Religion Courses

RLG 130. NON-WESTERN WORLD RELIGIONS (3) (GEN. ED. #9)
A survey of religious experiences and traditions of non-Western peoples. The traditions examined might include the religions of native peoples; Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam; or the religious traditions of China, Japan, and Africa. Emphasis will be placed on the living and dynamic nature of these traditions in their past and contemporary expressions.
Fall semester. Duncan.

RLG 153. RELIGION AND SOCIETY (3) (GEN. ED. #9)
This is a lecture discussion course designed to introduce students to the phenomenon and study of religion. This will be achieved by exploring the meaning and nature of religion; the role of religion in the life of the individual; and the role of religion in the construction, maintenance, and daily life of society.
Fall semester, repeated in spring semester. Department.

RLG 200. THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES (3) (GEN. ED. #4 AND #9)
A study of the literature of the Hebrew scriptures to discover its forms and the perceptions of reality and value it conveys. Myth, history, prophecy, poetry, wisdom, story, and their meanings in human experience. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.
Variable semesters. Department.

RLG 205. JUDAISM (3) (JS 205) (GEN. ED. #4 AND #9)
This course offers a general introduction to Judaism, its history, beliefs, and practices. Through an analysis of primary sources and consideration of diverse secondary materials, we will encounter Judaism as a dynamic tradition, in which innovation and change merge through a relationship and dialogue with the past. Topics of the course will include scripture and commentary, ritual and liturgy, the life-cycle, and festival calendar. We will also consider some of the ways in which Jewish tradition has responded to and has been shaped by the challenges posed by the modern world.
Fall semester. Copulsky.

RLG 206. NEW TESTAMENT GOSPELS (3) (GEN. ED. #4)
Students thoughtfully probe the four New Testament Gospels with an eye to historical/critical methods of study and interpretation, focusing on questions such as: What is a "gospel"? Why do we encounter different portrayals of Jesus in these texts? What is known about the early communities of these documents? Who is Jesus? How has Jesus been understood in Christian tradition and by those outside Christianity? No prior knowledge of these texts is needed.
Spring semester. Offered 2011-12 and alternate years. Department.

RLG 207. ISLAMIC THOUGHT (3) (GEN. ED. #9)
This course provides an overview of Islam through the Koran and the teachings of the prophet Muhammad. Study of Islam's fundamental beliefs and practice. Focus on the history and expansion of Islam, as well as an examination of Islamic culture, science, and its contribution to world civilization. Other topics include Islamic resurgence, contemporary Islam in the Middle East and the world in general, political life, and the concept of Islamic fundamentalism.
Fall semester. Offered 2011-12 and alternate years. Duncan.

RLG 209. AFRICAN RELIGIOUS THOUGHT (3) (GEN. ED. #9)
This course explores and surveys some major texts of African philosophy and religion. This course will cover such issues as life and death, the relationship between this world and other worlds, the problem of subjectivity and responsibility, and the productive and destructive possibilities in the contact between African traditional religion and Abrahamic religions. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.
Variable semesters. Department.

RLG 212. NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS (3) (SOC 212)
This course begins with the social scientific study of new religious movements and cults: How do we define these terms? Why do these movements develop, and why do people join them? We will then study a variety of such movements, focusing particularly on apocalyptic movements, claims to supernatural powers and revelations, offshoots and combinations of pre-existent religions, nature religions, and New Age religious groups.
Spring semester. Duncan.

RLG 221. INTRODUCTION TO CHRISTIANITY: SALVATION SCHEMES (3)
"Jesus saves." Behind such a phrase lies a fascinating, plural, and complex religious history. In this course we investigate sacred text, theology, and contemporary literature and film with the following questions in mind: How did Christian salvation metaphors come into being? How are such images related to diverse social settings across time? What does "salvation" mean? How can we analyze Christian salvation metaphors in contemporary literature and film? Prerequisite: one course in religion or sophomore standing.
Variable semesters. Department.

