Some courses displayed may not be offered every year. For actual course offerings by quarter, please consult the Quarterly Class Search
or GOLD (for current students). To see the historical record of when a particular course has been taught in the past, please visit the Course Enrollment Histories.
Lower DivisionÂ
HEB 1. Elementary Hebrew
(4)
STAFF
Enrollment Comments: No credit can be earned if more advanced credit in the language has already been awarded.
The beginning course in Hebrew. Starting with the study of the alphabet, the student is initiated into the rudiments of the language. Basic grammar, vocabulary, and conversation.
HEB 2. Elementary Hebrew
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Hebrew 1 or equivalent.
Enrollment Comments: No credit can be earned if more advanced credit in the language has already been awarded.
Continuation of Hebrew 1.
HEB 3. Elementary Hebrew
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Hebrew 2 or equivalent.
Enrollment Comments: No credit can be earned if more advanced credit in the language has already been awarded.
Continuation of Hebrew 2.
HEB 4. Intermediate Modern Hebrew
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Hebrew 3 or equivalent.
Enrollment Comments: No credit can be earned if more advanced credit in the language has already been awarded.
Continuation of Hebrew 3 with emphasis in writing, composition, and reading of Hebrew newspapers. Introduction to modern Hebrew literature: prose and poetry.
HEB 5. Intermediate Modern Hebrew
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Hebrew 4 or equivalent.
Enrollment Comments: No credit can be earned if more advanced credit in the language has already been awarded.
Continuation of Hebrew 4.
HEB 6. Intermediate Modern Hebrew
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Hebrew 5 or equivalent.
Enrollment Comments: No credit can be earned if more advanced credit in the language has already been awarded.
Continuation of Hebrew 5.
Upper DivisionÂ
HEB 114A.
Readings in Modern Hebrew Prose and Poetry
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Hebrew 6 or fluency with departmental approval.
Improve language ability and acquire knowledge in Hebrew literature. Readings/analyzing texts of modern and contemporary major Hebrew writers. Relationships between land, people and history, social, political, spiritual, and gender issues; impact of war.
HEB 114B.
Readings in Modern Hebrew Prose and Poetry
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Hebrew 6 or fluency with departmental approval.
Improve language ability and acquire knowledge in Hebrew literature. Readings/analyzing texts of modern and contemporary major Hebrew writers. Relationships between land, people and history, social, political, spiritual, and gender issues; impact of war.
HEB 114C.
Readings in Modern Hebrew Prose and Poetry
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Hebrew 6 or fluency with departmental approval.
Improve language ability and acquire knowledge in Hebrew literature. Readings/analyzing texts of modern and contemporary major Hebrew writers. Relationships between land, people and history, social, political, spiritual, and gender issues; impact of war.
Lower DivisionÂ
MES 45. Introduction to Middle East Studies
(4)
STAFF
Surveys the peoples, cultures, and societies of the wider Middle East with a focus on contemporary social, economic, and political life and structure. Course examines among others such concepts as tradition, modernity, autocracy, democracy and political transition.
Upper DivisionÂ
MES 145.
Model Arab League
(4)
CAMPO
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Enrollment Comments: May be repeated for credit to a maximum of 12 units but only 8 units can count toward the major.
In-depth study of political, strategic, economic, cultural, and environmental issues in the Arab world as seen from the perspective of the Arab League. Each year a different Arab country is the focus. Students also practice causcusing, speaking, and drafting resolutions.
MES 195.
Senior Honors Thesis
(1-8)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor and department; senior standing; open to Middle East Studies majors who have a 3.5 overall GPA and a 3.75 GPA in the major
Projects for advanced work in Middle East Studies in conjunction with individual members of the faculty and developed by students. For students who wish to graduate with distinction in the Middle East Studies major.
Lower DivisionÂ
RG ST 1. Introduction to the Study of Religion
(4)
A consideration of major themes, issues, types of figures and phenomena, and traditions--all selected from the history of religion so as to illustrate the great variety of religious phenomena and to suggest some of the ways such things may be responsibly studied.
RG ST 1H. Introduction to the Study of Religion - Honors
(1)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Concurrent enrollment in RG ST 1.
Students receive one unit for this honors seminar. Intended for highly motivated and well prepared students.
RG ST 2. Islam and the West
(4)
AHMAD
Despite all deconstructions of the categories of Islam and the West, the ideals behind the categories survive. We investigate the causes, manifestations of the conflicts and instances of cooperation, and possible futures of this condition.
RG ST 3. Introduction to Asian Religious Traditions
(4)
STAFF
Enrollment Comments: Same course as East Asian Cultural Studies 3.
An introduction to the basic texts, institutions, and practices of the religious traditions of South Asia and East Asia.
RG ST 4. Introduction to Buddhism
(4)
WALLACE
Prerequisite: none
Enrollment Comments: Same course as East Asian Cultural Studies 5.
The historical and cross-cultural exploration of Buddhism through the examination of basic texts, institutions, and practices of diverse Buddhist traditions.
RG ST 5. Introduction to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
(4)
Introduction to the basic texts, institutions, and practices of western religious traditions: Judiasm, Christianity, and Islam.
RG ST 6. Islam and Modernity
(4)
AHMAD
Prerequisite: none
Discussion of the larger issues regarding Islamic traditions encountering modern transformations of individuals and society.
RG ST 7. Introduction to American Religion
(4)
ALBANESE
Religion and religions in America. Survey of the variety of religions or religious traditions in America, including Native American, Asian American, African American, Jewish, Roman Catholic, Muslim, and notably Protestant. Focus also on such common features as "civil religion."
RG ST 9. Ethnicity and Religion
(4)
BUSTO
An overview of the themes, problems and theories at the intersection of race/ethnicity and religious traditions in the United States. Focus is on racially ethnic communities and traditions.
RG ST 10. Introduction to Biblical Law
(4)
ARYEH AMIHAY
A survey of the major codes in the Hebrew Bible, including a comparison with Mesopotamian Laws, and an emphasis on the evolution of biblical law. Themes examined include gender, ethics, and sacred space. Other themes include narratives of law outside the legal codes, and the New Testament approach to the law.
RG ST 10A. Elementary Arabic I
(5)
REYNOLDS, CAMPO
Introductory modern standard Arabic: pronunciation, script, conversation, and oral comprehension. Weekly sections involve cultural materials such as elementary calligraphy, Middle Eastern cooking, Arabic television shows, films, singing, and folk dance.
RG ST 10B. Elementary Arabic II
(5)
REYNOLDS, CAMPO
Prerequisite: Relgious Studies 10A.
Continuation of Arabic I.
RG ST 10C. Elementary Arabic III
(5)
REYNOLDS, CAMPO
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 10A-B.
Continuation of Arabic II.
RG ST 10D. Intermediate Arabic IV
(5)
REYNOLDS, CAMPO
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 10A-B-C.
Intermediate Arabic: complex grammar, and vocabulary, readings in classical and modern Arabic literature, including short stories, newspaper articles, and poetry. Extensive use of audio-visual materials including news broadcasts, television shows, and films. weekly conversation section.
RG ST 10E. Intermediate Arabic V
(5)
REYNOLDS, CAMPO
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 10D.
Continuation of Arabic IV.
RG ST 10F. Intermediate Arabic VI
(5)
REYNOLDS, CAMPO
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 10E.
Continuation of Arabic V.
RG ST 10X. Egyptian Colloquial Arabic I
(2)
CAMPO
Introduction to the spoken colloquial Arabic of Egypt, the most widely understood dialect in the Arab world. Covers pronunciation, basic grammar, and vocabulary taught through conversation and selected viewing of television and film. Emphasis is on spoken communication.
RG ST 11A. Elementary Hindi I
(4)
The beginning course in Hindi. Survey of grammar. Graded exercises and readings drawn from Hindi literature, leading to mastery of grammatical structures and essential vocabulary and achievement of basic reading and writing competence.
RG ST 11B. Elementary Hindi II
(4)
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 11A.
Continuation of Hindi I.
RG ST 11C. Elementary Hindi III
(4)
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 11B.
Continuation of Hindi II.
RG ST 11D. Intermediate Hindi IV
(4)
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 11C.
Intermediate Hindi. Selected readings in Hindi fiction and nonfiction, with exercises in grammar, composition, and conversation.
RG ST 11E. Intermediate Hindi V
(4)
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 11D.
Continuation of Hindi IV.
RG ST 11F. Intermediate Hindi VI
(4)
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 11E.
Continuation of Hindi V.
RG ST 12. Religious Approaches to Death
(4)
WHITE
Surveys twenty world religious traditions in their approaches to the problem of death, care for the dead, and death-related doctrines and practices within their broader cultural, historical, and social contexts from a cross-cultural perspective.
RG ST 13. Religion and Popular Culture
(5)
BLANKHOLM
Explores the relationship between religion and popular culture. What can trends and the stories we tell one another teach us about power and the structures that pattern us? Topics covered can include superheroes, astrology, tarot, basketball, zombies, vampires, food, money, science fiction, ethnonationalism, yoga, reality television, music festivals, ouija boards, Christian rock, Oprah, kitsch, the art world, magic, death metal, psychonauts, hip hop, architecture, and the war on Christmas.
RG ST 14. Introduction to Native American Religious Studies
(4)
TALAMANTEZ
This course is designed as an introduction to the contribution that Native American religions make to the general study of religion. Metaphysical and philosophical aspects of North American native culture. Major concepts of belief systems, religion, and medicine. Theories of balance, harmony, knowledge, power, ritual, and ceremony.
RG ST 14H. Introduction to Native American Religious Studies
(1)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Concurrent with RG ST 14
Students receive one unit for this honors seminar. Intended for highly motivated and well prepared students.
RG ST 15. Religion and Psychology
(4)
STAFF
A survey of theories and approaches to the study of religion from the perspective of psychology, with an emphasis on psychoanalytical, analytical, and humanistic psychology as well as on other theorists and trends emerging out of or relating to these traditions in psychology.
RG ST 16. Religion and Food
(4)
ELISON & PEREZ
Food?what people eat, avoid, and prepare for gods and ancestors?commands intense attention among religious practitioners around the world. This course adopts a comparative approach to the question, ?What can studying food tell us about religion?? We begin with classical Hindu discourses, moving from the most ancient sources concerning sacrifice to debates about nonviolence (and their implications for people?s diets). We also explore commensality: whom you break bread with and whom you exclude. We then delve into Afro-Diasporic religions and how West African deities? appetites construct their identities. Cooking the gods? ?soul food? is revealed to be a gendered and racialized ritual no less meaningful than the sharing of sacred meals.
RG ST 17A. Introduction to Biblical Hebrew I
(4)
GARR
Introduction to the orthography, phonology, grammar, and lexicon of Tiberian Biblical Hebrew as found in most printed Bibles. Concludes with selected Pentateuchal readings where the student applies grammatical knowledge to texts.
RG ST 17B. Introduction to Biblical Hebrew II
(4)
GARR
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 17A.
Continuation of Religious Studies 17A.
RG ST 17C. Introduction to Biblical Hebrew III
(4)
GARR
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 17B.
Continuation of Religious Studies 17B.
RG ST 18. Comparing Religions
(4)
TAVES
Prerequisite: none
A historical and comparative analysis of the way that six worldviews -- five religious (Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) and one nonreligious (Humanism) ? have grappled with big questions, such as who we are, where we come from, and where we are (or should be) going.
RG ST 18H. Comparing Religions Honors
(1)
TAVES
Prerequisite: Concurrent enrollment in RGST 18 and consent of instructor.
Enrollment Comments: Students receive 1 unit for the honors seminar for a total of 5 units in RGST 18-18H.
Eligible students are invited to enroll in the honors seminar which is generally taught by the course instructor.
RG ST 19. The Gods and Goddesses of India
(4)
HOLDREGE
Enrollment Comments: Not open for credit to students who have completed Religious Studies 158A.
An introduction to the gods and goddesses of the Hindu pantheon. Consideration is given to mythological, iconographic, and pilgrimage traditions as well as to the various types of movements - ascetic, devotional, and Tantric - associated with each deity.
RG ST 20. Indic Civilization
(4)
STAFF
Repeat Comments: Not open for credit to students who have completed Religious Studies 162E.
Surveys the religious history of the subcontinent beginning with the Indus valley culture and continuing to examine the rise of Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain beliefs, the arrival of Islam and Christianity, and the region's confrontation with modernity.
RG ST 21. Zen Buddhism
(4)
STAFF
Enrollment Comments: Same course as East Asian Cultural Studies 21.
An introduction to the history and texts of the major lineages of Ch`an Buddhism in China and Zen Buddhism in Japan.
RG ST 23. Introduction to Chinese Buddhism
(4)
STEAVU
Prerequisite: none
Enrollment Comments: Same course as EACS 23.
Provides a basic introduction to the key concepts, chief figures, principal schools, and major developments of Buddhism from its arrival in China two thousand years ago to the present day.
RG ST 24. Jesus in Comparative Perspective
(4)
THOMAS
Enrollment Comments: RG ST 105 was re-numbered as RG ST 24. RG ST 24 is considered an illegal repeat of RG ST 105.
Exploration of key interpretations of the life and teachings of Jesus, with attention to historical sources, portrayals of Jesus in other religious traditions, and the effects of his teachings in contemporary social movements.
RG ST 26. Introduction to Jewish Mysticism
(4)
WOLFSON
Survey of the major trends of Jewish mysticism from late antiquity through early modernity. Topics include celestial ascent and the angelic transformation of the mystic; letter mysticism and magical techniques; the divine and mystical union; gender and the anthropomorphic representation of God; secrecy and mystical fellowship; ascetic eroticism and the spiritual ideal of worship.
RG ST 27. Varieties of Mystical Experience in the Abrahamic Religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
(4)
WOLFSON
Prerequisite: None
Explores the mystical phenomenon in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Topics to be discussed include: language and the limits of reason; the problem of pure consciousness and the contextualization of experience; contemplative vision and the invisible; ascetic renunciation and the eroticism of mystical union; mystical atheism and the antinomian overcoming the law.
RG ST 28. Gandhi: Nonviolence, Resistance, Truth
(4)
ELISON
Enrollment Comments: Same course at HIST 28.
Gandhi: revolutionary, politician, thinker. And saint? Studies the ideas and acts of the man credited with liberating India from colonial rule through nonviolent resistance. Controversial throughout his life, Gandhi continues to be fought over in India today. Emphases include: his religious persona; his intellectual contexts, both Indian and Western; nonviolence in theory and practice; Gandhi?s legacy to social justice movements in this country; and criticism from different angles. There will be movies.
RG ST 30. Judaism
(4)
STAFF
A survey of beliefs, practices, texts, and historical figures in Judaism, from biblical times to the present.
RG ST 30A. Elementary Tibetan I
(4)
HILLIS
An introduction to literary and spoken Tibetan, including study of classical and modern grammar, with examples drawn from a wide variety of literature. Also introduces students to the use of new digital instructional materials to develop proficiency in spoken Tibetan.
RG ST 30B. Elementary Literary Tibetan II
(4)
WALLACE
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 30A.
Continuation of Tibetan I.
RG ST 30C. Elementary Literary Tibetan III
(4)
WALLACE
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 30B.
Continuation of Tibetan II.
RG ST 30D. Intermediate Tibetan IV
(4)
HILLIS
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 30C.
Intermediate literary and spoken Tibetan, including study of advanced Tibetan grammar and readings in a variety of genres of Tibetan literature. Use of programs in colloquial Tibetan to develop verbal fluency, acquire vocabulary, and master advanced topics in spoken Tibetan.
RG ST 30E. Intermediate Tibetan V
(4)
HILLIS
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 30D.
Continuation of Tibetan IV.
RG ST 30F. Intermediate Tibetan VI
(4)
HILLIS
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 30E.
Continuation of Tibetan V.
RG ST 31. The Religions of Tibet
(4)
CABEZON
Survey of Tibetan religions focusing on Tibetan Buddhism (from its origns to the present) but also touching on the Tibetan indigenous religion, Bon and on Tibetan Islam. Special attention is paid to the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, their history, doctrines, and meditation practices.
RG ST 32. Contemporary Chinese Religions
(4)
YANG
Prerequisite: None
Examines Chinese popular religion, Daoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Christianity, and Islam as shaped and transformed by revolution and nationalism, and the recent rapid commercialization, urbanization, and globalization of China. Religiosity and changing notions of self, family, gender, community, and citizenship.
RG ST 33. Catholic Ritual in the Middle Ages
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: none
Explores changing rituals of the mass, the seven sacraments, monastic practice, and urban and rural daily life. It explores the interaction and interpenetration of religious and secular communities, the transmission of Christian ideas, and the relationships of spiritual and secular authorities.
RG ST 34. Saints and Miracles in the Catholic Tradition
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: none
Explores saints and miracles in Christianity from biblical examples to the present. It emphasizes relics and pilgrimage, interaction of saints and supplicants, and the changing definitions of saint and miracle in the face of skepticism and cultural transformation.
RG ST 35. Introduction to Religion and Politics
(5)
MOORE, BLANKHOLM
A survey of religion's influence on American politics, studying those seeking greater alignment between religious values and public policy. An examination of the relationship between religion and political mobilization, interest group politics, public opinions, race and ethnicity, foreign policy, and elections.
RG ST 37. Introduction to Legal Humanities
(4)
STAFF
Enrollment Comments: Same course as ENGL 37.
This interdisciplinary course highlights the importance of the humanities in relation to questions of law and justice, law and culture, and law and empire, as well as the implications of each of these pairings for our understanding of rights, protections, exclusions, violence, and oppression. The course pays particular attention to the ways in which marginalized individuals and groups have wielded law to promote justice and transform culture. Students interrogate the humanities from the perspective of law as well as the intellectual and cultural contexts through which law has become a complex practice and knowledge.
RG ST 47. Introduction to Daoism
(4)
STEAVU
Prerequisite: none
A study of the classical sources of Daoism, followed by a consideration of the varieties of religious practice which developed from those sources.
RG ST 48. Self, Society, and Nature in Chinese Thought
(4)
STEAVU
A look at how major thinkers in classical Chinese thought grappled with questions related to the individual's place in society and their relationship to their environment. Highlighting their relevance, classical views will be applied to contemporary ethical, social, and environmental debates.
RG ST 57A. Elementary Persian I
(4)
STAFF
Enrollment Comments: Not open for credit to students who have completed or are concurrently enrolled in the Religious Studies 58 series. No credit can be earned if more advanced credit in the language has been awarded.
