CAS RN 100 Religion and Culture Introduction to the history of

							Please note: many of the courses below are not offered every semester. To view
current Religion Department course listings, please return to the Undergraduate
Course Listings page and select either Fall or Spring.

CAS RN 101 The Bible *Designed for the student who will take only one or two
courses in religious studies, this course introduces the Bible as a foundational source
of Western culture. In addition to basic knowledge of Hebrew and Christian
scriptures, the student may expect to gain an appreciation of biblical themes in
Western literature and art.

CAS RN 102 Sacred Journeys *An introduction to the comparative study of
religion through scriptural images, travelers' accounts, and mystical reflection on the
theme of the sacred journey in religious quest in Native American traditions,
Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.

CAS RN 103 Religions of the World: Eastern *Study of Hinduism, Buddhism,
Taoism, Confucianism, and Shinto. Focus on the world view of each tradition and the
historical development of that world view.

CAS RN 104 Religions of the World: Western *Continues but does not
presuppose CAS RN 103. The study of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Introduction
to the development, thought, practices, and influence of these religions.

CAS RN 106 Death and Immortality *Examines death as religious traditions have
attempted to accept, defeat, deny, or transcend it. Do we have souls? Do they
reincarnate? Other topics include cremation, ancestor worship, apocalypse, alchemy,
AIDS, near-death experiences, otherworld cosmologies.

CAS RN 108 New Age Spirituality *Survey of the origins and development of New
Age spirituality in a global context, concentrating on Occidental borrowings from
India and Tibet. Possible topics include romanticism, utopianism, the occult, magic,
neopaganism, out-of-body experiences, reincarnation, and channeling.

CAS RN 109 Introduction to Religious Thought: The Quest for God and the
Good *Introduction to religious thought, exploring the aims of human life, the place
of God in the good life, and the role of contemplation and action in the spiritual
quest. Readings from Plato, Aristotle, Bible, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Augustine,
Maimonides, Ghazzali.



CAS RN 111 Multireligious America *Introduction to American religions, including
Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism, with an emphasis on
developments after 1965, when new legislation opened up immigration and
dramatically altered the American religious landscape. Exploration of interreligious
interactions: conflict, cooperation, and creolization.

CAS RN 201 The Hebrew Bible *Study of the literature of the Hebrew Bible/Old
Testament and the religious faith to which these writings bear witness within the
context of the history of the ancient I
CAS RN 202 From Jesus to Christ: The Origins of Christianity *Places Jesus of
Nazareth in his contemporary religious and social context of Second Temple Judaism;
and accounts for the origins and growth of Christian life, belief, and spirituality up to
the second century, as reflected in the writings of that period.

CAS RN 204 Topics in Religion and the Visual Arts *Explores interplay between
religion and art through the study of historical, contemporary examples. Topic
changes each year. May be repeated for credit. Topic for Spring 2007: The Visual
Culture of American Religions. Explores relationship between visual culture and
religious experience in the U.S. Examining objects from various traditions to highlight
roles played in theological reflection, devotional practice. Topics include Northwest
Coast crest poles, gravestones, santos, Shaker maps, Kinkade paintings, Jewish
graphic novels. Also offered as CAS AH 204.

CAS RN 205 Major Western Religious Texts *Principles of interpretation brought
to bear on four texts from the Western religious traditions: Augustine's Confessions,
Thoreau's Walden, Melville's Moby Dick, and Tillich's Shaking of the Foundations.

CAS RN 207 Myth and Religion in Literature *A workshop on religion in selected
works of literature, on the nexus between myth and mysticism (in this instance,
using the examples of Celtic and Islamic texts), and on the themes of individual
moral crisis, action and passivity, and the quest for a meaningful way of life.

CAS RN 209 Roman Catholicism *Introduction to the history, character, beliefs,
and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. Topics include the origin and
development of the church, and the function of the sacraments and the councils,
popes, and monks.

CAS RN 210 Buddhism *A historical introduction to the major themes of Indian
Buddhist thought and practice with special attention to the development of Buddhism
in Tibet.

