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COURSES
AVAILABLE FOR SPRING 2010
Students interested in a Religion
major, minor, or sequence should contact Professor Deepak Sarma at 368-4790 (deepak.sarma@case.edu) or Professor Peter Haas at 368-2741 (peter.haas@case.edu)
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For Program and course descriptions in the Program in Judaic Studies go to http://www.case.edu/artsci/jdst/courses.htm].
JDST/HSTY/ETHS 218: Jews in Early Modern Europe Gillian Weiss (M.W. 12:30-1:45)
JDST 228: Jewish Image in Popular Film Judith Neulander (T.R. 1:15-2:30)
RLGN 254: THe Holocaust Peter Haas (M.W.F. 10:30-11:20)
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RLGN 206: Religion and Ecology
Timothy K. Beal (M.W. 12:30-1:45)
A cross-cultural and cross-religious introduction to religious perspectives on nature and ecology, including study and discussion of a wide range of Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist and Native American texts and ritual practices. Following a broad comparative exploration of religious perspectives on ecology, we will delve into three special topics: (a) ecology, chaos, and the sacred; (b) the idea of the wilderness; and (c) the green campus movement. Evaluation will be based on class preparation and participation, ten one-page critical reflection papers, a midterm exam, a small group "green campus" presentation, and a final take-home essay exam.
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RLGN 207: Women and Religion
Alice Bach (T.R. 10:00-11:15)
(Cross-listed as WGST 207.) This course will examine and analyze the intersections of feminism, womanism, sexuality and various religious traditions and practices of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity particularly within our contemporary American culture. We will also focus upon depictions of women from the perspective of the patriarchy that shaped the religious traditions that we study.
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RLGN 215: Religion in America
Alice Bach (T.R. 1:15-2:30)
An underlying premise of this course is that America is, and always has been, a religiously pluralistic nation. We will focus upon the religious histories and beliefs of several major social and ethnic groups active within the contemporary American scene. Through the use of ethnographic studies, films, and narratives the course examines some of the religions of African Americans (the Black Church, Nation of Islam, Rastafarianism), Euro-American "mainstream" Christianity (Protestants, Catholics) the growth of Islam & Judaism in the US. Finally, we will discuss political issues that intersect with religious practices and beliefs in America today, such as the Christian Right, Christian Identity, Internet “churches,” megachurches, and various ethical issues.
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RLGN 221: Indian Philosophy
Deepak Sarma (T.R. 2:45-4:00)
(Cross-listed as PHIL 221) We will survey the origins of Indian philosophical thought, with an emphasis on early Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain literature. Our concern will be the methods, presuppositions, arguments, and goals of these schools and trajectories of thought. What were their theories on the nature of the person, the nature of reality, and the nature and process of knowing? What were the debates between the schools and the major points of controversy?
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RLGN 238: Alternative Altars -- Folk Religion in America
Judith Neulander (T.R. 10:00-11:15)
(Limit 25.) The British colonial jibe that America was a “vast commonwealth of sects,” and the French culinary sneer that America had multiple home-grown religions “but only two sauces” was never more true than today. Taking a multidisciplinary approach, students will become familiar with the distinction between conventional and unconventional religion, with the history and personalities associated with new belief systems in America, and with the means, motivations, and methods of generating faith communities. Students will come to understand the role of cultural anxieties, new technologies, changing gender roles, globalization, and other social tensions in the formation and duration of America’s alternative altars.
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RLGN 254: The Holocaust
Peter J. Haas (M.W.F. 10:30-11:20)
(Also offered as HSTY 254.) The Holocaust is one of the major events defining the 20th Century. Combining racial ideology, scientific technology, and modern industrial organization, the Nazi administration created the modern definition of Genocide as they targeted Jews, along with certain other groups, for extermination. The course provides an overview of the historical, political, and social context out of which the Holocaust grew. The main emphasis of the course will be on the Holocaust itself in all its forms across Europe. The course concludes with a consideration of the various implications the Holocaust has had for post-Modern thinking in religion, ethics, philosophy, political science, and psychology.
