Course Schedule and Catalog

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF RELIGION

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Distribution Group: Distribution Group I

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Comparative and interdisciplinary analysis of key elements (including scripture, religious experience, ideas of the divine, religious art and practices) of two Western and two non-Western religions, of the scholarly study of religion, and of the role of religion in the contemporary world.

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO NEW TESTAMENT STUDIES

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Focuses on understanding the historical, cultural and religious traditions within the biblical narratives, the process of the canonization of the New Testament texts, the variety of methods of interpretation used to study the biblical materials.

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO AFRICAN RELIGIONS

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Distribution Group: Distribution Group I

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Introduction to the structures of African religions through readings. Topics include community, cosmology, ritual, ethical values, magic, witchcraft, spirit possession, contribution to nationalism, social change, religion and art, and transplantation of African Religions in the Americas.

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO CHRISTIANITY IN AFRICA

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Distribution Group: Distribution Group I

Credit Hours: 3

Description: An introductory reading course examining the dynamics of African Christianity from the early church to the present. Course will include studying the African church during the Patristic era, the Colonial period, Prophetic Movements, nationalism, racial tensions, the role of women, and the emergence of a distinct theological voice.

Long Title: THE BIBLE AND ITS INTERPRETERS

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Distribution Group: Distribution Group I

Credit Hours: 3

Description: An introduction to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. Compares modern-critical reading with early Jewish and Christian, often fanciful interpretations.

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO BIBLICAL HEBREW I

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: An introduction to Biblical Hebrew (two semesters) with emphasis on grammar and vocabulary.

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO BIBLICAL HEBREW II

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Continuation of RELI 125. Emphasis on grammar and vocabulary, with selected readings from the Hebrew Bible. Cross-list: HEBR 126.

Long Title: INTERMEDIATE BIBLICAL HEBREW I

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisite(s): RELI 125 AND RELI 126

Description: Readings in the Hebrew Bible as well as in some unvocalized texts from the Dead Sea Scrolls. Review of grammar and vocabulary. GR/UG Equivalent: RELI 512.

Long Title: INTERMEDIATE BIBLICAL HEBREW II

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Continuation of RELI 127 (RELI 127 is not a prerequisite). Cross-list: HEBR 128.

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO TIBETAN LANGUAGE & CULTURE

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Varied topics include traditional Buddhist texts as well as modern relfections on Tibet, film, and foundations of the Tibetan language. Cross-list: TIBT 131, Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 531. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: ADVANCED TIBETAN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisite(s): RELI 131

Description: Readings in Tibetan Bon and Buddhist religious texts. Instructor Permission Required.Cross-list: TIBT 132, Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 532. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO CHINESE RELIGIONS

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Surveys the major Chinese religious traditions of Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism. Readings will include both philosophical texts, historical and anthropological studies, as well as popular literature. Cross-list: ASIA 140.

Long Title: RELIGION AND HIP HOP CULTURE IN AMERICA

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Hip Hop culture has changed how life is discussed and conducted. However, one of the under-explored dimensions of Hip Hop culture involves its religious sensibilities. Using lectures, discussions, films, and video presentations, this course explores Hip Hop culture's religious dimensions through its musical language-rap music.

Long Title: LIBERATION THEOLOGIES

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: This course seeks to acquaint students with examples of liberation theology, as they relate to the following issues: racism, sexism, classism, and environmental destruction. Attention is given to the context, construction, form, and aims of Latin American liberation theology, Black theology, Feminist theology, and Theology in the Intersections. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 548.

Long Title: WHO IS (NOT) A JEW?

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Distribution Group: Distribution Group I

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Explore problems with identity-- ethnic, political, spiritual-- in the case of the other Jew. Consider themes of anti-Semitism and philo-Semitism, insider and outsider, tradition and innovation. Examine competing views purveyed through diverse media such as literature, film, art, and music. Selected texts from St. Paul, Shakespeare, Dickens, Marx, George Eliot, Freud, Chagall, Cynthia Ozick, Bob Dylan, and Woody Allen. This course is limited to first-year students only, any others will be removed from this course. Cross-list: FSEM 164.

Long Title: FRESHMAN SEMINAR: RELIGION AND VIOLENCE

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Distribution Group: Distribution Group I

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Seminar explores the nexus of religion and violence as it appears in sacred traditions, as it played out historically, and as it occurs in the contemporary world. Discussions and readings include sociological, psychological, philosophical, and political approaches to religion itself, to violence in general, and particularly religious violence. Cross-list: FSEM 170, HIST 170.

Long Title: VIOLENCE, SACRIFICE, AND RELIGION

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: This course examines the sources of inter-human violence, from murder to man-made mass death. It asks whether (and if so, how) religious belief and practice has got to do with it. It addresses questions raised by sacrifice--human, animal, environmental, spiritual--in anthropological, psychological, literary, political, and philosophical terms.

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO JUDAISM

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Post-biblical Judaism reflected in ancient rabbinical (legal space and non-legal) literature, feminism, medieval Jewish philosophy with special emphasis on Maimonides, and modern developments such as Hasidism, Musar, liberal Judaism, and Zionism.

Long Title: ETHICS IN JUDAISM

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: What-if anything-is right, good, and just about our intentions and actions? The course surveys urgent questions raised in Jewish philosophy concerning law, morality, and politics. Topics include freedom and frailty, gender and government, emotions and reasons, suffering and hope. Readings in translation ancient, medieval, modern, and contemporary writings. Credit may not be received for both RELI 210 and RELI 330. Equivalency: RELI 330.

Long Title: JESUS AT THE MOVIES

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Explores how the portrayal of Jesus and the biblical narrative has varied in cinema as social, political and religious perspectives have shifted over this centtury.

Long Title: THE LIFE OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: This course will examine the life of the Prophet Muhammad, focusing on its significance for Muslims and for non-Muslims. Readings in The Qur'an, Ibn Hisham, and Haykal. Cross-list: ASIA 221.