CAS RN 212 Christianity *Introduction to Christian thought and practice in a world
context, origins to present. Topics include sin, salvation, sacramnent, sacred text,
bodies and souls, community, authority and the individual, Christians and non-
Christians, and the challenge of modernity.

CAS RN 213 Hinduism *Introduction to the Hindu tradition. Ritual and philosophy
of the Vedas and Upanishads, yoga in the Bhagavad Gita, gods and goddesses in
Hindu mythology, "popular" aspects of village and temple ritual, and problems of
modernization and communalism in postcolonial India.



CAS RN 214 Islam *The rise and spread of Islam from the seventh century to the
present; introduction to its central beliefs, institutions, and practices, and its impact
on the religious and cultural history of Asia and Africa. Continuity and change in the
modern period.

CAS RN 215 Japanese Religion *Introduction to Japanese religions, including
Shintoism and Zen, Pure Land, and Tantric Buddhism. Focus on Zen Buddhism and
its cultural expression in both geido (way of the arts) and bushdo (way of the
warrior). Brief examination of the modern Japanese philosophy of religion.
CAS RN 216 Judaism *Systematic and historical introduction to doctrines, customs,
literature, and movements of Judaism; biblical religion and literature; rabbinic life
and thought; medieval mysticism and philosophy; modern movement and
developments.

CAS RN 220 The Holy City: Jerusalem in Time, Space, and Imagination
*Jerusalem as a holy city: its importance in historical experience and theological
understanding of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

CAS RN 239 Religion and Science *Examines the complex relationship between
science and religion, focusing on historical episodes (e.g., the "Galileo Affair") and
curent controversies (e.g., "Intelligent Design" movement's influence on school
curricula, "Spirituality and Health" research, and "Ecology and Religion.")

CAS RN 240 Made in God's Image: The Divine-Human Relationship
*Exploration of some of the most basic questions about our existence. Who are we?
Where did we come from? What is the divine and how can we know it? Readings
from creation stories, ancient epics, the Bible, Augustine, and Dante.

CAS RN 242 Magic, Science, and Religion *Boundaries amd relationships
between magic, science, and religion from late antiquity through the European
Enlightenment. Topics include transformation of pagan traditions, distinctions
between learned and popular traditions, and changing assumptions about God and
Nature.

CAS RN 245 Religious Thought: The Quest for God and the Good *Introduction
to religious thought, exploring the aims of human life, the place of God in the good
life, and the role of contemplation and action in the spiritual quest. Readings from
Plato, Aristotle, Bible, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Augustine, Maimonides, Ghazzali.

CAS RN 247 Religion and Healing Prereq:(CASRN103 OR CASRN104) (some prior
academic study of world religion) or equivalent. *An introduction to approaches to
healing integral to Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Christian, Muslim, African, African-
descended, Latin American, Chinese, and Native American traditions, and to some of
the combinations that have emerged from their interactions.

CAS RN 301 Varieties of Early Christianity *Surveys the many different and
often competing forms of Christianity that arose and flourished in the second to the
seventh century, from the "apostolic period" to the Arab conquest in the Middle East.

CAS RN 303 Christian Thought I *First course in two-semester sequence on
major developments in Christian intellectual history. Source readings are from the
New Testament, the Apostolic Fathers, and the Apologists (including Neo-Platonic
backgrounds); Augustine, Bonaventure, Thomas (including Aristotelian
backgrounds); Ockham, selected Rhineland and Spanish mystics, Luther, and Calvin.

CAS RN 304 Christian Thought II *Second course in two-semester sequence on
major developments in Christian intellectual history. Source readings are from
Spener, Hobbes, Leibniz, Kant, Schleiermacher, Hegel, Harnack, Berdyaev, Barth,
Bultmann, Maritain, and Bonhoeffer.
CAS RN 307 Medieval Christian Spirituality *Explores Christian beliefs and
practices in medieval Europe within and outside formal church structures. Topics
include accommodation of pagan culture, constructing identity, clerical and lay piety,
heterodox practice and institutional response, and encounter with non-Christian
traditions.

