Department of Religious Studies
Course Offerings: Spring, 2004
General Requirement II: History and Tradition
Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and Shinto - the essential beliefs, doctrines, institutions, and practices of the major religious traditions (or traditional worldviews) of Southern and Eastern Asia. Historical backgrounds and development will be surveyed briefly to provide context for the course’s central focus: understanding the distinctive worlds of meaning created and maintained and expressed in these religions. Reading and discussion of representative primary texts in translation will be emphasized in this effort to understand basic attitudes and beliefs. Particular attention will be devoted to answering questions about the persisting influence and vitality of these religious traditions - about the nature and significance of change and about the importance of these great religions in shaping the sense of identity, aspirations, and expectations of their adherents in the face of the technological and ideological challenges of the contemporary world.
Requirements: No prerequisites. Moderate reading load.
Optional paper.
In-class midterm and final examinations.
Religious Studies 002
(JWST 122)
MW 11:00-12:00 plus 1 hour recitation
Instructor: Matter
amatter@ccat.sas.upenn.edu
General Requirement II: History and Tradition
This course introduces students to the academic study of religion through consideration of the major religious traditions of the Western world. The religious expressions of the Ancient Near East will set the context of the living and intertwined belief systems of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Special emphasis will be placed on the historical and conceptual development and variety within each of these monotheistic traditions. The modern representations of these religions will be examined comparatively and in relation to the role of religion in modern society and the nature of institutional change and syncretism. There will be two lectures a week, which will make use of film, music, and art. An added dimension will be the use of the extensive resources available on the Internet and the World Wide Web. The course fulfills a General Requirement in History and Tradition.
Religion and Literature
Religious Studies 003
COML 242)
R 6:00-9:00
Instructor: Stern (CGS)
erstern@sas.upenn.edu
General Requirement III: Arts and Letters For more than two millenia, the Bible has inspired spirited responses from its readers. The ongoing conversation with the biblical text has been both multi-cultural and multi-media -- it includes prose, poetry, art and music from many different cultures. This conversation with the Bible has been conducted in a multitude of registers ranging from deep reverence to outright parody. In this course, we will study a wide range of post-biblical readings of biblical texts. We will explore theological and literary responses to the stories of Adam and Eve and the Binding of Isaac, political and liturgical uses of the Exodus story, and musical and cinematic interpretations of the Passion narrative.
Religious Studies 005
(WSTD 109, FOLK 029)
MW 12:00-1:00 plus 1 hour recitation
Instructor: von Schlegell
bvon@ccat.sas.upenn.edu
General Requirement I: Society
For the last three decades religion has been at the top of some women’s lists of organizations that have worked against women. In answer to this, some women continued to follow their family religious tradition while remaining feminists. Many women worked toward gender equity in leadership of their religions. Others dropped out altogether from religion or formed their own, woman-centered religions. A new movement has been building for the last ten years. Women with the power to make a choice to leave traditional religions have chosen to stay. Why? This course examines gender and religion, in speaking of God, in creation narratives, in family structures, in attitudes toward the body, in the history of religious movements. We look at the new ways of reading foundational religious texts that attempt to expose and counter sexism in religious texts and social structures. While we will consider women in non-western religions for comparison, primary attention is directed toward women in the Judeo-Christian-Islamic traditions.
In recent years, our society has become increasingly cognizant of religiously motivated violence. Protestants and Catholics battle in Northern Ireland, Islamic extremists threaten western interests, and Chinese crackdowns on new religious movements have all made the headlines. However, this type of violent activity is nothing new. In fact, it stretches back into antiquity. The goal of this course is to examine various episodes of violent activity in antiquity, and justifications given for it by contemporary authors. We will also discuss whether these actions are truly examples of religious violence, or if there are other issues that should also be examined, i.e. economic, political, etc.
Religious Studies 009-302
TR 10:30-12:00
Instructor: Schwarz
sschwarz@sas.upenn.edu
Writing Requirement Course
Religious Studies 024
(AMES 155, ANTH 124, JWST 124)
TR 10:30-12:00
Instructor: Porter
bporter@sas.upenn.edu
Contemporary interpretations of the Bible have produced enduring conflicts with global reach. This course goes to the source, exploring the societies from which the Bible was born -- Israelites, Canaanites, Moabites, Phoenicians, Babylonians, and Egyptians, to name a few -- from anthropological and historical perspectives. We will cover the emergence and history of ancient Levantine societies, located in modern Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, and the State of Israel, from the earliest movements of human occupation to Alexander the Great's conquests and the fall of the Persian Empire (circa. 330 BCE). Peoples, events, and political changes described in the Bible are situated in broader subjects like vernacular and monumental architecture, the economy, diet, death, religion, and social structure. Materials from the University Museum collections will be used during class. No previous knowledge of the Bible or archaeology is required.
