religion and public life that most U.S. citizens assume under our form of government. Using the conflict in the Sudan as our primary case study, we will explore the transformations of conflict that are possible when the parties involved "can be appealed to on the basis of shared spiritual convictions or values" (Johnston and Sampson, "Religion, The Missing Dimension of Statecraft"). The Sudanese conflict polarizes Muslims in the north against, in the south, Christians and African traditional religionists. This course begins by comparing those polarities with analogous conflicts found in the various social contexts of class members. On the basis of this Theory-Practice Learning (TPL) approach that uses our own experience as part of the learning process, we will go on to study civil and religious conflicts in other, diverse contexts and apply them to proposals for resolving conflict in the Sudan.
Texts:
Francis Deng, War of Visions: Conflict of Identities in the Sudan
Rene Girard, Violence and the Sacred
Marc Gopin, Between Eden and Armageddon: The Future of World Religions, Violence, and Peacemaking
Douglas Johnston & Cynthia Sampson with Jimmy Carter, eds., Religion, The Missing Dimension of Statecraft
Bettina Schmidt & Ingo Schroder, eds. Anthropology of Violence and Conflict
Particulars: No prerequisites. Seminar and workshop formats will promote class discussions and regular student participation. Evaluation will be based on (1) written Reviews of readings presented in class, (2) a Midterm exam, and (3) a Final class project in the form of a grant proposal for addressing the issues of religion and conflict in the Sudan.

REL 370: Buddhism in America
Doyle, TTh 4:00-5:15, (same as AS 370), 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 century, particularly during the last thirty years, the number of Asian-American Buddhists, as well as scholarly and personal interest in Buddhism 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, conversion, 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
Numrich, Old Wisdom in the New World
Thich Naht Hahn, Being Peace
Glassman, Bearing Witness
Photocopied sourcebook of articles
Particulars: Class participation (10%), two response papers (20%), ethnography on local Buddhist temple/meditation center/group (40%), final paper (30%).

REL 370: Religion and Culture: Social Movements and 20th Century Religious Thought (Same as SOC 389)
Snarr, TTh 11:30-12:45, MAX: 15
Content: This course focuses on the roles of religious organizations, individuals, and cultures in social/political change movements. Some of the questions we will discuss: What makes an activist? In what ways do religions provide resources (materially, ideationally, and culturally) for the emergence and maintenance of social movements? In what ways are religious groups transformed by their interaction with the political process? Within these questions, this course engages the growing inter-disciplinary conversations around the contributions and constraints that religious groups provide for social/political movements. To this end, we will read and work with both foundational theories in social movement theory and case studies on several movements. We will also practice some of the skills of scholarship necessary for studying the social structure of moral outrage.
Texts: may include:
Esposito, John. Makers of Contemporary Islam
Ginsburg, Faye. Contested Lives: The Abortion Debate in an American Community
Harris, Fredrick C. Something Within: Religion in African-American Political Activism
Morris, Aldon. The Origins of the Civil Rights Movement: Black Communities Organizing for Change
Smith, Christian. Disruptive Religion: The Force of Faith in Social Movement Activism
Smith, Christian. Resisting Reagan: The US Central America Peace Movement
Particulars: Three short papers, a group Movement presentation and portfolio (including individual 5-7pp. paper) or a theory-practice learning (TPL) option.
REL 370: Philosophy of Religion
Zupko, TTh 11:30-12:45, (same as PHIL 358), MAX: 40
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?
Texts:
Philosophy of Religion: Selected Readings, 3rd edition, ed. William L. Rowe and William J. Wainwright
Particulars: Two in-class examinations, a term paper written in two drafts, and class participation
REL 380R: Internship
Patterson, Thursday 2:30-5:30, TPL
Content: Have you wished for a chance to test out ideas you've learned in class, in a local community organization, in a local religious community? Would you like to develop your analytical skills while working with others in service? Do you want to develop better communication skills and learn how to be part of a team? The Religion Internship course offers students opportunities to practice classroom theory in local settings with supervision. Students will choose their community partners from a list including the Food Bank, The DeKalb County Child Advocacy Unit, The Women's Resource Center, The Neighborhood Development Association, The Consulate General of Israel's Atlanta Office, etc. Emphasis will be on the development of interdisciplinary critical and synthetic thinking, problem-solving, and reflective judgment with relevancy to the discipline of Religious Studies.
Texts: Readings and methods of this course are from the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Some selections include: The Careless Society (McKnight); Call of Service (Robert Coles); The Demands of the Times and the American Research University (Ira Harkavy); Stages of an Internship (H.F. Sweitzer and Mary King); Common Fire (Daloz, Parks Keen); The Weight of the World (Bourdieu), and Building Communities From the Inside Out (an asset-based model).
Particulars: Students will meet weekly in a seminar class in addition to working in their placements. Each hour of credit requires 2 hours of work at a placement. Students may take this course for no less than 2 hours of credit and no more than 8 hours per semester. The course can be taken over several semesters, but cannot exceed a total of 12 hours of credit. Students should advise their supervisors that some weeks they will need to lessen their hours because of the academic requirements of the course. Students will present case studies of their work and keep a portfolio.
Non-Religion Majors are welcome. Permission of the Instructor is Required - Contact Dr. Patterson or the Religion Office
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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