CAS RN 308 The Cross and the Crescent *Surveys the relations of Eastern
Christianity with Islam from Late Antiquity to the Middle East conflict. Focus on
historical developments up to today's political problems, the emergence of a
Christian Arabic literature, and the history of cultural and religious exchange.

CAS RN 309 Jewish Music *Jewish music as an expression of Jewish heritage,
from ancient Israel to modern America. Sacred music; folk songs; nineteenth-
century antagonisms, twentieth-century themes and composers in the diaspora.
Reading, listening, and analysis; group presentation, performance, debate, final
exam, and term paper.

CAS RN 311 African American Religious History *Surveys the religious beliefs
and practices of Americans of African descent from the colonial period to the present.
Foci include the role of religion in the formation of personal and national identity, and
the political ramifications of Christian faith. Also offered as CAS AA 311.

CAS RN 312 Buddhism in America *The transplantation and transformation of
Buddhism in the United States. Time period ranges from the eighteenth century to
the present, but the emphasis is on contemporary developments, including the new
Asian immigration, Jewish Buddhism, feminization, and engaged Buddhism.

CAS RN 313 Hinduism in America *The transplantation and transformation of the
ideas, institutions, and practices of Hinduism and Sikhism in America. Consideration
of gurus and students, Indian-American immigrants, and European-American
converts. Emphasis on primary texts, including autobiographies, novels, catechisms,
sermons, and anti-cult polemics.



CAS RN 317 Greek and Roman Religion *Survey of ancient Greek and Roman
religions and their development from earliest beginnings to the eclipse of paganism.
Theories and practices of these religions,
comparisons with other religions, and relationships to Judaism and Christianity.



CAS RN 321 Wisdom Tradition in Ancient Israel and Judaism *Wisdom as a
major intellectual tradition in ancient Israel; the sage in Israelite and other Near
Eastern cultures; formal criticism of literary types; relation to prophetic and
apocalyptic traditions; canonical and apocryphal writings.

CAS RN 322 History of Judaism *Major trends in post-biblical Judaism; academy
and synagogue; Mishna and Talmud; Babylonian diaspora; medieval poetry,
philosophy, and mysticism; codes of law; organization of the Jewish community "in
exile", the land of Israel; Jewish, Islamic, and Christian civilizations.
CAS RN 323 Classical Jewish Thought *Basic human and religious issues as they
have been understood within the classical Jewish framework of God, the people of
Israel, and Torah: good and evil, creation, the relationship of human beings to God
and to one another.

CAS RN 324 Introduction to Rabbinic Literature *Chronological exploration of
rabbinic Judaism's major documents, using a modern scholarly anthology. The
Mishnah; legal and legendary selections from the midrashim and both the Jerusalem
and Palestinian Talmuds. Themes: monotheism, sin and atonement, heaven and hell,
conceptions of gender, the impact of rabbinic texts on medieval and modern
Judaism.

CAS RN 325 Jewish Mysticism *Analysis of the development of Jewish mysticism
from the biblical to the early medieval era. Emphasis on the forms of mysticism--and
the texts in which they are embedded--from the rabbinic era. No knowledge of
Hebrew is required.

CAS RN 328 Judaism in the Modern Period *Exploration of complex encounters
between Judaism and modernity from the Renaissance and Reformation to expulsion
from Spain and creation of Jewish centers in the New World; emancipation and its
consequences; assimilation, conversion, Reform Judaism, Zionism, the American
Jewish community, modern anti-Semitism.

CAS RN 329 Modern Jewish Thought *Explores attempts of major modern Jewish
philosophers to reconcile Judaism and the modern consciousness. Authors include
Mendelssohn, Cohen, Rosenzweig, Buber, Kaplan, and Fackenheim. Responses of
traditional Judaism to modern strategies of identity and self-preservation; Judaism
and the crisis of modernity.