RLG 225. CALVIN AND LUTHER SEMINAR (3) (GEN. ED. #4)
How did the "One Church" become many churches? Where did all of these denominations come from? This course attempts to answer these questions through the study of the fascinatingly complex lives of two Reformation figures. Students will explore, compare, and contrast the development of their thought. Texts will include biographies of Calvin and Luther and their primary sources, including diverse examples of their sermons, treatises, theological works, and biblical commentaries. How did Calvin and Luther understand sin and repentance? What is the role of grace in their theologies? What was their understanding of the church? How did they interpret biblical texts? How did their work affect the societies in which they lived? How and why have they been criticized? Prerequisite: one course in religion or sophomore standing.
Spring semester. Offered 2011-12 and alternate years. Douglas, department.

RLG 226. MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE PHILOSOPHY (3) (PHL 226) (GEN. ED. #4)
This course covers the major Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, and neo-Platonic thinkers of the two periods. Religious thought, rational theology, the development of humanism, the development of the natural sciences. Readings from Anselm, St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, Peter Abelard, Maimonides, Averroes, Ficino, and Pico. Prerequisite: one 100-level course in philosophy or sophomore standing.
Fall semester. Offered 2011-12 and alternate years. Rose.

RLG 228. PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION (3)
Philosophical analysis of the world's religious traditions and religious interpretations of life as found in deism, "liberal religion," trinitarianism, and Eastern religions. Special emphasis on topics of faith, the problem of evil, immortality, faith and reason, and the religious functions of suffering. Reading of selected religious classics. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.
Variable semesters. Department.

RLG 233. CHRISTIAN ETHICS AND WAR (3)
How do religions impact individual and communal self-understanding and decision-making? In this course students are introduced to the study of Christian ethics through investigation and analysis of one particular ethical issue: war. Students study war theory and its relationship to Christianity, as well as Christian pacifism and nonviolence. Their investigation will focus on how Christian sacred texts, history, theology, and practice are used by Christian ethicists to diverse ends. Prerequisite: one course in religion or sophomore standing.
Fall semester. Offered 2011-12 and alternate years. Department.

RLG 235. HERMENEUTICS AND DECONSTRUCTION (3) (PHL 235) (GEN. ED. #7)
An overview of two current theories of interpretation articulated in Gadamer and Derrida and their applications in the social sciences, history, and literature. Examination and comparison of these methods of interpretation as they focus on the Dialogues of Plato. Secondary reading in Hoy's The Critical Circle. Prerequisite: one 100-course in philosophy, permission of instructor, or sophomore standing.
Spring semester. Offered 2011-12 and alternate years. Rose.

RLG 236. WOMANIST THEOLOGY (3) (WS 236) (GEN. ED. #10)
What is the meaning of faith for black women as they struggle for life and freedom? This course attempts to answer this question as it explores black women's religious/theological experience from a Christian perspective. Attention is given to the nature of the social/historical struggle that informs black women's understandings of themselves in relationship to God, church, and community. Reflective of the womanist tradition, this course accesses various media forms to discern the womanist religious experience. Prerequisite: one course in women's studies or religion or sophomore standing.
Spring semester. Offered 2011-12 and alternate years. Douglas.

RLG 237. BLACK RELIGIOUS THOUGHT I (3)
This course focuses on the historical roots of the black faith tradition. It seeks to explore the religious and theological tradition of the black church in America as this tradition emerged during slavery through the 20th-century Great Migrations. Primary literature from the enslaved and black religious thinkers are examined. Prerequisite: one course in religion or sophomore standing.
Fall semester. Offered 2008-09 and alternate years. Douglas.

RLG 239. RELIGION AND POLITICS IN AMERICA (3) (PSC 239) (GEN. ED. #10)
This course will cover the roots of the American separation of church and state; its practical application in the courts and in public policy; and some of the trends and evolutions of this understanding resulting from changing aspects of the American political, social, and religious landscape. Using a combination of governmental documents, primary sources from politicians, theologians, and everyday Americans, students will examine the relationship between religion and politics in America in the context or race, gender, immigration, warfare, social reform, and international relations.
Spring semester. Duncan.

RLG 240. RELIGIOUS TOPICS (3)
Advanced study in a historical period, theme, issue, or thinker in a particular religious tradition. The field discussion is delimited differently each time the course is taught. Topics for a given semester are posted for registration. May be repeated with a different topic. Prerequisite: one course in religion or sophomore standing.
Spring semester. Department.