Introduction to Persian pronunciation, script, and basic grammar, and vocabulary. Included lessons in reading, writing, conversation, and oral comprehension. Sections involve audio-visual materials and a general introduction to the literature and cultures of Persian-speaking Iran, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan.
RG ST 57B. Elementary Persian II
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 57A.
Enrollment Comments: Not open for credit to students who have completed or are concurrently enrolled in the Religious Studies 58 series. No credit can be earned if more advanced credit in the language has been awarded.
Continuation of Elementary Persian I (RGST 57A).
RG ST 57C. Elementary Persian III
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 57B.
Enrollment Comments: Not open for credit to students who have completed or are concurrently enrolled in the Religious Studies 58 series. No credit can be earned if more advanced credit in the language has been awarded.
Continuation of Elementary Persian II (RGST 57B).
RG ST 57D. Intermediate Persian I
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 57C.
Enrollment Comments: Not open for credit to students who have completed or are concurrently enrolled in the Religious Studies 58 series. No credit can be earned if more advanced credit in the language has been awarded.
Continuation of Elementary Persian III (RGST 57C).
RG ST 57E. Intermediate Persian II
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 57D.
Enrollment Comments: Not open for credit to students who have completed or are concurrently enrolled in the Religious Studies 58 series. No credit can be earned if more advanced credit in the language has been awarded.
Continuation of Intermediate Persian I (RGST 57D).
RG ST 57F. Intermediate Persian III
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 57E.
Enrollment Comments: Not open for credit to students who have completed or are concurrently enrolled in the Religious Studies 58 series. No credit can be earned if more advanced credit in the language has been awarded.
Continuation of Intermediate Persian II (RGST 57E).
RG ST 58A. Intensive Elementary Persian I
(4)
FEIZMOHAMMADPOUR
Prerequisite: Instructor approval.
Enrollment Comments: Not open to students who completed or are concurrently enrolled in Religious Studies 57C. Can't be taken concurrently with RGST 57 series. No credit earned if more advanced language credit was awarded
Intensive course for students with some background?mostly in listening and speaking skills of Persian language. This course is an introduction to Persian sound system, script, basic grammar, reading, and writing. Also includes developing vocabulary, formal vs. informal speaking, and learning about the diverse culture of Persian-speaking Iran, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan.
RG ST 58B. Intensive Elementary Persian II
(4)
FEIZMOHAMMADPOUR
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 57C or 58A or instructor approval.
Enrollment Comments: Not open to students who completed or are concurrently enrolled in Religious Studies 57D. Can't be taken concurrently with RGST 57 series. No credit earned if more advanced language credit was awarded
Continuation of Intensive Elementary Persian I (RGST 58A). Course objectives are: Continue to master the sounds and script of the Persian language; Refine basic reading, writing, and speaking skills; Develop vocabulary and speaking skills for formal vs. informal situations; Learn additional grammatical concepts (e.g. subjunctive, past tense etc.); Engage with various aspects of Persian-speaking culture.
RG ST 58C. Intensive Intermediate Persian I
(4)
FEIZMOHAMMADPOUR
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 57D or 58B or instructor approval.
Enrollment Comments: Not open to students who completed or are concurrently enrolled in Religious Studies 57E. Can't be taken concurrently with RGST 57 series. No credit earned if more advanced language credit was awarded
Continuation of Intensive Elementary Persian II (RGST 58B). Course objectives are: Develop working vocabulary beyond everyday commonalities; Learn multiple verb tenses; Engage with a more in-depth grammar in a series of communicative activities; Develop the ability to comprehend extended texts; Further understanding of Persian-speaking cultures in Iran.
RG ST 58D. Intensive Intermediate Persian II
(4)
FEIZMOHAMMADPOUR
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 57E or 58C or instructor approval.
Enrollment Comments: Not open to students who completed or are concurrently enrolled in Religious Studies 57F. Can't be taken concurrently with RGST 57 series. No credit earned if more advanced language credit was awarded
Continuation of Intensive Intermediate Persian I (RGST 58C). Course objectives are: Refinement of intermediate level reading, and writing; Spoken communication at a complex intermediate level; Compare Persian-speaking cultures to students? own cultures; Connect the Persian language to other relevant disciplines and current topics.
RG ST 60A. Elementary Punjabi I
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: none
Introduction to Punjabi, a major language of Northern India and Pakistan Beginning with the Gurmukhi script, the course offers an intensive study in the speaking, reading, and writing of the language.
RG ST 60B. Elementary Punjabi II
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 60A or Global Studies 60A
Continuation of Punjabi I.
RG ST 60C. Elementary Punjabi III
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 60B or Global Studies 60B
Continuation of Punjabi II.
RG ST 60D. Intermediate Punjabi IV
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 60C or Global Studies 60C
Continuation of Punjabi III.
RG ST 60E. Intermediate Punjabi V
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 60D or Global Studies 60D
Continuation of Punjabi IV.
RG ST 60F. Intermediate Punjabi VI
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 60E or Global Studies 60E
Continuation of Punjabi V.
RG ST 61. African Religions of the Americas
(4)
PEREZ
Introduces the history and practices of African-derived traditions as they have developed in the Caribbean, Latin America, and Black American communities in the US. These religious systems are discussed with reference to their representation in mainstream media (television shows and Hollywood movies, for example), and analyzed according to the more complex realities of practitioners? everyday lives. Three themes to be explored in each tradition include 1) gender and sexuality; 2) racial identity and resistance; and 3) aesthetics.
RG ST 62. Dark Goddesses and Black Madonnas
(4)
PEREZ
Examines female deities and apparitions of the Virgin Mary historically depicted as dark-skinned, placing particular emphasis on the role color has played in defining their attributes, relationships with religious practitioners, and ethnic or racial identities. Among the goddesses to be discussed are the Egyptian Isis, Hindu Kali, Taiwanese Mazu, Tibetan Tara, Haitian Ezili Dantor, and Yoruba Yemonja. The Black Madonnas include the Catalan Montserrat, Polish Czestochowa, and Mexican Guadalupe.
RG ST 63. Witches & Brujxs: Black Magic & (Afro-)Latinx Feminism
(4)
STAFF
Approaches witchcraft as a cross-cultural phenomenon. We survey the concept and actual practice of European, West African, Black Atlantic, and Latin American witchcraft in order to promote media literacy, critical thinking, and comparative analysis of gender/sexuality, race/ethnicity, and religion. Among other topics, we discuss "witch crazes" in the early modern period; the legal prosecution of Obeah and Afro-Diasporic religions in the Caribbean; indigeneity and curanderismo; the experiences of African American "conjure women," "voodoo queens," and #blackgirlmagic; pagan, Wicca, and New Age witchery; the Latinx theoretical orientation of "bruja feminism"; spiritual activism; and the spellcraft of solitary LGBTQ practitioners.
RG ST 65A. Introduction to Turkish Language I
(4)
STAFF
Introduction to Turkish pronunciation, script, basic grammar, and vocabulary, including lessons in reading, writing, conversation, and oral comprehension. Course involves audio-visual materials and a general introduction to the literature and cultures of Turkey.
RG ST 65B. Introduction to Turkish Language II
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: RG ST 65A
Continuation of Turkish I
RG ST 65C. Introduction to Turkish Language III
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: RG ST 65B
Continuation of Turkish II
RG ST 65D. Intermediate Turkish Language IV
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: RG ST 65C
Continuation of Turkish III
RG ST 65E. Intermediate Turkish Language V
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: RG ST 65D
Continuation of Turkish IV
RG ST 65F. Intermediate Turkish Language VI
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: RG ST 65E
Continuation of Turkish V
RG ST 70A. Elementary Kazakh I
(4)
STAFF
Enrollment Comments: Quarters usually offered: Fall. Former number for this course is RGST 90AA. RGST 90AA was used to represent Kazakh I from Fall 2015 until Fall 2018. Credit cannot be earned if more advanced credit in the language has been awarded.
Repeat Comments: Former number is RGST 90AA
The beginning course in Kazakh language. Starting with the study of the alphabet, students learn the rudiments of the language. Basic grammar, vocabulary and conversation.
RG ST 70B. Elementary Kazakh II
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 70A or equivalent.
Enrollment Comments: Quarters usually offered: Winter. Former number for this course is RGST 90AB. RGST 90AB was used to represent Kazakh II from Winter 2016 until Fall 2018. No credit for course if more advanced credit in the language has been awarded
Repeat Comments: Former number is RGST 90AB
Continuation of Kazakh I. Starting with the study of the alphabet, students learn the rudiments of the language. Basic grammar, vocabulary and conversation.
RG ST 70C. Elementary Kazakh III
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 70B or equivalent.
Enrollment Comments: Quarters usually offered: Spring. Former number for this course is RGST 90AC. RGST 90AC was used to represent Kazakh III from Spring 2016 until Fall 2018. No credit for course if more advanced credit in the language has been awarde
Repeat Comments: Former number is RGST 90AC
Continuation of Kazakh II. Starting with the study of the alphabet, students learn the rudiments of the language. Basic grammar, vocabulary and conversation.
RG ST 70D. Intermediate Kazakh IV
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 70C or equivalent.
Enrollment Comments: Quarters usually offered: Fall. Former number for this course is RGST 90BB. RGST 90BB was used to represent Kazakh IV from Fall 2015 until Fall 2018. No credit for course if more advanced credit in the language has been awarded.
Repeat Comments: Former number is 90BB
Continuation of Kazakh III. Emphasis on complex grammar, vocabulary, writing, reading, and oral comprehension.
RG ST 70E. Intermediate Kazakh V
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 70D or equivalent.
Enrollment Comments: Quarters usually offered: Winter. Former number for this course is RGST 90BC. RGST 90BC was used to represent Kazakh V from Winter 2016 until Fall 2018. No credit for course if more advanced credit in the language has been awarded.
Repeat Comments: Former number is RGST 90BC
Continuation of Kazakh IV. Emphasis on complex grammar, vocabulary, writing, reading, and oral comprehension.
RG ST 70F. Intermediate Kazakh VI
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 70E or equivalent.
Enrollment Comments: Quarters usually offered: Spring. Former number for this course is RGST 90BD. RGST 90BD was used to represent Kazakh VI from Spring 2017 until Fall 2018. No credit for course if more advanced credit in the language has been awarded
Repeat Comments: Former number is RGST 90BD
Continuation of Kazakh V. Emphasis on complex grammar, vocabulary, writing, reading, and oral comprehension.
RG ST 71. Introduction to Asian American Religions
(4)
BUSTO
Prerequisite: none
Enrollment Comments: Students must have a cumulative for the proceeding quarter(s). Open to non-majors. Quarters usually offered: Spring. Same course as Asian American 71
Survey of the major themes and issues in Asian American religious history, belief, and practice. Topics include the problem of orientalism; Buddhism and race; Asian American forms of Christianity; religion's role in immigrant and second-generation identity; Asian American contextual theologies.
RG ST 73. INTRODUCTION TO JAPANESE RELIGION: TEXTS, CONCEPTS, AND REPRESENTATIONS
(4)
RAMBELLI
Enrollment Comments: SAME COURSE AS JAPAN 73.
A SURVEY OF THE MAIN AUTHORS, THEMES, AND STYLES OF THE JAPANESE RELIGIOUS AND PHILOSOPHICAL TRADITIONS THROUGH READINGS FROM AND ANALYSIS OF SOME SIGNIFICANT AND INFLUENTIAL ORIGINAL TEXTS IN ENGLISH TRANSLATION.
RG ST 74. The Western Discovery of Buddhism
(4)
RAMBELLI
Enrollment Comments: Same course as East Asian Cultural Studies 74
Survey of the "discovery" and the study of Buddhism by Westerners from antiquity to the present, with special emphasis on the modern era. We will explore the mutual impact of Buddhism and Western modern culture.
RG ST 80A. Religion and Western Civilization I: Ancient
(4)
The religions of classical antiquity; myths, rituals, and cults of Greece and Rome; religious dimesions of Greek and Roman philosophy; beginnings anddevelopment of Christianity to time of Theodosius the Great (379-395 C.E.)
RG ST 80B. Religion and Western Civilization II: Medieval
(4)
CARLSON
The decline of classical antiquity; the emergence of medieval Christendom; religion and culture of the Middle Ages (eleventh-thirteenth centuries); subsequent development of the Renaissance and Reformation.
RG ST 80C. Religion and Western Civilization III: Modern
(4)
CARLSON
Religious responses to the emergence of modern science in the seventeenth century; religion in eighteenth century Europe; religion in America; the challenges of the twentieth century.
RG ST 80CH. Religion and Western Civilization III: Honors
(1)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Concurrent enrollment in Religious Studies 80C; consent of instructor.
A discussion section led by the instructor, provided for students in the honors program. Students receive one unit for the honors seminar (80CH) in addition to four units for Religious Studies 80C.
RG ST 81. Modern Iran and Global Politics
(4)
AFARY
Enrollment Comments: Same course as History 46MI.
Modern Iranian history from the 1906 Constitutional Revolution to the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the post- revolutionary years. Shi'i Islam, the rise of nationalism, the quest for modernization, democracy and authoritarianism, and imperialism and politics of oil.
RG ST 83. Music and Religion
(4)
REYNOLDS
Prerequisite: None
Explores the many different roles that music plays in religious traditions around the world in the form of chanting, liturgy, holidays, hymn singing, sacred dance, trance rituals and more, and how these intersect with identity, ethnicity, nationalism, gender, and race.
RG ST 84. Introduction to Islamic Civilization
(4)
EL OMARI
This course surveys Islamic civilization with an emphasis on its early and formative periods. The first part addresses geographical, historical, religious, and institutional contexts and expressions, and the second part explores intellectual, scientific, philosophical, and spiritual contributions.
RG ST 85. Pilgrimage
(4)
CAMPO
Prerequisite: none
Introduction to the comparative study of religion by way of journeys to sacred places. Examines the most significant pilgrimages in Christian, Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist contexts, as well as lesser known traditions among indigenous peoples and modern secular societies.
RG ST 90AAZZ. Topics in Religious Studies
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: none
Enrollment Comments: May be repeated for credit to a maximum of 12 units provided letter designations are different.
Lectures in special areas of interest in religious studies. Specific course titles to be announced by the department each quarter offered.
RG ST 90AB. Elementary Kazakh II
RG ST 90AC. Elementary Kazakh III
RG ST 90AP. Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 90AR. Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 90AT. Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 90AZ. Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 90BB. Intermediate Kazakh IV
RG ST 90BC. Intermediate Kazakh V
RG ST 90BD. Intermediate Kazakh VI
RG ST 90BL. Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 90BP. Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 90BT. Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 90CC. Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 90CP. Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 90CS. Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 90CT. Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 90DD. Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 90DP. Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 90DT. Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 90EE. Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 90EH. Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 90ET. Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 90FF. Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 90FT. Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 90GG. Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 90HH. Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 90IH. Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 90II. Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 90IT. Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 90KM. Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 90ME. Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 90NA. Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 90RA. Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 90RG. Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 90RH. Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 90SR. Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 90TA. Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 90TB. Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 90TE. Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 90TL. Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 90TT. Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 90VA. Elementary Vietnamese Language I
RG ST 90VB. Elementary Vietnamese Language II
RG ST 90VC. Elementary Vietnamese Language III
RG ST 90VM. Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 90WC. Religion and Video Games
RG ST 90ZZ. Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 98. Internship
(4)
AFARY
These internships pair students with philanthropic and non-profit organizations, nationally and globally. Students work digitally or on site with the organization. They will learn about practical implications of a degree in Religious Studies and in the Humanities more generally. They will also have the opportunity to put to use their knowledge of foreign languages and technology. While helping to make the world a better place, students will gain valuable experience that can be applied to their chosen career after graduation.
RG ST 99. Independent Study in Religious Studies
(1-5)
STAFF
Prerequisite: minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA
Enrollment Comments: Students must have a cumulative 3.0 for the proceeding 1 quarter(s). Students must have a minimum 3.0 GPA. Limited to 5 units per quarter and 30 units total in all 98/99/198/199/199AA-ZZ courses combined.
Introduction to independent research in Religious Studies. Topic and content are decided by the supervising Professor in the Department of Religious Studies.
RG ST 99PL. Persian Language Independent Study
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA.
Enrollment Comments: Students must have a cumulative 3.0 for the proceeding 1 quarter(s). Students must have a minimum 3.0 GPA. Limited to 5 units per quarter and 30 units total in all 98/99/198/199/199AA-ZZ courses combined.
Independent study in Persian language in conjunction with the Persian instructor.
RG ST 99PS. Persian Support
(1-2)
STAFF
Prerequisite: minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA
Recommended Preparation: Concurrent enrollment in Religious Studies 57A, 57B, 57C, 57D, 57E, 57F, 58A, 58B, 58C, or 58D.Enrollment Comments: Students must have a cumulative 3.0 for the proceeding 1 quarter(s). Concurrently offered with RGST 57 & 58 series. Students must have a minimum 3.0 GPA. Limited to 5 units per quarter and 30 units total in all 98/99/198/199/199AA-ZZ courses combined.
Independent study in Persian language designed to supplement current work in the concurrent Persian course.
RG ST 99RA. Independent Research Assistance in Religious Studies
(1-4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA
Enrollment Comments: Students must have a cumulative 3.0 for the proceeding 1 quarter(s). Students must have a minimum 3.0 GPA. Limited to 5 units per quarter and 30 units total in all 98/99/198/199/199AA-ZZ courses combined.
Details of the research project are decided by the supervising Professor in the Department of Religious Studies.
Upper DivisionÂ
RG ST 100C.
Seminar in Religion in America
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Examination of selected topics in American religion to investigate its basic religious structures and to explore the relationship of religious phenomena to their cultural context. Course content variable.
RG ST 100D.
Religion, Politics, Modernity: An Anthropological Approach
(4)
YANG
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Modernity produced different religio-political configurations. Liberal capitalist democracies pushed religious life to the private sphere, out of the public sphere of politics and economy. Religious nationalism in colonial and post-colonial societies reacted to external threats. Communist societies promoted extreme state secularization.
RG ST 101.
New Religious Movements
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or instructor approval
Looks at new religious movements over the past several decades, both sectarian movements within religious traditions and other movements that are combinative and eclectic in nature. Focus is primarily on the United States, though not exclusively.
RG ST 101A.
New Religious Movements
(4)
TAVES
Prerequisite: upper division standing or instructor approval
This seminar examines the emergence of networks, movements, and organizations that claim access to new revelations, such as Mormonism, Christian Science, Jehovah's Witnesses, Spiritualism, Scientology, and UFO religions. The primary focus - the United States in the last two centuries.
RG ST 101B.
