Mount Holyoke College
Religion Department
Course Offerings
Fall 1998
100 Introduction to Religion MW 10:50-12:05
An introduction to the study of religion, assessing the nature of religion and methodological approaches through an examination of subject matter drawn from numerous traditions.
Ms. Katz
2 meetings ; 4 credits
201 Introduction to the Qur'an TUTH 2:35-3:50
This course examines the history, structure, and themes of the Qur'an and analyzes the place of the Qur'an in Islamic religious thought. It emphasizes the contribution of the Qur'an to questions of universal import. Topics include Qur'anic doctrines of God, humanity, freedom and determinism, and the problem of evil.
Ms. Katz
2 meetings (75 minutes); 4 credits
203 Introduction to Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament. MW 9:25-10:40
This course offers an historical and critical study of the literature of the Hebrew Scriptures, leading to an analysis and evaluation of theological ideas, literary forms, institutional structures, ethical systems, and values that emerged in the history and religion of ancient Israel.
Mr. Yamashita
2 meetings (75 minutes); 4 credits
210 Religious Ethics. TUTH 9:25-10:40
This course explores the ethical implications of religious convictions, particularly implications relevant to personal decisions. It introduces ethical principles of the Judeo-Christian tradition through an examination of scriptural sources, a selection of major moral thinkers, and illustrative moral dilemmas. Among the concerns of the course are the components and motives of personal decision, the values and liabilities of fixed norms and principles, and the nature of personal responsibility.
Ms. Crosthwaite
Prereq. soph, jr, sr; 2 meetings (75 minutes); 4 credits
Enrollment limited to 20
221 Religious Movements in America TUTH 10:50-12:05
This course is a study of the historical and theological development of the religious traditions in America, an assessment of the influence of these traditions on American civil institutions, and an examination of selected contemporary religious movements.
Ms. Crosthwaite
Prereq. soph, jr, sr; 2 meetings (75 minutes); 4 credits
226 Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion TUTH 1:10-2:25
(See Philosophy D226f)
This course begins its survey of the discipline of the philosophy of religion with the work of Augustine. We then proceed to an examination of the classical theistic arguments for knowledge of God's existence (those of Anselm, Aquinas and Maimonides) which dominated Scholastic thought, and consider the criticisms of these approaches by Enlightenment philosophers such as Kant. We trace the rise of experience as the central category of pietism and romanticism in the texts of Schleiermacher, Coleridge and in the poetry of Novalis. Finally, we focus on the pragmatic tradition in American philosophy of religion, especially in the work of William James, Josiah Royce and Cornel West.
Ms. Bickel
Prereq. soph, jr, sr, or fy with Religion 100;
2 meetings (75 minutes); 4 credits
232 Interpretation, Symbol and Experience MW 1:10-2:25
A survey of modern and contemporary theories of interpretation or "hermeneutics." The course will examine the influence of contemporary hermeneutical theory upon the conception of theology, and the explication of key religious categories such as symbol, experience, method, community, and emancipatory practice. Authors will include Habermas, Gadamer, Foucault, Ricoeur, and Langer, among others.
Ms. Bickel
Prereq. sop, jr, sr or per I; 4 credits
261 Hinduism TUTH 10:50-12:05
(See Asian Studies 261)
In this thematic and historical introduction to a major religious tradition of India, Hinduism is explored in its various expressions, including texts (Ramayana, Bhagavad Gita), myths and gods (Krishna, the great Goddess), philosophy, rites, art, worship, and popular practice. The role of major religious figures (Shankara, Mirabai), movements, techniques (yoga), and concepts (karma), are studied in their cultural context. Illustrative material includes slides and short films.
Ms. Peterson
Prereq. soph, jr, sr,; 2 meetings (75 minutes); 4 credits
263 Buddhism. TUTH 9:25-10:40
A survey of the history of Buddhism from its origin in the birth of Shakyamuni, Primitive and Monastic Buddhism, the rise of Mahayana Buddhism to the modern Buddhist communities in America. Special attention is given to concepts such as emptiness, compassion, and devotion and their ethical implications.
Mr. Yamashita
Prereq. soph, jr, sr; 2 meetings (75 minutes); 4 credits
328 Varieties of Religious Experience TU 1:00-3:00
This course will address some of the fundamental issues of the nature of the self, issues which appear at the intersection of religion and human experience. We will focus on issues of "world construction" and narrative. Readings will include works by James, Freud, Jung, Dostoevsky, Flannery O'Cononor, Malcolm X and others.
Mr. Boyd
Prereq 8 cr in dept or per I; 4 credits
330 Mysticism M 3:00-5:00
This seminar examines first-person accounts of Christian "mystical" experiences along with competing theories of how to interpret them. We will pay particular attention to the role of gender in the accounts themselves, and in the problem of interpretation. Primary texts will be taken from ancient and modern sources; interpreters will include William James, Stephen Katz, and Luce Irigaray, among others.
Ms. Bickel
8 cr in D; 4 credits
350 (Jewish Studies 350) Special Topics in Judaism M 7:00-9:40 p.m.
Fall 1998:
Women's Ways of Knowing God: Views from the Jewish Experience
This course will explore contemporary women's religious experience through the lens of Jewish women's literature and ritual, from the traditional to the radically independent. Questions we will explore include relationship to a God sometimes imagined as male, sometimes as female, and sometimes as neither. Students will use imaginative and critical writing to reflect on their own sense of these questions. No beliefs about God are necessary for this course; only a lively curiosity about the spiritual enterprise.
C. Madsen (Visiting Assistant Professor)
8 cr in religion or Jewish studies, or per I; 1 meeting (2-1/2 hours); 4 credits
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