RELS 250.01Religion in AmericaProf. Cressler



SPRING 2020 RELIGIOUS STUDIES COURSE BROCHUREAll Religious Studies courses 101-298 satisfy General Education Humanities requirements. There is both a major and minor in Religious Studies for those with a serious interest in the study of religion. All students who have earned 45 credits or more must declare a major. If you would like to learn more about the Religious Studies major, please speak with your Religious Studies professor or with the Chair, Dr. Elijah Siegler (sieglere@cofc.edu).REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES: 34 semester hours, that must include:RELS 101 (Approaches to Religion) or 103 (Death and the Afterlife) or 105 (Introduction to World Religions)RELS 210: Theories in the Study of Religions (only taught in spring semester)One of the Western Abrahamic religions: RELS 223 (Ancient Near East), 225 (Judaism), 230 (Christianity), or 235 (Islam) One of the Asian religions: RELS 240 (Buddhism), 245 (Hinduism), 247 (Daoism), or 248 (religions of China & Japan)One of the American religions: RELS 250 (American Religions), 253 (Religions of Charleston), 260 (Native American Rels), 270 (African American Rels)One of the Sacred Texts: RELS 201 (Hebrew Bible/Old Testament), 202 (New Testament), 205 (Asian Sacred Texts) or 310* (Sacred Texts) --* if taken as a sacred text course, 2 more 300 level courses are neededRELS 450: Senior Seminar (only taught in fall semester)RELS 451: Capstone Colloquium (1 credit hour only taught in spring semester) One additional course at the 200-level or above Two additional courses at the 300-level or above Additional elective: 1 additional courseWith the approval of the Chair of Religious Studies, one course (200 level or above) in a related discipline may be substituted for one of the courses listed under 9 or 10 above.REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MINOR IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES: 18 semester hours which must include:RELS 101 or 103 or 105One of: RELS 223, 225, 230, 235, 240, 245,247, 248, 250, 253, 260 or 270One of: RELS 201, 202, 205 or 310 (note: 310 cannot be used to satisfy both sacred text course requirements) One additional course at the 300-level or aboveTwo additional courses in Religious Studies.COURSE OFFERINGS FOR SPRING 2020CourseCRNTitleMeeting DaysMeeting TimesInstructor RELS101.0221193Approaches to Religion: Pilgrimage to Sacred Places in North America, India and TibetTR1215-130BjerkenRELS101.0323220Approaches to Religion: Messiahs & Messianic MovementsMW200-315HuddlestunRELS101.0421324Approaches to Religion: Messiahs & Messianic MovementsMW400-515HuddlestunRELS101.0523221Approaches to Religion: Religion and ProtestMWF900-950FisherRELS101.0623222Approaches to Religion: Religion and ProtestMWF1000-1050FisherRELS105.0120736Intro to World ReligionsMWF1100-1150DoireRELS105.0220737Intro to World ReligionsMWF1200-1250DoireRELS105.0320738Intro to World ReligionsTR925-1040LoweRELS105.0421599Intro to World ReligionsTR1050-1205LoweRELS115.0121999Religion in Society: Black Religion and Black NationalismTR140-255CresslerRELS120.0121974Religion, Art, and Culture: The Bible and Modern Culture and MediaTR1050-1205HuddlestunRELS205.0123223Sacred Texts of the East and their Modern Meanings in the WestTR925-1040BjerkenRELS210.0121097Theories in Study of ReligionsTR140-255LoweRELS248.0123224Religious Traditions of China & JapanMWF1100-1150SieglerRELS250.0123225Religion in AmericaTR1215-130CresslerRELS276.0123226Religion and the EnvironmentMWF1000-1050LeVasseurRELS315.0123227New Religious MovementsTR305-420GallagherRELS451.0121195Capstone ColloquiumM400-450BjerkenWGST200.0120266Intro to Women's and Gender StudiesMW200-315DoireHONS381.0321098Self and Society in Chinese and Japanese Religious TraditionsMWF900-950SieglerHONS381.0621953Black Religion and Black Nationalism: From Slave Rebellions to #BlackLivesMatterTR925-1040CresslerHONS381.0923387Cults and Conversion in Modern AmericaTR140-255GallagherRELIGIOUS STUDIES SPRING 2020 COURSE DESCRIPTIONSRELS 101.02Approaches to Religion: Pilgrimage to Sacred Places in Prof. BjerkenNorth America, India and TibetTR1215-130 pm This course introduces students to American Christianity, to Indian Hinduism and to Tibetan Buddhism by focusing on their distinctive understandings of sacred place and pilgrimage. We begin by reading the studies of two “Road Scholars” who seek to understand Christianity in the South while they undertake a common American ritual: the road trip. After visiting many odd and fascinating roadside religious attractions in the US, we travel to the ancient and living city of Varanasi in India. This sacred city