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RLGN 270: Introduction to Gender Studies
Susan Hinze (M.W. 12:30-1:45)
(Also listed as WGST 201, ENGL 270, HSTY 270, and PHIL 270.) This course introduces the methods and concepts of gender studies and women's studies. An interdisciplinary course, it covers feminist approaches to literature, religion, history, political science, anthropology, psychology, and popular culture. This course is required for women's studies majors.
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RLGN 284: Jesus through Islamic Lens
Ramez Islambouli (T.R. 4:30-5:45)
An introduction to an image of Jesus little known outside the Islamic faith. It is an image that might be of interest to those who wish to understand how Jesus is perceived by a religious tradition which greatly revere him but reject his divinity. The course will draw from various Islamic texts to provide a comprehensive selection of excerpts pertaining to the life and moral teachings of Jesus. Approaching Christ from an Islamic perspective, this course will offer the students a rare opportunity to understand the significance of Jesus in Islam and to gain a better understanding of the Islamic faith, not only as it contrasts with Christianity but also as it compares.
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RLGN 306: Interpreting Buddhist Texts
William E. Deal (M.W. 12:30-1:45)
Readings of Buddhist texts and their interpretations. This semester we explore Buddhist ethics, including Buddhist perspectives on biomedical and environmental ethics.
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RLGN 313: Topics in Biblical Literature: Section 100: Job and the Problem of Pain
Timothy K. Beal (Tues. 4:30-7:30)
(Limit 25.) Theodor Adorno said that "to let suffering speak is the condition of all truth." Is that true? Is it possible? Can pain and suffering have meaning, especially religious meaning? What knowledge does pain bring, or destroy? How do we know what we claim to know as truth? Is there a proper response to suffering, especially in a religious context? What is the nature of the cosmos: orderly, chaotic, or a mixture of both? These and other questions will be explored through a close study and interpretation of the biblical book of Job. We will also examine several works of contemporary art and philosophy that engage these questions in light of Job. Evaluation will be based on class preparation and participation, weekly very short papers, and an interpretive essay.
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RLGN 313: Topics in Biblical Literature: Section 101: Apocalypse of John
Jeffrey Jay (M.F. 9:00-10:15)
(Limit 25.) Also known as the Apocalypse, the New Testament book of Revelation is the record of a person named John, who saw several visions that symbolize and dramatize a series of worldwide events that culminate in the destruction of prevailing political powers and the establishment of God's new age of total dominance. Given the enigmatic nature of this work, several diverse and conflicting strategies for understanding this text and unlocking its meaning have emerged over time. In this course we will immerse ourselves in the text of Revelation by exposing the conflicts and tensions that emerge when we juxtapose these multiple interpretive approaches.
Proceeding along these lines, we will look at how this book has become a point of focus in American "rapture culture" and "end-times" speculation by focusing on this culture's dissemination in popular books, movies, television and politics, as well as on its historical roots and development from a nineteenth-century theological movement called dispensationalism. But we will approach these popular phenomena with a prior grounding in historical approaches that interpret Revelation as a commentary on and critique of political realities and hopes in the first rather than the twenty-first century. This involves reading Revelation alongside the volatile world of Roman imperial politics as well as alongside several other surviving Jewish apocalypses, which show how revelatory writing was a common type of literature with set conventions, themes and images that began to flourish in the period between the Old and New Testaments. We will end by looking at the appropriation of Revelation in recent critical movements such as post-colonialism, feminism and liberation theology.
Evaluation will be based on class preparation and participation, short weekly take-home assignments and a final take-home exam. No prior courses in Religion are necessary.
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RLGN 352/452: Language, Cognition, and Religion
William E. Deal (Mon. 4:00-7:00)
(Limit 10. Also offered as COGS 352/452, also limit 10.) This course utilizes theoretical approaches found in cognitive semantics—a branch of cognitive linguistics—to study the conceptual structures and meanings of religious language. Cognitive semantics, guided by the notion that conceptual structures are embodied, examines the relationship between conceptual systems and the construction of meaning. We consider such ideas as conceptual metaphor theory, conceptual blending, image schemas, cross-domain mappings, metonymy, mental spaces, and idealized cognitive models. We apply these ideas to selected Christian, Buddhist, and Chinese religious texts in order to understand ways in which religious language categorizes and conceptualizes the world. We examine both the universality of cognitive linguistic processes and the culturally specific metaphors, conceptual blends, image schemas, and other cognitive operations that particular texts and traditions utilize.
