Current Courses
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Students interested in a Religious Studies 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)
For Program and course descriptions in the Program in Judaic Studies go to http://www.case.edu/artsci/jdst/courses.html.
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COURSES AVAILABLE FOR Fall 2012
RLGN 102: Introduction to the Study of Religion
Peter J. Haas (M.W.F. 10:30-11:30)
What is this thing we call “religion”? Is there even a single phenomenon, “Religion,” or are we dealing with a collection of individual “religions” that have very little in common? This course will examine these and other similar questions. Over the semester, the student will be introduced to some of the major religious traditions of the world as well as to some of the formative thinkers and theories which have shaped the academic field of Religious Studies. This course assumes no prior introduction to the academic study of religion.
RLGN 206: Religion and Ecology
Timothy K. Beal (T.R. 1:15-2:30)
This course offers a cross-cultural and historical introduction to religious perspectives on nature and ecology, including study and discussion of a wide range of Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Taoist, Buddhist, and Native American texts and ritual practices. Following a broad comparative exploration of different religious ecologies, we will delve into two topical themes related to the relationship between religion and ecology in the West: first, the question of Christianity’s influence on environmental ethics and policy in the West; and second, religious ideas and conceptions of the spirituality of water. Evaluation will be based on class preparation and participation, weekly one-page critical reflection papers, a midterm exam, and a take-home final.
RLGN 218: Islam—Faith and Politics
Ramez A. Islambouli (T.R. 10:00-11:15)
Overview of the relationship between Islam as a religion and Islam as a political system, and the effect of this relationship on Islamic society from its origin to the present time.
RLGN 232: DESI: Diaspora, Ethnicity, Southasia(n) Interrogate
Deepak Sarma (T.R. 2:45-4:00)
In this class we will interrogate the cultural identity(ies) and imagined community(ies) of the “South Asian” Diaspora. We will first examine taxonomy and categorization itself, as a methodical, philosophical, and political enterprise. We will then examine how such contrived categories have been applied to the so-called desis, loosely and broadly understood as members of the South Asian diaspora. To this end we will scrutinize the development of American(ized) “Hinduism,” the imagined location that desis have in North American racial and ethnic hierarchies, and the construction of assimilated, enculturated, and trans-national imagined desi communities.
RLGN 233: Introduction to Jewish Folklore
Judith S. Neulander (T.R. 10:00-11:15)
(Limit 15. Cross-listed as JDST 233 and ANTH 233.) Folklore is the world’s most powerful vehicle of cultural expression, vital to the continuity of group identity. Tradition and transformation in Jewish myth and magic, festival and foodways, folktales, art, music and more, will give us access to the spirit and mentality of the many different peoples who have carried these traditions, from remote Middle Eastern antiquity, to modern times in Israel and the U.S.A.
Over time and across space we will follow Jewish folklore as it shapes, and is shaped by, the vast expanse of western history and civilization.
RLGN 272: Morality and Mind
William E. Deal (M.W. 12:30-1:45)
(Also offered as COGS 272.) Recent research in cognitive science challenges ethical perspectives founded on the assumption that rationality is key to moral knowledge or that morality is the product of divine revelation. Bedrock moral concepts like free will, rights, and moral agency also have been questioned. In light of such critiques, how can we best understand moral philosophy and religious ethics? Is ethics primarily informed by nature or by culture? Or is ethics informed by both? This course examines 1) ways in which cognitive science—and related fields such as evolutionary biology—impact traditional moral perspectives, and 2) how the study of moral philosophy and comparative ethics forces reconsideration of broad cognitive science theories about the nature of ethics. The course examines the concept of free will as a case study in applying these interpretive viewpoints. Interdisciplinary readings include literature from moral philosophy, religious ethics, cognitive science, and evolutionary biology. For Fall 2009, students will engage in a comparative ethics project with students at Waseda University (Tokyo, Japan).
RLGN 299: Method and Theory in the Study of Religion
Joy Bostic (T.R. 2:45-4:00)
(Prerequisites: RLGN 102 and 9 credits in other RLGN courses.) This is an advanced course in method and theory in the study of religion and is designed for majors in Religious Studies. The goal is to strengthen the foundation in religious studies first obtained in RLGN 102 and to prepare students for projects to be completed and presented during the second semester in RLGN 399 (or RLGN 395 for honors). Class time will be devoted to lectures and discussions of a variety of authors, methods, and topics. Particular readings will be assigned by the instructor. Students are expected to attend class regularly, complete assigned reading, and participate in class discussions.
RLGN 313/ 413: Job and the Problem of Pain
Timothy Beal (Th. 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.
RLGN 333/433: Philosophy of Religion
Deepak Sarma (T.R. 1:15-2:30)
This class in an introduction to a central question in the philosophy of religion(s), namely “Can there be more than one true religion?” We will examine the question from a number of perspectives including those presented by modern theologians and philosophers of religion(s). Students will learn to write and present arguments against positions using the methods of philosophers of religion(s).
RLGN 373: History of the Early Church
Elizabeth K. Todd (T.R. 1:15-2:30)
(Also offered as HSTY 303.) This course will trace the development of various strands of Christian tradition from their origins in first-century Roman Palestine to the consolidation of the catholic Christian Church in the 4th-century Roman Empire. Students will examine special historical problems from this topic, including the nature of the conversion of Constantine, and the investigation of groups considered heretics by later dominant Christian traditions. Other figures and topics to be considered include: the beginnings of monasticism, Marcionist Christianity, Origen, and the Didache.
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.
RLGN 394: Honors Research I
Staff (Times as arranged)
(Prerequisite: Department Consent) Intensive study of a topic or problem leading to the writing of an honors thesis. Requires RLGN 102 plus 9 RLGN credits and department approval.
RLGN 395: Honors Research II
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.
RLGN 401: Foundational Readings in Religious Studies
William Deal (T.B.A.)
Structured as an Independent Study, this course is meant to familiarize the student with the major classical works and thinkers that have shaped the modern field of Religious Studies. Students will meet on a regular basis with the instructor to discuss the theories and methods described in the literature.
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JUDAIC STUDIES
See http://www.case.edu/artsci/jdst/courses.html
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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.