will serve as a lens though which the worldview of Hindu pilgrims comes into focus. Finally, we journey to Mount Kailash in the Himalayas, regarded by Tibetan Buddhists as the central axis of the universe and a very powerful pilgrimage site. We will rely on texts that combine travel narrative and religious study, as well as documentary films to gain insight into the rituals, sacred stories, and travels and travails of the pilgrims.RELS 101.03/04 Approaches to Religion: Messiahs & Messianic MovementsProf. HuddlestunMW200-315 and 400-515 pm This course looks at messiahs and messiah-like figures in three religious traditions: ancient Israelite/Jewish tradition, Islam (both Sunni and Shi’i), and Buddhism (particularly the future Buddha Maitreya). The approach will be mostly historical and more comparative as the course progresses, with some attention to theories regarding failed messianic movements. In addition, the messiah theme provides an entry into many of the central ideas or concepts of each tradition.RELS 101.05/06Approaches to Religion: Religion and ProtestProf. FisherMWF900-950 am and 1000-1050 amIs religion an aid or an obstacle to social justice? Is faith a catalyst for liberation and change or is it the mother of hate and intolerance? This course will introduce students to the academic study of religion by exploring the complex relation between religion and protest in the Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, and Islamic traditions. It will do so in three ways: 1) by examining texts and events in which religious commitments have inspired individuals and groups to challenge perceived wrongs; 2) by considering significant critiques of religion and faith; and 3) by examining the current debate regarding religion and ecology. Through thoughtful analysis and lively discussion, students will begin to develop the critical skills necessary to make sense of current disputations concerning the role of religion in the public sphere. RELS 105.01/02Introduction to World ReligionsProf. DoireMWF1100-1150 am and 1200-1250 pmThis course is an introduction to the academic study of religion and of the world's major religious traditions including Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Students will examine the history and formation of the practices, beliefs and structures of these traditions, as well as their reinterpretations over time.RELS 105.03/04Introduction to World ReligionsProf. LoweTR925-1040 am and 1050-1205 pmThis course will explore a variety of human cultural traditions from around the world that are traditionally considered “World Religions.” In addition to learning about important practices, texts, objects, and beliefs, the course will always be paying attention to the word “religion” and the history of the idea of “world religions.” The course will, therefore, be both historical and anthropological, looking at fascinating moments of the past and exploring present practices and politics of religion. Using lecture and discussion, film and music, the course will explore both the mundane and the extraordinary as integral pieces of human religious experience.RELS 115.01Religion and Society Prof. BjerkenTR140-255 pmIs the United States a Christian nation or the most religious diverse country in the world? Does the story of religion in America begin in 1492, 1619, or 1776? What does “religious freedom” mean in society built on slavery and settler colonialism? And why do these questions matter? Students will engage each of these questions and more as they are introduced to religion in the Americas broadly and in the United States in particular. The course will situate religion in America in its historical and cultural context. It will also unearths our assumptions about what “religion” and “America” are in the first place. In addition, students will debate contemporary issues at the intersection of religion, race, and politics in America. Topics explored include the convergence of Native Americans, Europeans, and Africans in the context of Christian empires; Jews, Catholics, and African Americans negotiating religious freedom in the nascent U.S. nation; as well as the ways Asian, African, and American im/migrants changed the religious landscape in the 20th and 21st centuries. Oh, and we’ll listen to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton and debate Ta-Nehisi Coates’s “The Case for Reparations” while we’re at it.RELS 120.01Religion, Art and Culture: The Bible om Modern Culture Prof. Huddlestunand Media TR1050-1205 pmThis course introduces the study to the wide variety of ways in which the Bible—that ultimate source of moral authority in the western world--has been