CAS RN 331 Zionism and the State of Israel *Introduction to the development of
Jewish nationalism from its traditional and European origins through its culmination
in the modern state of Israel. Readings from Zionist and Israeli literature on political,
religious, and philosophical implications.

CAS RN 333 Antisemitism Prereq: consent of instructor. *Theological and social
sources of antisemitism in the ancient, medieval, and modern worlds. Comparisons
with other modes of persecution such as slavery and witchcraft. Jewish responses to
otherness. Intellectual and social antisemitism in contemporary America.

CAS RN 334 Dead Sea Scrolls *Examination of the ancient Hebrew documents
discovered in the Judean desert. Their authorship; the theological significance of the
Scrolls; their relations to Ancient Judaism and early Christianity; the controversy
over their release and publication.



CAS RN 335 Judaism in the First Century *Explores the diversity of Judaism in
the first century CE and traces the emergence of Christianity as a religion distinct
from Judaism. Sources include ancient Jewish literature, early Christian literature,
and archaeological evidence.
CAS RN 337 Gender and Judaism Prereq:(CASRN101 OR CASRN216 OR
CASAN260) *Jewish monotheism examined from the perspectives of gender theory,
feminism, and homoeroticism. Themes include religion and gender, women and
homosexuals as "other" in Jewish and Christian thought, difficult traditional texts and
their reappropriation, issues in contemporary spirituality.

CAS RN 338 The Holocaust and Music *Introduction to musical compositions
created during and after the Holocaust that commemorate the period's historical
moments, social issues, and personal experiences. Listening, analysis, and
background reading on music by Schoenberg, Shostakovich, Penderecki, Reich, and
others.

CAS RN 340 The Quran *The emergence of the Quran as a major religious text, its
structure and literary features, and its principal themes and places within the
religious and intellectual life of the Muslim community.

CAS RN 341 Islamic Mysticism: Sufism *Rise and development of the mystical
movement in early Islam; analysis of the thought of leading Sufi brotherhoods, their
organization, liturgy, and religious life; the impact of Sufism on classical and
postclassical Islam.

CAS RN 343 Global Islam *A historical and comparative study of Islam in its
diverse regional and cultural settings: the Near East, Africa, India, Southeast Asia,
China, the former Soviet Union, and the West. Islam's spread, adaptability, and role
as a catalyst for social change.



CAS RN 344 Islam and the West *Examination of religious and intellectual
interaction of Islam and the West during the Middle Ages: philosophy, theology,
jurisprudence, mystical thought, and ethical theory. Literary and scientific influences
also considered.

CAS RN 345 Islamic Law *A survey of major trends in Islamic jurisprudence from
the seventh century to the present; the structure of Islamic law, its regulative
principles, its place in Islamic society, and the mechanisms by which it is elaborated
and applied.

CAS RN 349 Qur’anic Negotiations: Contemporary Muslim Writers and the
Holy Book *Contemporary Muslim writers’ responses to the Qur’an, especially their
imitations of its rhetorical effects, and their use of the Holy Book to attack social and
political ills. Writers include Mahfouz, Durrani, Nisrin, and Rushdie.




CAS RN 360 Taoist Religion *A historical survey of the Taoist traditions in China.
The philosophy of Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu and Han dynasty religion. Early Taoist
movements, as well as the heyday of the religion in the Six Dynasties and the Tang.
Modern Taoism as it was first formed in the Tong dynasty is also discussed.

CAS RN 362 Chinese Medicine Prereq: junior or senior standing *A wide range of
traditional Chinese health and religious practices, interpreted in light of ancient
concepts of body and mind, illness and health, and the like. Techniques are
discussed, as well as magical, ritual, and popular healing.

CAS RN 363 Zen Buddhism *A study of Zen teachings and practices as a sect of
Chinese and Japanese Buddhism, as a philosophic system, and as a pattern of
culture.



