Philosophy & Religion
Hinduism
Christianity: Dimensions of the Sacred
Islam
Philosophy of Religion
Buddhism
Judaism
Religious Fundamentalism: Modern Movements
Religion and Social Justice
The Good Life
Course Descriptions
HINDUISM
This course explores the roots and ramifications of one of the
major philosophical/religious traditions of the world. We will
trace the evolution of its respective emphases on ritual, meditation,
and devotion. The semester course assumes students have a grounding
in the history and culture of India because of their background
in Humanities. Building on that foundation, our focus will be
on the wonderfully diverse and often paradoxical nature of the
ideas and wisdom contained within the Vedas, the Upanishads, and
the Bhagavad-Gita. Modern Hinduism will be examined within that
traditional context. (F)
CHRISTIANITY: DIMENSIONS OF THE SACRED
Where would you go to find the essence of Christianity? Besides the traditional answers—the Vatican, the Bible—this course examines a series of distinct moments and sites within two millennia and the broad spectrum of Christian cultures. From the desert ascetics of the ancient near East, to Russian Orthodox icons, to a medieval cathedral, to a Mexican pilgrimage, to a storefront church in Harlem or the newest communities in Asia and Africa, we will seek to understand Christianity through its diversity, through the panoply of practices and beliefs that have guided Christians in various times and places. Using what we have learned about Christian religious experience, students will round out the course by studying a local Christian community, conducting field research and interviews to augment our classroom work, and their written profiles of these communities will form the culminating experience of the class.
ISLAM
Several key elements of the Islamic tradition will be examined
in this course. First, we will do a thorough historical examination
of the beginnings and spread of Islam. This includes readings
from the Quran, a careful study of the life of the Prophet Muhammad
and analysis of Islam’s rapid expansion. Second, we will
look at two trends in popular Islam, Shia Islam and the mystical
Sufi tradition. Finally, we will examine the Islamic response
to modernism and contemporary issues. Students are encouraged
to take Middle Eastern Literature in conjunction with Islam in
the spring semester. (F)
PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION
Religions from both the East and the West will provide material
for our exploration of the ideas inherent in religious thinking.
The focus of this course will be on issues such as the role of
reason in the life of the spirit, connections between religious
conflicts and different ways of seeing the truth, and differences
between religious approaches to questions of life and death, and
psychological, artistic, or scientific approaches to the same
questions. (F)
BUDDHISM
This course provides an opportunity to explore one of the world’s
most extraordinary religions in greater depth than can be achieved
in Humanities. Although we will touch upon its cultural and historical
dimensions, the emphasis will be on the ideas of Buddhism and
their relevance for our time. (S)
JUDAISM
This course offers a thematic approach to Jewish religious traditions:
drawing from the Hebrew Bible, as well as rabbinic sources, commentaries,
mystical and folk traditions and modern Jewish writers,
we will explore such themes as covenant theology, ritual and purity,
the nature of evil, and exile and return. We will try out various
modes of Jewish scholarship -- itself a form of worship -- and
seek
generally to understand the religion through its canons of writing
(S)
RELIGIOUS FUNDAMENTALISM: MODERN MOVEMENTS
Religious Fundamentalism examines the tendency in religious communities and representative individuals and movements, which manifests itself as a strategy, or set of strategies, by which beleaguered believers attempt to preserve their distinctive identity as a people or group. The challenge of modernity or the expansion of other religious and societal trends threatens the identity of these groups. Feeling their identity to be at risk they renew it by a return to doctrines, beliefs, and practices that were formative in a sacred past. A fundamentalism is therefore a counterattack in the name of religious tradition against the forces of modernity, a reaction that selectively recovers portions of the tradition while utilizing modern techniques. It is acknowledged to have a true religious spirit, and to forge a firm identity amidst crisis and change. Frequently, fundamentalist militancy is displayed in the formation of “an integrated system that does not readily yield to the compartmentalizing tendencies of the modern social sciences.” (The Fundamentalism Project : A series from the University of Chicago Press. Martin E. Marty and R. Scott Appleby, editors)
RELIGION AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
This course will explore the world’s major religions and their theories of ethics and social justice. Questions of justice, freedom, equality, economic development, individualism, and human rights will be major themes of the course. Students will reflect upon their commitment to social justice as global citizens and leaders. They will develop a philosophy of service that translates their knowledge into action as change agents.(F)
THE GOOD LIFE
We will take as our central question what it means to try to live a good life, or a life of goodness. Starting with the ancients, like Aristotle and Confucius, we will examine different approaches to what can make us both good and happy, including philosophical approaches like Stoicism and Epicureanism, teachings of the ethical religions, asceticism and monasticism, and more modern utopian experiments. We will include recent reflections on the good life from a variety of traditions, including insights from modern psychology. A central task of the course will be for each student to reflect on and write about his or her own philosophy of the good life. (S)