interpreted, reinterpreted, imagined, reinvented, abused, loved (even worshiped), and hated in modern culture and media. In our journey, we will consider how the Bible’s traditional authority has been invoked or rejected (and most often misunderstood) in discussions and endless debates (past and present) regarding: sexuality and LGBTQ issues, the Bible in American history and culture (especially slavery), teaching the Bible in public schools (including creationism and evolution), appeal to the Bible in modern political debate (“family values”), and the Bible as interpreted in art, literature, and music (classical and popular). The latter portion of the course will focus on select examples of the Bible in film, from the exodus to the plethora of cinematic interpretations (traditional and alternative) of the life of Jesus (including Scorsese’s Last Temptation of Christ, Denys Arcand’s Jesus of Montreal, Monty Python’s Life of Brian, and Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ), and TV (e.g., Family Guy and NYPD Blue). RELS 205.01Sacred Texts of the East and Their Modern MeaningsProf. Bjerkenin the WestTR925-1040 amThis course will examine three religious classics in depth from India: the most famous Hindu text named The Bhagavad Gita; The Yoga Sutra that is today considered a perennial classic and guide to yoga practice; and the first biography to tell the Buddha’s story from his conception to his enlightenment in an epic poem known as the Buddhacarita. First, we will place these texts in their Hindu and Buddhist contexts and consider how they were used and understood differently in India, before we examine how new meanings and values were discovered when these texts were translated in Europe and consumed in modern America. We will learn how to read “religiously” rather than as consumers, consider what criteria are used to identify a text as “sacred,” and investigate how texts create religious authority. We will also watch documentary and feature films that appropriate these texts and their practices for a western audience.RELS 210.01Theories in Study of ReligiousProf. LoweTR140-255 pmReligion. What is it? Where does it come from? Does everyone “have” it? Do you know it when you see it? For such a familiar and common term, answers to these questions are awfully hard to come by. In this course, we step away from the specific “religions” to go full “nerd mode” on the ways that people have theorized and tried to study “religion” in general. Starting in the early Enlightenment and ending in late capitalist modernity, we will examine the thinkers (e.g., Marx, Neitzsche, Freud), ways of categorizing their ideas (e.g., essentialists, functionalists), and the methodological approaches (e.g., history, linguistics, psychology, anthropology) that produce such diverse perspectives on such a seemingly common notion.RELS 248.01Religious Traditions of China and JapanProf. SieglerMWF1100-1150 amThis course provides an overview of the history, worldviews, and practices of Chinese and Japanese religions. We begin with the earliest period of Chinese history, the Shang dynasty (ca. 1550 - ca. 1030 B.C.E.), and end with the present day. Although we will consider discrete traditions such as Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, Shinto, and various new religious movements, we pay special attention to thematic issues (religion and the state; religion and popular culture; religious change) and contemporary issues in East Asian religions, including their internationalization. Students will read excerpts from important primary sources..RELS 250.01Religion in AmericaProf. CresslerTR1215-1330 pmIs the United States a Christian nation or the most religious diverse country in the world? Does the story of religion in America begin in 1492, 1619, or 1776? What does “religious freedom” mean in society built on slavery and settler colonialism? And why do these questions matter? Students will engage each of these questions and more as they are introduced to religion in the Americas broadly and in the United States in particular. The course will situate religion in America in its historical and cultural context. It will also unearths our assumptions about what “religion” and “America” are in the first place. In addition, students will debate contemporary issues at the intersection of religion, race, and politics in America. Topics explored include the convergence of Native Americans, Europeans, and Africans in the context of Christian empires; Jews, Catholics, and African Americans negotiating religious freedom in the nascent U.S. nation; as well as the ways Asian, African, and American im/migrants changed the religious landscape in the 20th and 