A historical and thematic introduction to the Christian thought and practice. The survey begins with the Jesus movement and continues through the current growth of Christianity in the southern hemisphere, particularly sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. Literary genres, gender issues, political contexts, social movements and ethical dimensions are explored. Contributes to International Studies. (H) (SJ)

A broad survey of the role and function of religion and religious activity in Native American communities. The course takes a broad, multi-disciplinary approach and focuses on religious agency in Native American communities, both past and present. Contributes to Anthropology and Race and Ethnicity Studies/Group-Theme Course. (H) (SJ)

A survey of the history, practices and belief of Judaism from the period of the formation of the Hebrew Bible to the modern era. Contributes to International Studies. (H)

A survey of the history, practices, and beliefs of Islam from Muhammad's era to the modern. It investigates special themes such as mysticism, gender, and politics with attention to diverse cultural contexts. Contributes to International Studies. (H)

A historical and thematic introduction to the religious ideas and practices that developed primarily on the Indian subcontinent. The course surveys central religious concepts and myths in classical texts and popular traditions; the interaction with Buddhism, Jainism, Islam and Sikhism; gender issues; and the relationship between religion and politics in South Asia. Contributes to Feminist Studies and International Studies. (H) (SJ)

A historical and thematic introduction to the central ideas and practices of Buddhism. The course takes a multi-disciplinary approach to central religious concepts and myths in classical texts and popular traditions, beginning with the historical Buddha and early developments in India, Sri Lanka and Tibet. The course surveys the spread of Buddhism throughout Asia and to other regions of the world, including North America. Ethics, gender issues, and social movements are explored. Contributes to East Asian Studies and International Studies. (H) (SJ)

Lectures and readings on subjects of special interest. May be repeated with change in topic.

A cross-cultural study of the ways women's voices have been heard and silenced, of the ways that their lives have been influential (as well as violently ended) and of the vital roles women have played in various religious traditions. The course also investigates ways in which female divinity has been conceptualized in various ancient and modern religious traditions. Rituals, communities, visual symbols and sacred texts will provide the material for our explorations and a feminist methodology will provide the lens for our gaze. Contributes to Anthropology, Feminist Studies, and International Studies. (H) (WA) (SJ)

Why do we imagine the end of everything? Is it fear? Is it control? Is it wanting to let go of control? What do religious traditions do with the idea of apocalypse (a vision, a revelation of things to come)? This course examines those questions in both religious and secular settings (while questioning those boundaries) asking why humans have imagined end times. It also considers why these imaginings exist and how they function. In addition, it raises issues of social justice and expresses hope in a different (and better) future as well as current environmental fears of demise. Contributes to Environmental Studies and International Studies. (H) (SJ)

A cross-cultural study of the ways other-than-human animals are included in and influence several different religious traditions. The course also examines contemporary issues such as factory farming and biomedical experimentation. Ecofeminist and environmental theories and methods inform the course. Contributes to Animal Studies, Environmental Studies, Feminist Studies, and International Studies. (H) (SJ)

An examination of the ways in which gender and sexuality are understood and acted out in Native American ritual and spiritual life, past and present. Focus will be placed on both continuity and change, and the context through which these definitions make sense. Contributes to Anthropology and Feminist Studies. (H)

A critical and comparative exploration of the religious, spiritual, social, cultural, environmental, economic, and political dimensions of religious journey. The course will investigate several theoretical approaches to pilgrimage that foreground issues such as the relation between place and sacred space; the distinction between physical and metaphorical journeys; pilgrims' motivations and goals; the relationship between religious journeying and ordinary life; how cultural values shape and are shaped by pilgrimages; the environmental impacts of pilgrimage; and the relationship between pilgrimage and tourism. Students will apply these theoretical approaches by focusing on particular religious journeys in several traditions. Contributes to Anthropology, Environmental Studies, and International Studies. (H)

This course looks at the ways in which groups of peoples (the focus will be primarily on Native Americans) have shaped their spiritual identities and communities around important places within the landscape, defining themselves against these places in nature and being defined by them at the same time. Students will try to understand what it means to give spiritual value to natural places, and the varieties of ways in which religious activities (and/or environmental philosophies) are focused on such places. Contributes to Environmental Studies, and Race and Ethnicity Studies/Allied Course. (H)

This course looks at the study of ethnic religious traditions in the United States - religions associated with specific ethnic groups. Students will examine religious systems such as Santeria, Rastafarians and the Cult of the Virgin of Guadalupe, among others. The goal of the course is not only to understand the religions themselves, but also to see how to go about studying religious systems which are not founded in texts and which differ on a deep philosophical level from many mainstream religious systems. Contributes to Anthropology, International Studies, and Race and Ethnicity Studies/Group-Theme Course. (H) (SJ)

An examination of oral and written narratives in Native American cultures and communities (past and present) to show how such narratives serve as ways of encoding culture and identity, notions about world and self, and serve as a powerful means of passing those ideas on generationally. Students will have the opportunity to read collections of narratives, listen to narratives being told via audio recordings, as well as examine more contemporary methods of narrative transmission, including music, poetry and social media. Contributes to Race and Ethnicity Studies/Group-Theme Course. (H)

Animation is everywhere, and often we view it for its humor, wit, and its biting social commentary. But what if we can actually LEARN something from it as well? In obvious, and sometimes not so obvious ways, animation - comics, graphic novels, cartoons and films - often tackles important subjects. This course looks at multiple types of animation to see how they reflect and interpret ideas/ideologies about religion/s. What can the Avengers, Ned Flanders, Hank Hill, Davey & Goliath, Disney princesses or the kids from South Park show us about religion and the world we live in today? Our goal is to find out! (H)

A feminist, cross-cultural examination of the embodied human self in various religious traditions. The course will explore how the body is conceptualized, including sexuality and gender; moral proscriptions regarding the body and what they reveal about religion and culture; self-cultivation techniques; and the relationship between embodiment and salvation. Written texts and visual arts will be the media of exploration. Contributes to Feminist Studies and International Studies (H)

See History 16-514. (H)

A critical investigation of an important subject or issue in religion: religion and violence, religion and media, religious authority, religion and politics, etc. May be comparative or may focus on one tradition. This course may be repeated when topic varies. Topics courses that rotate, not necessarily every two years: Ball Games, Baskets, and Living Skies; A Novel Approach to American Religious History; Yoga; Religion and Politics; Religion and Ecology. (H)

A critical exploration of some of the ways that people engage with religious concepts, symbols, stories, and practices, along with an exploration of some of the theories and methods used in contemporary secular studies of religion. Reviews various scholars who analyze the phenomenon of religion apart from theology through the use of history, literary studies, feminist studies, psychology, sociology, anthropology, postcolonial, environmental, and comparative studies. The course requires a significant amount of writing and exercises in the application of various methodological approaches, thus it is research intensive as well. This class is required for Religion majors and minors but is open to all students. (WA) (Spring)

This research seminar is intended for majors in religion but is open to other students with the permission of the instructor. (WA) (Fall)