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COURSES
Courses are grouped in three broad areas of
study:
Biblical Studies, focused on critical
historical and theological engagement with scriptures of the Old and New
Testaments;
Theological and Ethical
Studies, focused on the study of doctrines, beliefs, and ethical implications of
religious ideas and practices; and
Historical and Cultural Studies, focused on
ways that religious traditions have developed and how they engage the contexts
in which they are formed and continue to live. As well,
biblical language courses (Greek and Hebrew)
engage students in reading and exegesis of the biblical text in its original
languages. Courses in these languages are
taught by faculty in the Department of Philosophy and Religion, are part of the
Biblical Studies emphasis, and can count toward the Theological Studies
emphasis.
Area I: Biblical Studies
Religion
140, 150, 320, 330, 335, 375, 430, 431
Area II: Theological and Ethical Studies
Religion
130, 201, 310, 340, 345, 350, 440
Area III: Historical and Cultural Studies
Religion
210, 212, 213, 220, 250, 370, 375, 380
General Courses
Religion
481, 492, 499
Biblical/Classical Language Courses
Greek 111,
112, 211, 212, 351, 371, 421, 430
Hebrew 111,
112, 211, 212
Biblical
Studies
REL 140 Introduction to the Old Testament
(3) Introduces the Old
Testament, its background, content and major themes. Emphasis is on the history
and culture of ancient Israel and other peoples of the ancient Near East insofar
as they illumine the Old Testament text.
REL 150 Introduction to the New Testament
(3) Introduces the New
Testament, its background, content and major themes. Explores the ancient world
and the life of the first Christian communities in order to illumine the New
Testament texts. Emphasis is on key topics of theology and interpretation and
their contemporary relevance.
REL 320 Jesus and the Gospels
(3) Studies the Gospel
texts, explores issues and options of interpretation, and engages the key issues
of modern scholarly debate concerning the Gospels. Emphasis is on the use of
contemporary methods of Biblical exegesis to illumine the Gospel texts.
Prerequisite: One course in religion or permission of the instructor.
REL 330 Paul and His Letters
(3) Explores Paul’s
letters in order to illumine Paul’s thought, the life of the ancient Christian
communities which he founded and the place of Paul within the history of early
Christianity. Prerequisite: One course in religion or permission of the
instructor.
REL 335
Biblical Narratives
(3) Examines the
theory and practice of biblical interpretation through an in-depth study of
select biblical narratives, including the Joseph story, the Succession Narrative
(King David), and the books of Ruth, Jonah, Daniel, Esther, Tobit and Judith.
Special attention given to literary approaches and theological issues.
REL 430 Topics in Biblical Studies
(3) Specific topic will
vary each time this course is taught. Prerequisite: One course in Biblical
Studies or permission of the instructor.
REL 431
Prophets
Examines the Old Testament prophets in light of their historical, social,
political and religious backgrounds. Course is taught as a seminar.
Prerequisite: One course in religion, or permission of instructor.
Theological
and Ethical Studies
REL 130
Christian Thought
(3) Introduces themes of Christian thought in historical and contemporary
perspectives.
REL 201 Christian Ethics
(3) Provides an introduction to Christian moral thinking, paying attention to
the basis, nature, content and consequences of Christian thought and traditions
for various ethical issues. Includes a close reading and discussion of various
approaches to Christian ethics as well as analysis of selected moral issues such
as violence and war, euthanasia, abortion, sexuality and racism.
REL 310 Contemporary Theologies
(3) Examines major
Christian theologies of the 19th and 20th centuries,
including neo-orthodoxy, liberalism, existentialism, process theology, global
theology, and feminist, Latin American, African-American and Asian liberation
theologies. Prerequisite: One course in religion or permission of the
instructor.
REL 340 Women and Religion
(3) Examines women’s
religious thought in historical or contemporary settings. Explores how women’s
sense of self-identity and their social position shaped their unique theological
perspectives.
REL 345 Theology and Story
(3) Explores the role of story in human experience as a means of theological
communication and seeks to read literature as a resource for theological
reflection. Examines both fiction and autobiography as vehicles of theological
discourse. Prerequisite: One course in religion or permission of the
instructor.
REL 350 God, Suffering and Evil
(3) Considers how women and men have thought about and lived in relation to evil
and the experiences of suffering, especially with regard to the question of
God’s role in such situations. Focuses particularly on ways persons within
religious traditions, mainly Christian and Jewish, have responded to evil and
suffering, and how they have understood the relationship of God to such events.
Prerequisite: One course in religion or permission of the instructor.
REL 440 Topics in Theological and Ethical Studies
(3) Specific topic will vary each time this course is taught. Prerequisite: One
course in religion or permission of the instructor.