Long Title: QUR'AN AND COMMENTARY

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Survey of the major themes of the Qur'an and selected types of commentary on it from the early Islamic period until the present day.

Long Title: REVOLUTIONARY ISLAM: SHI'ISM

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: This course will cover Shi'ism at an introductory level, focusing upon the Imami (Twelve) and Ismai'ili branches of Shi'ism but also including the so-called Ghulat sects.

Long Title: ASIAN RELIGIONS IN AMERICA

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: A survey course on Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Jainism in America, from the colonial period to the present, with a special focus on American metaphysical religion, the counterculture, the New Age, and the history of Western colonialism, transcultural encounter, translation and immigration. Cross-list: ASIA 230.

Long Title: AMERICAN METAPHYSICAL RELIGION

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Beginning with a historical survey of the American metaphysical tradition, this course turns to a close study of the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, as a unique window into some of the different ways the tradition has appropriated Asian religions, psychological models of the unconscious, and contemporary scientific paradigms. Cross-list: ASIA 231, Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 505.

Long Title: RELIGIONS FROM INDIA

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: This course will survey the religions of India, namely Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Christianity, Islam, and Sikhism. Emphasis will be placed on the study of scriptures of these traditions and their continuing global relevance, particularly in American history and culture. Cross-list: ASIA 232, Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 500.

Long Title: BLACK RELIGIOUS THOUGHT

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: This course will examine 20th century Black religious thought and its influence on Black life and praxis. The course is structured thematically. The themes are: Black Nationalism, Christianity Inspired Praxis, Black Existentialism and Humanism. We will explore central themes such as evil, suffering, scriptural imagery, and liberation. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 550.

Long Title: THE BOOK OF GENESIS

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: A critical reading in English of the Book of Genesis with close attention to the narrative artistry and theological dimensions of the text. Compares pre-modern modes of interpretation and modern historical criticism.

Long Title: MEDITATION, MYSTICISM, AND MAGIC

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: The course moves between Buddhist religious and Western psychological literature, analyzing these as models of human development, as guides to a meditative life or critiques of it, and above all as expressions of deeply rooted cultural proclivities. Reading Freud, Milarepa, Norbu, Obeyesekere, Sutric and Tantric literature, Taylor and Wangyal. Cross-list: ASIA 250.

Long Title: RELIGION & THE SOCIAL SCIENCES

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Designed to introduce the student to classic and contemporary texts in the social scientific study of religion. Topics include: mysticism, the social construction of gender, the guru-disciple relationship, secularization, healing traditions East and West, cross-cultural debates. Equivalency: RELI 336.

Long Title: MYSTICS, SAINTS, & SAGES

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Familiarize the student with diverse texts (secular and religious, East and West) found in mystical literature. Emphasis will be placed on psychological, philosophical and comparative methods. Equivalency: RELI 337, Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 337, RELI 582.

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO THE BLACK CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Much of what has historically taken place within Black communities has been shaped by Black Christian churches. These churches are resources for those interested in understanding religious expression and activism within the Black community. This course provides an introduction into the history, thought, and worship of the major Black denominations.

Long Title: RELIGION AND SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION IN HOUSTON

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Assess the role of religion for social change in Houston by illuminating the contributions of William Lawson, a local leader who worked with Martin Luther King. It first uncovers the underpinnings and antecedents of the civil rights movement in general before narrowing its focus on Houston in particular.

Long Title: SEARCH FOR GOD

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Explore forms of theistic religious experience, concentrating on the Western Christian tradition; past and present cultural and philosophical challenges to traditional religious belief; the possibility of Christian faith and the struggle for justice and meaning. Equivalency: RELI 390.

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO CHRISTIANITY

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Distribution Group: Distribution Group I

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Multidisciplinary exploration of Christian religious experience, belief, and social reality with examples from Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe during the last two thousand years. Themes include search for lasting marks of identity amid change and diversity as well as the issue of Christianity's relation to processes of modernization and secularization. No prior background in religious studies required.

Long Title: THE REFORMATION & ITS RESULTS

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Distribution Group: Distribution Group I

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Theology and church-state issues from 16th-century Reformation to 17th century; medieval background; Luther and Calvin, the Catholic Reformation; religious wars; Protestant orthodoxy; Pietist spirituality; Puritanism; and calls for toleration. Equivalency: RELI 391.

Long Title: RELIGION IN FICTION AND FILM

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: The sacred in interreligious, international, and interdisciplinary encounter, approached via social sciences, theology, theories of literature and mythology. Authors and directors can include Waugh, Mishima, Mann, Proust, Hesse, Percy, Gardner, Updike, Gibson, Sterling, Coupland, Ray, Resnais, Fellini, Bergman, Anderson, Bunnel, and Nutley. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 514.

Long Title: NIETZSCHE AND RELIGIOUS THOUGHT

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Nietzsche's thought and background: his impact on religious thinkers and cultural critics; his influence on understanding of God, faith, values, society; his connection with Schopenhauer, Wagner, Tillich, Mann, Barth, Buber, Freud, Jung, D.H. Lawrence, Heidegger, antibourgeois cultural criticism, environmentalism, feminism, and postmodernism. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 515.

Long Title: THE CRAFT OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: This course is an advanced survey that introduces the components of studying religion: testual interpretation, traditions and cultures, methodological analysis, and reflection on values. It is required for Religious Studies majors and encouraged for non-majors.

Long Title: JESUS AND THE GOSPELS

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Explores the various portraits of Jesus in the New Testament and extra-canonical gospels (including the gospels of Thomas Philip, Mary and Judas) in order to reconstruct each gospel's Christological interpretation of Jesus as well as the "historical" Jesus himself.

Long Title: SEXUALITY & EARLY CHRISTIANITY

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Studies the development of attitudes toward sexuality and the body in many varieties of early Christianity. A historical-critical and feminist study of biblical texts will be made, as well as extracanonical materials from Nag Hammadi, the Church Fathers, the Apocryphal Acts, and the monastic literature.

