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RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT
Division of Humanities Associate Professor Philip E. Hopkins, PhD,
Chair
Professor N. Elaine Craddock, PhD
Professor Laura Hobgood-Oster,
PhD
Professor Shannon M. Winnubst, PhD
Associate Professor Michael
Bray, PhD
Assistant Professor Alejandro de Acosta, PhD
Visiting
Associate Professor Pierre Lamarche, PhD
Visiting Assistant Professor A.
Gardner Harris, PhD
Visiting Assistant Professor Molly Jensen,
PhD
Scholar-In-Residence Zipporah Glass, MTS, MS
Assistant Professor
Rebecca Lorins, PhD (part-time)
Instructor Carolyn Bottler, MA
(part-time)
Instructor Nevitt Reesor, MA (part-time) Students may major
either in religion or in philosophy but may not combine courses in these two
areas for a major. A student may minor in either religion or philosophy.
Students may choose the 59-hour paired major between Religion and Feminist
Studies and it is also possible to do a 59-hour paired major in Philosophy and
Feminist Studies by double counting two of the following courses cross-listed in
Philosophy and Feminist Studies: Feminist Positions (18-343), Theories of Class
(18-243), and Theories of Race (18-253).
Religion
The program in the study of religion introduces students to a variety of
global religious traditions, experiences and expressions, and invites an
empathetic understanding of difference. The program provides students with tools
to critically engage “religious texts,” including written, oral,
performative and symbolic ones. Religion courses engage students in the
comparative study of themes and dimensions such as beliefs, practices, rituals
and myths within and between religious traditions. The religion program
facilitates interdisciplinary engagement with the study of religion and other
human endeavors by encouraging students to learn and use a variety of
methodologies, including: textual, social-scientific, historical, feminist and
post-colonial. 200-LEVEL COURSES are introductions to the study of religion,
generally focusing upon a different tradition or geographic area, literature or
topic. Some are prerequisites for 600-level courses. 300-LEVEL COURSES are
topical courses that introduce comparisons between or within religious
traditions. These courses are open to all students. Several of these courses are
cross-listed with interdisciplinary programs. 400–500-LEVEL COURSES are
courses related to other areas of study. These courses are open to all
students. 600-LEVEL COURSES are second-level courses in religious tradition
and literature. These courses are primarily for religion majors and minors, but
are open to other students with permission of the instructor. 700-LEVEL
COURSES are Special Topics Courses. 900-LEVEL COURSES are advanced courses and
are for Religion majors. A major in Religion is good preparation for graduate
work in a number of liberal arts fields (in addition to religion), and is also
an excellent complementary (second) major to other liberal arts majors. It is a
good undergraduate major for seminary though a number of other liberal arts
majors serve as well.
Philosophy
Philosophy is a mode of engaging thoughtfully and critically with the
grounding ideas and assumptions of human practices. Such thinking includes
reflection on the relationship between different forms of knowledge (scientific,
ethical, political, historical, cultural and aesthetic) and the material world,
as well as reflection on the intertwining social, historical and geographical
forms of power and human community. Courses in philosophy develop a wide range
of intellectual abilities and offer a unique opportunity for students to develop
their own modes of thoughtful and critical engagement with different domains of
knowledge and practice. The emphasis is on primary texts and a careful
discussion of them and their ideas. In addition to graduate studies in a number
of fields, students who major in philosophy are well prepared to enter the range
of career options available to liberal arts college graduates. The curriculum
aims to cultivate philosophy as a self-reflective practice and therefore
emphasizes the history of Western philosophy as vitally important to
contemporary philosophy. Students explore contemporary thinking from a
foundation of critical inquiry into its past and into the genealogies of
questions that have shaped the conversation to this
point. Major in Religion: 31-33 semester hours,
including Religion 19-314, 914 (Capstone); three courses from 19-203, 243, 253,
273, 283; two courses from 19-303, 304, 323, 333, 363, 713; two courses from
19-614, 624, 634, 644, 664. Minor in Religion:
18 semester hours of Religion, at least 12 hours of which must be above the
introductory level. Major in Philosophy: 32
semester hours, including Philosophy 18-402; three from 413, 423, 433, 443; 513
or 523; 913 or 953 (Capstone); 15 additional hours of Philosophy, at least six
hours of which must be above the introductory
level. Minor in Philosophy: 18 semester hours
of Philosophy, at least 12 hours of which must be above the introductory
level.