CAS RN 369 Science and Christianity *Examines the relationship between science
and the Christian tradition in Europe and North America since 1500. Considers the
epistemological and metaphysical foundations of both science and Christian thought
as they have evolved over time. Also offered as CAS HI 369.

CAS RN 372 Indian Philosophies of Religion *(Meets with CAS PH 246.) Studies
the co-existence of religious communities in India, with emphasis on recent history
of inter-communal relations. Introduction to the philosophical and religious culture of
India; examination of some of the classical Six Systems of Indian Philosophy;
exploration of the development of modern ("Neo-Hindu") philosophy, with emphasis
on Ghandi.

CAS RN 374 The Church and the Jews Prereq: admission to the Padua Summer
Program. *

CAS RN 375 Culture, Society, and Religion in South Asia *Ethnographic and
historical introduction to the Indian subcontinent with a focus on the impact of
religion on cultural practices and social institutions.

CAS RN 384 The Holocaust *Background of German (and European) anti-
Semitism. Rise of Nazism and early oppression, initial Jewish reaction, mechanics of
destruction, ghettos, camps, world response and nonresponse, literature of the
Holocaust, and religious implications.

CAS RN 387 Anthropology of Religion *Myth, ritual, and religious experience
across cultures. Special attention to the problem of religious symbolism and
meaning, religious conversion and revitalization, contrasts between traditional and
world religions, and the relation of religious knowledge to science, magic, and
ideology.



CAS RN 388 Oral Tradition as Verbal Art *Exploration of religious and secular
poetry worldwide with emphasis on the ethnography of communication. A focus on
performance in oral tradition and its consequences for literary form, as well as the
impact of mass media and literacy on orality.

CAS RN 389 Moses and the Origin of Monotheism *From Philo to Freud, the
richly varied afterlife of the biblical Moses figure and story of monotheism's Egyptian
origins, considered as an abiding preoccupation of western religions, theology,
literary and visual art, and secular thought.
CAS RN 390 New Testament Literature *Exploration of the work that constitutes
a "New Testament Literature": scriptual writings– both canonical and rejected– are
read together with works of literary art that, taking their inspiration from the New
Testament, perpetually reinterpret and renew the Christian tradition.
CAS RN 397 Topics in Philosophy and Religion *Topic for Spring 2007: Religion,
Science, and the Occult in the Early Modern Age. Also offered as CAS PH 456.

CAS RN 398 Topics in Philosophy and Religion *Topic for Spring 2006:
Phenomenology of Religion. Traces the development of "phenomenology" from
nineteenth- to twentieth-century philosophy before turning to twentieth-century
phenomenology of religion and the "phenomenological philosophy of religion." The
theme of self-consciousness and the relation between philosophy and theology are
explored throughout.

CAS RN 401 Senior Independent Work Prereq: approval of the Honors
Committee. *

CAS RN 402 Senior Independent Work Prereq: approval of the Honors
Committee. *

CAS RN 412 Theology of Christian Mysticism *A concentrated venture in
philosophical theology. Lectures, reading, and discussion center on the thought, not
the praxis, of selected major mystics in the Christian tradition. Overviews Greek
philosophical backgrounds; closely examines Eckhart, Nicholas of Cusa, Boehme, and
William Blake.




CAS RN 413 Gender in Medieval Christian Mysticism *Study of the Christian
mystical traditions of medieval Europe, both orthodox and heretical, with particular
emphasis on the role of gender and authority in mystical writing, practicing, and
teaching.

CAS RN 414 Indigenous Religions of West Africa *Survey of indigenous
religions of West Africa. Focus on the High God; ancestor worship; divinities and
spirits; the concept of the human person; ethical and moral values; and the West
African view of nature.

CAS RN 415 Traditional African Religions in the Diaspora *Exploration of
original West African religions and their survival in the Americas: Cadomble,
Umbanda, Macumba in Brazil; Santeria in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and elsewhere; Sango
in Trinidad and Tobago; and Vodun in Haiti.

