Religion courses

131. Comparative Religion. 3 hrs. The study of religion as an aspect of human culture with attention to both Christian and non-Christian religions.

303. Introduction to Islam. 3 hrs. This course acquaints students with Islamic religion, philosophy, culture and history.

304. Survey of Islamic History. 3 hrs. To provide undergraduate students the opportunity to learn about the evolution of Islamic history and culture.

320. Tibetan Religions. 3 hrs. Prerequisite: REL 131. An examination of some of the varieties of religious forms found in Tibetan culture areas following historical, anthropological and philosophical approaches.

322. Native American Religions. 3 hrs. This course surveys varieties of indigenous religiosity found in the western hemisphere, both contemporary and historical.

324. Religion and Animals. 3 hrs. This comparative religions course explores the roles of nonhuman animals in human religions and societies.

326. Religions of India. 3 hrs. Prerequisite: REL 131. This course surveys the variety of religions in India including Brahmanism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Islam, Sikhism, and Christianity.

333. The Hebrew Bible. 3 hrs. A study of the major themes and history of the Jewish religion.

334. New Testament. 3 hrs. In this course students are introduces to the academic study of the New Testament through critical readings of primary and secondary texts.

335. The Life of Jesus. 3 hrs. A study of the major themes and history of the Christian religion.

336. The Christian Tradition. 3 hrs. This course provides the student with a survey of the Christian religion.

338. The American Religious Experience. 3 hrs. This course provides the student with a survey of the religious phenomena in America.

350. Religion and Violence. 3 hrs. A study of the global phenomena of religiously motivated violence by tracing its history, assessing the current situation and considering prospects for the future.

351. Theories of Religious Experience. 3 hrs. A study of the nature of the religious phenomena as it is reflected in human experience, including responses to the critique of both modernism and postmodernism.

424. Religion and Healing. 3 hrs. This course studies several examples of religious healing practices found in ethnographic literature creating a dialogue between indigenous and academic theories of healing.

430. Buddhism. 3 hrs. Prerequisite: REL 131. This course surveys Buddhist religions and cultures. Topics include Indian origins, philosophical schools, ritual practice, and historical development.

445. Modern Islamic Thought. 3 hrs. An examination of Islamic political movements and their development.  Attention will be paid to law, government, relations with non-Muslims and the ethics of violent conflict.

446. Women in Islam. 3 hrs. A study of Muslim views of women, focusing on scripture, law, early Islamic history and the works of reformers and Islamists in the Middle East and South Asia.

460. Global Religious Ethics. 3 hrs. This course engages the student in the process of cross cultural, inter-religious ethics formation, by which a comparative analysis of various religiously based ethical systems leads to a consensual statement.

480. Senior Capstone in Religion. 3 hrs. A capstone course for religion majors, focusing on advanced content and method in the study of religion.

490. Issues in Religion. 3 hrs. An examination of specific problems within the broad spectrum of contemporary religious concern; may be taken for a total of 9 hours.

492. Special Problems. 1-3 hrs. Directed individual study; may be taken for a total of nine hours.

499. Religious Studies Abroad. 3-6 hrs. The study of religious themes in various parts of the world; offered abroad through the Center for International Education.

524. Religion and Healing. 3 hrs. This course studies several examples of religious healing practices found in ethnographic literature, creating a dialogue between indigenous and academic theories of healing.

530. Buddhism. 3 hrs. Prerequisite: REL 131. This course surveys Buddhist religions and cultures.  Topics include Indian origins, philosophical schools, ritual practice, and historical development.

532. Mysticism. 3 hrs. This course explores mystical practices as found in ethnographic texts.  Students pursue an interdisciplinary approach drawing on several models of mysticism.

545. Modern Islamic Thought. 3 hrs. An examination of Islamic political movements and their development.  Attention will be paid to law, government, relations with non-Muslims, and the ethics of violent conflict.

546. Women in Islam. 3 hrs. This course will address Muslim views of women by focusing on scripture, law, early Islamic history, and the works of reformers and Islamists in the Middle East and South Asia.

590. Issues in Religion. 3 hrs. An examination of specific problems within the broad spectrum of contemporary religious concern.

599. Religious Studies Abroad. 3-6 hrs. The study of religious themes in various parts of the world.  Offered abroad through the Center for International and Continuing Education.

692. Special Problems. 3 hrs. A study of a religious issue to be approved by the department chair.  May be taken for a total of 9 hours.

Other courses which count for Religion major credit:

PS 305. Religion and Politics. 3 hrs. This course aquaints students with the broad scope of religious influences in contemporary American political life

SOC 315. Sociology of Religion. 3 hrs. A study of religion as a social institution, its internal development, relationships to other institutions and its cultural and social significance in modern societies

ENG 319. Literary Study of the Bible. 3 hrs. Examines the literary structure, style and content of the English Bible

HIS 326. The Rise of Christianity and the Roman Empire. 3 hrs. A study of the emergence of Christianity as an intellectual, religious and political force in late antiquity and the early Middle Ages

ANT 335. Biblical Archaeology. 3 hrs. A survey of ancient Near Eastern peoples and cultures as reconstructed by anthropology and archaeology

HIS 425. Medieval Christianity. 3 hrs. This course explores Christian religious development during the European Middle Ages, 300-1500

HIS 438. The Crusades. 3 hrs. Examines the Crusades, the great meeting of Christian and Islamic civilizations from roughly 1095 to 1396, looking at warfare, religion, social order, and monarchy

HIS 448. Holocaust and Jews in European History. 3 hrs. Presents a detailed picture of the Holocaust, its antecedents and aftermath, its meanings, and its interpretations

PSY 457. Psychology of Religion. 3 hrs. Prerequisite: PSY 110; additional prerequisite for PSY major: PSY 360 with grade C or better, or permission of department chair. An examination of modern psychological perspectives on religious beliefs, experiences, and practices

HIS 459. History of Religion in America. 3 hrs. A survey of the variety of American religious experiences in their historical contexts