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO COPTIC LANGUAGE I

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: A first semester introduction to Coptic grammer and vocabulary. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 591. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO COPTIC LANGUAGE 2

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisite(s): RELI 307

Description: Second semester introduction to Coptic grammar and vocabulary, with selected readings from the Coptic New Testament, Nag Hammadi, and monastic literature. Pre-rquisite: Introduction to Coptic Language I. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 592.

Long Title: CANONICAL GOSPELS: NARRATIVE AND SOCIAL SETTING

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Varied readings in original language to include the New Testament, Nag Hammadi, and monastic literature. Prerequisite: Coptic 1 and 2. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 593. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: CHRISTIAN CONTROVERSIES & CREEDS FROM THE BIBLE TO CHALCEDON

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Traces the development of the major doctrinal traditions that gained authoritative status within the ancient Church from the Bible to the Council of Chalcedon. These traditions are the result of dialogue and controversy between Christians including the Church Fathers, Jewish Christians, Gnostics, Arians and Nestorians. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 594.

Long Title: RELIGION AND HIP HOP CULTURE IN AMERICA

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Hip Hop culture has changed how life is discussed and conducted. However, one of the under-explored dimensions of Hip Hop culture involves its religious sensibiliites. Using lectures and discussion, this course explores Hip Hop culture's religious dimensions through the musical language of rap.

Long Title: THE RELIGIOUS THOUGHT OF MARTIN L. KING, JR. AND MALCOLM X

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Although many figures played a prominent role during the Civil Rights Movement, Martin L. King, Jr. and Malcolm X made unique contributions. Their work sparked important conversation concerning the methods, goals, and consequences of struggle toward liberation. This course examines their religiosity, theological sensibilities, and the major themes which surface in their writings and public work. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 546.

Long Title: GENDER AND ISLAM

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Explores the lives of Muslim women in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and North America; analyze constructions of gender in the Islamic world over time, the challenges faced from such diverse quarters as colonial administrators, Western feminists, and states, as well as movements and individuals within the Muslim world. Cross-list: SWGS 315.

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO BUDDHISM

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Distribution Group: Distribution Group I

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Exploration of the Buddhist traditions of India, Tibet, China, and Japan, emphasizing the relationship between styles of meditation, their philosophical perspectives, cultural context, and classic Buddhist texts. Cross-list: ASIA 322, Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 572.

Long Title: THE KNOWING BODY: BUDDHISM, GENDER AND THE SOCIAL WORLD

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Western thought tends to regard mind and body dualistically, a view with significant impact on religious cultural, gendered and social processes. This course juxtaposes received Western assumptions with Buddhist perspectives (especially Tibetan Buddhist), mapping Western and Buddhist categories onto each other to better understand the implications of each. Cross-list: ASIA 323, SWGS 323, Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 577.

Long Title: TANTRA IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Examine the development of Hindu and Buddhist Tantric traditions in India, and explore their dissemination to Tibet and East Asia. Focus on the issues of power, gender, and sexuality as negotiated by these traditions. Also explore their modern transmissions to the West. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 528.

Long Title: ETHICS IN JUDAISM

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: What-if anything-is right, good, and just about our intentions and actions? The course surveys urgent questions raised in Jewish philosophy concerning law, morality, and politics. Topics include freedom and frailty, gender and government, emotion and reasons, suffering and hope. Readings in translation ancient, medieval, modern, and contemporary writings. RELI 330: Requires an additional original research paper. Equivalency: RELI 210.

Long Title: KNOWING BODY/GLOWING MIND: BUDDHIST ARTS OF CONTEMPLATION AND ANALYSIS

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Buddhism is a performing art engaging both mind and body. Our course investigates Buddhist and other literature, epistemology and rituals with an eye to how they speak to contemplative practice. Contemplative practice itself, in class and out, supplements our exploration of the interplay between traditional Asian and contemporary Western perspectives. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 573. Recommended prerequisite(s): One course in Buddhism. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for RELI 333 if student has credit for RELI 573. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: PSYCHOLOGY OF RELIGION

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: An overview of the basic approaches in the psychological understanding of religious belief and practice. Topics to be addressed in religious systems East and West include: sex, religious experience, ritual, myth, saintliness, guilt, God and meditation.

Long Title: RELIGION & THE SOCIAL SCIENCES

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Designed to introduce the student to classic and contemporary texts in the social scientific study of religion. Topics include: mysticism, the social construction of gender, the guru-disciple relationship, secularizaiton, healing traditions East and West, cross-cultural debates. Additional written work. Equivalency: RELI 260.

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO MYSTICISM

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Familiarize the student with diverse texts (secular and religious, East and West) found in mystical literature. Emphasis will be placed on psychological and compartive methods. Write additional term paper of 15 pages. Equivalency: RELI 262, Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 262, RELI 582.

Long Title: THE CHURCH OF AFRICA

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Distribution Group: Distribution Group I

Credit Hours: 3

Description: A reading course designed to examine Christianity in Africa. Course materials and readings will address the development of the church from the Patristic era to the present, paying attention to theological developments, missionization, colonialism, nationalism, prophetic movements, race relations, the role of women, and social issues. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 540.

Long Title: THEOLOGY IN AFRICA

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Introductory readings on theological thinking in Africa. Course will address methodological issues as well as constructive theological work on enculturation, social and economic justice, gender, health, and liberation. UG/GR Equivalent: RELI 533: read 5 major texts, write a major review, lead class discussions, discuss texts used, and write 20 page research paper. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for RELI 340 if student has credit for RELI 539.

Long Title: NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS IN AFRICA

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Distribution Group: Distribution Group II

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Discusses new religious movements and the religious, sociological, and political factors leading to their rise, also missionary and colonial reactions to them. Examines their relationship to indigenous religions, political praxis, their focus on this-worldly salvation in the wake of political and economic marginality. Cross-list: ANTH 343.