CAS RN 423 Core Texts and Motifs of World Religions: West
Prereq:(CASCC101 & CASCC102) or two courses in religion or philosophy. *An
intensive seminar in primary texts and key ideas of theology and religious philosophy
as developed in representative world religions: Judaism, Christianity, Islam. First
course in a year-long sequence. Each semester may be taken independently. Also
offered as STH TT 901.
CAS RN 424 Core Texts and Motifs of World Religions: East Prereq:(CASCC101
& CASCC102) or two courses in religion or philosophy. *An intensive seminar in
primary texts and key ideas of theology and religious philosophy as developed in
representative world religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism. Second
course in a year-long sequence. Each semester may be taken independently. Also
offered as STH TT 902.
CAS RN 425 Topics in South Asian Religions *Specific aspects of South Asian
religions within a historical or comparative/ phenomenological framework. Topic for
Spring 2007: Buddhist Philosophy. Major issues, personalities, and texts in the
Buddhist philosophical tradition, including early Buddhist scriptures, intellectual
developments in classical India, China, Japan, and Tibet, and the encounter with
modernity in Asia and the West.

CAS RN 427 Topics in American Religion *Topic for Fall 2006: Grounding the
Sacred. Examines the religious relationship between Earth and people in the U.S.;
looks at ways cultural and theological assumptions have shaped peoples' treatment
of the natural world since the colonial period; assesses major ethical responses to
ecological issues.

CAS RN 428 Theology Proseminar *Study of certain central approaches to
theology.



CAS RN 430 Topics in East Asian Religions *Topic for Spring 2006: Women in
East Asian Religion. Explores gender norms and roles in Buddhism, Confucianism,
Daoism, and folk traditions and how these structure social relations. Examines
attitudes towards the feminine, gender,and sexuality through reading doctrinal texts,
autobiography, and ethnography about women in China, Korea, and Japan.

CAS RN 435 Women, Gender, and Islam Prereq:(CASRN104 OR CASRN214) or
equivalent. *Investigates the way Muslim religious discourse, norms, and practices
create and sustain gender and hierarchy in religious, social, and familial life. Looks at
historical and contemporary challenges posed to these structures.

CAS RN 441 Hermeneutics *Analysis of literary works, ancient and modern,
informed by hermeneutical theories of Heidegger, Gadamer, and Ricoeur. Attention
to structure and meaning of symbol, myth, narrative; religious, philosophical, and
poetic discourse; problems of self, world, and the Divine.
Olson. 4 cr. either sem.

CAS RN 443 Problem of Evil *A philosophical and theological analysis of the
problem of evil, as formulated in the Bible and other sacred texts, ancient and
modern philosophy, literature, and cinema.

CAS RN 444 Literature and Religion in England, 1500-1800
Prereq:(GRSRN744) Seniors and graduate students (GRS RN 744) only. *Seminar
which combines close readings of specified texts with wide-ranging discussion of
ideas and issues. Passages from the Old and New Testaments are studied in English
translation, chiefly in the version of 1611, though the work of earlier translators is
also used for purposes of comparison and contrast. The influence of the English Bible
upon British poetry, prose, and drama is examined.

CAS RN 445 Sources of the Self in Philosophy, Religion, and Literature
*Analysis of "models of self" in major twentieth-century cult novels. Does the model
of the self projected by a given work have a defensible moral content? Framing of
this question in recent works on ethics and interpretation by Paul Ricoeur, Charles
Taylor, and Alasdair MacIntyre. Novels by Hesse, Henry Miller, Sartre, Salinger,
Kerouac, Plath, Castaneda, and Pirsig.

CAS RN 447 Voice and Otherness Prereq: Seniors and graduate students only,
with consent of instructor. *Examines the relation and disrelation between
experience, especially the experience of suffering, and language. Emphasizes the
theological, ethical, psychological, and poetic dimensions of communication and
incommunicability.
CAS RN 448 Reasons and Gods Prereq: juniors and seniors only. *Explores the
varied roles of reason in religious contexts by investigating the often surprising
applications of theistic proofs and disproofs in the history of philosophy, ancient and
modern, and the history of religions, eastern and western..