RLG 242. MODERN JEWISH EXPERIENCE (3) (JS 242) (GEN. ED. #4)
Through an analysis of various forms of literature and media-autobiography, theological and philosophical writings, political treatises, fiction, and film-we will consider the ways in which secular Jewish identities and commitments in the modern world have been articulated and contested. We will look to define the meaning of "secular," "secularism," and "secularization" and consider how these terms may be applied to Judaism. We will be attentive to the complex dialectical relationship between Judaism as a religion and secular manifestations of Jewishness. Topics will include Spinoza and the theological-political critique of Judaism, the varieties of Jewish nationalism, and the phenomenon of "non-Jewish" Jews.
Fall semester. Copulsky.

RLG 244. JEWISH MYSTICISM: PHILOSOPHY OF KABBALAH (3) (JS 200)
A comprehensive study of Jewish thought, from the time of the Mishnah, Talmud, and Midrash to the emergence of the religious and secular Jewish thinkers of the 19th and 20th centuries. The course presents historical and conceptual developments of Jewish thought through a study of the works of the prominent Jewish philosophers, mystics, and ethical writers who shaped the major beliefs of Judaism. An exploration of the basic philosophical methods and terminology that are used in the literary research of the history of ideas will be included in the survey. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.
Spring semester. Department.

RLG 245. THE HOLOCAUST (JS 245)
The socioeconomic, political, and theological roots of the Holocaust in Western European thought and culture. Analysis of foreign reaction to German persecution of the Jews, early and late. The gathering stages of the Holocaust, from programmed euthanasia to death camps. The meaning of the Holocaust in Western religion and culture. Prerequisite: sophomore standing or permission of the instructor.
Variable semesters. Department.

RLG 247. ISSUES IN CONTEMPORARY JEWISH THOUGHT: WHITHER THE 21ST CENTURY (JS 247) (GEN. ED. #9 AND #10)
What it means to be Jewish and how to live a Jewish life have always led to questions about God, about the Torah, and about the Jewish people-and often in reaction to what is happening in the non-Jewish world. This course examines these question from writings of Ahad Ha-am, Herman Cohen, Leo Baeck, Franz Rosenweig, Abraham Issac Kuk, Martin Buber, Abraham J. Heschel, Emil Fackenheim, Joseph Soloveitchik, Rachel Adler (Jewish feminist), and Emanuel Levinas. Our goal is to see if we can detect a glimpse of the Jewish future. This course is sponsored in part by the Jewish Chautauqua Society. Prerequisite: one course in religion or philosophy or sophomore standing.
Spring semester. Copulsky.

RLG 266. BUDDHIST THOUGHT (3)
This course provides an overview of Buddhism and its fundamental beliefs and practices. The course will examine the history and expansion of Buddhism during its early formative years, including its origins in India and its expansion into China, Japan, other areas of Asia, and the West. In addition, the course will examine contemporary developments in Buddhism thought and practice and Buddhism's political and social importance.
Spring semester. Offered 2012-13 and alternate years. Department.

RLG 268. ASIAN THOUGHT (3) (PHL 268) (GEN. ED. #4)
An analysis of Asian philosophical and religious texts with particular emphasis on the Chinese tradition. Students read selected works from the vast scholarly literature of the Taoist, Buddhist, and Confucian traditions, and situate these text, their authors, and the schools they represent within their historical context. Prerequisite: sophomore standing, 100-level philosophy course, or permission of instructor.
Spring semester. Offered 2012-13 and alternate years. DeCaroli.

RLG 273. QUEER(Y)ING RELIGION (3) (GEN. ED. #10)
What does human sexuality have to do with God? What has been the meaning of sexuality within the Christian tradition? How has Christianity shaped the meaning of sexuality for society? These are some of the questions this course explores as it examines sexuality and the Christian tradition in relation to matters of homosexuality. Special attention will be given to theological and biblical concerns. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.
Fall semester. Offered 2011-12 and alternate years. Douglas.