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RLGN 392: Independent Study
Staff (Times as arranged)
(1-3 credit hours. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.) Up to three semester hours of independent study may be taken in a single semester. Must have prior approval of faculty member directing the project.
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RLGN 395: Honors Research
Staff (Times as arranged)
(Prerequisite: Consent of department chair.) Intensive study of a topic or problem leading to the writing of an honors thesis. Maximum six credits.
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RLGN 399: Major/Minor Seminar
Peter J. Haas (M.W. 12:30-1:45)
(Recommended preparation: RLGN 102 and one other RLGN course.) Capstone course primarily for majors and minors in Religion. Allows students to interact with peers and faculty, reflect critically, and integrate their learning experiences. Prepares students to continue their learning in the discipline and in the liberal arts. Subject matter varies according to student and faculty needs and perspectives. May be repeated once for up to six credit hours. Also counts as SAGES Capstone
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RLGN 601: Special Research
Staff (times as arranged)
(Prerequisite: Graduate standing; consent of instructor.) Independent study (1-3 credit hours) for graduate students, as arranged with individual instructors.
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RLGN 651: Thesis, M.A.
Staff (times as arranged)
(Prerequisite: Graduate standing; consent of instructor.) Faculty guidance for IGS (Integrated Graduate Studies) or graduate students writing a Master's thesis. (1-9 credit hours.)
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CROSS REGISTRATION IN NORTHEAST OHIO
In addition to the courses offered on campus, Case students here have the option of taking courses at other universities in the area under an agreement with the North East Ohio Higher Education Council. Under the agreement with NEOCHE there is no extra tuition charged to the students and the course credits transfer easily (provided no equivalent course is taught at Case and with the approval of Case).
In general, to participate in this program, the student must be in academic good standing. Credits earned for courses taken at other area institutions do count toward the 15-credit-hour limit on credits earned at other institutions after matriculation at Case. Grades received for such courses will not appear on a student's Case transcript, nor will they be included in the GPA calculation. Such courses can count toward a RLGN major or minor, however, but only with Department of Religious Studies approval. Students should check with the Department of Religious Studies or with the Office of Undergraduate Studies before enrolling in one of these courses.
Below is a sample listing of some of the courses available at John Carroll University that students in Religious Studies might consider in addition to the offerings here. For up-to-date information about which courses are offered in a particular semester, about times and places, and on exact course descriptions, you should contact the Department of Religious Studies at JCU at 397-4780.
334. CHRISTOLOGY. (3 cr.) The person and work of Jesus Christ according to the scriptures, historical theology, and contemporary theology.
328. THEOLOGY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN SACRED MUSIC (3 cr.) Survey of theological issues and constructs in African American Sacred Music. Musical theology of Negro Spirituals as starting point in discovering expressions of biblical and societal musings. Gospel music as well as anthematic presentations present a basic understanding of life and being in the African American experience.
321. HISTORY OF THE IDEA OF EVIL (3 cr.) Problem of evil from its biblical origins to the modern period with emphasis on the interaction between religious notions and cultural forces. Topics include the Book of Job, the rise of Satan, Augustine and Original Sin, Aquinas, Dante, the Reformation, the Enlightenment, demonic and Gothic, modern theological and scientific approaches.
360. CATHOLIC MORAL THEOLOGY (3 cr.) Review and discussion of the sources of Catholic moral theology; study of how contemporary Catholic moral theologians apply these methods and sources to current questions of personal and social morality.
227. INTRODUCTION TO EASTERN CHRISTIANITY (3 cr.) History, spiritualities, iconography, theologies and current practices of the Eastern Christian Churches. Study of the Eastern Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox Churches. Presentations provided by experts from various Eastern Churches.
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