CAS RN 449 Dante's Journey to God *Reading of the entire Divine Comedy as the
poet's journey toward the vision of God. Special attention to how Dante transforms
pagan sources, assimilates the Bible and its interpretative traditions, and boldly
attempts to establish his own text as a "sacred poem."



CAS RN 450 Philosophy of Religion *An introduction in three stages to the
philosophy of religion: its historical development as a discipline of theology,
metaphysics, and comparative religion; its principal topics, issues, and problems; a
close reading of Hegel's Lectures on the Philosophy of Religion (1827).

CAS RN 451 Topics in Continental Philosophy and Religion *Seminar (close
reading and discussion) devoted to selected primary texts of Goethe, Kierkegaard,
Schelling, and Nietzsche

CAS RN 452 Topics in Religious Thought Topic for Fall 2007: Religious Thought:
East and West. Explores key problems in religious thought: nature of the Absolute,
origin of time and the world, paradox of transcendence and immanence, role of
teachers, sages, and prophets, language and negative theology, reason and the path
to realization.

CAS RN 465 Religion and Society *Exploration of the fine line between opposing
views of religion and society, with an effort to profit from the very divergence of
views to deepen understanding of primary concepts and categories with which we
order our world.

CAS RN 468 Symbol, Myth, and Rite *Historical overview of ritual behavior, the
role of symbolism in the study of culture, and the narrative quality of worldview and
belief. Emphasis on verbal performance and public display events in specific cultural
contexts.
CAS RN 469 Critique of Religion *Philosophical critiques of revealed religion from
the Enlightenment to the twentieth century, including analysis of criticisms in
Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Major trends examined include rationalism,
historicism, anthropological materialism, and nihilism.

CAS RN 470 Topics in Medieval Religious Culture Prereq: junior standing or
consent of instructor. *Topic for Fall 2006: Religious Cultures in Contact and Conflict:
Jewish-Christian Encounter. Focuses on varieties of interaction through an
examination of social relations, economic ties, intellectual and cultural exchanges,
expulsions and violence. Explores coexistence, toleration, and its limits in medieval
context. Meets with CAS HI 407.
CAS RN 495 Theoretical Approaches to the Study of Religion *Origins and
history of the academic study of religion. Different constructions of religion as an
object of study and the methods that arise from them. The role of the humanities
and social sciences in understanding religion’s place in history and contemporary
experience.

CAS RN 498 Topics in Ancient Christianity *Topic for Fall 2004: Dying for God:
Voluntary Death and the Politics of Power in Roman Antiquity.

CAS RN 499 Topics in Judaic Studies *Topic for Spring 2005: Power, Morality,
and Modern Jewish Identity. Examines Jewish people's moral and ideological debates
about the use of the military during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Specal
attention to the creation of a new Jewish ethos of power and its ambiguous relation
to the Jewish tradition.

CAS RN 504 Topics in Religion and the Visual Arts Prereq: junior standing or
consent of instructor. *In-depth discussion of special issues in the study of religion
and art. Topic changes each year. May be repeated for credit. Topic for Spring 2007:
Word and Image in American Biblical Religions. Investigates interaction of word and
image in America's religious visual culture. Addresses how words and images
operate, their claims to legitimacy, and the relationship between seeing and
believing. Topics include graphic novels, quilts, paintings, illustrations, folk art. Also
offered as CAS AH 504.

CAS RN 524 Topics in Bible and Literature *Two topics are offered in Spring
2007. Students may take either or both for credit. Section A1: Apocalypse and
Literature. Prereq: one literature course. Literary response to the book of Revelation
from ancient to modern times. Readings from the Bible, Dante, Langland, Rabelais,
Blake, Wordsworth, Dostoevsky, Hölderlin, D. H. Lawrence, García Lorca, Beckett,
and others. Reference to visual and musical representations of apocalypse. Also
offered as CAS LL 560 A1. Section B1: Genesis: Scripture, Interpretation, Literature.
Prereq: junior standing and one course in literature or religion, or consent of
instructor. Comprehensive study of primary and secondary characters in Genesis,
and interpretations given them in Jewish and Christian exegetical traditions, as well
as in imaginative literature of the modern period. Texts in translation or in original
languages. Also offered as CAS LL 560 B1.