21st centuries. Oh, and we’ll listen to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton and debate Ta-Nehisi Coates’s “The Case for Reparations” while we’re at it.RELS 276.01Religion and the EnvironmentProf. LevasseurMWF1000-1050 amThis class investigates religion/environment interactions through the lens of sustainable agriculture. How might various religious teachings, practices, and identities help generate a resilient, sustainable agriculture? What narratives, practices, and ethics that are a functional equivalent to religion may be driving unsustainable farming practices? Explorations of these questions will occur within the context of critical race theory, climate science, and larger environmental history trajectories of our species. The course is a mix of readings, lectures, discussion groups, and videos.RELS 315.01New Religious MovementsProf. GallagherTR305-420 pmWhat is Scientology, really? And why does it attract so many celebrities? Who are those people who can be found at Marion Square nearly every day giving out literature about the end of the world and encouraging people to attend meetings? What are “cults” and why are so many people worried about them? Why would anyone want to get involved with a group that many people think is bad and even potentially dangerous? Those are some of the questions that a course on New Religious Movements addresses. There are literally thousands of innovative or alternative religious groups in the U. S. today and many more throughout the world. Through looking at primary documents and secondary accounts, this course will look at a sample of them and investigate what they have to offer, who is attracted to them, and why there has been such a fuss about them.RELS 451.01Capstone ColloquiumProf. BjerkenM400-450 pm This course is designed to provide a capstone experience for majors in Religious Studies, and it will feature visits from RELS faculty and alumni as guest speakers. The Colloquium is not another course on the subject of religion, but a “meta-course” that will provide graduating students with an opportunity to reflect on the cumulative achievement of their studies and consider how they might apply their knowledge and skills in their future professional lives. The Colloquium is designed to give students the opportunity to: 1) review their own study of religion in order to identify their particular interests in specific subjects; 2) write an intellectual autobiography that narrates why religious studies matters; and 3) grasp how the study of religion might prepare them to put their learning to work in the world. Because this course is the final capstone, it is an opportunity to think about the transition to graduate school, fulltime employment, or other professional opportunities that require adaptation of your learning.HONS 381.03Self and Society in Chinese and Japanese Religious TraditionsProf. SieglerMWF900-950 amThis course provides an overview of the history, worldviews, and practices of Chinese and Japanese religions. We begin with the earliest period of Chinese history, the Shang dynasty (ca. 1550 - ca. 1030 B.C.E.), and end with the present day. Although we will consider discrete traditions such as Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, Shinto, and various new religious movements, and contemporary issues in East Asian religions, the focus will be on the concept of “Self and Society” and the thematic issues revolving around that concept (church vs. state; individual vs. community, etc.). Students will read, write about, and present on excerpts from important primary sources as well as on current scholarly articles.HONS 381.06Black Religion and Black Nationalism:Prof. Cresslerfrom Slave Rebellions to #BlackLivesMatterTR925-1040 amThis course introduces students to the religious ideas and practices from across the African diaspora that gave rise to the political tradition now known as “Black nationalism.” While the tradition is often imagined to be secular (even anti-religious), this course explores the deep religious roots of Black struggles to create a new nation—from slave rebellions to the Black Power revolution to #BlackLivesMatter. Students will survey Black religion and Black nationalism as well as examine the emergence of “religion” and “nationalism” as modern categories. They will also discuss and debate the ways the contemporary Movement for Black Lives both inherits the legacy of and departs from the Black (religious) nationalist tradition.HONS 381.09Cults and Conversion in Modern AmericaProf. GallagherTR140-255 pmWhat is Scientology, really? And why does it attract so many celebrities? Who are those people who can be found at Marion