Religious Experience
(4)
TAVES
Prerequisite: upper division standing or instructor approval
Introduction to scientific and humanistic methods that can be used to study anomalous experiences often viewed as religiously significant. Various experiences - spontaneous, learned, or induced will be considered, e.g. dreams, visions, possession, out of body, and ecstatic or mystical experiences.
RG ST 102A.
Muslim Diasporas and Law
(4)
MOORE
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or instructor approval
An examination of the legal and social issues raised by the presence of Muslims in contemporary Western Europe and the United States. Civil rights, accommodation, and the construction of a dichotomy between "moderate" Islam and Islamism will be discussed.
RG ST 103.
Nature Spirituality
(4)
SIDERIS
Prerequisite: Upper Division Standing
Recommended Preparation: NoneEnrollment Comments: Same course as Environmental Studies 103.
Is the human connection to nature a form of religion? Can activities like hiking, surfing, swimming and birdwatching be understood as spiritual practices? What are the implications of framing environmentalism as a religious commitment? Through a variety of lenses, including nature writing, neo-pagan and animistic practices, BIPOC perspectives, and the reflections of scientists and religion scholars, this course considers the many ways in which humans engage spiritually with nature and nonhumans.
RG ST 104.
Problems in the Study of Religion
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Religious studies majors with upper division standing and consent of department.
Advanced research seminar treating selected topics in the study of religion. Offered at least twice a year by various faculty, and organized largely around the instructor's own work and/or intellectual interests.
RG ST 105AAZZ.
Nature and the Human World
(4)
CARLSON
Prerequisite: Upper division standing.
Enrollment Comments: Students can repeat this course for credit for a maximum of 8 units, provided the course material differs.
Recent upheaval in our lives-such as from the global COVID-19 pandemic, or from the catastrophic effects of climate change and ecological devastation-call for critical and creative reflection on relations between nature and our humanly built worlds. While attending to influential understandings of nature operative in modern politics, economics, technology, and science, this course aims above all to explore the philosophical and religious significance of our human relations with nature in the contemporary world. Readings in the course cover a range of perspectives from modern Western philosophy, the history of Christianity, American agrarian and ecological thinking, and indigenous traditions.
RG ST 105A.
Nature and the Human World: Existential Crisis
RG ST 106.
Modernity and the Process of Secularization
(4)
CARLSON
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or instructor approval
A study of sociological, psychological, and philosophical attempts to define the modern west in terms of the marginalization and/or transformation of traditional Christian thought and institutions.
RG ST 107.
Black Gods of Cuba, Brazil, and Beyond: The Orishas
(4)
PEREZ
Prerequisite: Upper Division Standing
This reading-intensive course delves into the stories and histories of the gods called orishas, orichas, or orixas in the Americas, from their emergence as orisa among West African Yoruba groups to their veneration in Cuba, Brazil, Trinidad, the U.S., and elsewhere. The course pays special attention to their "mythobiographies" as communicated through divination verses and expressed in altars, dances, drum rhythms, food, and other material offerings (which ironically complicate any description of orishas as "gods"). Readings address the impact of transatlantic slave trade and racialization on the orishas? worship; analyze gender/sexuality in rituals of initiation and possession; and emphasize the voices of Black and AfroLatinx practitioners.
RG ST 108.
Global Religion
(4)
MOORE
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Enrollment Comments: Same course as Global Studies 102 and Sociology 118GR.
Examines the globalization of religious traditions in the modern world. Topics include the polarities between homeland and diaspora, the relationships between transnational religions and nation states, and how these dynamics change the very nature of religious traditions.
RG ST 109A.
Imagined China
(4)
STEAVU
Prerequisite: Upper division standing
Is China really a timeless land of mystical wisdom, profound spiritualities, and ancient traditions? This class examines the Western misrepresentations of China as the eternal "Other" derived from orientalist, colonial, or other misreadings of the Middle Kingdom. Historical accounts are considered against more recent critical perspectives.
RG ST 109B.
Christianity, Judaism, and Islam in China
(4)
STEAVU
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Recommended Preparation: At least one course in RGST or Premodern CHIN, JAPAN, or EACS.
Examines Christian, Jewish, and Muslim communities in the Middle Kingdom from 500 to the present day, debunking the myth of a closed and insular China.
RG ST 110.
Religion and Literature
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Upper division standing.
An examination of the interaction between religion and literature through the study of literary works. Figures like John Milton, William Blake, and T.S. Eliot are among those considered.
RG ST 110D.
Ritual Art and Verbal Art of the Pacific Northwest
(4)
TALAMANTEZ
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 14 or consent of instructor
Religious ethos of selected peoples of the Pacific Northwest, as is expressed in masking, body paint, art, and architecture. Study of mythology, ritual, symbolism, and contemporary developments.
RG ST 110E.
Mexican and Chicana Spiritualism
(4)
TALAMANTEZ
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Course addresses the religious history of indigenous women in Mexico and Chicanas in the American Southwest. Current survival issues - freedom of religion, land claims, environmental racism, sexism, inappropriate health care, education, and employment will be addressed through interpretation and critique.
RG ST 110F.
Religion and Science Fiction
(4)
BUSTO
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Considers themes science fiction shares with religion, including questions of transcendence, the nature of reality, apocalypticism, utopias, the problem of evil, religion and scientific speculation, race and colonialism, new media, and the application of science fiction theory to religious studies.
RG ST 110G.
Photography and Religion
(4)
AMIHAY, O
Prerequisite: Upper Division standing.
Enrollment Comments: Same course as C LIT 184B.
Offers an examination of the relationship between religion and photography throughout history, based on the consideration of photography as both an artistic medium and a social and performative practice. Alongside analysis of the function of photographs in religious life, we will explore various religious concepts in association with photography. Through meditations on topics as spirit, death, ritual, iconicity, sacred space, and gender, students will become familiar with critical theory of photography, visual analysis, and landmark photographs.
RG ST 110L.
LGBT Religious History: Queering the Spirit
(4)
PEREZ
Prerequisite: Upper division standing.
Examines religion as experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender/transsexual people. Adopts a comparative historical perspective in considering the multiplicity of LGBT religious identities that have existed and continue to thrive around the world. Also traces the emergence of gender categories and norms in a range of different societies. Readings include autobiographical, anthropological, sociological, and theological sources. Special attention is paid to traditions in which LGBT people have been privileged as ritual specialists and community leaders.
RG ST 110M.
Religion and Music in Cuba
(4)
PEREZ
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
The story of Cuba?s religious formations through their musical genres. Explores the relationship between dance, spirit possession, and mythology, as well as the construction of nation, race, and gender/sexuality through musical performance. Among the music to be considered is that of an all-male secret society (Abakuá); the initiatory traditions of Lucumà and Palo Monte; Haitian Tumba Francesa; and Havana-based hip-hop. Proficiency in Spanish language is not a prerequisite but does enhance understanding of the course materials.
RG ST 111.
Religion, Politics and Marriage in the Middle East
(4)
AFARY
Prerequisite: Upper division standing
Examines major turning points in Modern Middle Eastern politics and religious history through the lens of courtship practices, marriage, and the changing dynamic of family relations.
RG ST 111B.
Mongolian Buddhism
(4)
WALLACE
Prerequisite: Upper-division only.
A history of ideas and practices of Buddhism in Mongolia and its interaction with indigenous Shamanism and other religions in Mongolia, including a consideration of the ways in which the mutual interactions of these traditions have shaped and transformed the religious and political climate of Mongolia.
RG ST 112.
Trickster Tales, Religion, and the Body
(4)
AFARY
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Nasreddin is a highly popular trickster character of the Middle East. Students will read a collection of Nasreddin stories and examine them in light of theoretical works on body and religion. We will also look at more contemporary uses of the trickster trope in the Middle East through films and novels.
RG ST 112A.
Legal Feminism and Religion
(4)
MOORE
Prerequisite: Upper division standing
Examines how law and religion relate in light of feminist critiques of both. Covers feminist legal theories, focusing on competing paradigms of religion and human rights which attempt to define gender and sexuality.
RG ST 113.
Religion and Film
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or instructor approval
An examination of religious themes and forms as they appear in significant works of modern film. The nature of man, the problem of suffering, the quest for meaning are among the topics considered.
RG ST 114D.
Religion and Healing in Native America
(4)
TALAMANTEZ
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or instructor approval
An interdisciplinary and comparative study of representative Native American cultures and their religio-medico systems. Emphasis on understanding the experimentation, evaluation, and sacralization of the biosphere in culture to meet human physical and spiritual needs. Examination of the special place of language in well-being. Attention will be given to changes which are a result of contact with European culture.
RG ST 114E.
Adolescent Rites of Passage: Exploring Religious Diversity in the U.S.
(4)
TALAMANTEZ
Prerequisite: Upper Division Standing or instructor approval
Introduces students to rites of passage in America. Examples will be drawn from American and Native American initiation ceremonies. The focus of this study will be on issues of identity and the life cycle, and will include film viewing and discussion.
RG ST 114X.
Dante's "Divine Comedy"
(4)
SNYDER
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or instructor approval
Enrollment Comments: Same course as Italian 114X
Dante's masterpiece, The Divine Comedy, remains among the most astonishing works of world literature. This course follows the pilgrim's progress through the Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso in search of "love that moves the sun and the other stars." In English.
RG ST 115A.
Literature and Religion of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
(4)
HECHT, GARR
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or instructor approval
Introduction to the varieties of literature, traditions, and institutions of ancient Israel through the prophetic period.
RG ST 115DA.
The Thirteen Attributes of God
(4)
GARR
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 115A; and upper division standing
This research seminar will analyze the famous attributes of the Biblical God as first presented in Exodus 34:6-7. In that context, you will be asked to develop individual research papers that tackle one or more of these attributes in either their Biblical or post-Biblical context. The seminar will develop research, organizational, and writing skills.
RG ST 115F.
Seminar on the Hebrew Bible
(4)
GARR
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 115A.
An examination of select books and topics in the study of the Hebrew Bible.
RG ST 115G.
The Dead Sea Scrolls and Their Community
(4)
GARR
Prerequisite: Upper division standing
A study of the Qumran community, their religion, their beliefs, their literature, and the Biblical texts found there.
RG ST 115MP.
The Minor Prophets
(4)
GARR
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 115A; and upper division standing
This seminar will have two foci. One focus will be textual, for we will study the texts commonly known as the Minor Prophets (or the Twelve Prophets). The other focus will be methodological, especially the critical theory called intertextuality.
RG ST 116A.
The New Testament and Early Christianity
(4)
THOMAS
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or instructor approval
Study of the varieties of early Christian traditions and literature of the first century, with special (but not exclusive) attention to the new testament.
RG ST 116B.
Second-Century Christianity
(4)
THOMAS
Recommended Preparation: Religious Studies 116A or any lower-division course in religious studies.
Study of the various religious trends in developing Christianity as represented in the writings of the early Fathers, the later books of the New Testament, the New Testament Apocrypha, and "heretical" movements.
RG ST 116C.
Archaeology and the Study of Religion
(4)
THOMAS
Prerequisite: Any lower or upper-division course in Religious Studies
An examination of the uses of archaeological materials to reconstruct the history of religions in the ancient world, with special attention to the relationships between material culture, religious iconography, epigraphy, and sacred texts.
RG ST 116E.
Evangelical Christianity in the United States
(4)
BUSTO
Prerequisite: upper division standing
Interdisciplinary approach to the experience, history, culture, and politics of "born-again" religion. Topics include development of doctrine, Pentecostalism, fundamentalism, millennial views, expressive cultural forms, subcultures, and political activism.
RG ST 118.
Readings in Mormon Studies
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Upper division standing.
This course highlights recent and cutting-edge work in Mormon Studies, with emphasis on the history and historiography of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 19th- and 20th-century North America. The course will feature both UCSB and non-UCSB scholars, who will visit the course throughout the quarter to discuss their work and guide discussions of related primary sources.
RG ST 119A.
Introduction to Islamic Law
(4)
AHMAD
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Addresses the Islamic legal concepts of rights and responsibilities and the relationship between the individual and the state in Islamic law. The course also provides an overview of the history and development of Islamic law and legal theories.
RG ST 119B.
The Qur'an and Its Interpretations
(4)
AHMAD
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Introduces the Qur'an from different perspectives: A source of spiritual guidance, a political document, a source of law and philosophy, an inspiration for visual and acoustic arts, and a piece of literature of interest to literary criticism.
RG ST 119C.
Jihad and Just War Theory
(4)
AHMAD
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Compares the notion of jihad in Islamic law to its counterpart (just war theory) in Western traditions and compares the conditions for a (theoretically) legitimate war in Islamic law and the actual application of war in Islamic history.
RG ST 119D.
Islam and Women
(4)
AHMAD
Prerequisite: upper division standing
Women's issues in Islam, including marriage and divorce laws, women in the public space, and other rights pertaining to women in Muslim societies.
RG ST 119E.
Islam and Government
(4)
AHMAD
Prerequisite: upper division standing
Discusses the basis and functions of government in Islam and its relationship with religious institutions.
RG ST 119F.
History of Islamic Theology
(4)
EL OMARI
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or instructor approval
Surveys the history of speculative theological inquiry during the formative period of Islam (~700?1258) and investigates the major themes and methods of its diverse and competing schools in their historical and religious contexts. The objective of this course is to examine and assess the characteristics and scope of speculative theological inquiry in the religious and intellectual history of early and classical Islam.
RG ST 123.
Asian American Religions
(4)
BUSTO
Prerequisite: Upper Division Standing or permission of instructor.
Recommended Preparation: A prior course in Asian American studies.Enrollment Comments: Same course as Asian American Studies 161.
Historical and interdisciplinary approach to the themes and issues in the religious traditions of Asian Americans. Topics: the civil religious context, the transplantation of "Asian" traditions into the U.S., Asian American Christianity, Asian American theology.
RG ST 124G.
The Virgin of Guadalupe: From Tilma to Tattoo
(4)
PEREZ
Prerequisite: Spanish 3 or instructor approval
Beginning with her precursors in the Old and New World, this course approaches Guadalupe as a tool to pry open questions central to Mexican and Chicano/a identity. For some, she is a compassionate mother-figure with characteristics once attributed to powerful pre-Columbian goddesses; for others, she is a feminist champion of political revolution and human rights. This course concentrates on the most compelling contexts in which Guadalupe has been called on to negotiate religious, racial, sexual, and national identity.
RG ST 125.
Special Topics
(4)
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or one prior course in Religious Studies.
Enrollment Comments: No more than eight units of major credit will be given, but course may be repeated to a 12 unit maximum.
Lectures in special areas of interest in religious studies. Specific coursetitles to be announced by the department each quarter.
RG ST 125A.
Religion and Modern Egypt
(4)
AHMAD
Prerequisite: upper-division standing
Presents a basic outline of Egyptian religious history from Napoleon's landing in Alexandria in 1798 until the 18-Day Revolution of 2011, emphasizing the conflict of religion, education, and the interaction of public reasoning and political life.
RG ST 126.
Roman Catholicism Today
(4)
HAMMOND
A survey of the history of Roman Catholic Christianity, leading to Vatican II and subsequent changes in the church. Attention is worldwide, but focus is on the United States.
RG ST 127A.
Christian Thought and Cultures of the Ancient World
(4)
THOMAS
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Outline of the primary philosophical, sociological, and cultural trends in the first four centuries of Christianity: The changing relationship to imperial government, the "parting of the ways" with Judaism, the cultural inheritance of paganism, problems of self-definition against heresies.
RG ST 127B.
Christian Thought and Cultures of the Middle Ages
(4)
CARLSON
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Exploration of some of the major intellectual and cultural developments defining medieval Christian Europe. Materials considered include both contemporary historical studies and selected primary sources in theology, philosophy, literature, and the arts.
RG ST 127C.
Christian Thought and Cultures of the Reformation
(4)
CARLSON
Addresses major intellectual and cultural developments relating to the disintegration of medieval Christianity and the birth of modern Europe. Attention given to both contemporary historical studies and selected primary sources in theology, philosophy, literature, and the arts.
RG ST 128.
Religious Environmentalism in the Anthropocene: Asia & U.S.
(4)
YANG
Prerequisite: Upper division standing.
What can ancient religious traditions do for environmental protection? This class examines doctrinal examples, both potential and actual, of religious environmentalism in China, India, Japan, and the U.S. with Buddhism, Daoism, Hinduism, Shinto, and Protestantism.
RG ST 128A.
Religion and Spirituality in the Roman Empire
(4)
THOMAS
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or instructor approval
Enrollment Comments: May not be taken for credit by students who have completed Religious Studies 128.
Introduction to "pagan" spirituality: Rites marking the seasonal and life cycles, syncretism and multiculturalism, initiation into religious associations, dreams and oracles, with attention both to religious texts and to the symbolic, iconographic, and structural evidence offered by archaeological data.
RG ST 128C.
The Sacred Geography of the Ancient Mediterranean World
(4)
THOMAS
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or instructor approval
A survey of religious sites in paganism, early Christianity, ancient Judaism, and early Islam. After general introduction to the sites, theoretical approaches to sacred space and ritual, and research methods for archaeological materials, students produce research papers and oral presentations on individual sites.
RG ST 128D.
The Transformation of the Late Antique City
(4)
THOMAS
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or instructor approval
Examines the transition of eastern Mediterranean society from the pagan Roman empire to Christian late antiquity and the early Islamic period, with a special focus on the reuse of civic space, monumental programs, and ritual practices.
RG ST 129.
Religions of the Ancient Near East
(4)
CAMPO, GARR
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or instructor approval
Examination of the religious traditions of Mesopotamia, the Hittites, and the peoples of Syria-Palestine as seen through their literary archeological remains.
RG ST 130.
Judaism
(4)
HECHT
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or instructor approval
Elements of traditional Judaism in biblical and rabbinic times.
RG ST 131C.
Judaism in the Medieval World
(4)
HECHT
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Course covers period from 650 to 1500 CE and topics: Karaite movements; biblical and Talmaudic commentaries; growth of mystical movements; disputations between Christians and Jews.
RG ST 131D.
Judaism in Modern Times
(4)
HECHT
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or instructor approval
Challenge of the enlightenment and emancipation movements to traditional Jewish life in western and eastern Europe. Religious and secular responses to these challenges (orthodox, conservative, reform, Zionism, socialism) in Europe and the United States.
RG ST 131F.
The History of Anti-Semitism
(4)
HECHT
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or instructor approval
A systematic examination of the history of anti-Semitism, beginning with the emergence of anti-Judaism in the world of late antiquity, its transformation into theological anti-Semitism in the middle ages, and the emergence of racial anti-Semitism in the modern world. The central focus will be anti-Semitism as a religio-historical category.