Long Title: LIBERATION THEOLOGIES II: A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Through readings, lectures, and class discussions, this course provides a survey of liberation theologies outside the United States. Primary attention is given to liberation theologies in Africa, Asia, South America, and the United Kingdom. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 549.

Long Title: CHRISTIANITY AND ISLAM IN AFRICA

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Distribution Group: Distribution Group I

Credit Hours: 3

Description: This course will focus upon the history and conflict of Christianity and Islam in Africa, with emphasis placed upon indigenous African developments, cultural and artistic themes, and conversion narratives as well as exploring the co-existence and conflict of the two major faiths of the continent. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 536.

Long Title: JIHAD AND THE END OF THE WORLD

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: The course will explore the connections between Jihad (both aggressive and non-aggressive) and apocalyptic beliefs in the Muslim tradition from the time of the Prophet Muhammad until the present day. Readings from the Qur'an, Bukhari, Ayatullah al-Khumayni, and Sayyid Qutb.

Long Title: RELIGION AND SOCIAL CHANGE IN SOUTH ASIA

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: The course will explore connections between religion and social and historical change in Colonial and Post-Colonial South Asia, with a focus on Hindu, Buddhist and Shia Muslim communities in India, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Particular attention will be given to issues of religious identity and inter-religious conflict. Cross-list: ASIA 355.

Long Title: MAJOR ISSUES IN CONTEMPORARY ISLAM

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: This course will focus on the major issues confronting contemporary Islam including Islamic unity, the place of the Qur'an and traditions, human rights, Islamic feminism, da'wa, education, science and Islam, globalization and medical ethics.

Long Title: HUMOR AND ENTERTAINMENT IN ISLAMIC SOCIETIES

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: This course investigates humor and entertainment in Islamic societies from the early Islamic period to the 20th century. We will read and discuss texts from the Arabic, Persian, and Turkish literary traditions, and analyze their genres and entertainment values. Cross-list: HIST 359.

Long Title: THE ORIENTAL RENAISSANCE

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: This course will explore the European and American encounters with India from 17th-century France to 20th-century America. Particular attention will be given to the translation of texts, the English and German Romantic traditions, the depth psychology of C.G. Jung, and the American New Age. Cross-list: ASIA 361.

Long Title: AESTHETICS AND HERMENEUTICS: MODERN ART, MYSTICAL EXPERIENCE, AND TEXTUAL INTERPRETATION

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Sacred texts and the visual arts have contributed immeasurably to shaping individual and collective conceptions of the spiritual in modern and postmodern culture. This course will examine a range of aesthetic and hermeneutic traditions, including mystical texts, modernist artworks and related museum exhibitions, in order to consider the ways in which the experiences of reading, writing, and viewing can serve as powerful acts of self-creation. Cross-list: HART 393, Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 502.

Long Title: NEW TESTAMENT & CHRISTIAN ORIGINS

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Examines the growth of Christianity from its origins as a Jewish group to a religion in the mid-second century that distinguished itself from Judaism. Includes discussion of Acts, Paul's letters, Johannine corpus, Gospel of Thomas, Pastorals, Catholic letters, Hebrews, and Revelation. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 595.

Long Title: SPIRITUAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: This course will serve as a writing workshop and an introduction to the literature of spiritual autobiography. Students will read, interpret, discuss, and write about work ranging from St. Augustine to karen Armstrong. They will keep a daily spiritual journal and write a final paper based on this introspection. UG/GR equivalent: RELI 544.

Long Title: MEDICINE, MEANING, & MORALITY

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Introduce students to the medical humanities -- a relatively new field which addresses moral, legal, spiritual and religious problems spawned by the rise of high-tech medicine and high-stakes biomedical research. Materials include clinical case studies, film, and reader's theatre as well as historical, philosophical, literary, and theological writings. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 542.

Long Title: MODERN JEWISH THOUGHT

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: What is the role of God and spirituality in the modern world? How do modern Jewish thinkers reinterpret traditional religious concepts? Explore debates on textual criticism, historical representation, existentialism, and political theology in writings by Spinoza, Buber, Rosenzweig, Kook, Levinas, and Adler. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 561.

Long Title: JEWISH MYSTICISM

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Surveys the historical development and central themes of Jewish mysticism. Moving from ancient Gnosticism to medieval Kabbalah to modern Hasidism, we critically reflect on the divine presence in the world, the cultivation of insight and magical powers, contemplative and restorative practices, charismatic authority, the anti-legalism of spiritual growth. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 562.

Long Title: ART & RELIGION IN CHINA

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: This introductory course examines the complex relationship between art and religion in China (1th - 19th centuries). Through an analysis of painting, sculpture, cave temples, steles, manuscripts, talismans, illustrated prints, and primary sources, we will explore the visual, religious and cultural dimensions of Buddhism and Daoism, and the fluid nature of Chinese culture. Cross-list: ASIA 374, HART 374.

Long Title: THE MESSIAH

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Examines the historical origins of Messianism. The Hebrew Bible, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and other ancient texts reflect a surprising diversity of Messianic expectations in early Judaism. These form the background of early Christian depictions of Jesus of Nazareth.

Long Title: THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: A survey of the Dead Sea Scrolls as a window into the Second Temple period. A close reading of the scrolls will lead to a discussion of the theological and historical issues of the time, a period pivotal for the formation of Rabbinic Judaism and Early Christianity. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 553.

Long Title: GOD, TIME AND HISTORY

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Distribution Group: Distribution Group I

Credit Hours: 3

Description: How is the passage of time given meaning, and what role--if any--is assigned to divinity in shaping the direction of events? Course explores various forms of recording and interpreting events, drawing from ancient Mesopotamia, Israel, and the Greco-Roman world--the cultures in which modern ideas of history began. Cross-list: HIST 381, Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 585.