Religion (REL)
| 19-203 | INTRODUCTION
TO THE CHRISTIAN TRADITION. 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. (H)
(R) | | 19-243 | INTRODUCTION
TO ISLAM. 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. (H)
(R) | | 19-253 | INTRODUCTION
TO JUDAISM. A survey of the development of Judaism from its roots in ancient
Israelite religion, its emergence in the Second Temple period, and in early
rabbinic thought, and its contemporary practices. The course balances historical
narrative with detailed examination of important topics such as rabbinic
interpretation, mysticism, the Holocaust and diaspora. (H)
(R) | | 19-273 | INTRODUCTION
TO HINDUISM. A historical and thematic introduction to the religious ideas and
practices that developed primarily in 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. (H)
(R)
(IP) | | 19-283 | INTRODUCTION
TO BUDDHISM. A historical and thematic introduction to the central ideas and
practices of Buddhism. The course begins with the historical Buddha and early
developments in India, Sri Lanka and Tibet, then surveys the spread of Buddhism
to China and Japan and the interaction with Confucian, Daoist and Shinto
traditions. (H) (R)
(IP) | | 19-314 | THEORIES
AND METHODS OF RELIGION. An exploration of some of the theories and methods used
in contemporary secular studies of religion. Reviews various scholars who in the
past century have sought to analyze the phenomenon of religion apart from
theology through the use of history, literary studies, feminist studies,
psychology, sociology, anthropology 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. Students are
encouraged to take at least four to five religion courses before enrolling. This
class is primarily for Religion majors and minors, but is open to others with
permission of instructor.
(R) | | 19-323 | WOMEN,
GODDESSES AND RELIGION. 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. Also Anthropology 35-463 and Feminist Studies 04-223. (H) (R)
(IP) | | 19-333 | RELIGION
AND ECOLOGY. An environmental/ecofeminist investigation of the construction of
“nature” and the “non-human” in the world’s
religions, particularly addressing the problematic and destructive impact of
religious-based anthropocentrism. The course examines whether religions
encouraged human culture in its quest to dominate and destroy nature and asks if
some religions/cultures offer different constructs of the world that could
transform this relationship. Religions studied include: various indigenous
traditions, Buddhism, Christianity, deep ecology and market capitalism. Also
Environmental Studies 49-333. (H)
(R) | | 19-363 | THE
BODY AND SEXUALITY IN RELIGION. A feminist, cross-cultural examination of
notions of the embodied human self in various religious traditions, focusing on
sexuality and sexual desire. The course will explore how the body is
conceptualized; moral proscriptions regarding the body and what they reveal
about religion and culture; self-cultivation techniques; and the relationship
between gender and sexuality and salvation. Written texts and visual arts will
be the media of exploration. This course may be repeated when topic varies. Also
Feminist Studies 04-263. (H) (R) (IP)
| | 19-403 | GREEK
AND ROMAN MYTHOLOGY. See Classics 07-203 and English 10-203. (H) (R)
(IP) | | 19-413 | PHILOSOPHY
OF RELIGION. See Philosophy 18-223. (H)
(R) | | 19-423 | ANCIENT
CHINA. See History 16-243. (H) (IP)
(R) | | 19-593 | MODERN
JEWISH HISTORY. See History 16-593. (H)
(R) | | 19-614 | SEMINAR
ON THE CHRISTIAN TRADITION. Study of a selected aspect of or a topic related to
the Christian tradition. Significant primary documents/materials are analyzed.
The course includes an intensive writing component requiring analysis and
in-depth research, as well as some original research on the part of students
(primary document analysis). Course can be repeated with different content.