RG ST 131H.
Politics and Religion in the City: The Case of Jerusalem
(4)
HECHT
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or a prior course in religious studies.
Examines relationships between religion and politics in Jerusalem. As a sacred center for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and a national center for Israelis and Palestinians, Jerusalem provides the unique opportunity to examine coexisting groups holding opposite world views.
RG ST 131J.
Introduction to Rabbinic Literature
(4)
HOLDREGE, GARR
Prerequisite: Upper division standing.
Recommended Preparation: One course on Jewish traditions (lower or upper division).
An introduction to the basic texts of Rabbinic literature through an analysis of representative passages from the Mishnah, Talmud, and Midrash. Particular attention will be given to the various types of Midrash and the principles and methods of Midrashic interpretation. (Knowledge of Hebrew not required.)
RG ST 132A.
Holy Delight: Eros and the Sacred in Jewish and Christian Interpretations of the Song of Songs
(4)
WOLFSON
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Explores the allegorical and symbolic interpretations of the biblical love poem known as the Song of Songs in the Jewish and Christian traditions from Late Antiquity to the Middle Ages. Topics to be discussed include the Song in its literary and historical context, the interplay of the sacred and the erotic in religious experience, allegory and the sacralization of the erotic, Marian interpretations and the ascetic curbing of desire, and the contemplative and ectastic interpretations of medieval kabbalists.
RG ST 132B.
Jewish Dream Interpretation from the Bible to Freud
(4)
WOLFSON
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Explores the varieties of dream interpretation in the Jewish tradition from the Bible to Freud. Topics to be discussed include dream and transcendence in the religious imagination and neuroscience; dreams and prophecy; the hermeneutics of dream interpretation; lucid dreaming and the syntax of space and time in the dream consciousness.
RG ST 132C.
Representations of Jesus in Jewish Thought from Late Antiquity to the Middle Ages
(4)
WOLFSON
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Explores the various ways Jesus has been represented in Jewish sources from Late Antiquity through the Middle Ages. Particular interest will be paid to complex interface of the two faiths and the polemical attempts to draw sharp lines distinguishing them. The investigation of the status of alterity will be a key factor in determining the boundaries and the convergence and divergence of the Jewish and Christian portraits of Jesus.
RG ST 132D.
Jewish Magic, the Occult, and Western Esotericism
(4)
WOLFSON
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Explores the history of magic and the occult in Jewish sources and the influence they have had on shaping the contours of Western esotericism. Topics to be discussed include the nature of language and the shaping of reality, the interface between magic and mysticism, and the role of secrecy in the transmission of and theurgical use of gnosis.
RG ST 133.
Introduction to Jewish Mysticism
(4)
HOLDREGE
An introduction to the schools and texts of Jewish mysticism, with particular attention to the Zohar, Lurianic Kabbalah, and Hasidism. Examination of conceptions of god and the Sefirot, Torah, creation, and redemption, along with consideration of the role of meditative techniques.
RG ST 133B.
From Superman to Spiegelman: The Jewish Graphic Novel
(4)
AMIHAY, O
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Enrollment Comments: Same course as C LIT 184A.
This survey of graphic novels by Jewish authors will include selections of early comics, works by American authors such as Eisner, Spiegelman, and Pekar, and Israeli graphic novels. The seminar-style discussions will address varied themes, including identity, gender, trauma and memory.
RG ST 133C.
Studies in Jewish Law
(4)
AMIHAY, A
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Surveys the development of Jewish Law from the times of the Bible, through the Talmud, and down to present day. Covers themes of legal history, ethics, religious and civil law, and political challenges of church and state relations in Modern Israel and the United States.
RG ST 133D.
Gender in Jewish Culture
(4)
AMIHAY, A
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing
Explores a variety of approaches towards gender in Jewish culture, engaging topics such as the gender of God, gender roles, gender and nationalism, patriarchy, egalitarianism, and gender as metaphor. Readings include selections from the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud, Kabbalah, Yiddish literature, and texts from modern Israeli and Jewish American culture.
RG ST 133E.
Introduction to Modern Hebrew Literature
(4)
AMIHAY, O
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing
Enrollment Comments: Same course as Comparative Literature 184C.
This seminar offers a broad view of Modern Hebrew literature, from its emergence in the late nineteenth century to the present. Explores literary reflections of the Zionist project and major trends in Israeli culture and politics, while examining connections and tensions between different literary generations in Israel. Readings will include selections from Israeli novels, short stories, poetry and drama in translation but will be available in Hebrew for interested students. Discussions held in English.
RG ST 133F.
Image of Jews in Film
(4)
BERNSTEIN
Prerequisite: Upper Division standing.
An introduction to the representation of Jews in film. Individual films are contextualized, followed by a discussion.
RG ST 134A.
Medicine, Magic, and Miracle: Christianity and Healing in the Medieval Mediterranean
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Upper division standing
Explores religious language, ritual, text, and ceremony in healing practices throughout the medieval Mediterranean. It also looks at the intersections of medical and religious thought about illness and health, particularly from Christian perspectives in the Mediterranean.
RG ST 134B.
Christian Death in Medieval Europe
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 12 or instructor approval, upper division standing
Explores the experiences, expectations, and descriptions of death in Christian communities of the Medieval Mediterranean. Considers the rituals and practices surrounding death and the changing experiences of death during epidemics and warfare.
RG ST 135.
Readings in Tibetan Buddhist Texts
(4)
CABEZON
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 30F or instructor approval
Enrollment Comments: May be repeated for credit.
Repeat Comments: Different texts are read each quarter, so there is never any over-lap from one quarter to another.
Close readings of the different genres of the classical texts of Tibetan Buddhism in the original Tibetan: philosophy, history, autobiography, religious poetry, ritual, etc. Also provides a hands-on introduction to available digital tools.
RG ST 136.
Creation Myths
(4)
WHITE
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or instructor approval
Survey of cosmogonic myths within the world's mythological traditions with special attention to pervasive mythemes, historical connections between cognate traditions, and major scholarly theories relating cosmogony to broader social, psychological, ethical, and theological constructs.
RG ST 136C.
Creation Myths
(4)
WHITE
Survey of cosmogonic myths within the world's mythological traditions with special attention to pervasive mythemes, Historical connections between cognate traditions, and major scholarly theories relating cosmogony to broader social, psychological, ethical, and theological constructs.
RG ST 137.
Gnosticism and Manichaeism
(4)
THOMAS
Prerequisite: Upper division standing.
Study of Gnostic and Manichaean religions as philosophical and ritual systems, as book religions, and in their interrelations with Christianity, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, and Platonism.
RG ST 138.
Topics in Catholic Studies
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing
Various courses on the topic of Catholic Studies, including courses taught by the Tipton Visiting Professor in Catholic Studies.
RG ST 138A.
Church, State, and Orthodoxy
(4)
TAVES
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
A survey of the emergence and development of the Roman Catholic Church as an institution with particular attention to the ways in which church leaders defined, maintained, and transmitted a distinctively Catholic understanding of Christian orthodoxy.
RG ST 138B.
Global Catholicism
(4)
TAVES
Prerequisite: Upper Division Standing
An examination of the ways in which Catholic spirituality and religious practice have been shaped by their encounter with various cultures and traditions.
RG ST 138C.
Catholicism and Modernity
(4)
TAVES
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
An examination of key concepts in the history of Catholic thought: the sacred/sacraments, tradition, sacrifice, sex, and authority with attention to how these concepts were interpreted and reinterpreted by Catholic thinkers and scholars of religion in the modern era.
RG ST 138E.
Seminar in Catholic Studies
(4)
TAVES
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 138 A, B, C or D and permission of instructor.
An examination of selected topics in Catholic Studies that bear on larger questions in religious studies, American history, and global studies.
RG ST 138F.
Catholic Tradition
(4)
TAVES
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 18 or consent of the instructor.
An examination of the interplay between experience, authority, and claims of divine revelation through an analysis of case studies in the history of Catholicism from the early church to the Second Vatican Council.
RG ST 139A.
Early Christian Literature in Greek
(4)
THOMAS
Prerequisite: Upper division standing.
Recommended Preparation: Two quarters of Greek.
Reading of the New Testament and other first and second century works as illustrations of Greek style, with attention to the development of Koine Greek, influence of the Septuagint, textual apparatuses, and interpretational tools available to the reader of Greek.
RG ST 140A.
Islamic Traditions
(4)
CAMPO
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or instructor approval
Introduction to history, doctrines, and practices of the Sunni, Shi'i and Sufi expressions of Islam. Includes study of Qur'an, Hadith literature, religious law, leadership, and holy places.
RG ST 140B.
Religion, Politics and Society in the Persian Gulf Region
(4)
CAMPO
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
History of Islam and politics in societies of Saudia Arabia, Iran, and Iraqsince 1500. Emphasis on topics such as Shi'i and Sunni movements, religion and the state, Iranian revolution, economic development, and modernity.
RG ST 140C.
Islamic Mysticism and Religious Thought
(4)
CAMPO
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Sufi mystics, ideas, practices, and movements. The relationship of Sufism to other currents of religious thought, such as theology and philosophy in the middle east, Africa, and Asia.
RG ST 140D.
Islam in South Asia
(4)
CAMPO
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Examines the religious, cultural, social, and political formation of Islam in India, from the twelth century to the present. Special consideration is given to patterns of Islamization and Hindu-Muslim encounters in pilgrimage, mysticism, and music. Religious aspects of Indian nationalisticmovements and the 1947 partition are also discussed.
RG ST 140E.
Islam in America
(4)
MOORE
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Enrollment Comments: Same course as Black Studies 140E.
Examines Islam in American setting, from introduction by African slaves and immigrants from Islamic countries, to transformation into the black Muslim movement, to rise as one of the leading non-Christian religions in the United States during the 1970s and 80s.
RG ST 140F.
Modern Islamic Movements
(4)
CAMPO
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Analysis of the variety of movements that have emerged in the modern Muslimworld: Sufi, reformist, and revolutionary. Includes comparison of Islamic political movements, leaders, and ideologies in Arabia, Africa, Iran, India, and south east Asia.
RG ST 140G.
Other Islams: Alternative Forms of Muslim Religiosity
(4)
CAMPO
Prerequisite: One other course on Islam or Middle East studies, excluding language courses
This course looks comparatively at alternative traditions of Islam, including saint veneration, Ismaili Shi'is, Babis, the Ahmadiyya, Sufi orders in the West, the Nation of Islam, and women's religious movements.
RG ST 141A.
Sociology of Religion: The Classical Statements
(4)
HAMMOND
Religion as it is treated by major social theorists, including Marx, Weber,Durkheim, Freud, Simmel, Malinowski.
RG ST 141D.
Church-State Relations
(4)
MOORE
Prerequisite: Upper division standing
Examines relationship between American government and religion with particular attention to Establishment Clause jurisprudence and interest group politics. Teaches analytical methods of reading case law and public interest litigation.
RG ST 141E.
Religious Liberty
(4)
MOORE
Prerequisite: Upper division standing
Examines commitments to religious freedom as an essential part of modern politics. Teaches analytical case law method to read U.S. cases as well as rulings of international courts protecting civil and human rights.
RG ST 142A.
Religious Literature in Hebrew
(4)
GARR
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 17A-B-C.
Enrollment Comments: May be repeated for credit to a maximum of 8 units.
An application of grammatical and analytic skills acquired in introductory Hebrew to the rapid reading of biblical Hebrew texts, complemented by an emphasis on critical and interpretive approaches to the Hebrew bible. Textschange with each offering of the course.
RG ST 142B.
Religious Literature in Hebrew
(4)
HECHT, GARR
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 17A-B-C.
Introduction to poetry of the Hebrew bible with special reference to Culticsongs. Texts will be selected from psalms, song of songs, and Koheleth in order to examine the varieties of poetic style.
RG ST 144.
The Problem of Evil in Religious Traditions
(4)
EL OMARI
This course surveys key philosophical formulations and responses to the problem of evil, including natural evil (e.g. diseases) and moral evil (e.g. injustices), as expressed across religious traditions, including the Ancient Greeks, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The focus of the course is a comparative reading of philosophical and religious primary sources in their historical and cultural contexts.
RG ST 144A.
ATHEISM
(4)
BLANKHOLM
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Do atheists believe in anything? If so, what? Is a religious atheist an oxymoron? This course explores what atheism is and how it?s changed over time. It also introduces students to related forms of nonbelief, such as agnosticism, humanism, and freethought. By looking at the wide variety of atheisms, a fascinating story emerges about what it means to believe, behave, and belong in religious and nonreligious ways.
RG ST 145.
Patterns in Comparative Religion
(4)
HOLDREGE
Prerequisite: Upper division standing and one course on religion (lower or upper division).
Study of major religious issues as addressed by more than one religious tradition. The problem of comparative religion as an academic discipline.
RG ST 147.
Religion and the American Experience
(4)
ALBANESE
Prerequisite: Upper division standing
Enrollment Comments: May be repeated for credit to a maximum of 8 units.
Study of one selected topic in U.S. religious history in cultural context. Examples include evangelicalism, revivalism, fundamentalism, millennialism, communalism, Transcendentalism, new religions past and present, metaphysical traditions, religion and ethnicity, religion and healing, nature religion, New Age.
RG ST 147B.
The Culture of Medieval Muslim Spain
(4)
REYNOLDS
Prerequisite: Upper Division Standing
Examines the emergence and spread of a distinctive culture in medieval Muslim Spain (Ar.al-Andalus) from the 8th to the early 17th centuries. Topics include literature, music, architecture, and mysticism, as well as intellectual fields such as philosophy and the sciences. These fields will be examined against the background of cultural interactions among both ethnic (e.g., Arab, Berber, Iberian) and sectarian (e.g., Christian, Jewish, Muslim) communities. Hotly debated issues such as cultural influence and modern survivals will also be addressed.
RG ST 147T.
Introduction to Daoism
(4)
STEAVU
Prerequisite: Upper Division Only
A study of the classical sources of Daosim, followed by a consideration of the varieties of religious practice which developed from those sources.
RG ST 148A.
Advanced Arabic
(4)
REYNOLDS
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 10F.
Advanced study of grammar and vocabulary; readings in the major genres of classical and modern Arabic literature, including Qur'an, medieval poetry and prose, modern short story and novels, etc.
RG ST 148B.
Advanced Arabic
(4)
REYNOLDS
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 148A.
Continuation of Relgious Studies 148A.
RG ST 148C.
Advanced Arabic
(4)
REYNOLDS
Prerequisite: Relgious Studies 148B.
Continuation of Relgious Studies 148B.
RG ST 149.
Comparative Religion and Politics of the Middle East
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Upper Division Standing or instructor approval
Focus on "Primordialism" in the contemporary Middle East and how kinship, ethnicity and religion impact nation-building. Four cases are selected from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Israel- Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq.
RG ST 149A.
History of Islamic Theology
(4)
EL OMARI
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Survey of major trends and schools in Islamic theology throughout the early, formative classical, and post-classical periods. Attention given to formulations of Islamic theology as expressed in doctrinal, heresiographical, theological, philosophical, and mystical texts in historical and social contexts.
RG ST 149C.
Language and Knowledge in Medieval Islam
(4)
EL OMARI
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing
Examines representative conceptions and practices of language in Islamic thought and history. Questions addressed in this course range from conceptions of language in exegetical, theological, mystical, and legal traditions to its practices in writing and transmission of knowledge.
RG ST 149D.
History of Islamic Philosophy
(4)
EL OMARI
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or instructor approval.
A history of Islamic philosophy with a focus on its early and classical phases. Attention will be given to the universalist aspirations and articulations of Islamic philosophy as well as to its interaction with Islamic doctrines and with theologies.
RG ST 149H.
Islamic Humanism
(4)
EL OMARI
Prerequisite: Upper Division Standing
Investigates major humanist and universalist trends in pre-modern Islamic intellectual history as championed in the works of literators, philosophers and historians. The objective of this course is to introduce these humanist themes through close reading and examination of primary sources in the broader historical, multi-cultural and multi-religious contexts of Islamic History.
RG ST 149R.
Islamic Philosophy and Theology
(4)
EL OMARI
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
This course surveys the history of rationalist thought in pre-modern Islamic history, focusing on the genesis and development of the disciplines of rationalist theology and Neoplatonized Aristotelian philosophy. The objective of this course is to highlight the experimental and dynamic scope of rationalist thought in pre-modern Islamic history through close reading of primary sources in their broader historical and intellectual contexts.
RG ST 150A.
Theory in Magic, Magic in Theory
(4)
WALKER
Prerequisite: Upper division standing
Explores theories of "magic" and "religion" alongside the careers of traveling spiritualists, faith healers, and illusionists in America. Challenging persistent notions of secularization, our subjects elevate skepticism itself as a basic religious presumption, and they recover the popular spaces of its performance.
RG ST 150B.
Religion and Tourism in Modern America
(4)
WALKER
Prerequisite: Upper division standing
Explores the complicated relationship between tourism and religion in modernity. Through analysis of historical case studies, travelogues, fiction, and film, we interrogate the categories of "religion," "pilgrimage," "tourism," and "secularity"; and we pursue new understandings of their co- dependency in the West.
RG ST 151A.
Religion in American History to 1865
(4)
ALBANESE
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Principal figures, groups, trends, and issues in religion in American history and culture to 1865.
RG ST 151B.
Religion in American History Since 1865
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or instructor approval
Principal figures, groups, trends, and issues in religion in America since 1865.
RG ST 151C.
Religion in the American West
(4)
BUSTO
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or instructor approval
Interdisciplinary approach to understanding religion in the western United States. How does a regional approach alter our view of American religion? Case studies of traditions transplanted to or having origin in the American west.
RG ST 152.
Religion in America Today
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or instructor approval
Recent trends in American religion and in interrelationships between religion and American society.
RG ST 155.
Religion and the Impact of Vietnam
(4)
HECHT
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or instructor approval
Impact of the Vietnam war upon American values, religion, and senses of national purpose.
RG ST 156.
African Religions in the Americas
(4)
MICHEL, STRONGMAN
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Enrollment Comments: Same course as Black Studies 138.
A study of Neo-African religions in the Americas, with special emphasis on Haitian Vodou, myths, philosophical perspectives, moral order, rituals, and practices. Social and political dynamics are examined in contemporary religious communities including women's roles and sexuality issues.
RG ST 156A.