Long Title: SEARCH FOR GOD IN THE POSTMODERN WORLD

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Explore forms of theistic religious experience, concentrating on the Western Christian tradition; past and present cultural and philosophical challenges to traditional religious belief; the possibility of Christian faith and the struggle for justice and meaning. RELI 390: Additional 10-page research paper required. Equivalency: RELI 280.

Long Title: REFORMATION & ITS RESULTS

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Distribution Group: Distribution Group I

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Theology and church-state issues from 16th-century Reformation to 17th-century; medieval background; Luther and Calvin, the Catholic Reformation; religious wars; Protestant orthodoxy; Pietist spirituality; Puritanism; and calls for toleration. RELI 391: Additional 15-page paper required. Equivalency: RELI 286.

Long Title: THE SACRED ARTS OF SECULAR MODERNISM

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: This course examines various representations of spirituality and the sacred in modernist and post modernist aesthetics, and their corresponding expressions in historical and contemporary museum practices. Special empahsis will be placed on the outstanding collections of the adjacent museum district, the Menil Collection, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Long Title: HONORS IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Independent Study

Credit Hours: 3 TO 6

Description: Honors thesis. Enrollment by approval. Instructor Permission Required. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: INDEPENDENT STUDY

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Independent Study

Credit Hours: 1 TO 6

Description: Multiple sections of this course are offered. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: INDEPENDENT STUDY

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Independent Study

Credit Hours: 1 TO 6

Description: Multiple sections of this course are offered. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: APOCALYPSE THEN AND NOW

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: A close reading and discussion of three apocalypses from the biblical period: 1 Enoch, 2 Baruch, and Revelation. Concludes with a discussion of contemporary forms of apocalypticism. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 510.

Long Title: AFRICAN MYTHS & RITUALS

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Distribution Group: Distribution Group I

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Explore and analyze specific myths and rituals which provide legitimation for community ceremonies and which serve as basis for the negotiation of power and ideology for members within that community. Readings from classic theorist: Gennap & Turner; and contemporary theorists: Werbner, Heusch, Comaroff and Ray. Cross-list: ANTH 423, Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 537.

Long Title: RELIGION AND POLITICS IN AFRICA

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: This course explores religion and politics in Africa focusing on indigenous religions, Christianity, Islam, etc. Readings highlight historical developments, key documents in religion and politics, contemporary issues such as: religious freedom, separation of religion and politics, human rights, violence, race, gender, class, and the role of religion in reconstruction of public praxis. Instructor Permission Required.Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 534.

Long Title: AFRICANA PHILOSOPHY & THOUGHT

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Read, discuss, and analyze African, African American, Caribbean, and other African Diaspora existential thought and philosophy. Explore history of philosophy in that context and major philosophical issues and voices. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 535.

Long Title: RELIGION AND LITERATURE IN AFRICA

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Analysis of the religious imagination and gender issues in postcolonial literature in Africa focusing on Islam, Christianity, indigenous religions and African Initiated Churches. Religious and gender issues addressed include identity crises, power, clash of cultures, modernity, cosmology, community, and socio-religious conflicts in a postcolonial world. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 538.

Long Title: DEPARTMENT SEMINAR

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: The team-taught Department Seminar critically examines the methodological questions and interpretive paradigms that have been central to the academic study of religion. Philosophical, ethical, textual, psychological, comparative and gender issues, among others, will be considered. Instructors and topics vary. Mandatory for graduate students; majors by invitation. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 529. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: RELIGION & MODERN THERAPIES

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: A survey of the historical development of the psychology of religion and its conversation with theology, comparative studies, gender studies, sociology, and anthropology. Topics include: mysticism, eroticism, conversion, feminism, psychobiography. Examples drawn from a variety of religious traditions. Readings include: Freud, Jung, Tillich, Erikson, Kristeva, Kakar. Instructor Permission Required.Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 584.

Long Title: TIBETAN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Readings in Tibetan texts -- debates, philosophical treatises of various kinds, meditation texts for contemplative practice -- accompanied by supportive readings in English and discussion of the thematic issues raised by the material, with an emphasis on cultural awareness. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: ISLAM'S MYSTICAL AND ESOTERIC TRADITION

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Explores the ascetic and Sufi aspects of Islam from the middle Islamic period until the present day. Readings from al-Ghazali, Ibn al-Arabi, Sa'di, Hafiz and Rumi. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 522.

Long Title: MAGIC AND POPULAR RELIGION

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: This course will examine the popular religion in the Middle East from Late Antiquity until the 19th century, focusing on healing practices, astrology, protection, amulets, seasoned/life-cycle rituals, and other popular beliefs common to Islam, Judaism and Christianity. Cross-list: ASIA 441, Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 525.

Long Title: MAIMONIDES "GUIDE FOR THE PERPLEXED"

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: This course will closely read the classic text of Judeo- Muslim thought, Maimonides Guide for the Perplexed, in its historical philosophical and literary context. It will draw upon additional Jewish and Muslim sources as well. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 565.

Long Title: PHILOSOPHIES & THEOLOGIES OF HISTORY

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Modern thought on meaning, direction of history; roots in eschatology, Augustine; flowering in progress, historicism: Hegel, Ranke, Burckhardt, Nietzsche, Troeltsch, Spengler, Heidegger, Toynbee; cultural echo (de Chirico, Proust, Mann, Robbe-Grillet, Bu^uel, Bergman, Fellini). Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 517.

Long Title: HISTORY OF WESTERN CHRISTIANITY: REFORMATION TO THE PRESENT

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Spirituality, sociopolitical movements, and intellectual life in the West. Includes Luther, Calvin, Kierkegaard, Bonhoeffer, Barth, C.S. Lewis, Tillich, Marx, Nietzsche, and Jung. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 520.