Square nearly every day giving out literature about the end of the world and encouraging people to attend meetings? What are “cults” and why are so many people worried about them? Why would anyone want to get involved with a group that many people think is bad and even potentially dangerous? Those are some of the questions that a course on “Cults and Conversion” addresses. There are literally thousands of innovative or alternative religious groups in the U. S. today and many more throughout the world. Through looking at primary documents and secondary accounts, this course will look at a sample of them and investigate what they have to offer, who is attracted to them, and why there has been such a fuss about them. RELIGIOUS STUDIES COURSE OFFERINGS FOR SUMMER 2020CourseCRNTitleTermMeeting Days Meeting Time Instructor RELS105.01Intro to World ReligionsMaymesterOnlineLeVasseurRELS230.01Religion in AmericaSummer IIOnlineLoweRELS280.01Religion and FilmMaymesterMTWRF830-1200 pmDoireRELS298.01Special Topics: Spiritual Activism and the Climate CrisisSummer IIClassroom & Black Mountain, NCLeVasseurMaymester 2020RELS 280.01Religion & FilmProf. Doire MTWRF830-1200 pmIn this course students will examine and explore the pervasive presence of religious themes in film including representations of female saints and sinners, and interpretations of redemption, God, self-sacrifice and the human condition. RELS 105.01Introduction to World ReligionsProf. LeVasseurONLINE This online course is designed to introduce students to the more popular religions of the globe in terms of?adherents. Adopting an approach that is comparative and historical, the course investigates the origins and contemporary?flourishing of Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Students will learn?about these religions by focusing on charismatic founders; sacred texts and?rituals; and how followers use their religious identities to navigate contemporary issues ranging from homosexuality to climate change, from health care to abortion. The class consists of online lectures, reading works of scholarship, watching videos, and actively participating in online discussion groups. These discussions will investigate how religion is a driving force behind so many contemporary social and political issues and why we need to cultivate religious literacy as global citizens.SUMMER II 2020RELS 230.01 The Christian TraditionProf. Lowe ONLINE This course explores the history, spread, and development of Christianity from its first century Palestinian origins to the impact of its numerous iterations in cultures across the globe. Starting and returning always to the question “what is Christianity?,” the course will give special attention to diversity – geographical, cultural, social, and theological – within the tradition. Therefore, in addition to important figures, dates and events that narrate Western Christian history, the course will seek to highlight Christian traditions as they developed in Asia, Africa and the indigenous Americas; the role of women in the development and spread of Christianity; and the impact of the effort to develop and maintain something called “orthodoxy.”RELS 298.01 Special Topics: Spiritual Activism and the Climate CrisisProf. LeVasseurStudy Abroad This course adopts a religion and nature environmental humanities lens to investigate the causes and impacts of human-induced global warming. Through a mixture of lectures, videos, and class discussions it explores how religious identities, broadly speaking, may be mobilized to advocate for resilient solutions to the climate crisis. A key aspect of the course is an investigation of ecovillages and how these intentional communities may help humans live more sustainably by incorporating ecocentric ethical values, ecological design, and alternative technologies into lifestyle choices. This Summer II course will meet on campus and also spend 5 days in an ecovillage residential immersion at Earthaven Ecovillage near Black Mountain, NC. During this immersion students will participate in hands-on learning modules about spiritual activism, organic farming, alternative building construction, nature spirituality, alternative energy, and other aspects of ecovillages with modules led by the School of Integrated Living. Please email Professor Todd LeVasseur, levasseurtj@cofc.edu, if you are interested. A tentative course fee of $650 will include transport and 5 days of camping, food, and learning modules at Earthaven from July 27-31. Space is limited to the first 14 students who are able to make a course deposit before registering for the course. ................
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