Religious Studies 103
TR 9:00-10:30
Instructor: Andreopoulos
aandreopoulos@hotmail.com
Freshman Seminar Distribution II: History and Tradition
Eastern mystics did not easily talk or write about their experiences. Nevertheless, a tradition of contemplative prayer that starts in the Egyptian desert in the fourth century and culminates with the flowering of the hesychastic theology in the fourteenth century Byzantium, is characterized by the experience of the Uncreated Light, the same light that was experienced by Peter, John and James during the Transfiguration of Jesus, something that is related to the ascetic ascent of hesychasm. This seminar will discuss these experiences within their historical, cultural, and spiritual background, and will present the thought of significant mystics such as Evagrius of Pontus, Maximus the Confessor, Symeon the New Theologian, Gregory Palamas, Theophanes of Nicea, the Slavic monastics who continued the hesychastic tradition, as well as the hesychastic councils of the fourteenth century. Belief here will be approached as the agent that awakens the spiritual senses, both in the lives of the saints and mystics whose faith was transformed into experience, in the words of Maximus the Confessor "passing from flesh to spirit," where the physical and the metaphysical meet. Moreover, the mystical tradition of the light will be approached from a contemporary point of view, discussing the relationship of the contemporary reader with the mystical experience.
Introduction to the study of religion through critical examination of contemporary accounts of personal experimentation with a variety of religious perspectives, e.g., the "Journey to the East" of Europeans and Americans, Islam in America, and the efforts by Jews and Christians to find their roots in their respective traditions. Background readings in Huston Smith’s The World's Religions.
Religious Studies 113
(AMES 133)
W 5:00-7:00
Instructor: von Schlegell
bvon@ccat.sas.upenn.edu
Benjamin Franklin Seminar
Distribution II: History and Tradition
Topic for Spring 2004: Muhammad
For Muslims, the Prophet Muhammad is the genealogical and spiritual heir to Abraham, the founder of monotheism. He was chosen to bring the final revelation, the Qur’an, to the world. His life inspires millions with its perfections. Secular historians look at the conditions of the Middle East in the seventh-ninth centuries. For them, the Qur’an and the teachings of Muhammad combined with unprecedented political and military successes to produce an Islamic world empire that then shaped the way Muhammad’s life story would be told. In modern times Muhammad has been fashioned as the exemplar for a variety of movements: revolutions, democratic state formation, rationalistic religion, mysticism, even feminism. This seminar is an examination of translated sources and biographies from Muslim and non-Muslim observers of Muhammad and his mission. We also read recent critical academic studies of "the historical Muhammad." Guided discussion questions on the readings, occasional short response papers, and one long paper.
Religious Studies 120
(AMES 156, HIST 156)
TR 3:00-4:30
Instructor: Dohrmann
dohrmann@sas.upenn.edu
General Requirement II: History and Tradition
A broad introduction to the history of Jewish civilization from its Biblical beginnings until the Middle Ages, with the main focus on the formative period of classical rabbinic Judaism and on the symbiotic relationship between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam,
Religious Studies 143
(AMES 136)
W 6:00-9:00
Instructor: Russell (CGS)
blackdogsam@hotmail.com
Distribution II: History and Tradition
A comprehensive introduction to Islamic doctrines, practices, and religious institutions in a variety of geographic settings from the rise of Islam in the seventh century to the present. Translated source materials from the Qur’an, sayings of Muhammad, legal texts, and mystical works will provide an overview of the literary expressions of the religion. The course aims, as well, to view Islam in the immediacy of everyday life. Among the topics to be covered are: The Qur’an as scripture and as liturgy; Conversion and the spread of Islam; Muhammad in history and in the popular imagination; Concepts of the feminine; Muslim women; Sectarian developments; Transmission of religious knowledge and spiritual power; Sufism and the historical elaboration of mystical communities; Modern reaffirmation of Islamic identity; and Islam in the American environment.
Religious Studies 152
(SARS 102)
MW 1:00-2:00 plus 1 hour recitation
Instructor: Behl
abehl@ccat.sas.upenn.edu
The aim of this course is to explore the religious and cultural history of India after the coming of Islam to the subcontinent and the establishment of an Islamic sultanate at Delhi (ca. 1206). We will investigate the making of cultural, political, religious, literary, and artistic identities, focusing on the texts, practices, and discourses of the new communities which come to the fore at this time.