Long Title: MODERNITY, ANTI- AND POSTMODERNITY

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Modernity, Antimodernity, & Postmodernity as Styles of Religiosity. Exploration of the problem of defining "modernity" and concepts. Includes contemporary sociological, political, and cultural theory (e.g. Baudrillrad) in connection with typologies of religious experience and grouping from mainline through New Age. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 519.

Long Title: MEDICAL ETHICS AND AMERICAN VALUES I

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Readings and discussion of the principles and priorities of medical ethics, with attention to historical development. Taught in conjunction with University of Texas-Houston Health Science Center. Classes meet at UT School of Public Health. Intended only for highly qualified undergraduates. Instructor Permission Required.Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 543.

Long Title: REPRESENTING EVIL

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: This course explores myriad ways evil has gotten represented in arts and letters, through history and around the globe, concentrating on literary fiction but also considering other media. It addresses how human cultures shape and are shaped by appeal to God or gods for the justification of suffering. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 564.

Long Title: GERMAN-JEWISH IDEALISM AND ITS CRITICS

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: From the 18th century until 1933, writers imagined a symbiosis of Judaic and German philosophical and cultural ideas. Were they tragically deluded or guardedly optimistic? Discuss skepticism, romanticism, historicism, ethical monotheism, critical theory, and neo-conservatism. Readings selected from Mendelssohn, Spinoza, Cohen, Buber, Rosenzweig, Scholem, Benjamin, Arendt, and Strauss. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 568.

Long Title: BUDDHIST WISDOM TEXTS

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Indo-Tibetan analyses of the mind and its functions, especially differing views on the role of reasoning and the nature of the "ultimate" in major philosophical schools of Tibet and India. UG/GR EQUIV: RELI 570 Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 570. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: SEXUALITY, SANCTITY, AND PSYCHOANALYSIS

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: An advanced mapping of the psychoanalytic study of religion through a close reading of psychoanalytically informed studies of saints, founding figures, and charismatic teachers, with a particular focus on sexuality and gender and their relationship to the expression and representation of holiness in the history of religions. Cross-list: SWGS 470, Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 580.

Long Title: GNOSTIC GOSPELS SEMINAR

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Examines the second century's great debate between the Gnostic Christians and their opponents, the Christians who later became known as the "orthodox". The conflict concerned ideas about "correct" interpretations of the nature of Jesus and his relationship to God and the world. Nag Hammadi texts as well as Patristic literature will be analyzed by individual students.

Long Title: AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE AND RELIGION

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: In this seminar students will read and analyze African American literature in order to explore the various ways in which African Americans have understood and articulated the nature and meaning of African American religious experience and practice. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 590.

Long Title: THEORY AND METHOD IN THE STUDY OF BLACK RELIGION

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Through an intense reading and analysis of select text, this seminar will give attention to "tools" for the study of Black religion made available through, for example, History of Religions, Philosophy of Religion (Pragmatism and the "Prophetic"), Phenomenology, Constructive Theology, Process Studies, and Social/Cultural History, Sociology of Religion. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 545.

Long Title: RELIGIONS FROM INDIA

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Long Title: THE ORIENTAL RENAISSANCE

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: This course will explore the European and American encounters with India from 17th-century France to twentieth-century America. Particular attention will be given to the translation of Sanskrit texts, the English and German Romantic traditions, the depth psychology of C.G. Jung, and the American New Age.

Long Title: AESTHETICS AND HERMENEUTICS: MODERN ART, MYSTICAL EXPERIENCE, AND TEXTURAL INTERPRETATION

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Long Title: JESUS AND THE GOSPELS

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Explores the various portraits of Jesus in the New Testament and extra-canonical gospels (including the gospels of Thomas Philip, Mary and Judas) in order to reconstruct each gospel's Christological interpretation of Jesus as well as the "historical" Jesus himself. Additional readings, research and writing required at the graduate level. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 234.

Long Title: AMERICAN METAPHYSCIAL RELIGION

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Beginning with a historical survey of the American metaphysical tradition, this course turns to a close study of the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA, as a unique window to some of the different ways tradition has appropriated Asian religions, psychological models of the unconscious, and contemporary scientific paradigms. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 231.

Long Title: ASIAN RELIGIONS IN AMERICA

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: A survey course on Hinduism, Buddism, Taoism, and Jainism in America, from the colonial period to the present, with a special focus on American metaphysical religion, the counterculture, the New Age, and the history of Western colonialism, transcultural encounter, translation, and immigration. Graduate section requires additional readings and research papers.

Long Title: APOCALYPSE THEN AND NOW

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Long Title: RELIGION IN FICTION AND FILM

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: The sacred in interreligious, international, and interdisciplinary encounter, approached via social sciences, theology, theories of literature and mythology. Authors and directors can include Waugh, Mishima, Mann, Proust, Hesse, Percy, Gardner, Updike, Gibson, Sterling, Coupland, Ray, Resnais, Fellini, Bergman, Anderson, Bunnel, Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 294.

Long Title: NIETZSCHE AND RELIGIOUS THOUGHT

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Long Title: PHILOSOPHIES AND THEOLOGIES OF HISTORY

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Long Title: MODERNITY, ANTIMODERNITY & POSTMODERNITY AS STYLES OF RELIGIOSITY

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Long Title: HISTORY OF WESTERN CHRISTIANITY: REFORMATION TO THE PRESENT

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Long Title: ADVANCED STUDY OF ISLAM

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: The purpose of this course will be to give graduate students a working knowledge of Islam historically and religiously.

Long Title: ISLAM'S MYSTICAL AND ESOTERIC TRADITION

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Long Title: INDEPENDENT STUDY

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Independent Study

Credit Hours: 1 TO 15

Description: Multiple sections of this course are offered. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: INDEPENDENT STUDY

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Independent Study

Credit Hours: 1 TO 9

Description: Multilpe sections of this course are offered. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: MAGIC AND POPULAR RELIGION

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Long Title: JIHAD & THE END OF THE WORLD

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: This course will explore the connections between Jihad (both aggressive and non-aggressive) and apocalyptic beliefs in the Muslim tradition from the time of the Prophet Muhammad unitl the present day. Readings from the Qur'an, Bukhari, Ayatullah al-Khumayni, and Sayyid Qutb. RELI 526: Write 25-page paper and teach 1-2 class sessions.