Anthropology of Religion
(4)
YANG
Prerequisite: Upper Division Standing
Anthropological studies of religious practice, including theories of religion. Topics include: ritual and symbolism, religion and economy, religion and political power, gender and religion, religion and media, and globalization of religion. Students will undertake a mini-ethnographic project.
RG ST 156BE.
Bio-Medical Ethics
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Upper division standing
Moral, social, and legal questions surrounding the practice of medicine and related sciences. Topics may include patient's rights, ethical duties of doctors, stem cell research, end of life care, and physician assisted suicide.
RG ST 156CC.
Seminar in Social Ethics
(4)
ROOF
Prerequisite: Instructor approval required prior to enrolling.
This seminar is part of the Capps Center internship program in public service and social ethics. It addresses issues of ethics and the role of governmental and non-governmental organizations in contemporary society. Students will intern in local non-profit organizations in Winter and Spring quarters.
RG ST 156CE.
Ethics and the College Experience
(4)
JARRETT
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing
Enrollment Comments: Students cannot enroll in this course if they have received credit for RGST 156DJ.
Critical examination of moral, social and political issues that arise on college campuses. Examines theories and methods of reasoning about moral relations, rights, duties, dissent, and conflicts arising in the shared campus community. Explores the challenges and opportunities available to college students as learners, and raises questions about the role of the student and the purpose of the university as a whole.
RG ST 156CI.
Social Ethics Research
(4)
ROOF
Prerequisite: RG ST 156CC
Research paper part of the Capps Center internship program in public service and social ethics. It describes the student's experience working in a nonprofit organization, combining theoretical material from the previous course on social ethics in fall quarter and practical experience during the winter and spring quarters.
RG ST 156EE.
Environmental Ethics
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: upper division standing
Environmental Ethics probes questions of duty and policy regarding human impact on the natural world. Topics such as climate change, sustainable economics, population explosion, and the standing of non-human animals are examined from various perspectives.
RG ST 157.
Religion, Law, and Society
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing
Enrollment Comments: Same course as RG ST 190LR.
Explores the influence of religion on law and society by addressing such issues as the relationship between religious and secular institutions, religious freedom and discrimination, and the ideological and political implications of religious beliefs.
RG ST 157B.
Advanced Persian II
(4)
AFARY
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 157A or instructor approval.
Enrollment Comments: Not open for credit to students who have completed or are concurrently enrolled in Religious Studies 58A, 58B, 58C, 58D, 158E or 158F.
Continuation of Advanced Persian I (RGST 157A).
RG ST 157C.
Advanced Persian III
(4)
AFARY
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 157B or instructor approval.
Enrollment Comments: Not open for credit to students who have completed or are concurrently enrolled in Religious Studies 58A, 58B, 58C, 58D, 158E or 158F.
Continuation of Advanced Persian II (RGST 157B).
RG ST 157CP.
Contemporary Persian Literature and Translation
(4)
FEIZ
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 57F or 58D or instructor approval.
Introduces students to 20th century Persian-language literary texts as a means of understanding the efforts of an ever-expanding Iranian intellectual class over this period via use of both the short story and the novel. The course seeks to familiarize students whose command of Persian is at Intermediate or Advanced level. Students will increase their fluency in reading and learn to exercise an enhanced facility in the language.
RG ST 157G.
Persian Cinema
(4)
FEIZMOHAMMADP
Prerequisite: RGST 57F or RGST 58D or instructor approval
The study of Persian Movies. During this course, Persian language learners watch and analyze some creative Iranian movies, developing their language skills and learning about the Persian culture. Course objectives include developing vocabulary of daily language, comprehension and critical analysis of Persian movies, writing summaries of the movies, engaging with various aspects of Persian-speaking culture.
RG ST 157I.
Persian Media and Translation
(4)
FEIZMOHAMMADP
Prerequisite: RG ST 57F or RG ST 58D
Recommended Preparation: RG ST 57F or RG ST 58D
The study of authentic Persian news, reports, songs, and movies through a variety of media sources, such as print, radio, television, and internet. Course objectives include developing vocabulary and reading of news; reading, translating, and summarizing news reports; comprehension and critical analysis of Persian movies; reading and analysis of Persian ballads and songs; and engaging with various aspects of Persian-speaking culture.
RG ST 157J.
Persian Translation
(4)
FEIZMOHAMMADPOUR
Prerequisite: RG ST 58D, RG ST 57F or oral proficiency test conducted by the instructor
The course aims to develop skills in technologies of translation. The students learn about literal translation versus free translation. Students develop practical and research skills that are of immediate importance to the translation of different texts (i.e. articles, media, and short stories). Upon completion of this course, students should be able to formulate and employ appropriate translation strategies to overcome language and cultural barriers of different texts and translate with confidence from English to Persian and vice versa.
RG ST 157PP.
Classic Persian Literature and Translation
(4)
FEIZ
Recommended Preparation: Religious Studies 57F or 58D
The aim of the course is for students to become acquainted with a number of representative works of Classical Persian literature and to identify enduring themes in the literature. Short poems and excerpts from long poems will be read and discussed in class. This course seeks to familiarize students whose command of Persian is at Advanced level. Students will increase their fluency in reading and learn to exercise an enhanced facility in the language.
RG ST 158A.
Hindu Myth, Image, and Pilgrimage: Exploring the Worlds of Krishna
(4)
HOLDREGE
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Enrollment Comments: Not open for credit to students who have completed Religious Studies 158.
A study of the categories of myth, image, and pilgrimage through an exploration of the worlds of the deity Krishna celebrated in mythic narratives, devotional poetry, theological doctrines, visual arts, pilgrimage traditions, dramatic performances, and other cultural forms.
RG ST 158C.
Consciousness and the Body in Hindu Traditions
(4)
HOLDREGE
Prerequisite: Upper division standing.
Recommended Preparation: ONE COURSE ON SOUTH ASIAN RELIGIONS (LOWER OR UPPER DIVISION).
An exploration of Hindu constructions of embodiment and the relationship of the mind-body complex to consciousness. Critical analysis of discursive representations and practices in various Hindu traditions, including ritual traditions, ascetic movements, legal codes, medical discourses, devotional movements, and Tantric traditions.
RG ST 158E.
Intensive Advanced Persian I
(4)
FEIZMOHAMMADPOUR
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 57F or 58D or instructor approval.
Enrollment Comments: No credit can be earned if more advanced credit in the language has already been awarded. Cannot be taken concurrently with Religious Studies 157A-B-C.
Repeat Comments: Not open for credit to students who have completed Religious Studies 157E.
A continuation of Intensive Intermediate Persian II (RGST 58D). The course objectives are: develop advanced language skills in listening, speaking, writing, and reading comprehension; practice reading and translating texts at an advanced level; communicate in Persian on a variety of topics; learn variety of real-life language tasks through writing paragraphs, short essays, reports, and summaries.
RG ST 158F.
Intensive Advanced Persian II
(4)
FEIZMOHAMMADPOUR
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 158E or instructor approval.
Enrollment Comments: No credit can be earned if more advanced credit in the language has already been awarded. Cannot be taken concurrently with RGST 157A-B-C.
Repeat Comments: Not open for credit to students who have completed Religious Studies 157F.
A continuation of Intensive Advanced Persian I (RGST 158E). The course objectives are: develop advanced language skills; initiate and carry complex conversations; practice reading and translating texts at an advanced level; write complex paragraphs; develop cultural awareness through additional readings, movies, and class discussions.
RG ST 159A.
Elementary Sanskrit
(4)
HILLIS
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or instructor approval
An introduction to the phonology, morphology, and syntax of classical Sanskrit.
RG ST 159B.
Elementary Sanskrit
(4)
HILLIS
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 159A.
Continuation of Elementary Sanskrit.
RG ST 159C.
Elementary Sanskrit
(4)
HILLIS
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 159A-B.
Reading and analysis of classical Sanskrit religious texts.
RG ST 159D.
Intermediate Sanskrit
(4)
HILLIS
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 159A-B-C.
Selected readings in intermediate level Sanskrit religious texts: Bhagavad-Gita
RG ST 159E.
Intermediate Sanskrit
(4)
HILLIS
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 159A-B-C.
Selected readings in intermediate level Sanskrit religious texts: Upanishads
RG ST 159F.
Intermediate Sanskrit
(4)
HILLIS
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 159A-B-C.
Selected readings in intermediate level Sanskrit religious texts: Epics
RG ST 159G.
Religious Literature in Sanskrit
(4)
HOLDREGE, WALLACE, WHITE
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 159D-E-F.
Readings in religious literature in Sanskrit.
RG ST 159H.
Religious Literature in Sanskrit: Vedic Literature
(4)
HOLDREGE, WALLACE, WHITE
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 159D-E-F.
Readings in Vedic literature in Sanskrit.
RG ST 159I.
Religious Literature in Sanskrit: Mahabharata
(4)
HOLDREGE, WALLACE, WHITE
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 159D-E-F.
Readings in the Mahabharata in Sanskrit.
RG ST 159J.
Religious Literature in Sanskrit: Puranas
(4)
HOLDREGE, WALLACE, WHITE
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 159D-E-F.
Readings in the Puranas in Sanskrit.
RG ST 159K.
Religious Literature in Sanskrit: Yoga Literature
(4)
HOLDREGE, WALLACE, WHITE
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 159D-E-F.
Readings in Yoga literature in Sanskrit.
RG ST 159L.
Religious Literature in Sanskrit: Philosophical Literature
(4)
HOLDREGE, WALLACE, WHITE
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 159D-E-F.
Readings in Philosophical literature in Sanskrit.
RG ST 159M.
Religious Literature in Sanskrit: Tantric Literature
(4)
HOLDREGE, WALLACE, WHITE
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 159D-E-F.
Readings in Tantric literature in Sanskrit.
RG ST 159N.
Religious Literature in Sanskrit: Buddhist Literature
(4)
HOLDREGE, WALLACE, WHITE
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 159D-E-F.
Readings in Buddhist literature in Sanskrit.
RG ST 159O.
Religious Literature in Sanskrit: Jain Literature
(4)
HOLDREGE, WALLACE, WHITE
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 159D-E-F.
Readings in Jain literature in Sanskrit.
RG ST 159P.
Religious Literature in Sanskrit: Buddhist Shastras
(4)
WALLACE
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 159F or instructor approval
Readings in the Buddhist Shastras in Sanskrit.
RG ST 160A.
Religious Traditions of India
(4)
HOLDREGE, WALLACE, WHITE
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or instructor approval
Enrollment Comments: Not open for credit to students who have completed Religious Studies 160.
An introduction to the classical religious traditions of India, with particular attention to three major areas of Indian religion and culture: the ritual, moral and social order; philosophical perspectives and traditions; and traditions of mythology and devotion.
RG ST 161B.
Buddhist Meditation Traditions
(4)
WALLACE
Prerequisite: Upper division standing
A consideration of major forms of Buddhist meditation, from both the South Asian and the East Asian traditions, with special attention given to determining the nature of meditation as a variety of religious experience.
RG ST 161C.
Buddhist Tantric Traditions
(4)
WALLACE
Recommended Preparation: Background in South or Central Asian Buddhist traditions.
A comparative historical study of Buddhist Tantric traditions in South and Central Asia.
RG ST 161E.
Buddhist Cognitive and Contemplative Sciences
(4)
WALLACE
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Enrollment Comments: Concurrently offered with RG ST 261E.
Introduces students to the Buddhist theories of mind and mental factors, and to diverse Indian and Tibetan Buddhist methods of exploring the nature of the mind and transforming mental states. The course also gives attention to contemporary dialogues and scientific research of Western cognitive scientists with Buddhist scholars and practitioners.
RG ST 162A.
Indian Philosophy
(4)
WALLACE, CABEZON
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or instructor approval
An overview of the six classical philosophical schools (darshanas) of Hinduism. May also include analysis of selected portions of the Jain and Buddhist philosophical traditions.
RG ST 162D.
Introduction to Jainism
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or instructor approval
Focuses on the Jain tradition with its historical roots in South Asia. Surveys the sacred writings, beliefs, religious figures, and practices integral to the Jain tradition from the time of Mahavira (fifth century B.C.E.) to the present day.
RG ST 162G.
SACRED LAWS, SOCIAL INJUSTICE: CASTE IN INDIAN SOCIETY
(4)
ELISON
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing and completion of at least one upper-division Religious Studies or Anthropology course or permission of the instructor.
THE REVERSE OF THE PRINCIPLE OF SEPARATE BUT EQUAL, CASTE IMPLIES TOGETHER BUT UNEQUAL. THIS COURSE STRESSES TWO ASPECTS OF CASTE HIERARCHY: 1) CASTE AS LIVED IN INDIA; AND 2) CASTE AS CONCEIVED AND REFORMED WITHIN HINDU THOUGHT. AT THE THEORETICAL LEVEL, CASTE HAS INSPIRED EFFORTS TO MAP SOCIAL RELATIONS ALONG MULTIPLE AXES?POWER, PURITY, MATERIAL EXCHANGE?IN COUNTERPOINT TO WESTERN MODERNITY. ALONG WITH SOCIAL THEORY, WE'LL READ MEMOIRS, ETHNOGRAPHIC AND SACRED TEXTS, AS WELL AS WATCH BOLLYWOOD MOVIES.
RG ST 162I.
Desire, Sex, and Romance in Traditions of India
(4)
ELISON
Prerequisite: Upper Division standing and one course from the following: RGST 19, 20, 140D, 158C, 159 G-H-J-K-L-M-N-O, 160 A, 161D, 169 or equivalent; or Instructor approval.
Enrollment Comments: Cross listed with C LIT 162I
Explores questions of love and sex across two thousand years of Indian religious thought. The reading list includes some of the most famous voices in South Asian literary history. We will tour various genres: moral teachings, epic narrative, drama, devotional and mystical poetry, modern fiction. Yes, we will read the Kama Sutra, and yes, there will be Bollywood films.
RG ST 162J.
Modern Hinduism: Colonial and Nationalist Contexts
(4)
ELISON
Prerequisite: Upper Division standing and one course from the following: RGST 19, 20, 140D, 158C, 159 G-H-J-K-L-M-N-O, 160A, 161D, 169 or equivalent; or instructor approval
The names ?Hinduism,? a religion, and ?India,? a nation, come from the same word. What's at stake in mapping one onto the other? We will study the consolidation of Hindu traditions as a modern religion?how the ?ism? got in the ?Hinduism??in historical context. A major theme will be the development under colonialism of Hindutva ideology, which recasts the religion in a militant, masculinized mode. Who speaks for Hinduism?within academia and outside it?
RG ST 163A.
Sex, Drugs, and Chinese Meditation
(4)
STEAVU
Prerequisite: Upper Division Standing
Charts the development of alchemy in China, from its origins as a laboratory science devoted to the compounding of elixirs of immortality to its later incarnations as a Buddhist and Daoist process of self-cultivation.
RG ST 163B.
Chinese Martial Arts through Film
(4)
STEAVU
Prerequisite: One course in humanities or social science
Examines how the medium of film is employed in forging an image of Chinese culture as "martial" and "spiritual." Examples from Hong Kong, mainland Chinese, and American cinema are considered.
RG ST 164.
Topics in Buddhist Studies
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Upper Division Standing
Various courses on the topic of Buddhist Studies
RG ST 164B.
Buddhist Traditions in East Asia
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: upper division standing
Recommended Preparation: background in Indian Buddhism.Enrollment Comments: Same course as East Asian Cultural Studies 164B.
A consideration of the Buddhist tradition and its evolution in China, with emphasis on the changes which Buddhism underwent in its encounter with Chinese traditions and historical circumstances.
RG ST 164C.
Buddhist Ethics
(4)
WALLACE
A study of Buddhist ethical traditions, including a consideration of soteriological, social, political, environmental, and gender issues. Critical analysis and assessment of various ethical perspectives based on Buddhist textual sources and ethnographic evidence from the lives of contemporary Buddhist practitioners.
RG ST 165.
Vedic Traditions of India
(4)
HOLDREGE
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
A study of the sociocultural, mythological, and ritual traditions of Vedic India. Includes an exploration of the Indo-Aryan debate concerning Vedic origins, the canonical authority of Veda, cosmogonic and cosmological speculations, sociocultural taxonomies, and theories of Vedic ritual.
RG ST 166C.
Confucian Traditions: The Classical Period
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: upper division standing
Enrollment Comments: Same course as Chinese 166C.
A treatment of the origins of Confucianism and of its development through the Han Dynasty (to A.D.200), with special attention to the variety of humane and spiritual disciplines which came to be called "Confucian." Emphasis on the interpretation of primary texts like the Analects, the Mencius, the Hsun Tzu, etc.
RG ST 167A.
Religion in Japanese Culture
(4)
RAMBELLI
Prerequisite: Upper division standing or instructor approval
Enrollment Comments: Same course as Japanese 167A.
A historical analysis of the major components of the classical and medieval religious systems of Japan, through investigation of texts, rituals, and institutions.
RG ST 169.
Hindu Devotional Traditions
(4)
WHITE
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Introduction to the 2000-year history of Hindu devotion as expressed in myth, poetry, and theology as well as to perennial worship practices in South Asia, including temple rituals, pilgrimage, procession, and possession.
RG ST 171.
Buddhism and Local Cults in Asia
(4)
RAMBELLI
Prerequisite: One lower division or upper division course on Buddhism or prior approval of instructor
Enrollment Comments: Same course as East Asian Cultural Studies 171.
This course examines the multiple ways in which various Buddhist traditions have interacted with "local" cults in various parts of Asia (including China, Tibet, Japan, Burma, and Thailand). We will discuss issues of localization and translocalization as important religious phenomena.
RG ST 172.
Evolutionary and Cognitive Science of Religion
(4)
TAVES
Prerequisite: Psychology 1 and one course in Religious Studies
Repeat Comments: Content variable. Can be taken up to 4 times.
An introduction to evolutionary and cognitive science approaches to the study of religion.
RG ST 172A.
Religion and Science
(4)
Enrollment Comments: Not open for credit to students who have completed Religious Studies 172.
The impact of western science on religion; the compatability and complementarity of their discourses. The implications for religion of contemporary scientific theories concerning man and the universe in which he lives.
RG ST 173A.
Aramaic Seminar
(4)
GARR
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 17C or equivalent.
A focus on grammar and readings on select dialects of premodern Aramaic.
RG ST 173B.
Aramaic Seminar
(4)
GARR
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 17C.
A focus on grammar and readings in select dialects of premodern Aramaic.
RG ST 175A.
