The myths of the ancient Greeks and Romans constitute a continuous tradition that stretches back beyond the writing of history down to our present day. These narratives have survived for millennia because they continue to compel, fascinate, and inspire their audiences, despite differences in language, historical era, and social context. The legends of complex, larger-than-life […]
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.
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 […]
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
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 […]
This course examines various biblical literary genres and themes within the context of literature from the ancient Near East. RELIGIOUS TRADITION(S) COVERED: Judaism
This course studies selected ancient Greek and Roman novels in English translation, the social and literary currents which shape their narratives, and their role in the cultural politics of their era. RELIGIOUS TRADITION(S) COVERED: Greek and Roman Religions
This course examines the role and representation of the religious on television. It introduces students to the vocabularies of Religious Studies and Media Studies, and critically explores the relationship between religion and television as aspects of contemporary popular culture. Distinguishing various televison genres from kinds of cinema, the course analyzes the ways in which daily […]
This course examines the role and representation of the religious in popular film. It introduces students to the vocabularies of Religious Studies and Film Studies, and critically explores the relationship between religion and film as aspects of contemporary culture. Drawing mainly on mass-distributed films from Europe and North America, the course analyzes the ways in […]
The Hebrew Bible/Old Testament is one of the foundational texts of western culture. As such, it has had a history of interpretation and reinterpretation that has lasted for some 2000 years. During this period of time certain – oftentimes mutually contradictory – assumptions about what the text means have become entrenched among the various groups […]