Prerequisites: Religion 19-203 or permission of instructor. (H)
(R) | | 19-624 | SEMINAR
ON JUDAISM. Study of a selected aspect of or topic related to the Jewish
tradition. Significant primary documents/materials are analyzed. The course
includes an intensive writing component requiring analysis and in-depth
research, as well as some original research on the part of students (primary
document analysis). Course can be repeated with different content. Prerequisite:
Religion 19-253 or permission of instructor. (H)
(R) | | 19-634 | SEMINAR
ON BUDDHISM. Study of a selected aspect of or a topic related to Buddhism.
Significant primary documents/materials are analyzed. The course includes an
intensive writing component requiring analysis and in-depth research, as well as
some original research on the part of students (primary document analysis).
Course may be repeated with different content. Prerequisite: Religion 19-283 or
permission of instructor. (H)
(R) | | 19-644 | SEMINAR
ON HINDUISM. Study of a selected aspect of or a topic related to Hinduism.
Significant primary documents/materials are analyzed. The course includes an
intensive writing component requiring analysis and in-depth research, as well as
some original research on the part of students (primary document analysis).
Course may be repeated with different content. Prerequisite: Religion 19-273 or
permission of instructor. (H)
(R) | | 19-664 | SEMINAR
ON ISLAM. An in-depth exploration of the varieties of Muslim perspectives
regarding themselves and the world through the study of a specific topic related
to Islam. Significant primary documents/materials are analyzed. The course
includes an intensive writing component requiring analysis and in-depth
research, as well as some original research on the part of students (primary
document analysis). Course may be repeated with different content. Prerequisite:
Religion 19-243 or permission of instructor. (H)
(R) | | 19-713 | TOPICS
IN RELIGION. 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. (H)
(R) | | 19-914 | COLLOQUIUM
IN RELIGION. Intended primarily for majors in religion but open to other
students with the permission of the instructor.
(R) | | 19-001, 002, 003,
004 | SELECTED TOPICS. May be repeated with change in
topic. | | 19-301, 302, 303,
304 | SELECTED TOPICS. Lectures and readings on
subjects of special interest. May be repeated with change in
topic. | | 19-901, 902, 903,
904 | TUTORIAL. | | 19-941,
942, 943, 944 | ACADEMIC INTERNSHIP. Must be taken
Pass/D/F. | | 19-951, 952, 953,
954 | INDEPENDENT STUDY: DIRECTED READING. Reading
selected to round out the student’s acquaintance with the field of
religion or special areas of interest. May be repeated with changed
content. | | 19-983 | HONORS.
By invitation only. |
Philosophy (PHI)
| 18-103 | INTRODUCTION
TO ETHICS. An introduction to issues surrounding moral deliberation, commitment
and choice. Attention will be given to traditional ethical theories, to their
implications for moral discussion and decision, and perhaps to related issues
such as personal identity and human freedom.
(H) | | 18-133 | INTRODUCTION
TO PHILOSOPHY. An historically informed investigation of key metaphysical,
physical, epistemological, political, ethical and aesthetic issues in
philosophy. Emphasis will be placed on the connections between different aspects
or spheres of philosophical thinking, as well as the connections between
philosophical concepts and historical and social practices.
(H) | | 18-143 | MEDIA
AND ETHICS. A survey of value questions arising in conjunction with and
portrayed by communications media. Topics may include the discourse practices
and influence of the various media upon cultural identity and
self-understanding; value assumptions in news selection and programming,
advertising, and entertainment media; media portrayal of minorities and gender;
violence and the media; propaganda and public relations agendas and the media;
and the issues of free speech, free press and other rights discourses in the
media. Also Communication Studies 75-183.
(H) | | 18-203 | POLITICAL
PHILOSOPHY. An examination of topics at the intersection of philosophy and
politics, including historical and contemporary philosophical defenses and
critiques of social and political orders, and analysis of political and social
theories and concepts.