Shinto: Concepts and Practices in History
(4)
RAMBELLI
Prerequisite: Upper division standing
The study of religious and cultural phenomena associated with Shinto in Japan through a survey of doctrinal developments, practices, and considerations on the relationship between Shinto and other religious and intellectual systems such as Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism, and Christianity.
RG ST 175B.
Shinto Texts through the Ages
(4)
RAMBELLI
Prerequisite: Upper division standing
This course explores the diversity of the Shinto tradition through an analysis of representative original texts in English translation ranging from ancient mythology (Kojiki, Nihon shoki, and Fudoki) and medieval syncretic discourses, to modern forms of Shinto nationalism.
RG ST 176.
Buddhist Political Thought and Institutions
(4)
RAMBELLI
Prerequisite: upper division standing or instructor approval
Enrollment Comments: Same course as EACS 176.
Buddhist political theories and practices in various Asian countries from antiquity to the present, with special emphasis on ideas of kingship and republicanism, state-formation process, cultural identity, and the interactions with other religions.
RG ST 177.
Religion and Law
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
A comparative study of the interrelationship of law and religion within society. Examples selected from the legal traditions of small-scale societies, the great civilizations of the past, and modern societies.
RG ST 179.
Visual Culture of Buddhism
(4)
RAMBELLI
Prerequisite: Upper division standing or instructor approval
Enrollment Comments: Same course as EACS 179.
This course explores the rich world of Buddhist visual culture, ranging from meditation to addressing the use of painted images in public performances. It focuses on sacred images, their rituals, and theories of representation behind their creation and use.
RG ST 179B.
Mysticism
(4)
WOLFSON
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Enrollment Comments: Not open for credit to students who have completed German 169. Same course as Comparative Literature 179B and German 179B.
Analysis of German mystical writing, its roots in ancient Greek texts, revolutionary impact, links with other mystical traditions, and influence on secular literature. Texts include Hildegard von Bingen, Meister Eckhart, Mechthild von Magdeburg, Novalis, Rilke, etc. Taught in English.
RG ST 181B.
Political Islam and the Response of Iranian Cinema
(4)
AFARY
Prerequisite: Upper division standing
Course will explore the rise of an increasingly militant Islamic discourse in the Middle East and North Africa in the last three decades. It will also look at the responses of award-winning film directors from the region who have advocated a more tolerant discourse on Islam through cinema.
RG ST 181F.
Shi'ism Before and After the Iranian Revolution
(4)
AFARY
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
An examination of a century of evolution of Iranian Shi'ism. Readings include: Early 20th century secular Iranian thinkers who formulated a new discourse on rationalist Shi'ism; the mid-twentieth-century lay writers and religious thinkers moved to a more militant discourse of Islamism; and a generation of clerics and theologians who have articulated a more tolerant and hermeneutic interpretation of Shi'ism in the last two decades in an attempt to reconcile Shi'i doctrines with social and economic modernities.
RG ST 181G.
Shiism, Politics and Everyday Life
(4)
AFARY
Prerequisite: Upper Division Standing.
Recommended Preparation: RG ST 81, Modern Iran, is recommended.Enrollment Comments: Not open for additional credit to students who have completed RG ST 181D.
Will explore the reformist movement that has arisen within and outside the Islamic Republic, which attempts to reconcile social and economic modernity with newer and more tolerant interpretations of Shi'i Islam. Readings will be in English.
RG ST 183A.
Chinese Popular Religion
(4)
YANG
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing
Course covers the variety of Chinese popular religions from an anthropological perspective. Readings will be ethnographies of modern China, Taiwan, and late imperial histories. Shamanism; Fengshui/geomancy; ancestor and deity worship; millenarianism; popular Christianity; pilgrimage; syncretism with Daoism, Buddhism, Confucianism.
RG ST 183B.
Religious Practice and the State in China
(4)
YANG
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or instructor approval
Enrollment Comments: Same course as Chinese 183B.
Historical and anthropological approaches to the interaction between religious practice and state forces, with emphasis on popular religion and the decline and revival of religion in Chinese modernity.
RG ST 184A.
The Practice of Tibetan Buddhism
(4)
CABEZON
An examination of contemporary Tibetan Buddhist religious practices, both elite and popular, including monastic life, meditation, worship at temples, daily recitation routines, divinatory and oracular practices, the propitiation of protector deities, pilgrimage, funerary, and other ritual practices.
RG ST 184B.
Tibetan Buddhist Literature
(4)
CABEZON
Enrollment Comments: May be repeated for credit to a maximum of 12 units, but only 4 units may be used towards the major.
A thematic and text-centered investigation of an aspect of the Tibetan Buddhist religious/philosophical tradition. In any given year, focuses on a genre of the Tibetan religious/literary corpus; e.g., biography and the "stages of the path," "great perfection," or Tantric literature.
RG ST 185.
Food, Religion, and Culture in the Middle East
(4)
CAMPO, CAMPO
Prerequisite: A previous course in Global Studies, Religious Studies, History, Anthropology, or Sociology; upper- division standing.
Explores the significance of foods in the religious and cultural life of Middle Eastern peoples. Focuses on Jewish, Christian, and Muslim feasting, fasting, and dietary rules. Includes culinary traditions of Arab, Persian, Turkish, and Israeli ethnic groups, and related topics.
RG ST 186B.
The Arabic Qur'an
(4)
CAMPO
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 10F.
Systematic study of the Arabic vocabulary, grammar, syntax, performance, calligraphy, and commentary (tafsir) from historical and cultural perspectives.
RG ST 187A.
Politics of Veiling in Modern Egypt
(4)
AFARY
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Repeat Comments: Not open for repeat for students who have taken FEMST 185EG or RG ST 190JA.
Examines the contemporary religious politics of love, sex and gender relations in Egypt. As in the United States, the proper organization of intimate life and women's bodies has been placed at the center of politics. Politics has become intensely personal, joining political projects of religious nation-making with personal decisions as to how people, and particularly young women, should organize their private lives and navigate the public sphere.
RG ST 188A.
Seminar in Civic Engagement and Deliberative Democracy
(4)
ARMISTEAD, DEVOY, MARSANO
Enrollment Comments: May be repeated for credit to a maximum of 8 units.
This three-quarter-long course is part of the Civic Engagement Scholars Program. In the Fall, students study theoretical framework and historical background of civic engagement in the American university. Students engage in leadership development and learn practices that leaders use to transform values into actions, visions into realities, obstacles into innovations, and risks into rewards. Students develop and practice skills for deliberative discourse, including how to have civil conversations on controversial topics. Students design workshops on a topic of their interest incorporating these issues and skills. In the Winter and Spring, they deliver these workshops to student organizations and the community.
RG ST 188B.
Seminar in Civic Engagement and Deliberative Democracy
(1)
ARMISTEAD, DEVOY, MARSANO
Enrollment Comments: May be repeated for credit to a maximum of 2 units.
This three-quarter-long course is part of the Civic Engagement Scholars Program. In the Fall, students study theoretical framework and historical background of civic engagement in the American university. Students engage in leadership development and learn practices that leaders use to transform values into actions, visions into realities, obstacles into innovations, and risks into rewards. Students develop and practice skills for deliberative discourse, including how to have civil conversations on controversial topics. Students design workshops on a topic of their interest incorporating these issues and skills. In the Winter and Spring, they deliver these workshops to student organizations and the community.
RG ST 188C.
Seminar in Civic Engagement and Deliberative Democracy
(1)
ARMISTEAD, DEVOY, MARSANO
Enrollment Comments: May be repeated for credit to a maximum of 2 units.
This three-quarter-long course is part of the Civic Engagement Scholars Program. In the Fall, students study theoretical framework and historical background of civic engagement in the American university. Students engage in leadership development and learn practices that leaders use to transform values into actions, visions into realities, obstacles into innovations, and risks into rewards. Students develop and practice skills for deliberative discourse, including how to have civil conversations on controversial topics. Students design workshops on a topic of their interest incorporating these issues and skills. In the Winter and Spring, they deliver these workshops to student organizations and the community.
RG ST 189.
Undergraduate Colloquium
(1)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
The undergraduate colloquium meets twice a quarter and gives students an opportunity to engage with selected recent works in the field of Religious Studies and then discuss them with their authors in person or via Skype in a close setting. Students write up short summaries for each reading and provide a short reflection paper at the end of the quarter.
RG ST 190AAZZ.
Topics in Religious Studies
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Upper division standing
Features lectures by various visiting professors or adjunct lecturers on topics pertaining to the study of religions using various methodological approaches to subjects that are the specialty of the respective instructors. Course content will vary.
RG ST 190AA.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190AE.
African Indigenous Religions and Thought
RG ST 190AR.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190BE.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190BL.
Buddhist Lives Across Time and Space
RG ST 190BM.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190CC.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190CM.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190CP.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190CS.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190CT.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190CV.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190DB.
Introduction to Heidegger
RG ST 190DJ.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190DM.
Transnational Buddhism through Digital Mapping
RG ST 190EE.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190EI.
Ethical Investing to Impact Social Change
RG ST 190EL.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190EO.
Ethics of the Other: Løgstrup, Levinas, MacIntyre and Darwall
RG ST 190EP.
Ethics and the American Presidency
RG ST 190EX.
Existentialism
RG ST 190FA.
The Fate of Art: Problems of Beauty and Art
RG ST 190FC.
First Contact
RG ST 190FD.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190FS.
The Fatigue is the Shari?a: Old and New Debates
RG ST 190GA.
Have Ethics Gone Awry? A Contrast of Then and Now
RG ST 190GC.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190GD.
The Death of God?
RG ST 190IC.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190IE.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190IS.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190JA.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190JB.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190JC.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190JD.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190JF.
Image of Jews in Film
RG ST 190JR.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190JS.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190KB.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190KM.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190LR.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190MC.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190MD.
Moby-Dick and the Hunt for Modern Meaning
RG ST 190ME.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190MI.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190MM.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190MP.
Mormonism and the Pacific World
RG ST 190MT.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190NA.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190NC.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190NF.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190NS.
The Novels of Neal Stephenson: Science, Literature, Ethics
RG ST 190NV.
Studies of Non-Violence
RG ST 190NW.
Writing Nature from the Sublime to the Anthropocene
RG ST 190OE.
On Experience: Religion, Philosophy, Art
RG ST 190PL.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190PP.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190RB.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190RE.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190RL.
American Religious Lives
RG ST 190RR.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190RS.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190RT.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190SA.
Introduction to South Asian Traditions
RG ST 190SB.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190SC.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190SR.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190ST.
Morality Critics: Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, Heidegger
RG ST 190SY.
The Symbol, or the Problem of Meaning in the Modern World
RG ST 190TC.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190TI.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190TK.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190TN.
Toxic Native America
RG ST 190VA.
Intermediate Vietnamese Language
RG ST 190VB.
Intermediate Vietnamese Language II
RG ST 190VC.
Intermediate Vietnamese Language III
RG ST 190VE.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190VG.
Topics in Religious Studies: Vegetarianism
RG ST 190VM.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190WC.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190WE.
Wall Street Ethics and Economic Calamities
RG ST 190WI.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190WP.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190WR.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190WT.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190X.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 190ZZ.
Topics in Religious Studies
RG ST 191A.
Latino Religious Thought
(4)
BUSTO
Prerequisite: upper division standing
Examination of the indigenous, Iberian and North American sources and influences for distinctly Latino forms of religious thought, speculation, and spiritual construction. Topics include: Nahua wisdom traditions, colonial Nepantla, Chicano movement indigenismo, feminist innovation, Latino liberationist theology.
RG ST 192.
Women and Religion in America
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or instructor approval
A study of women as active producers and shapers of American religious culture. Historical and contemporary perspectives. emphasis on gender roles, women's experiences, leadership, sexuality, identity, and on ways that race and class influence American ideas about gender and religion.
RG ST 193.
Religion and Ecology in the Americas
(4)
TALAMANTEZ
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or instructor approval.
Enrollment Comments: Same course as Environmental Studies 189.
An overview of the growing field of religion and ecology in the Americas. Focus on spiritual traditions and landbased knowledge indigenous to the western hemisphere.
RG ST 193B.
Religion and Healing in Global Perspective
(4)
WALLACE
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or instructor approval
Comparative and cross-cultural introduction to relationships between religion, science, and healing arts, using selected case studies and stressing alternatives to mainstream western medicine. Attention to underlying religio-philosophical worldviews and to the ways in which they influence healing practices.
RG ST 195.
Senior Honors Thesis
(1-8)
ROOF
Prerequisite: Two prior upper-division courses in religious studies; consent of instructoand department; senior standing; open to religious studies majors only.
Projects for advanced work in Religious Studies in conjunction with individual members of the faculty and developed by students. For honors students who with to graduate with the distinction in Religious Studies.
RG ST 196.
Internship
(1-4)
STAFF
These internships allow students to collaborate with philanthropic and non-profit organizations, nationally and globally. Working digitally or on site with the organization, students learn about practical implications of a degree in Religious Studies and in the Humanities more generally. They also have the opportunity to utilize their knowledge of foreign languages and technology. While helping to make the world a better place, students gain valuable experience that can be applied to their chosen career after graduation.
RG ST 198IS.
Iranian Studies Digital Internship
(2-4)
STAFF
Sit in your room and make the world a better place! Digital internships connect you to non-profit organizations (NGOs). Work from home six hours a week and attend one workshop during the quarter. Internships might include the following: create and run a new non-profit; create a new website for an NGO; raise funds for the education of youth; learn and contribute to effective parenting techniques; work with the International Book Fund and help build a village library; document the therapeutic effects of arts for those who suffer from PTSD; become the English-language editor of a journal; work with centers that help individuals displaced by war, environmental disasters, economic disadvantages, and intolerance; work with UNICEF.
RG ST 199.
Independent Studies in Religion
(1-5)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Two upper-division courses in religious studies; consent of instructor and department; open to Religious Studies majors only.
Enrollment Comments: Students must have a minimum 3.0 GPA for the preceeding 3 quarters and are limited to 5 units per quarter and 30 units total in all 98/99/198/199/199AA-ZZ courses combined.
Projects for work in religious studies in conjunction with individual members of the faculty and developed by students.
RG ST 199PL.
Persian Language Independent Study
(4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing and instructor approval.
Enrollment Comments: Students must have a minimum 3.0 GPA for the preceeding 3 quarters and are limited to 5 units per quarter and 30 units total in all 98/99/198/199/199AA-ZZ courses combined.
Independent study in Persian language in conjunction with the Persian instructor.
RG ST 199PS.
Persian Language Support
(1-2)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing and instructor approval.
Recommended Preparation: Concurrent enrollment in Religious Studies 157A, 157B, 157C, 158E, or 158F.Enrollment Comments: Concurrently offered with RGST 157 & 158 series. Students must have a minimum 3.0 GPA for the preceeding 3 quarters and are limited to 5 units per quarter and 30 units total in all 98/99/198/199/199AA-ZZ courses combined.
Independent study in Persian language designed to supplement current work in the concurrent Persian course.
RG ST 199RA.
Independent Research Assistance
(1-4)
STAFF
Prerequisite: Two upper-division courses in religious studies; consent of instructor and department; open to Religious Studies majors only.
Enrollment Comments: Students must have a cumulative 3.0 for the proceeding 3 quarter(s). Students must have a minimum 3.0 GPA for the preceeding 3 quarters and are limited to 5 units per quarter and 30 units total in all 98/99/198/199/199AA-ZZ courses combined.
Faculty supervised reseach. Written work is usually required.
GraduateÂ
RG ST 200AAZZ.
Core Concepts in Religious Studies
(4)
STAFF
Repeat Comments: Course content variable; may be repeated.
Seminar focuses on core concepts in the study of religion and meets a 200 Course requirement for the MA-Plan2, MA/PhD, or PhD tracks in Religious Studies. Course topics will vary.
RG ST 200A.
Proseminar in History and Theory of Religion
(4)
Critical analysis of key themes and figures in anthropology and sociology of religion, with attention to their role in the emergence and current practice of religious studies. Includes the works of such figures as Tylor, Frazer, Mauss, Levi-Stauss, Douglas, Turner, Geertz, Durkheim, Weber, and Berger.
RG ST 200B.
Proseminar in History and Theory of Religion
(4)
Critical analysis of the key themes and figures in modern philosphy and psychology of religion, with attention to their role in the emergence and current practice of religious studies. Includes the works of such figures as Spinoza, Hume, Kant, Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Wittgenstein, Freud, and Jung.
RG ST 200C.
Proseminar in the History and Theory of Religion
(4)
STAFF
Critical analysis of key themes and figures in phenomenology and history of religions, with attention to their role in the emergence and current practice of religious studies. Includes the works of such figures as Otto, van der Leeuw, Pettazzoni, Wach, Eliade, W.C. Smith, Smart, Long, J.Z. Smith, and Licoln.
RG ST 200D.
Proseminar in the History and Theory of Religion
(4)
Critical analysis of key themes and figures in contemporary critical theory and cultural studies, with attention to their role in the current practice of religious studies. Includes the works of such figures as Benjamin, Foucault, Bourdieu, Derrida, Lacan, Kristeva, Butler, and Taussig.
RG ST 200TR.
Tradition
RG ST 201.
Core Issues in the Study of Religion
(4)
Introduces graduate students to core issues in modern studies of religions and other world views.
RG ST 202A.
Muslim Diasporas and Law
(4)
MOORE
Prerequisite: Graduate standing or professor approval. Graduate students will have additional readings and extra meetings with professor.
Enrollment Comments: Concurrently offered with RG ST 102A.
Examines the legal and social issues raised by the presence of Muslims in contemporary Western Europe and the United States. Civil rights, accommodation, and the construction of a dichotomy between ?moderate? Islam and Islamism will be discussed.
RG ST 203.
Sacred Texts of Major Religious Traditions
(4)
MAYFAIR YANG
Introduction to the sacred primary texts of major religious traditions in English translation to encourage a comparative and pluralistic perspective. Emphasis is on the hermeneutics of reading, historical context and modern continuities, and relations between primary texts and modern Western theory.
RG ST 204.
Anthropology of Religion and Modernity
(4)
MAYFAIR YANG
Survey of major works in the anthropology of religion, including Turner, Geertz, Comaroffs, Rappaport, Asad, Mahmood, Taussig, etc. Topics include nationalism, the state, gender, sexuality, colonialism, pilgrimage, ritual, media, globalization, conversion, and the public sphere. Ethnographies of diverse religious cultures are also included.
RG ST 205A.
Religious Literature in Greek
(1-4)
THOMAS
Selected readings in both Christian and polytheist texts.
RG ST 206A.