An examination of the fundamentals of Buddhist thought and practice. In addition to reading and discussing selected primary Buddhist sources (in English translation), we shall review the history and development of Buddhism from its Indian origin through its spread to Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Tibet, China, Korea, and Japan. Primary sources and historical materials will be supplemented by some ethnog
Religious Studies 184 (AMES
178)
MW 2:00-3:00 plus one hour recitation
Instructor: Goldin
prg@sas.upenn.edu
Distribution II: History and Tradition Topical study of the Taoist religion and its relations through history to philosophical Taoism, popular religion, and science.
Religious Studies 205
(FOLK 201, ANTH 205)
MW 10:00-11:00 plus 1 hour recitation
Instructor: Primiano
lprimiano@cabrini.edu
This course will examine American expressive culture through an exploration of narrative; music; dance; drama; public events; material arts and architecture; religion; medicine; politics; foodways; ways of speaking; and customs surrounding and celebrating work, leisure, childhood, family, aging, individuality and community. In other words, we will be studying the 99% of American life that often goes unnoticed by other college courses! Special topics featured in 2004: tattooing, piercing, branding and other forms of contemporary body arts; UFO abduction as belief and legend; women’s home altars; and the African-based North American religion called "Vodou."
Religious Studies 217
M 2:00-5:00
Instructor: Callahan
ldcallah@sas.upenn.edu
This course is a survey of religious figures and movements in United States from the colonial period until the present. Particular attention will be given to religious diversity and the formation of new religious traditions in the American context. Although the course seeks to be inclusive, it is by no means exhaustive. Students will have the opportunity to do independent exploration and study.
Religious Studies 224
(AMES 255, JWST 255, COML 380)
TR 4:00-5:30
Instructor: Tigay
jtigay@ccat.sas.upenn.edu
Careful textual study of a book of the Hebrew Bible ("Old Testament") as a literary and religious work in the light of modern scholarship, ancient Near Eastern documents, and comparative literature and religion. The book varies from year to year.
Religious Studies 236
(COML 241, FILM 252, GRMN 256)
MW 12:00-1:00 plus one hour recitation
Instructor: Richter
srichter@sas.upenn.edu
General requirement III: Arts and Letters
For centuries the pact with the devil has signified humankind’s desire to surpass
the limits of human knowledge and power. From the reformation chap book to the
rock lyrics of Randy Newman’s Faust, from Marlowe and Goethe to key Hollywood
films, the legend of the devil’s pact continues to be useful for exploring our
fascination with forbidden powers.
Religious Studies 255
(SARS 225, SARS 525, RELS 555)
T 2:00-5:00
Instructor: Behl
abehl@ccat.sas.upenn.edu
Topic for Spring 2004: The Marsiya
This course is designed to introduce students to the genre of the Urdu marsiya, an elegy for the death of Imam Husain at Karbala. We will focus on the classics of the genre, by the Lucknow poets Anis and Dabir. Readings will include both poetry and critical and commentatorial prose. Requirements include regular short essays in Urdu and a longer research paper on the topic of the course.
Religious Studies 268
(SARS 208, SARS 508, RELS 568)
TR 3:00-4:30
Instructor: Novetske
cln@sas.upenn.edu
In this course, we will explore how religious life and ideals are expressed through various media, and how these media have affected cultural life in general in India. Our aim is twofold: to acquire a familiarity with a variety of intriguing media forms-including traditional architecture, devotional poetry-music, visual-sensorial worship, modern film, recorded music, and television- and to situate these media within cultural fields- religion primarily, but also politics, popular culture, and global culture. Though much of our study will immerse us in India’s past, our aim is to understand contemporary India and its religious culture through media.
This course is an introduction to the theory and practice of using computers for textual analysis. In the Spring of 2004, the course will focus on Jane Austen’s unfinished novel, Sanditon, and Anna Austen Lefroy’s continuation of it. Successful completion of this course will prepare students to do computer-aided textual research on other bodies of text as well. Projects will include the creation of encoded electronic texts of Austen and Lefroy, writing simple scripts to analyze them, and using basic statistics to measure literary and stylistic features. The class will utilize a combination of lecture, discussion, presentations, and practical lab experience. Enrollment is limited. There are no prerequisites.
Religious Studies 309
TBA
Permission Needed from Instructor
Permission Needed from Instructorors. See department for section numbers.
