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RLST 2202-001 | 3.0
Dr. Aun Hasan Ali
Introduces students to foundational Islamic concepts, texts, core practices, historical narratives and intellectual, spiritual and literary traditions. Topics covered include: the figure of Muhammad; the Quran; the emergence of distinct Muslim identities; Hadith; Sharia; Islamic theology; Islamic philosophy; science in Islamic civilization; Islamic mysticism; the impact of colonialism and modernity on the Muslim world; gender and sexuality; and political Islam.

RLST 3300-010 | 3.0
Dr. Dan Hirshberg
This course provides an introduction to Buddhist thought and practice in the variety of its historical and cultural contexts. We begin with the story of the Buddha, his teachings, and the early Buddhist community in India. We then trace the expansion of the Theravada to Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia with a focus on the role of images and relics in Buddhist ritual and kingship. Next, we consider the rise of Mahayana in India including the bodhisattva ideal, key doctrinal concepts of emptiness and buddha nature, the cosmology of buddha lands, and the Buddhist path in Mahayana contexts.

RLST 2610-001 | 3.0
Dr. Loriliai Biernacki
Addresses religious and spiritual practices geared towards ideals of enlightenment across various religious traditions in India, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism, in relation to different social groups historically. Examines the concept of happiness (sukhā) and its connections to spiritual enlightenment.

RLST 4820/5820-001 | 3.0
Dr. Deborah Whitehead

This seminar for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in religious studies will focus on the religious dimensions and philosophical roots of the rhetoric of “authenticity” in contemporary popular culture.�� In this course we will become familiar with and critically analyze genealogies of authenticity in the modern West.�� We will treat “authenticity” and “realness” as, among other things, religious categories and discourses, and as such, we will seek to identify, contextualize, and critically analyze their various (re)presentations.�� Tracing the roots and present manifestations of these discourses in cultural studies, philosophy, American religious history, anthropology, critical theory, communication studies, and religion and digital media studies, we will examine how “authentic” individuals and “authentic” forms of practice and belief are described and prescribed, and what these forms signify. Attention will also be given to critical analysis of the rhetoric of authenticity in the academic study of religion.�� Limited to graduate and advanced undergraduate students in religious studies with a prerequisite of 6 hours RLST coursework or instructor permission.

RLST 2612-001 | 3.0
Dr. Loriliai Biernacki
Addresses the history and philosophy of yoga, beginning from its earliest articulations in Vedic India 1200 BCE up to contemporary understandings of yoga. Examines yoga's historical evolution from a primarily mental practice to a bodily centered practice. Looks at the shifts yoga undergoes as it becomes popular in the modern West.

RLST 6830-001 | 3.0
Dr. Elias Sacks
What is the academic study of religion? What do we mean when we talk about “religion,” and what does it mean to adopt an “academic” approach to this subject? This course will explore diverse approaches to these questions, providing an introduction to a wide range of methodological options and theoretical perspectives in the field of religious studies. We will devote attention to topics such as the relationship between practice and belief, the promise and perils of comparing different religious traditions, and the role of the body and materiality in religious life. We will also examine the complicated history and political stakes of the field of religious studies itself, wrestling with issues including the development of concepts such as “religious” and “secular,” the relationship between the sciences and the humanities, and the role of political advocacy in scholarly work.

RLST 1620-010 | 3.0
Dr. Aun Hasan Ali
Surveys different approaches to the study of religion. Students will grow familiar with key thinkers, texts, and movements that shape how we understand religious phenomena. Students will also examine critiques of how religion is studied. In the end, students will have gained insight into significant aspects of religious life, belief, and practice that will empower them to navigate a world in which religion is increasingly relevant.

RLST 2614/ CLAS 2614-001 | 3.0
Dr. Celene Lillie
Offers a cultural history of Greek and Roman religion. Students read ancient texts in translation and use evidence from archaeology to reconstruct the shift from paganism to Christianity in antiquity. No Greek or Latin required.

RLST/JWST 1900-001 | 3.0
Dr. Samuel Boyd
In this class, we examine the content of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and the critical theories regarding its development. We'll explore the development of these texts, as well as their foundational role for rabbinic literature and the New Testament. We'll also have occasion to assess the enduring influence of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament in world literature and culture (such as in art and music).

RLST/WGST 2800-001 | 3.0
Dr. Celene Lillie
What is a woman?�� What is religion?�� How does the answer to one inform the answer to the other?�� In this course, we will explore a range of literature from ancient Greek and Roman mythology to first and second century Jewish and Christian writings alongside contemporary readings from Buddhist, Muslim, Indigenous, and Christian traditions.�� To frame these explorations, we will engage theories of gender and religion, particularly the ways in which they intersect with race, class, and violence.

RLST/JWST 3100-001 | 3.0
Dr. Elias Sacks
What is Judaism? What beliefs and practices have been associated with this tradition, and how have these ideas and customs developed over time? Is there such a thing as��Judaism, or should we speak instead of various��Judaisms? This course will explore such questions, surveying Jewish belief, practice, and literature from the biblical period to the present day. We will encounter diverse voices and explore the changing contexts in which these voices have emerged, paying special attention to the relationship between the beliefs that Jews have held and the rituals that Jews have performed. We will consider specific topics such as forms of worship associated with Jewish life; Jewish views on religious diversity, race and Judaism in the contemporary United States; and attempts to reimagine inherited beliefs in light of developments such as the Holocaust. Exploring these topics will also lead us to reflect more broadly on the nature of religion.

RLST/JWST 2600-001 | 3.0
Dr. Samuel Boyd
In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Abraham is described as a founding figure. In recent times, the label “Abrahamic Religions” has become increasingly important both as a way to describe the origins and beliefs of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam and as a means for finding common ground in political and religious discourse. Yet in each religion Abraham is also used in strikingly different ways and for distinct purposes. In this course, we will look at these three religious traditions and how each one imagines Abraham. In particular, the focus will be on how each religion uses Abraham to construct foundational stories of a special relationship to God, stories that ultimately serve to promote religious identity over time.��