Seminar in South Asian Religious Studies
(4)
HOLDREGE, WALLACE, WHITE
Historical, textual, and critical analyses of selected topics in South Asian religious traditions.
RG ST 206B.
Seminar on Vedic Traditions
(4)
HOLDREGE
A study of the sociocultural, mythological, and ritual traditions of Vedic India. Includes an exploration of the Indo-Aryan debate concerning Vedic origins, the canonical authority of Veda, cosmogonic and cosmological speculations, sociocultural taxonomies, and theories of Vedic ritual.
RG ST 206C.
Seminar on Epic Traditions
(4)
WHITE
An examination of classical Hindu traditions as reflected in the two Sanskrit epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. Includes an exploration of literary genres, cosmological speculations, ritual practices, devotional traditions, and didactic material.
RG ST 206D.
Seminar on Bhakti Traditions
(4)
HOLDREGE
A study of medieval bhakti traditions in India, including an examination of the devotional schools and poet-saints of Saiva, Vaisnava, and Sakta traditions as well as devotional movements in Islamic and Sikh traditions.
RG ST 206E.
Seminar on Tantric Traditions of South Asia
(4)
WHITE, WALLACE
An exploration of the varieties and forms of Tantric traditions in South Asia. Includes a consideration of the various schools, literary genres, forms of worship, and esoteric practics associated with Hindu and Buddhist Tantra.
RG ST 206F.
Seminar on Philosophical Traditions of South Asia
(4)
WALLACE, CABEZON
An examination of selected topics in South Asian philosophical traditions, including consideration of the six classical Hindu philosophical schools (Darsanas) as well as Jain and Buddhist philosophical traditions.
RG ST 206G.
Seminar on Hindu Discourses of the Body
(4)
HOLDREGE
An exploration of the contributions of Hindu discourses of the body to scholarship in religious studies and the human sciences generally. Particular attention to modalities of embodiment: ritual body, ascetic body, purity body, medical body, devotional body, and tantric body.
RG ST 206J.
Seminar on Contemporary Issues in South Asian Religions
(4)
Enrollment Comments: Course content variable. May be repeated for credit.
Analyses of selected topics concerning contemporary South Asian religions. Possible topics include issues in post-colonial studies, religious nationalisms, responses to globalization, diaspora and the homeland, constructions of gender, and vernacular traditions.
RG ST 206K.
Visuality in Traditions of South Asia
(4)
ELISON
Explores ways of thinking about the visual dimension of religious practice in South Asia. A central theme is the effect of modern media technologies on darshan, or visual worship. Accordingly, many of the readings foreground contemporary Hinduism, but Islam and other traditions are represented. Questions of the gaze, the body, substance transfer, legibility, affect, idolatry, surveillance, and the like keep us busy across a range of theoretical and methodological approaches. The syllabus includes several films.
RG ST 206L.
Seminar on Subaltern Traditions and Counter-Traditions in South Asia
(4)
ELISON
Enrollment Comments: Please note that this new course is offered as an addition to the RG ST 206 series of core seminars within the graduate program in South Asian religions.
Core seminar in South Asian Religions that covers religion as conceived, argued, and practiced by members of non-elite communities, in particular communities historically marginalized in Brahminical discourses. Primarily organized around debates in social theory, the reading list builds on some of the landmark works of the Subaltern Studies collective and moves on to consider recent ethnographic work on religious life in Dalit and Adivasi communities. What is a tradition, anyway? What does ?caste? mean? Is ?subaltern? still a useful analytic category?
RG ST 206M.
Death and Rebirth in Buddhist Medicine
(4)
WALLACE
This course examines various canonical texts and medical treatises dealing with the conceptions of disease, death, and rebirth as well as therapeutics in South Asian and Tibetan Buddhist traditions.
RG ST 207A.
Religious Literature in Sanskrit
(4)
HOLDREGE, WALLACE, WHITE
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 159D-E-F or equivalent.
Selected readings in Sanskrit religious texts. Religious literature in Sanskrit.
RG ST 207B.
Religious Literature in Sanskrit
(4)
HOLDREGE, WALLACE, WHITE
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 159D-E-F or equivalent.
Selected readings in Sanskrit religious texts. Vedic Literature.
RG ST 207H.
Religious Literature in Sanskrit
(4)
HOLDREGE, WALLACE, WHITE
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 159D-E-F or equivalent.
Selected readings in Sanskrit religious texts. Buddhist literature.
RG ST 208.
Religion and the Senses: Affect, Embodiment, Materiality
(4)
PEREZ
Our objective is to (re-)materialize religion by focusing on things and feelings. We approach the religious sensorium as made up not only of sight, scent, sound, taste, and touch, but also emotions,sentiments, and intensities of affect. We consider the bodies formed by religious disciplines and technologies, through contact with the ?stuff? (objects, spaces, and media) of everyday ritual practice and performance. Readings survey contemporary theoretical and social scientific scholarship on religious perception, sensation, and subjectivity. We examine the ?mind-body problem?; the construction of sensory categories; and the influence of sensory hierarchies on formations of race/ethnicity, gender/sexuality, and class in religious contexts.
RG ST 209A.
Seminar on South Asian Islamic Traditions
(4)
CAMPO
Historical, textual, and critical analyses of selected topics in Islamic traditions of South Asia.
RG ST 209B.
Seminar on Hindus and Muslims in South Asia
(4)
CAMPO
An inquiry into the interaction of Hindus and Muslims in South Asian history and cultures. Topics include religious beliefs and rituals, social and political issues, mystical traditions, science and medicine, music, art, and literature.
RG ST 210.
Readings in Pre-Modern Arabic
(4)
EL OMARI
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 148C or its equivalent.
This course introduces advanced students of Arabic to samples of pre-modern Arabic prose, including historical, biographical, literary, philosophical and religious writings. Weekly assignments address the content and context of the assigned readings, as well as summaries and short translations of select passages in them.
RG ST 210M.
Religion and Music in Cuba
(4)
PEREZ
The story of Cuba?s religious formations through their musical genres. Explores the relationship between dance, spirit possession, and mythology, as well as the construction of nation, race, and gender/sexuality through musical performance. Among the music to be considered is that of an all-male secret society (Abakuá); the initiatory traditions of Lucumà and Palo Monte; Haitian Tumba Francesa; and Havana-based hip-hop. Proficiency in Spanish language is not a prerequisite but does enhance understanding of the course materials.
RG ST 211.
The Ethnography of Performance
(4)
REYNOLDS
Repeat Comments: Course content variable; may be repeated for credit.
Prepares students to conduct ethnographic research focused on oral communication by surveying theoretical writings on orality and literacy, performance theory, and fieldwork methods. The final project involves writing of a research grant application for ethnographic research.
RG ST 211A.
Religion and Ethnography: Theory, Praxis, Experience
(4)
PEREZ
An introduction to the social scientific study of religion through the lens of the ethnographic method. Attends both to practical questions concerning the performance of qualitative research and to ethnography as a literary genre that captures the complexities of lived experience. Reading assignments may be divided into three categories: historical investigations of ethnographic theory and fieldwork praxis; close examinations of discrete religious sites; and interdisciplinary meditations on such themes as interpretation, ethics, authority, and cultural translation.
RG ST 212.
Mongolian Buddhism
(4)
WALLACE
Repeat Comments: Course content variable; may be repeated for credit.
This seminar focuses on the history of Buddhism among different Mongolian ethnic groups, the important Mongolian Buddhist thinkers and their writings, and Buddhist institutions. The seminar examines the given topics by utilizing the historical, ethnographic, and literary sources.
RG ST 215.
Proseminar in Islamic Studies
(4)
Survey and critical analysis of key scholarly trends in Islamic studies. Includes the works of Goldziher, Massignon, Gibb, Schimmel, W.C. Smith, Hodgson, Rahman, Lewis, Said, Grabar, Esposito, Haddad, Mernissi, and Abou El Fadl.
RG ST 216A.
Seminar on South Asian Buddhist Traditions
(4)
WALLACE
Historical, textual, and critical analyses of selected topics in Buddhist traditions of South Asia.
RG ST 216C.
Archaelogy and the Study of Religion
(4)
THOMAS
Prerequisite: An upper-division course in religious studies.
An examination of the uses of archaeological materials to reconstruct the history of religions in the ancient world, with special attention to the relationships between material culture, religious iconography, epigraphy, and sacred texts.
RG ST 216G.
The New Testament and Early Christianity
(4)
THOMAS
Enrollment Comments: Concurrently offered with RG ST 116A. Graduate students will have a graduate-level reading list and additional requirements, along with a weekly tutorial with the instructor.
Study of the varieties of early Christian traditions and literature of the first century, with special (but not exclusive) attention to the New Testament.
RG ST 217.
Sex, Marriage, and Religion in the Middle East 1400-1900
(4)
AFARY
Repeat Comments: Course content variable; may be repeated.
Examines the gendered history, politics, and culture of several Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) societies. Topics include gender roles in pre-Islamic and early Islamic Arabia; representations of women in medieval Arabic, Turkish, and Persian texts; contraception and sexuality in medieval MENA; modern Muslim women's movements and interactions with nationalism, socialism, and radical Islamism in North Africa, Egypt, and Iran; contemporary controversies over the practice of veiling; and gender representations in MENA's cinema.
RG ST 218.
Religion and Politics in Modern Iran
(4)
AFARY
Prerequisite: None
Readings will include key texts by contemporary scholars of Iran-- historians, political scientists, theologians, sociologists, and anthropologists-- who have examined the relation between religion and politics in modern Iran from the late 19th century to the present time.
RG ST 223.
Religion and the Question of Subjectivity in Contemporary European Thought
(4)
CARLSON
Exploration of critical responses within contemporary European thought to modern conceptions of subjectivity (from Luther and Descartes through Hegel and Nietzsche). Writers may include Husserl, Heidegger, Levinas, Derrida, and Marion.
RG ST 224.
Sacred/Profane
(4)
CARLSON, FRIEDLAND
Repeat Comments: Course content variable; may be repeated.
Through a close reading of texts in philosophy, theology, and social theory, this seminar explores understandings of "sacred" and "profane" in economic, political, scientific, and technological contexts.
RG ST 228.
Religious Environmentalism in the Anthropocene
(4)
YANG
What can ancient religious traditions do for environmental protection? This class examines doctrinal potentials and actual examples of religious environmentalism in China, India, Japan, and the U.S.: with Buddhism, Daoism, Hinduism, Shinto, and Protestantism.
RG ST 232.
Mysticism and Apophasis in Meister Eckhart, Heidegger, and Derrida
(4)
WOLFSON
Prerequisite: None
Explores the apophatic nature of the mystical experience through an in-depth study of Meister Eckhart's Latin commentaries and German sermons. The primary focus will be on Eckhart but attention will be paid as well to the interpretation of his thought in Heidegger and Derrida.
RG ST 232B.
Messianic Eschatology and Apocalyptic Time
(4)
WOLFSON
Prerequisite: None
Explores the messianic eschatologies and apocalyptic conceptions of time that emerged from the German-Jewish thinkers, Hermann Cohen and Franz Rosenzweig, and the impact of their thinking on Gershom Scholem, Jacob Taubes, Walter Benjamin, Ernst Bloch, Jacques Derrida, and Emmanuel Levinas.
RG ST 232C.
Negative Theology and Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Neoplatonism
(4)
WOLFSON
Prerequisite: None
Explores the legacy of Neoplatonic thought in the Greco- Roman world on Jewish, Christian, and Muslim thinkers in the middle ages. Thinkers to be studied include Pseudo-Dionysius, Eriugena, Eckhart, Al-Kindi, Avicenna, Ibn Arabi, Isaac Israeli, Solomon ibn Gabirol, and Maimonides. Particular focus will be given to the impact of Neoplatonic negative theology on the theistic emphasis on these three religious traditions.
RG ST 237.
Seminar in the Scientific Study of Religion
(4)
TAVES
Repeat Comments: Course content variable; may be repeated.
A doctoral seminar designed to orient textually trained humanists to 1) the use of experimental or clinical research to understand historical processes, behaviors, and events; 2) the ways in which textual and other historical sources can be used to generate potentially testable hypotheses; and 3) the history of interaction between humanists and experimentalists.
RG ST 237A.
Muses, Spirits, and Deities: Social Cognition and Inspired Texts
(4)
TAVES
Inspired writers, alleged supernatural authors, and imagined characters that seem to act autonomously point to automatic aspects of the writing process that have long interested psychologists and psychical researchers, as well as writers and religious believers. Course includes close analysis of the experience of selected individuals (e.g., psychologist Carl Jung, channelers Jane Roberts and Helen Schucman, and mediums Helene Smith and Leonora Piper) accompanied by recent psychological research on automaticity, authorship processing, and the nature of the self.
RG ST 238.
Seminar in Catholic Studies
(4)
TAVES
Repeat Comments: Course content variable; may be repeated.
An examination of selected topics in Catholic Studies with particular attention to theory and methods that relate the study of Catholicism to larger questions in religious studies, American history, and global studies.
RG ST 239.
Secularism
(4)
BLANKHOLM
Surveys the twenty-first century debates over secularism and locates them within a longer history of advocacy and critique. Students learn to distinguish among the various meanings of secularism and the secular, such as the separation of church and state, a philosophy with a this-worldly focus, religion-making, and the absence of religion. Students also consider whether secularism should continue to be a logic of governance, or if the contemporary critique of secularism has rendered it obsolete.
RG ST 240.
Seminar in the Sociology of Religion
(4)
HAMMOND, ROOF
Enrollment Comments: Course content variable; may be repeated.
Detailed examination of major figures, schools, and types of research.
RG ST 240B.
Seminar on Religion, Politics & Society in the Persian Gulf
(4)
CAMPO, J
Prerequisite: Graduate standing. Graduate students will have extra readings and meetings, longer papers, and weekly presentations.
Enrollment Comments: Concurrently offered with RGST 140B.
Examines the dynamics of religion, politics, and society among countries in the Persian Gulf. The focus will be on Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Iran, which will be placed in comparative perspective. Topics include Sunni-Shi'i relations, religion and modernity, religio-political movements, gender dynamics, and regional conflicts.
RG ST 240C.
Islamic Mysticism and Religious Thought
(4)
CAMPO
Sufi mystics, ideas, practices, and movements. The relationship of Sufism to other currents of religious thought, such as theology and philosophy in the middle east, Africa, and Asia.
RG ST 240E.
Islam in America
(4)
MOORE
Prerequisite: Graduate standing or professor approval. Graduate students will have additional readings and extra meetings with professor.
Enrollment Comments: Concurrently offered with RG ST 140E.
Examines Islam in United States, from introduction by African American slaves and immigrants to the transformation into the black Muslim movement, to its rise as one of the leading non- Christian religions in the United States during the late 20th to early 21st century.
RG ST 240F.
Seminar on Modern Islamic Movements
(4)
CAMPO
Enrollment Comments: Concurrently offered with RGST 140F.
Advanced study of Islamic movements seeking to bring about social and political change, mainly in the Middle East and South Asia. These include the Muslim Brotherhood, salafism and jihadi-salafism, Iranian revolutionary movements, Hizbullah, and the Turkish Hizmet movement. Their formation, structure, ideologies, leadership, relations with nation-states, and impacts are considered in comparative perspective.
RG ST 241D.
Church-State Relations
(4)
MOORE
Prerequisite: Graduate standing or professor approval. Graduate students will have additional readings and extra meetings with professor.
Enrollment Comments: Concurrently offered with RG ST 141D.
Examines relationship between American government and religion with particular attention to Establishment Clause jurisprudence and interest group policies. Teaches analytical methods of reading case law and public interest litigation. Concurrent with 141D.
RG ST 241E.
Religious Liberty
(4)
MOORE
Prerequisite: Graduate standing or professor approval. Graduate students will have additional readings and extra meetings with professor.
Enrollment Comments: Concurrently offered with RG ST 141E.
Examines commitments to religious freedom as an essential part of modern politics. Teaches analytical case law method to read U.S. cases and international court rulings protecting civil and human rights.
RG ST 243.
Seminar in Religion & Society: Research Methods
(4)
ROOF
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
Applied research experience with attention to practical aspects of researchsuch as interviewing, field work, analysis, and write-up.
RG ST 243M.
Materialism
(4)
BLANKHOLM
This course aims to recover the Epicurean tradition and its influence on various conceptions of philosophical materialism?from the atomism of Lucretius to the reanimation of matter in the New Materialism. Students will read from the canon of the Epicurean tradition with the goal of identifying the several persistent challenges faced by those who adopt an ontological materialism or an empiricist epistemology. In the process, students will become familiar with the building blocks of modern atheism and secularism.
RG ST 247.
Seminar in Native American Religious Traditions
(4)
TALAMANTEZ
Enrollment Comments: Course content variable; may be repeated.
Historical and critical examination of selected figures, categories, and phenomena pertaining to the diversity of Native American religious traditions.
RG ST 250.
Seminar in the History of Religions
(4)
HECHT
Enrollment Comments: Content variable; may be repeated.
Comparative study of selected religious structures or symbols from Eastern and/or Western religious traditions.
RG ST 251A.
Religion in American History to 1865
(4)
WALKER
Principal figures, groups, trends, and issues in religion in American history and culture to 1865.
RG ST 251B.
Religion in American History Since 1865
(4)
WALKER
Principal figures, groups, trends, and issues in religion in America since 1865.
RG ST 252A.
Seminar in Christian Origins
(4)
THOMAS
Repeat Comments: Course contents variable; may be repeated for credit.
Historical and critical examination of selected figures, ideas, and movements pertaining to nascent Christianity.
RG ST 252B.
Asceticism and the Construction of Self
(4)
THOMAS
Survey of the relationship between humanity and holiness, self and other, in the focal point of the physical body and its disciplined management, beginning with Christian late antiquity and employing examples from a variety of religious traditions.
RG ST 253.
Ancient Mediterranean Studies Core Seminar
(2)
STAFF
This seminar constitutes the regular meeting of the Ancient Mediterranean Studies program. It offers graduate students and faculty the opportunity to bridge the traditional boundaries of the disciplines involved in the study of the Mediterranean area from the Bronze Age to the Early Middle Ages, through systematic familiarization with the methods and theories employed in the various disciplinary approaches, and through the application of these to faculty and graduate work in progress. Interested undergraduates are welcome to attend.
RG ST 254A.
Seminar on Tibetan Buddhist Traditions
(4)
CABEZON
Enrollment Comments: Course content variable. May be repeated for credit.
Repeat Comments: Course content variable. May be repeated for credit.
