This course introduces students to a variety of human religious experiences and traditions. This year we will explore the history, literature, practices and contemporary issues of the following religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, and Chinese and Japanese traditions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. We will study and critically analyze the sacred texts in translation and the various concepts […]
This course introduces the diversity of Buddhist ideas and practices in Asia. Exploring Buddhism as a living tradition, it focuses on the impact and interpretation of Buddhism in historical and contemporary cultures. After developing a background in basic Buddhist philosophy we explore Buddhism’s cultural impact in literature, art, ritual, ethics, economics, social interaction and politics. […]
This course offers a survey of much of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and the Christian Bible (New Testament). We begin with a discussion of pre-Israelite religion (i.e., a reconstruction of religion in Palestine before the composition of the Hebrew Bible) and its parallels in Mesopotamian and Egyptian religious practices and texts. Then, we move […]
This course examines the beliefs, doctrines and institutions that have constituted the Islamic tradition from its inception until the present. While examining some of the most important primary sources that have emerged within Islamic tradition, particular attention is placed on the variety of interpretive strategies used by Muslim exegetes, theologians, legal scholars, Sufis, feminists, etc. […]
This course explores the ethnic, cultural, and religious diversity of the Muslim world through the travelogues and memoirs of Muslim scholars, pilgrims, envoys and adventurers, who traversed its domains from the tenth century to the present. It problematizes essentialist perceptions of "the Muslim world" as an undifferentiated and monolithic entity, and proposes a dynamic view […]
This course investigates the two major branches of Western thought: the Greco-Roman and the Judeo-Christian. The course begins by critically thinking about how history is “made,” reworked and transmitted, about oral culture, and how cultural identities emerge (ex. the Hebrews). Most of the course will be engaged with the ancient Greeks from the Archaic period […]
No single course can adequately address the richness and complexity of the cultures and societies of East Asia. However, this course will introduce students to important practices and concepts from a broadly humanistic perspective and offer a peek into what it might have been like to actually live in East Asia before widespread globalization. In […]
This course explores the interactions between Gods and humans in literature, art, and philosophy. We focus on critical questions, emotional struggles, and personal journeys that characterize interactions between humans and Gods. Special attention is given to the reasons why religious and secular people are interested in these interactions today. Using texts, films, and diverse works […]