RLG 274. LIBERATION THEOLOGY (3) (GEN. ED. #10)
Through delving into the writings of particular theologians of liberation such as Jon Sobrino, Gustavo Guieterrez, and James Cone, students examine the meaning, significance, and methods of liberation theology. Their exploration will include the following questions: Why is it called "liberation" theology? What vision of God, the world, and human beings does it proclaim? What does it criticize about the world and the church? Students meet and interview people in the community who are linked with the practice of liberation theology in various contexts. Prerequisite: one course in religion or sophomore standing.
Fall semester. Offered 2012-13 and alternate years. Department.

RLG 290. INTERNSHIP (3-4) Department. RLG 299. INDEPENDENT WORK IN RELIGION (1.5-4)
Special topics on study based on previous coursework in the department and selected in conference with the instructor.
Department.

RLG 305. TOPICS IN JUDAIC STUDIES (3) (JS 305)
Advanced study in a historical period, theme, issue, or thinker in Judaic studies. Topics for a given semester are posted for registration. Course may be repeated with a different topic. Topics may include: The Jewish Political Tradition, The Problem of Evil in Jewish Thought, or American Jewish Literature. Prerequisite: one 100- or 200-level course in Judaic studies, sophomore standing, or permission of the instructor.
Spring semester. Department.

RLG 315 AMERICAN RELIGION AND SOCIAL REFORM (4) (GEN. ED. #10)
This course will examine the historical and contemporary connections between social reform movements and the religious convictions and organizations that motivate them. Topics will include particular movements, such as the social gospel movement and its critics, anti-war movements, the civil rights movement, the rise of the Religious Right and the Evangelical Left. In each of these historical cases, students will read primary documents from the movements to examine how religion is being used to justify certain action and decry certain realities in their current historical reality. Over the course of the semester, students will develop several parts of a research and service-learning project focusing on one Baltimore area organization that engages in religiously motivated social reform. Prerequisite: one course in religion and sophomore standing.
Fall Semester. Duncan.

RLG 331. PROBLEMS OF EVIL AND SUFFERING (3) (GEN. ED. #7)
What is the meaning of evil? How are we to understand human suffering? What is the meaning of the human being in relation to evil? What is the significance of God in relation to evil and suffering? What is the meaning of truth and justice in light of evil? These are some of the questions this course considers as it investigates the problem of evil and suffering. Theological, philosophical, literary, as well as justice responses to particular social/historical manifestations of evil (i.e., slavery and the Holocaust) are examined to help students discern the complex issues with regard to evil/suffering and to develop their own theological, philosophical, and justice-related responses. Prerequisite: one course in religion or sophomore standing.
Fall semester. Offered 2012-13 and alternate years. Douglas.

RLG 350. SENIOR SEMINAR: RELIGION ON THE GROUND
All senior majors in the religion and ethics major participate in this seminar. Students will engage the question from their own perspective through leading a discussion and presenting a paper. There is also a required service component. Prerequisite: senior standing and declared religion major or minor.
Spring semester. Department.

RLG 355. BLACK RELIGIOUS THOUGHT II (3) (GEN. ED. #7 AND #10)
This course focuses on the development of the black faith tradition from the Great Migrations to the present. The social/historical/political context that shaped black religious thought during this period will be explored. Particular attention will be paid to the development of a systematic black theology with a close examination of thinkers such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and James Cone. Prerequisite: sophomore standing or one course in religion.
Fall semester. Offered 2011-12 and alternate years. Douglas.

RLG 399. ADVANCED INDEPENDENT WORK (3-4)
What it means to be Jewish and how to live a Jewish life have always led to questions about God, about the Torah, and about the Jewish people-often in reaction to what is happening in the non-Jewish world. This course examines these questions from the writings of Ahad Ha-Am, Herman Cohen, Leo Baeck, Franz Rosenweig, Abraham Isaac Kuk, Martin Buber, Abraham J. Heschel, Emil Fackenheim, Joseph Soloveitchik, Rachel Adler (Jewish feminist), and Emmanuel Levinas. Our goal is to see if we can detect a glimpse of the Jewish future. This course is sponsored in part by the Jewish Chautauqua Society. Prerequisite: one course in philosophy or religion or sophomore standing.
Variable semesters. Department.

RLG 450. SENIOR THESIS (4-4)
Fall and spring semesters. Department.