Religious Studies 320
(HIST 380, JWST 380)
TR 1:30-3:00 plus one hour recitation
Instructor: Ruderman
ruderman@sas.upenn.edu
An overview of Jewish intellectual and cultural history from the late 18th century until the present. The course considers the Jewish enlightenment; Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox Judaism; Zionist and Jewish Socialist thought; and Jewish thought in the 20th century, particularly in the context of the Holocaust. Readings of primary sources including Mendelsohn, Geiger, Hirsch, Herzl, Achad-ha-Am, Baeck, Buber, Kaplan, and others. No previous background is required.
Religious Studies 399
Time and topic arranged
Instructor: Staff
rstudies@sas.upenn.edu
Please obtain section numbers from the department office or from the faculty member with whom you will be working.
Religious Studies 413
M 6:00-9:00
Instructor: Asiedu (CGS)
fasiedu@ccat.sas.upenn.edu
Augustine (354-430) and Albert Camus (1913-1960) offer two visions of humanity that at first might seem irreconcilable. While Augustine carries the mantle as being one of the makers of the Christian tradition, Camus is usually referred to as an existentialist, a designation that may not always serve him well. And yet between Augustine and Camus there are certain common themes that are central to their various portraits of the human condition. The course is designed as a critical dialogue between the two thinkers, bringing works like Augustine’s Confessions and the City of God into conversation with the portraits of humanity and the modern conscience in Camus’ The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays, The Fall, and The Plague. Our discussions in the course of the semester will explore how these two thinkers confront the possibility of nihilism in both its ancient and modern manifestations, and what role religion plays in it.
Religious Studies 428
(AMES 458)
R 2:00-5:00
Instructor: Schwartz
Topic for Spring 2004: Patriarchal and Rabbinic Authority in Late Antique
Palestine
Religious Studies 476
(AMES 495)
R 2:00-5:00
Instructor: Lafleur
lafleur@sas.upenn.edu
Distribution II: History and Tradition
This course examines the history, doctrines, and practices of Zen Buddhism in China, Japan, and the West. Topics include the Monastic life, notable Zen Masters, Zen’s cultural impact, and enlightenment.
Religious Studies 500
R 3:00-6:00
Instructor: Dunning
sdunning@ccat.sas.upenn.edu
A study of the various ways of interpreting religion as a phenomenon in human
life. Analysis of the presuppositions involved in psychological, sociological,
and phenomenological approaches. Authors include James, Weber, Freud, Otto,
Eliade, and contemporary writers.
This course will offer students the opportunity to critically examine representative complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) health beliefs and practices found within the United States and their cultural position in American society. These will range from cosmopolitan systems such as chiropractic and traditional Chinese medicine to folk medicine. The philosophical theoretical conventional, Western medicine and to one another. This will include a description and discussion of current models for understanding health behavior.
Ethical issues and practical applications of this knowledge will also be discussed. The materials and methods of the course will draw on the literatures of the social sciences, history, philosophy, and the allied health professions and medicine.
This course will discuss the cultural and theological origins and implications of one of the fastest-growing religious movements in the world. Focusing on issues in the interpretation of Pentecostalism as a historical and global movement, the course will expose students to the most recent critical scholarship on Pentecostalism.
Religious Studies 518
(AFAM 510)
T 1:30-4:30
Instructor: Dyson
This seminar will examine the intersection of religious belief and thought;
racial structures, struggles and identities; and critical and cultural theories.
We will take up questions of how religion impacts racial identity; how ethnic
and religious identity interacts with, and inspires, political struggle; how
critical and cultural theory is used to interrogate religious belief, and how
social struggle and philosophical an
Religious Studies 535
T 3:00-5:00
Instructor: Kraft
Distribution II: History and Tradition
A survey of the known groups and perspectives that emerged in the first 150 years or so of the development of "Christianity" from its roots in Judaism and the hellenistic world(s), with special attention to the primary sources (especially literary) and to modern attempts at historical synthesis.
Religious Studies 555
(SARS 225, SARS 525, RELS 255)
T 2:00-5:00
Instructor: Behl
abehl@ccat.sas.upenn.edu
Please see RELS 268 for description.
Religious Studies 605
(FOLK 629, AMES 656, COML 662)
T 12:00-2:00
Instructor: Ben Amos
Theories of myth are the center of modern and post-modern, structural and post-structural thought. Myth has served as a vehicle and a metaphor for the formulation of a broad range of modern theories. In this course we will examine the theoretical foundations of these approaches to myth focusing on early thinkers such as Vico, and concluding with modern twentieth century scholars in several disciplines that make myth the central idea of their studies.
Religious Studies 999
Time and topic arranged
Instructor: Staff
rstudies@sas.upenn.edu
Please obtain section numbers from the department office or from the faculty member with whom you will be working.