Long Title: TANTRA IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVES

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Study of religion and poverty in global context. Course materials addresses religious, ethical political and anthropological theories of development, analyze specific themes and Faith Based Organizations. Graduate students will study and present the work of one Faith Based Organization in class. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 328.

Long Title: DEPARTMENT SEMINAR

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description:  Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: PEDAGOGY PRACTICUM

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Independent Study

Credit Hours: 2

Description: As an integral part of the department's apprenticeship program, this is a semester-long practicum through which a graduate student apprentices with a faculty member teaching an undergraduate course in order to be trained in all aspects of course design, lecturing, advising, and grading. Required of all graduate students. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 403. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO TIBETAN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Varied topics include traditional Buddhist texts as well as modern reflections on Tibet, film, and foundations of the Tibetan language. This course will write a paper approximately one-third longer than the undergraduate equivalent course, and complete a more substantial oral presentation. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 131. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: ADVANCED TIBETAN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: This class builds on RELI 232 and 234, now including more challenging material in Tibetan, and continuing the trajectory of gaining familiarity with Buddhist philosophical systems as these touch on epistemology, ontology, and contemplative practice. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 132. Recommended Prerequisite(s): Basic reading ability in Tibetan. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: TIBETAN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Introductory readings on theological thinking in Africa. Course will address methodological issues as well as constructive theological work on enculturation, social and economic justice, gender, health, and liberation. RELI 533: read 5 major texts, write a major review, lead class discussions, discuss texts used, and write 20 page research paper. UG/GR Equiv: RELI 340. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 133.

Long Title: RELIGION AND POLITICS IN AFRICA

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: The course explores religion and politics in Africa focusing on indigenous religions, Christianity, Islam, etc. Readings highlight historical developments, key documents in religion and politics, contemporary issues such as: religious freedom, separation of religion and politics, human rights, violence, race, gender, class, and the role of religion in reconstruction of public praxis. Instructor Permission Required.Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 424. Recommended prerequisite(s): Basic reading ability in Tibetan.

Long Title: AFRICANA PHILOSOPHY & THOUGHT

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Read, discuss, and analyze African, African American, Caribbean, and other African Diaspora existential thought and philosophy. Explore history of philosophy in that context and major philosophical issues and voices. Write 2 book reviews (5 pages), do a presentation in one area (African, African American, Caribbean philosophy), and write a research paper on a significant issue on Africana philosophy demonstrating sophistication in philosophical analysis. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 425.

Long Title: CHRISTIANITY AND ISLAM IN AFRICA

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: This course will focus upon the history and conflict of Christianity and Islam in Africa, with emphasis placed upon indigenous African developments, cultural and artistic themes, and conversion narratives as well as exploring the co-existence and conflict of the two major faiths of the continent. RELI 536: Write longer (20-25 page) paper, teach/lead class discussions and read additonal literature. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 348.

Long Title: AFRICAN MYTHS AND RITUALS

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: . Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 423.

Long Title: RELIGION AND LITERATURE IN AFRICA

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Long Title: THEOLOGY IN AFRICA

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Introductory readings on theological thinking in Africa. Course will address methodological issues as well as constructive theological work on enculturation, social and economic justice, gender, health, and liberation. RELI 539: read 5 major texts, write a major review, lead class discussions, discuss texts used. and write 20 page research paper. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for RELI 539 if student has credit for RELI 340.

Long Title: THE CHURCH OF AFRICA

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Long Title: MEDICINE, MEANING, AND MORALITY

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Introduce students to the medical humanities -- a relatively new field which addresses moral, legal, spiritual and religious problems spawned by the rise of high-tech medicine and high-stakes biomedical research. Materials include clinical case studies, film, and reader's theatre as well as historical, philosophical, literary, and theological writings. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 370.

Long Title: MEDICAL ETHICS AND AMERICAN VALUES I

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Taught in conjunction with University of Texas-Houston Health Science Center. Classes meet at UT School of Public Health. Instructor Permission Required.Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 462.

Long Title: MEDICAL ETHICS AND AMERICAN VALUES II

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: This course will serve as a writing workshop and an introduction to the literature of spiritual autobiography. Students will read, interpret, discuss, and write about work ranging from St. Augustine to Karen Armstrong. They will keep a daily spiritual journal and write a final paper based on this introspection. RELI 544 requires additional reading assignments and increased paper length than its UG equivalent RELI 368. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 463.

Long Title: THEORY AND METHOD IN THE STUDY OF BLACK RELIGION

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Through an intense reading and analysis of select text, this seminar will give attention to "tools" for the study of Black religion made available through, for example, History of Religions, Philosophy of Religion (Pragmatism and the "Prophetic"), Phenomology, Constructive Theology, Process Studies, and Social/Cultural History, Sociology of Religion. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 491.

Long Title: THE RELIGIOUS THOUGHT OF MARTIN L. KING, JR. AND MALCOLM X

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Long Title: LIBERATION THEOLOGIES

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Long Title: LIBERATION THEOLOGIES II: A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Long Title: BLACK RELIGIOUS THOUGHT

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Long Title: AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES RESEARCH SEMINAR

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 4

Description: Interdisciplinary graduate research seminar in African American studies. Topics vary. Cross-list: HIST 560.

Long Title: THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Long Title: MODERN JEWISH THOUGHT

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Long Title: JEWISH MYSTICISM

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Surveys the historical development and central themes of Jewish mysticism. Moving from ancient Gnosticism to medieval Kabbalah to modern Hasidism, we critically reflect on the divine presence in the world, the cultivation of insight and magical powers, contemplative and restorative practices, charismatic authority, the anti-legalism of spiritual growth. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 373.

