This interdisciplinary course focuses on the representations of women in modern-day literary, scholarly, and visual “texts,” produced by both men and women in Muslim-majority countries and their diasporas in the West. It covers a wide range of geographical regions and treats a variety of literary texts (novels, short stories, poetry), as well as other art […]
This course focuses on the Qur'an and its different interpretations. Historical, linguistic, literary, sectarian, Sufi, feminist, modernist and traditionalist approaches are considered in the discussion of selected readings from the Qur'an in English translation. COURSE CATEGORY: Religion and Gender; Religious Thoughts and Practices RELIGIOUS TRADITION(S) COVERED: Islam This course is offered as both 3.00 and […]
This course uses sociological theories on religion to study the main issues, gains and struggles faced by women in religious traditions around the world. Students study women in religion at the macro and micro level of spirituality and femininity. While this course has no prerequisite, a background in Sociology would be helpful. RELIGIOUS TRADITION(S) COVERED: […]
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 explores concepts of soul from early Greek Civilization to the early Christian era. It examines a cluster of related concepts -- soul, spirit, shade, consciousness, will, and mind - that express the self or “inner person.” Entailed are soul as a thing separate from body; sensation and perception; relation of soul to body; […]
This course addresses city formation, urban space, and the socio-religious structure in Islamic cities from early Islam to the pre-modern period. The course approaches the Islamic city both as an urban phenomenon and as a modern analytical concept. Its content include some central themes in Islamic studies such as the place of religion in the […]
This course explores diversity in early Christian thought and practice by investigating groups traditionally viewed as “heretical.” This will include analysis of the New Testament Apocrypha, Nag Hammadi writings, and the opponents attacked in canonical and heresiological literature. RELIGIOUS TRADITION(S) COVERED: Christianity
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
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.
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 […]