Overview of the history and major schools/doctrines of Tibetan Buddhism leading to a more detailed analysis of one or more selected topics in the philosophy, history, or ethnography of Buddhist Tibet.
RG ST 254B.
The Study of Tibet from the Missionaries to Cultural Studies
(4)
CABEZON
Historiographical exploration of the ways in which Tibet (and especially Tibetan Buddhism) has been studied from the eighteenth century to the present. Explores the missionary accounts, the adventure-travel literature, as well as philology, philosophy, and cultural studies as vehicles for understanding Tibet.
RG ST 254C.
Seminar on Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Philosophy
(4)
CABEZON
A text-centered, critical analysis of the philosophical literature of Buddhist Tibet. In any given year the course may focus on the doxographical literature as a whole, or on one or more of the classical philosophical schools: e.g., Abhidharmika, Pramanika, Yogacara, or Madhyamaka.
RG ST 257.
Seminar in Buddhist Studies
(4)
STAFF
Enrollment Comments: Topics vary; may be repeated for credit.
Repeat Comments: Topics vary; may be repeated for credit.
Historical, philosophical, methodological, and/or bibliographical analysis of different aspects of Buddhism or of selected areas in the study of Buddhism.
RG ST 258.
Seminar in Religion in America
(4)
ALBANESE
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Enrollment Comments: May be repeated.
Examination of selected topics in American religion to investigate its basic religious structures and to explore the relationship of religious phenomena to their cultural context. Course content variable.
RG ST 260.
Readings in Taoism
(4)
STEAVU
Recommended Preparation: One year of formal study of classical Chinese.Enrollment Comments: Same course as CHIN 260.
Repeat Comments: Course content variable; may be repeated for credit.
Selected readings from important Taoist texts. Depending on the year, primary sources will be read in original Chinese or in translation.
RG ST 261.
Graduate Seminar in Shinto Studies
(4)
FABIO RAMBELLI
Repeat Comments: Topics vary; may be repeated for credit.
This seminar addresses various issues in Shinto studies, including the history of Shinto, Western perceptions of Shinto, Shinto art and theories of the representation of the sacred, and features of Shinto Nativism.
RG ST 261B.
Seminar: The Encounter of Religions
(4)
STAFF
Reading of major texts, ancient and contemporary, on the subject.
RG ST 261E.
Buddhist Cognitive and Contemplative Sciences
(4)
WALLACE
Prerequisite: None
Enrollment Comments: Concurrently offered with RG ST 161E.
Introduces students to the Buddhist theories of mind and mental factors, and to diverse Indian and Tibetan Buddhist methods of exploring the nature of the mind and transforming mental states. The course also gives attention to contemporary dialogues and scientific research of Western cognitive scientists with Buddhist scholars and practitioners.
RG ST 262.
Science and Medicine in Medieval China
(4)
STEAVU
Prerequisite: Basic Classical Chinese or Kanbun required.
This course undertakes a critical history of science and medicine in premodern China, focusing primarily on their role as instigators of interchange between Buddhism, Daoism, and various intellectual currents.
RG ST 262A.
Indian Philosophy
(4)
WALLACE
Prerequisite: None
An overview of the six classical philosophical schools (darshanas) of Hinduism. May also include analysis of selected portions of the Jain and Buddhist philosophical traditions.
RG ST 262G.
SACRED LAWS, SOCIAL INJUSTICE: CASTE IN INDIAN SOCIETY
(4)
ELISON
THE REVERSE OF THE PRINCIPLE OF SEPARATE BUT EQUAL, CASTE IMPLIES TOGETHER BUT UNEQUAL. THIS COURSE STRESSES TWO ASPECTS OF CASTE HIERARCHY: 1) CASTE AS LIVED IN INDIA; AND 2) CASTE AS CONCEIVED AND REFORMED WITHIN HINDU THOUGHT. AT THE THEORETICAL LEVEL, CASTE HAS INSPIRED EFFORTS TO MAP SOCIAL RELATIONS ALONG MULTIPLE AXES?POWER, PURITY, MATERIAL EXCHANGE-IN COUNTERPOINT TO WESTERN MODERNITY. ALONG ALONG WITH SOCIAL THEORY, WE'LL READ MEMOIRS, ETHNOGRAPHIC AND SACRED TEXTS, AS WELL AS WATCH BOLLYWOOD MOVIES.
RG ST 264.
Problems in the Study of Japanese Religions
(4)
RAMBELLI
This seminar addresses little-studied topics in the history of Japanese religions with particular attention to their cultural contexts and methodological issues they raise. This seminar involves close reading of primary and secondary sources in Japanese.
RG ST 266F.
Readings in Chinese Buddhism
(4)
STEAVU
Recommended Preparation: One year of formal study of classical Chinese.Enrollment Comments: Same course as CHIN 266F.
Repeat Comments: Course content variable; may be repeated for credit.
Selected readings in important Buddhist texts which were either originally written in Chinese or translated into that language. Depending on the year, primary sources will be read in original Chinese or in translation.
RG ST 266R.
Seminar in Race and Religion
(4)
BUSTO
Enrollment Comments: Course content variable. May be repeated for credit.
Examination of theories and case studies at the intersection of religion and race/ethnicity in the United States.
RG ST 268.
Religion, Modernity, Asia
(4)
YANG
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Enrollment Comments: Same course as EACS 268.
Explores how modernity transformed ritualized Asian monarchical states into new nation-states. Premodern ritual states; colonialism and postcolonialism; traditional culture, modernism, nationalism; religious civil societies; secularization; changing relations between state and religion; religious globalization. Emphasis on China, but also Japan, India, and other Asian polities.
RG ST 271.
Buddhism and Local Cults in Asia
(4)
RAMBELLI
Enrollment Comments: Concurrent with RG ST 171. Graduate students will have additional readings specified in the syllabus and an additional research paper.
This course examines the multiple ways in which various Buddhist traditions have interacted with "local" cults in various parts of Asia (including China, Tibet, Japan, Burma, and Thailand). We will discuss issues of localization and translocalization as important religious phenomena.
RG ST 272.
Carnival and the Carnivalesque
(4)
ELISON
Enrollment Comments: All Masters and doctoral students in Religious Studies, History and related fields are encouraged to enroll.
The world turned upside down! This graduate seminar focuses on the carnivalesque as an analytic concept as well as on carnival as social practice in a comparative frame. We read ethnographic and historical studies of diverse junctures where radical play comes together with social change: rituals of social inversion, revolutionary performances, millenarian social movements, charivari, drag balls. Brazil, India, Haiti, England, France, Japan; Nietzsche, Bakhtin, Emma Goldman.
RG ST 273.
Sovereignty and Governmentality: Religious Dimensions
(4)
YANG
Explores religious and ritual dimensions of two modes of power: an archaic state power based on fear of death, and a modern power based on promotion and regulation of life. Diverse religious traditions and their modern practices are discussed.
RG ST 275.
Law and Religion
(4)
KATHLEEN MOORE
Repeat Comments: Course content variable; may be repeated for credit.
This seminar examines contending conceptions of the public role of religion in law found in secular, liberal, postmodern, Islamic, and Christian thought. Topics include modern conceptions of individual rights; protest and reform movements; and separation of church and state.
RG ST 275A.
Shinto: Concepts and Practices in History
(4)
RAMBELLI
Enrollment Comments: Concurrent with RG ST 175A. Graduate students will have additional readings specified in the syllabus and an additional research paper.
The study of religious and cultural phenomena associated with Shinto in Japan through a survey of doctrinal developments, practices, and considerations on the relationship between Shinto and other religious and intellectual systems such as Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism, and Christianity.
RG ST 275B.
Shinto Texts through the Ages
(4)
RAMBELLI
Enrollment Comments: Concurrent with RG ST 175B. Graduate students will have additional readings specified in the syllabus and an additional research paper.
This course explores the diversity of the Shinto tradition through an analysis of representative original texts in English translation ranging from ancient mythology (Kojiki, Nihon shoki, and Fudoki) and medieval syncretic discourses, to modern forms of Shinto nationalism.
RG ST 276.
Buddhist Political Thought and Institutions
(4)
FABIO RAMBELLI
Enrollment Comments: Concurrent with RG ST 176. Graduate students will have additional readings specified in the syllabus and an additional research paper.
Buddhist political theories and practices in various Asian countries from antiquity to the present, with special emphasis on ideas of kingship and republicanism, state-formation process, cultural identity, and the interactions with other religions.
RG ST 278.
Buddhist Geography
(4)
RAMBELLI
Enrollment Comments: Same course as EACS 278.
This course analyzes Buddhist ideas about the external world: the structure of the universe, world geography and Buddhist world maps, geopolitical considerations (in particular, the relations between regional forms of Buddhism and India), and local constructs of sacred space.
RG ST 279.
Visual Culture of Buddhism
(4)
RAMBELLI
Enrollment Comments: Concurrent with RG ST 179. Graduate students will have additional readings specified in the syllabus and an additional research paper.
This course explores the rich world of Buddhist visual culture, ranging from meditation to addressing the use of painted images in public performances. It focuses on sacred images, their rituals, and theories of representation behind their creation and use.
RG ST 280.
Method in Islamic Studies
(4)
AHMAD ATIF AHMAD
Repeat Comments: Course content variable; may be repeated for credit.
This course aims to train graduate students to approach current studies of Islam and Muslim societies, past and present, with a critical eye -- ultimately in order to prepare them to think of dissertation topics in Islamic studies.
RG ST 280A.
Methods in the Study of Religion
(4)
BLANKHOLM
Teaches graduate students empirical methods in the study of religion, including archival research, fieldwork, interviewing, and quantitative analysis. Students read examples that employ these methods, learn the fundamentals of research design, conduct their own research, and develop research proposals they can use for a prospectus or funding proposal.
RG ST 281.
Islamic Political Philosophy
(4)
AHMAD ATIF AHMAD
Prerequisite: See instructor.
Repeat Comments: Course content variable; may be repeated.
Addressing of Muslim juristic and political debates about the intersections and dialectics of government and shari'a.
RG ST 281B.
SHARI'A AND NATIONS
(4)
AHMAD
Prerequisite: None
Repeat Comments: Course content variable; may be repeated.
Covers three models (Egypt, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia) of how modern national law has articulated its method of adoption of medieval Islamic legal reasoning and doctrines as one of its sources. The narrative covers the past hundred years.
RG ST 281G.
Shiism, Politics and Everyday Life
(4)
AFARY
Recommended Preparation: RG ST 81, Modern Iran, is recommended.
Will explore the reformist movement that has arisen within and outside the Islamic Republic, which attempts to reconcile social and economic modernity with newer and more tolerant interpretations of Shi'i Islam. Readings will be in English.
RG ST 282.
Readings in Tafsir and Hadith
(4)
AHMAD A. AHMAD
Repeat Comments: Course content variable; may be repeated.
Course aims at acquainting graduate students with the literature on Quranic exegesis and the sources of the Prophet Muhammads traditions (hadith). Readings will include major Quranic exegetes; commentaries on collections of hadith; and statements regarding the method of collecting the materials that form the history of his life.
RG ST 283.
Islamic Modernities
(4)
CAMPO
Repeat Comments: Course content variable; may be repeated for credit.
Study of topics related to formations of modernity in Muslim societies since the 19th century. Possible subjects include political Islam and religious nationalism, liberal and radical Islamic theologies, Islamic renewal and reform movements, sectarianism, globalization, Islamic media, ritual practice, and gender.
RG ST 284.
Islam and Government: Reading Law and Philosophy
(4)
AHMAD ATIF AHMAD
Addresses the different theories of government in Islamic intellectual history. Covers the questions of the qualifications of the leaders, restrictions on their power, the role of the judiciary, the legitimacy of revolution, and similar issues.
RG ST 285.
Fatawa Literature
(4)
AHMAD ATIF AHMAD
Recommended Preparation: Graduate focus on Islam. Knowledge of Arabic is desired but not required.Enrollment Comments: Non-Islamicists are advised to consult the instructor.
Repeat Comments: Course content variable; may be repeated for credit.
Investigates the responses of Muslim jurists to queries about practical matters (fatawa). Trains students to identify the legal arguments and techniques, both textual (Qur'an/Sunna) and extra-textual.
RG ST 286.
The Arabic Qur'an
(4)
CAMPO
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 10F.
Systematic study of the Arabic vocabulary, grammar, syntax, and content of the Qur'an. Includes introduction to oral- aural performance, calligraphy, and commentary (tafsir), from historical and cultural perspectives.
RG ST 287.
Apostasy and Heresy in Islam
(4)
AHMAD AHMAD
The vague line between heresy and apostasy has been kept unadjudicated by jurists. This course delves into the complexities of the issues of heresy and apostasy that interest students of Islamic law and philosophy and of Islamic history in general.
RG ST 288.
Classical Arabic Texts
(4)
EL-OMARI
Prerequisite: Third-year Arabic.
Enrollment Comments: Course content variable; may be repeated if the topic is different.
Examines Islamic theological and/or philosophical texts from the formative and classical periods. Attention is given to content, terminology, language, and style. The close reading is combined with discussion of secondary literature on content and contexts.
RG ST 289A.
Guided Readings in the History of Arabic Literature
(4)
REYNOLDS
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 10A-F or 148A-C.
Survey of the history of Arabic poetry and prose from the Pre-Islamic era to the twentieth century with emphasis on the development of specific genres and styles and changing historical perspectives on enduring themes in Arabic literature. Lectures in English.
RG ST 289B.
Guided Readings in Medieval Arabic Literature
(4)
REYNOLDS
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 10A-F or 148A-C.
Critical readings from a selection of medieval poetical and prose works in Arabic including love manuals, spiritual allegories, encyclopedias, collections of comic erotica, autobiographies, travel accounts, and others.
RG ST 289C.
Guided Readings in Modern Arabic Literature
(4)
REYNOLDS
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 10A-F or 148A-C.
Critical readings from a selection of 19th-20th-century works in Arabic, including autobiographies, novels, short stories, and poems from the Arab world. Readings focus on issues central to modern Arab society.
RG ST 292AAZZ.
Special Topics
(4)
STAFF
Repeat Comments: Course content variable; may be repeated.
Seminar in special areas of interest in religious studies. Specific course titles and topics to be announced by the department each quarter offered. Course content will vary.
RG ST 292AA.
Special Topics
RG ST 292AD.
Special Topics
RG ST 292AF.
Special Topics
RG ST 292AT.
Special Topics
RG ST 292AW.
Special Topics
RG ST 292BL.
Special Topics
RG ST 292CH.
Special Topics
RG ST 292CP.
Special Topics
RG ST 292CS.
Special Topics
RG ST 292CT.
Special Topics
RG ST 292DW.
Special Topics
RG ST 292EA.
Special Topics
RG ST 292EG.
Special Topics
RG ST 292F.
Special Topics
RG ST 292FC.
Special Topics
RG ST 292GL.
Special Topics
RG ST 292HG.
Special Topics
RG ST 292HP.
Special Topics
RG ST 292IE.
Special Topics
RG ST 292IM.
Prophecy, Protest, Protection: Indigenous Environmental Movements in Comparative Perspective
RG ST 292IT.
Special Topics
RG ST 292JC.
Special Topics
RG ST 292JR.
Pedagogy and Course Development for Teaching Japanese Religions
RG ST 292KM.
Special Topics
RG ST 292LM.
Special Topics
RG ST 292ME.
Special Topics
RG ST 292MI.
Special Topics
RG ST 292MJ.
Special Topics
RG ST 292MK.
Special Topics
RG ST 292MT.
Materiality
RG ST 292PJ.
Special Topics
RG ST 292RC.
Special Topics
RG ST 292RE.
Special Topics
RG ST 292RG.
Special Topics
RG ST 292RM.
Special Topics
RG ST 292RR.
Special Topics
RG ST 292SA.
Special Topics
RG ST 292SL.
Special Topics
RG ST 292SN.
Special Topics
RG ST 292SR.
Special Topics
RG ST 292ST.
Special Topics
RG ST 292SX.
Special Topics
RG ST 292TH.
Special Topics
RG ST 292VM.
Special Topics
RG ST 292WC.
Special Topics
RG ST 292WR.
Special Topics
RG ST 293B.
Religion and Healing in Global Perspective
(4)
WALLACE
Prerequisite: None
Comparative and cross-cultural introduction to relationships between religion, science, and healing arts, using selected case studies and stressing alternatives to mainstream western medicine. Attention to underlying religio-philosophical worldviews and to the ways in which they influence healing practices.
RG ST 296.
Internship
(1-4)
STAFF
These internships allow students to collaborate with philanthropic and non-profit organizations, nationally and globally. Working digitally or on site with the organization, students learn about practical implications of a degree in Religious Studies and in the Humanities more generally. They also have the opportunity to utilize their knowledge of foreign languages and technology. While helping to make the world a better place, students gain valuable experience that can be applied to their chosen career after graduation.
RG ST 591.
T.A. and Associate Training Program.
(1-4)
Enrollment Comments: May be repeated. No unit credit allowed toward advanced degree.
Required orientation and on-the-job_instructors of teaching assistants and associates through consultations with_instructors, evaluation of their teaching through videotapes or other means of observation, follow-up consultations, teaching evaluation.
RG ST 592.
Directed Reading
(1-12)
Enrollment Comments: Course content variable. May be repeated.
Special readings selected under guidance of individual instructor to help the student make up particular gaps in his/her intellectual background thatare pertinent to his/her graduate program.
RG ST 593.
Colloquium
(1-4)
Enrollment Comments: Course content variable. May be repeated.
A series of discussions involving panels, debates, special speakers, etc., at which the presence of all enrolled graduate and selected faculty is required.
RG ST 594AAZZ.
Special Topics
(1-12)
Special seminar on research subjects of current interest.
RG ST 594A.
Special Topics
RG ST 594AA.
Special Topics
RG ST 594AT.
Special Topics
RG ST 594C.
Special Topics
RG ST 594CS.
Special Topics
RG ST 594RS.
Special Topics
RG ST 596.
Directed Reading and Research
(1-12)
Research and preparation of dissertation.
RG ST 597.
Individual Study for Master's or Ph.D. Examination for Advancement to Candidacy.
(1-12)
Enrollment Comments: No unit credit allowed toward advanced degree.
Individual study for Master's or Ph.D. examinations for advancement to candidacy.
RG ST 598.
Master's Project Research and Preparation
(1-12)
For research underlying the project; writing the project.
RG ST 598AA.
Master's Project Research and Preparation
RG ST 599.
Ph.D. Dissertation Preparation
(1-12)
Terminal preparation of the dissertation.
RG ST 599AA.
Ph.D. Dissertation Preparation