(H) | | 18-223 | PHILOSOPHY
OF RELIGION. An examination of some of the principal philosophical problems
involved in the nature of religion. Attention will center on the problem of
religious knowledge and its relation to religious affirmation. Also Religion
19-413. (H)
(R) | | 18-233 | AESTHETICS.
An introduction to the philosophical discourses of the 18th and
19th centuries that attempted to comprehend and
grapple with the historical emergence of art-making and art-experience as an
apparently unique and separate domain of human understanding, value and
practice. Various 20th century efforts to clarify and problematize the
relationships between art, politics, technology and popular culture will also be
discussed.
(H) | | 18-243 | THEORIES
OF CLASS. This course will consider both the advent of the concept of class as a
key to social analysis, as well as its apparent decline as a meaningful term.
Our guiding consideration will be the extent to which class distinctions and
structures remain central to the analysis and understanding of society, as well
as the way in which class differs from and intersects with social structures of
race and gender. Also Feminist Studies 04-273.
(H) | | 18-253 | THEORIES
OF RACE. An introduction and survey of contemporary race theory, with emphases
on intersections with gender, class, nationalism and imperialism. Specific focus
on the ways race has been constructed as a category of identity across various
cultures, academic disciplines and historical periods. Also Feminist Studies
04-253.
(H) | | 18-263 | PHILOSOPHY
OF SCIENCE. A philosophical exploration of modern science—its history,
aims, methods, conceptual underpinnings and implications.
(H) | | 18-283 | LATIN
AMERICAN PHILOSOPHY. An introduction to the complex history of Latin American
philosophy, including European and indigenous traditions of thought as well as
their hybrids. Key issues will be the interpretation and criticism of notions of
history and progress, race and ethnicity, colonialism and knowledge production,
the philosophical status of indigenous knowledges, and the relation between
philosophy and territory.
(H) | | 18-293 | ENVIRONMENTAL
PHILOSOPHY An examination of some of the philosophical, ethical and political
questions that forms of ecological degradation pose for contemporary society.
Issues include conceptions and aesthetics of ‘nature’; ecofeminism;
the character of modern science; the role of religion; structures of capitalism;
environmental racism; and logics of consumerism and utility. Also Environmental
Studies 49-293.
(H) | | 18-313 | METAPHYSICS.
Metaphysics is the area of philosophy that traditionally addresses pivotal
questions concerning both nature and what is beyond it: being and becoming,
space and time, chaos and order, and the number and structures of realities.
This course addresses some of the many metaphysical systems that have been
proposed and the acquisition and nature of metaphysical knowledge, as well as
criticisms of part or all of the metaphysical endeavor. Prerequisite: one course
in philosophy.
(H) | | 18-323 | PHILOSOPHY
OF THE SELF. An exploration of the emergence of this modern concept - the self -
and its psychological, anthropological, political and epistemological contours.
Readings may be drawn from a variety of disciplines. Prerequisite: one course in
philosophy. Also Feminist Studies 04-363.
(H) | | 18-333 | LANGUAGE
AND KNOWLEDGE An examination of the many ways in which philosophers have
addressed the questions of language and knowledge. Central topics may include:
the nature and limits of language; the kinds and limits of knowledge; the
“linguistic turn” in twentieth-century philosophy and its
aftereffects; translation and interpretation; the geopolitics of knowledge.
Prerequisite: one course in philosophy.
(H) | | 18-343 | FEMINIST
POSITIONS. An exploration of the variety of feminist positions within the larger
discourse known as “feminism.” Specific focus is given to the
sex/gender distinction and the re-thinking of identity in ways that do not
silence sexual, gender, racial, ethnic, national or economic differences. The
course will also raise the question of theory’s place in feminist
political resistance and the possibility of speaking out of non-totalizing
feminist positions. Prerequisite: one course in philosophy or Introduction to
Feminist Studies. Also Feminist Studies 04-213.
