4000

AP/RLST 4820 3.00 Transformation of Jewish Thought & Culture

Jewish thought and culture are explored over a millennium (800-1800), focusing on transformations of the classical (biblical-rabbinic) legacy and interplay with the Islamic and Christian religio-cultural spheres in which they developed. RELIGIOUS TRADITION(S) COVERED: Judaism

AP/RLST 4819 3.00/6.00 Visions of The End: Early Jewish and Christian Apocalypticism

This course investigates the origins and development of apocalypticism within ancient Judaism and early Christianity, covering apocalyptic literature (e.g. Daniel, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and Revelation), ancient millennial movements, and the apocalyptic world-view. RELIGIOUS TRADITION(S) COVERED: Christianity This course is offered as both 3.00 and 6.00.

AP/RLST 4815 3.00/6.00 Studies in Islamic Mysticism

The course examines the development of Islamic mystical tradition (Sufism) in reference to two issues: one, the development of Sufism as a form of social organization institutionalized in the tarîqa orders, and two, the employment of different themes and symbols in Sufi thought that seek to personalize religious experience through esoteric interpretations of the sacred […]

AP/RLST 4813 3.00/6.00 The Arabian Nights: Morality, Sexuality, and Strategies of Interpretation

This course examines the history of the reception and interpretation of The Arabian Nights, from its first appearance in Galland’s 1701 translation to its modern editions by Husain Haddawy in 2008. Interdisciplinary in approach, this course exposes students to concepts derived from the contemporary discussions of the problems of originality, authorship, translatability, and the reception of the Arabian […]

AP/RLST 4812 3.00 Christianity & Film

This course examines the role and representation of the Christian in popular film. It identifies and analyzes ways in which contemporary cinema reflects, shapes and embodies Christian myths, histories, rituals and doctrines and non-Christian attitudes towards them. RELIGIOUS TRADITION(S) COVERED: Christianity

AP/RLST 4810 6.00 Religion in Post-Colonial Literature

This course examines the role and status of the religious in the production and reception of contemporary post-colonial literatures in English. Interdisciplinary in approach, the course begins with an assessment of Christianity’s historical function as the handmaiden of British colonial and imperial expansion. We then analyze ways in which post-colonial novelists of European and indigenous […]

AP/RLST 4809 6.00 The Hebrew Bible and the Literature of the Ancient Near East

This course examines various biblical literary genres and themes within the context of literature from the ancient Near East. RELIGIOUS TRADITION(S) COVERED: Judaism

AP/RLST 4808 6.00 Sex & Violence in the Hebrew Bible

This course attempts a nuanced reading of texts dealing with sexuality and/or violence in the Hebrew Bible. The discussion focuses both on a contextual and on a contemporaneous reading of these texts. RELIGIOUS TRADITION(S) COVERED: Judaism

AP/RLST 4803 6.00 Church, Mosque & Synagogue: Jews, Muslims, and Christians in Medieval Spain

This course examines religious, intellectual, and cultural relations between the three faith communities of Christianity, Islam and Judaism. It examines the origins of these religious communities, as expressed through their holy texts, and the ways these faith communities grew and spread through history. Methodologically the course pays special attention to the study of primary sources […]

AP/RLST 4775 3.00 South Asian Religions & Popular Culture

How have South Asian religions been represented, practiced, communicated, and transformed through popular culture? How are religious themes, images, and ideas explored in contemporary film, television, print media and music? Focusing on Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Sikhism, the course explores concepts of the religious and the popular in ancient and medieval South Asian art forms […]