Long Title: REPRESENTING EVIL

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Long Title: MAIMONIDES "GUIDE FOR THE PERPLEXED"

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: This course will closely read the classic text of Judeo- Muslim thought, Maimonides Guide for the Perplexed, in its historical philosophical and literary context. It will draw upon additional Jewish and Muslim sources as well. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 443.

Long Title: GERMAN-JEWISH IDEALISM AND ITS CRITICS

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: This course will look at the rise of the “nones,” that is, individuals who affiliate with no religious tradition, through both a history of secular thought in the West and a close reading of key texts and figures. Atheism, humanism, secularism and the “spiritual but not religious” will all be treated as key categories. RELI 586 will require additional readings, 3 additional papers plus a longer research paper, leading discussions and teaching. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 468.

Long Title: BUDDHIST WISDOM TEXTS

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Indo-Tibetan analyses of the mind and its functions, especially differing views on the role of reasoning and the nature of the "ultimate" in major philosophical schools of Tibet and India. RELI 570: More difficult readings and two longer papers required. UG/GR EQUIV: RELI 470 Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 470. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO BUDDHISM

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Long Title: KNOWING BODY/GLOWING MIND: BUDDHIST ARTS OF CONTEMPLATION AND ANALYSIS

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Buddhism is a performing art engaging both mind and body. Our course investigates Buddhist and other literature, epistemology and rituals with an eye to how they speak to contemplative practice. Contemplative practice itself, in class and out, supplements our exploration of the interplay between traditional Asian and contemporary Western perspectives. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 333. Recommended prerequisite(s): One course in Buddhism. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for RELI 573 if student has credit for RELI 333. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: THE KNOWING BODY: BUDDHISM, GENDER, AND THE SOCIAL WORLD

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Long Title: SEXUALITY, SANCTITY, AND PSYCHOANALYSIS

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Explores context and consequences of the concept of religious tolerance in the crucible of globalization politics. Background in settlement of Reformation-era religious wars; American attitudes; impetus for tolerance policies and their implementation, 1945 to present (including governmentality and surveillance); results for historically Christian populations, esp. in US and Europe. Cross-list: SWGS 580, Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 480.

Long Title: GNOSTIC GOSPELS SEMINAR

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO MYSTICISM

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Long Title: RELIGION & MODERN THERAPIES

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Long Title: GOD, TIME AND HISTORY

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Long Title: SEXUALITY & CHRISTIANITY SEMINAR

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Studies the develpment of attitudes toward sexuality and the body in many varieties of early Christianity. A historical- critical and feminist study of biblical texts will be made, as well as extracanonical materials from Nag Hammadi, the Church Fathers, the apocryphal Acts, and the monastic literature. Additional research and oral presentation required for graduate students.

Long Title: AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE AND RELIGION

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: In this seminar students will read and analyze African American literature in order to explore the various ways in which African Americans have understood and articulated the nature and meaning of African American religious experience and practice. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 490.

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO COPTIC LANGUAGE I

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: A first semester introduction to Coptic grammar and vocabulary. Select a Coptic text, read in its original language, and prepare a commentary or an exegesis on that text (5,000 words). Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 307.

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO COPTIC LANGUAGE 2

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisite(s): RELI 307

Description: Second semester introduction to Coptic grammar and vocabulary, with selected readings from the Coptic New Testament, nag Hammadi, and monastic literature. Pre-requisite: Introduction to Coptic Language I RELI 592: Select a Coptic text, read in its original language, and prepare a commentary or a exegesis on that text (5,000 words). Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 308.

Long Title: READING COPTIC TEXTS

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Varied readings in original language to include the New Testament, Nag Hammadi, andmonastic literature. Pre-requisite: Coptic 1 and 2. RELI 593: Students will select a Coptic text, and in addition to reading it in its original language, prepare a commentary or an exegesis on that text (5,000 words). Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 309. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: CHRISTIAN CONTROVERSIES & CREEDS FROM THE BIBLE TO CHALCEDON

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Traces the development of the major doctrinal traditions that gained authroitative status within the ancient Church from the Bible to the Council of Chalcedon. These traditions are the result of dialogue and controversy between Christians including the Church Fathers, Jewish Christians, Gnostics, Arians, and Nestorians. Select a piece of patristic literature and prepare an original commentary or exegesis on that test (5,000 words). Work in original languages is strongly recommended, if not required. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 310.

Long Title: NEW TESTAMENT & CHRISTIAN ORIGINS

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Examines the growth of Christianity from its origins as a Jewish group to a religion in the mid-second century that distinguished itself from Judaism. Includes discussion of Acts, Paul's letters, Johannine corpus, Gospel of Thomas, Pastorals, Catholic letters, Hebrews, and Revelation. RELI 595: Prepare an original thesis on a New Testament text (5,000). Work in original languages is strongly recommended, of not required. Write a lecture about the history of the academic interpretation of the text and present it orally to undergraduates in the course. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: RELI 365.

Long Title: RESEARCH SEMINAR

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 1 TO 3

Description: Graduate students will be mentored collectively in research methods and study topics. Seminar topics and assignments usually are linked to regular course offerings of the faculty member, so that the seminar functions as a research addendum or supplement to a faculty's course offering(s). Instructor Permission Required. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: RESEARCH SEMINAR

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 1 TO 3

Description: Graduate students will be mentored collectively in research methods and study topics. Seminar topics and assignments usually are linked to regular course offerings of the faculty member, so that the seminar functions as a research addendum or supplement to a faculty's course offering(s). Instructor Permission Required. Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: GRADUATE RESEARCH

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Research

Credit Hours: 1 TO 12

Description:  Repeatable for Credit.

Long Title: RESEARCH AND THESIS

Department: Religion

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Independent Study

Credit Hours: 9

Description:  Repeatable for Credit.