(H) | | 18-353 | PHILOSOPHY
OF HISTORY. An examination of the ways that writers from the pre-Socratics
through the 19th century have framed the field of human history as a
philosophical object of analysis and the challenges that have been posed to
those methods by 20th-century thinkers. Attention will focus on whether and how
the discipline of philosophy can “think historically.” Prerequisite:
one course in philosophy.
(H) | | 18-383 | FILM
THEORY. This course surveys the history of film and of film theory in order to
explore the technological, epistemological, aesthetic and political
characteristics and potentials of film as a medium and as a cultural
institution. Prerequisite: one course in
philosophy(H) | | 18-402 | READING
PHILOSOPHY. A guided effort to focus and improve advanced students’
capacities for engaged, thoughtful, critical and independent reading of
philosophical forms of argumentation and analysis. Writing assignments and
discussions will be focused on the detailed articulation and understanding of
one or two important texts. Offered every spring. Prerequisite: Two philosophy
courses above the introductory level.
(H) | | 18-413 | HISTORY
OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY: ANCIENT. A survey of Greek philosophy from its inception
through Neo-Platonism, emphasizing the unique expositional practices employed by
the early Greek thinkers to express philosophical thought and questioning.
Topics will range across early epistemology, metaphysics and ethics and their
relation to later philosophy, explored through a selection of primary texts.
Prerequisite: one course in philosophy. Also Classics 07-333.
(H) | | 18-423 | HISTORY
OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY: MEDIEVAL/RENAISSANCE. A study of philosophy during the
millennium when it was in closest relation to religion, be it Jewish, Muslim,
Christian or pagan. Topics will range across the relation between faith and
reason; the existence and nature of God and the soul; magic, prayer and
divination as forms of acquiring knowledge of self, God and world; and
consequent ideas about social order and political systems. Prerequisite: One
course in philosophy.
(H) | | 18-433 | HISTORY
OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY: MODERN. An inquiry into some of the principal texts,
issues and debates in European philosophy from the
16th to the 18th century, including thinkers such
as Montaigne, Galileo, Descartes, Hobbes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Hume and
Kant. Topics will range across the emergence of modern science, the rise of
epistemology as first philosophy, rationalism, materialism, empiricism and the
construction of secular models of politics. Prerequisite: One course in
philosophy.
(H) | | 18-443 | HISTORY
OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY: 19th CENTURY. An inquiry into the most influential
philosophical movements of 19th century Europe, including such authors as Hegel,
Marx and Nietzsche. Topics will range across idealism, historicism, materialism,
the limits of reason and the emergence of language as a philosophical problem.
Prerequisite: One course in philosophy.
(H) | | 18-513 | HISTORICAL
STUDIES. Investigation of a specific figure, period, or movement in the history
of philosophy—content will vary from year to year. May be repeated with
change in topic. Prerequisite: one 400-level course in philosophy.
(H) | | 18-523 | CENTRAL
TOPICS IN PHILOSOPHY. A critical survey of some major area of contemporary
philosophical concern—epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of mind,
philosophy of language, etc. May be repeated with change in topic. Prerequisite:
one 300- or 400-level course in philosophy.
(H) | | 18-913 | COLLOQUIUM
IN PHILOSOPHY. Intended primarily for majors in Philosophy but open to others
with the permission of the instructor. Offered every fall. Prerequisite:
Philosophy 18-402. (H) | | 18-001,
002, 003, 004 | SELECTED TOPICS. May be repeated with
change in topic. | | 18-301, 302,
303, 304 | SELECTED TOPICS. Lectures and readings on
subjects of special interest. Subjects to be announced. May be repeated with
change in topic. | | 18-901, 902,
903,
904 | TUTORIAL. | | 18-941,
942, 943, 944 | ACADEMIC INTERNSHIP. Must be taken
Pass/D/F. | | 18-951, 952, 953,
954 | INDEPENDENT STUDY. Readings selected to broaden
the student’s acquaintance with areas of philosophy or topics of special
interest. May be repeated with changed
content. | | 18-983 | HONORS.
By invitation only. |
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