Historical
and Cultural Studies
REL 210 Ancient Christianity
(3) Traces the history
of Christianity from the Apostolic Fathers at the close of the first century
until the early medieval period. Emphasis on the life, theology, spirituality
and expansion of the early Church, with special attention to Christianity in
ancient Roman and Saxon Britain.
REL 212 Living World Religions
(3) Comparative study
of the origin, development, literature, organization and controlling ideas of
major world religions. Prerequisite: World Cultures 110.
REL 213 Introduction to Judaism
(3) An introduction to the beliefs, practices, institutions and literature of
Judaism. Emphasis will be on the historical development of Judaism as well as
on the Jewish faith as a living world religion. Prerequisite: World Cultures
110.
REL 220 Reformers and Revolutionaries in Christian History
(3) Examines
key issues in the history of Christian thought through study of significant
figures in late medieval and modern Christian history. Examples of theologians
covered include Anselm, Thomas Aquinas, Julian of Norwich, Martin Luther, John
Calvin,Teresa of Avila, Anne Hutchinson, and Jonathan Edwards.
REL 250 John
Wesley and the People Called Methodists
(3) Traces the history and theology of John Wesley, the Methodist movement’s
founder, providing understanding of denominational traditions in
Christianity. Emphasis on Wesley’s commitments to social justice and
personal piety, as well as issues of the church’s ongoing mission.
REL 370 Religion and Film
(3) Explores religious themes represented in film and issues surrounding the way
religion and religious belief are portrayed in film. Includes engagement with
religious and theological issues in conversation with the medium of film.
Prerequisite: One course in religion or permission of the instructor.
REL 375
Bible, Gender and Culture
(3) Examines representative interpretative traditions of biblical women in
literature and art from antiquity to the present through a study of the
history of interpretation. Emphasis on informed analysis of how literary
and artistic portraits of biblical women reflect social attitudes and
beliefs concerning gender roles.
REL 380 Topics in Historical and Cultural Studies
(3) Specific topic will vary each time this course is taught. Prerequisite: One
course in religion or permission of the instructor.
General
REL 481 Directed Study in Religion
(1-3) Offers research
in special problems or persons under the direction of a member of the religion
faculty. May be repeated for up to nine hours. Prerequisite: Permission of the
instructor.
REL 492 Religion Internship (1-3) Supervised
field experience in church or other house of worship, non-profit organization,
or similar area of direct relevance to a religion major.
REL 499 Senior Seminar
(3) Required of all
senior theological studies and biblical studies majors. This course affords the
student the opportunity to work independently in the preparation of an extended
paper and to present this paper in a seminar to other majors in theological and
biblical studies. Prerequisite: Senior standing.
Biblical Languages
HEB
111, 112 Elementary Hebrew (3 each) Emphasizes basic
grammar, syntax and vocabulary of Classical Hebrew in order to prepare students
to begin to read and study the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. Fall (111), spring
(112) in alternate years.
HEB 211, 212
Intermediate Hebrew (3 each) Continues to develop skills in the grammar,
syntax and vocabulary of biblical Hebrew. Emphasizes reading of
extended passages from the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. Poetry is
introduced in 212.
GRK 111, 112 Elementary Ancient Greek
(3 each) Presents the basic grammar, syntax and vocabulary of ancient Greek so that students can begin
reading passages from ancient authors. Fall (111), spring (112) in alternate
years.
GRK 211, Intermediate Ancient Greek
(3 ) Continues to
develop skills
in the grammar, syntax and vocabulary of Ancient Greek begun in
Grk 111-112. Reading of extended passages from authors such as Herodotus, Plato
and Thucydides.
GRK 212 Introduction to
Greek Prose (3) Reading of prose texts in both Attic and hellenistic Greek.
Emphasis on reading a variety of literary genres and prose styles. Students
also review and enhance their knowledge of Greek grammar. Texts read include
the Tabula of Cebes, Lysias’ On the Murder of Eratosthenes, Paul’s
letters and the book of Acts.
GRK 351 Attic Prose
(3) An advanced ancient Greek course dedicated to the reading, analysis and
discussion of Attic prose texts of the fourth century B.C. Authors read depend
on student interest, and may include Aristotle, Plato, Lysias and Isocrates.
GRK 371 New Testament
Greek (3) An advanced
ancient Greek course devoted to the reading and exegesis of the New Testament in
the original language. Emphasis on gaining competence in koine Greek, skill in
exegesis and literary analysis, and facility in the use of scholarly tools for
New Testament study.
GRK
421 Greek Poetry (3) An advanced ancient Greek course
dedicated to the reading of Greek poetry. Students read a variety of Greek
poets and poems, gain exposure to several different Greek dialects, and learn
about poetic meter and scansion. Authors read depend on student interest, and
may include Homer, Hesiod, Sappho and Solon.
GRK
430 Individual Readings in Greek Literature (1-6)
Topics and credit hours must be prearranged with the instructor. Repeatable as
texts and topics change.
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