Religious Studies

Religious Studies

125 Carolina Hall, CB# 3225
(919) 962-5666

First Session, 2024

RELI 104 Introduction to the New Testament (3)

MAYESTER. This course studies the New Testament from both a literary and a historical perspective, focusing on its origins in the land of Israel and moving into the eastern Mediterranean. In it students learn to wrestle with the nature of historical evidence, develop their skills for making argumentation, and learn how to analyze the philosophical and ethical claims of the ancient Christian texts, and participate in class debates on contemporary ethical issues. Honors version available

RELI 106 Introduction to Early Judaism (JWST 106) (3)

ONLINE. This course surveys Jewish history and religion during the Second Temple and Rabbinic periods, from the destruction of the First Jewish Temple (Solomon’s Temple) in 586 BCE to the Muslim conquest of Palestine (640 CE).

RELI 121 Introduction to Religion and Culture (3)

ONLINE. An introductory course that explores relations between religion and culture through the examination of social theory and the analysis of case studies. The case studies focus on such issues as visual culture, ritual, media, gender, and politics. Honors version available.

RELI 140 Religion in America (ENGL 140) (3)

MAYMESTER ONLINE. An introduction to the history, themes, and issues in American religion from the precolonial period to the present. Honors version available.

RELI 162 Catholicism Today: An Introduction to the Contemporary Catholic Church (3)

MAYMESTER ONLINE. This course provides students with a first glimpse and insight into the Catholic tradition, past, present, and future: its beliefs, structure, aims, successes, and failures. Course flyer.

RELI 180 (ASIA 180) Introduction to Islamic Civilization (3)

ONLINE. A broad, comprehensive, and interdisciplinary introduction to the traditional civilization of the Muslim world. Students may not receive credit for both RELI 180/ASIA 180 and ASIA 138/HIST 138.

RELI 208 The Birth of Christianity (3)

ONLINE. An analysis of the origin of the Christian church and its early expansion, with particular emphasis on the problems evident in the shift from a Jewish to a Gentile framework. Paul’s role in defining and resolving the issues is considered in detail and evaluated in the light of subsequent events.

RELI 209 Varieties of Early Christianity (3)

ONLINE. A study of various forms of Christianity in the second and third centuries (e.g., Gnosticism, Marcionism, Montanism), focusing on their polemical relationship to orthodox Christianity. Honors version available.

RELI 220 Religion and Medicine (3)

MAYMESTER ONLINE. This course will deal with global interactions of religion, health care, medical ethics, disability, and the body in the past and present. Honors version available. Course flyer.

RELI 236 Religious Things (3)

ONLINE. An introduction to religion and visual culture in the United States. The course focuses on painting, ritual objects, and architecture.

RELI 246 Supernatural Encounters: Zombies, Vampires, Demons, and the Occult in the Americas (3)

MAYMESTER ONLINE. This course examines accounts of supernatural beings such as zombies and vampires and aims to understand them as popular ways of making sense of the world in the context of uneven and frequently unsettling processes of modernization, neoliberalism, and globalization.

Second Session, 2024

RELI 103 Introduction to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Literature (3)

ONLINE. This course introduces students to the various books of the Hebrew Bible and to the history and culture of ancient Israel, focusing on the formation of national identity, ancient conceptualizations of divinity, ritual practice, and modes of social regulation, all of which are set against the background of the ancient Near East. Honors version availabl

RELI 122 Introduction to Philosophical Approaches to Religion (3)

ONLINE. An introduction to philosophical approaches to the study of religion, exploring such topics as religious language and experience, the problem of evil, the relation between religious belief and practice, and issues of religious diversity. Honors version available.

RELI 141 African American Religions (3)

ONLINE. Survey of the historical development of various African American religious traditions, with emphasis on folk spirituality, gender issues, black nationalism, and the role of the church in the black community. Honors version available.

RELI 161 Introduction to the History of Christian Traditions (3)

ONLINE. Analysis of continuities and innovations in the history of Christian traditions in the West and globally. Honors version available.

RELI 201 Ancient Biblical Interpretation (3)

ONLINE. The course looks at the origins of biblical interpretation, how the Hebrew Bible was interpreted around the turn of the Common Era, the key formative period for early Christianity and rabbinic Judaism. We consider the nature of interpretation as an endeavor, as well as how the Bible came to be viewed as Scripture. Honors version available.

RELI 207 Jesus in the Early Christian Gospels (3)

ONLINE. An analysis of the variety of traditions used in the first two centuries to portray Jesus, focusing on the reasons for this variety and the historical and literary problems it presents.

RELI 283 (ASIA 300) The Buddhist Tradition: India, Nepal, and Tibet (3)

ONLINE. Examines the diverse beliefs, practices, and cultures associated with Buddhism in the Himalayan regions of India, Nepal, and Tibet. Topics include Buddhism’s development and spread, the cultural dynamics of Himalayan societies, monasticism, folk religion, revivalism, tourism, gender, globalization, and the role of the state in shaping Buddhist life and culture.