CAS RN 543 Spiritual Affinities in Practice *Examines representative texts of
spiritual literature: Julian of Norwich, Meister Eckhart, John Ruusbroec, St. John of
the Cross, Teresa of Avila, Rumi, Ibri’Arabi. Explores modes of expression,
expressibility of mystical experience, spiritual reform, and discipline exercises.

CAS RN 560 The Politics of Religion, Ethnicity, and Nationalism in
International Relations Prereq: junior standing. *Explores causes, consequences,
and patterns of resurgent religion, ethnicity, and nationalism in post-Cold War
international relations, using interdisciplinary scholarship, policy literatures, and case
studies.

CAS RN 561 Religion and International Relations Prereq: junior standing and
consent of instructor. *(Meets with CAS IR 561.) Explores the role of religion in
contemporary international relations in the context of questions about the common
core of modernity. Reviews scholarly and policy literature, and case studies, in order
to elucidate religion’s intellectual and operational diversity in international relations.

CAS RN 571 Literature of Memory I: Faith and Power in Ancient and Modern
Literature Prereq: one 400-level course in the humanities or upper-level literature
class. *Is faith a source of, or a substitute for, power? Do faith and power compete
or are they mutually reinforcing? This course examines the theme of faith as a
response to political powerlessness and oppression; faith as a guide to the uses of
power; and human beings as agents of, and witnesses to, power. Preference given to
seniors and graduate students.

CAS RN 572 Literature of Memory II: The Book of Job Prereq: one 400-level
course in the humanities or upper-level literature course. *A close reading of this
classical text, focusing on ethical and theological implications. In addition to the
primary text, we examine secondary literature to analyze diverse interpretations,
theodicies, and afterlives. Texts are read in English. Preference given to seniors &
graduate students.

CAS RN 577 Literature of Memory III: Faith and Tragedy Prereq: One 400-
level course in the humanities or upper-level literature class. From antiquity to
modern times, writers have tried to capture what is essential in human nature by
composing tragedies. What defines tragedy? How does the tragic form provide
occasions for ethical examination? We will explore tragic literature from Sophocles to
Miller and from Shakespeare to Shaw, as well as theories of tragedy from Aristotle to
Brecht. Preference given to seniors and graduate students.

CAS RN 578 Literature of Memory IV: Hope and Despair in Chasidism Prereq:
One 400-level course in the humanities or upper-level literature class. The Chasidic
revolution, originating in Eastern Europe, altered the course of religious history by
introducing radically innovative models of spiritual life that remained grounded in
classical Jewish tradition. This course will explore central tensions between the
Chasidic emphasis on joy and the experience of despair. How does one find hope in
desperate times? How do fundamental principles impact a community's ability to
generate constructive belief in the face of anguish? How did some of the great Jewish
religious figures of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries negotiate choices
surrounding faith and melancholy, deal with the temptation to despair, and foster
hope. Preference given to seniors and graduate students.

CAS RN 583 Literature of Memory V: Hidden Literature and Banned Books
*Explores writings that were hidden in times of oppression as well as those that were
banned due to controversy. Themes such as the limits of language, the obligation to
witness, the persecution of words and the value of recording what may never be
seen will be at the center of our attention.

CAS RN 584 Literature of Memory VI: Rebbe Nachman of Bratzlav *Inspiring
master, unique storyteller and enigmatic wanderer, the eighteenth- century Hasidic
teacher Rebbe Nachman of Bratzlav is the guide in a journey through madness and
laughter, imagination and interpretation. Through biographical readings and tales,
we will seek to approach this elusive personality and the secrets he spent his life
hiding and revealing.