RLST 100
Introduction to Religious Studies
An introduction to the academic study of religion exploring cross-culturally some of the fundamental ways in which people experience and understand religion. Questions addressed include: What is religion? What are the basic forms of religious life? What connections exist among self-identity, the sacred, and society? How do those connections help to establish meaning and values in human existence? How is religious knowledge possible? Readings include primary religious texts and critical reflections on religion. Intended primarily for freshmen and sophomores or students with no prior work in the religious studies department. 6 units.
RLST 210
Hinduism
A survey of the religious and philosophical elements that constitute the broad system of beliefs known as Hinduism. Emphasis is placed on intellectual history, but dominant patterns of ritual and religious experience are also covered. Readings include primary texts and associated commentaries. 6 units.
RLST 220
Buddhism
A survey of Buddhist thought, focusing on both the Abhidharma and Mahayana traditions. Attention to the evolution of key religious and philosophical ideas and their impact on Buddhist practices and institutions from India to Eastern Asia. Readings include sections from the Tripitaka, or canonical works, as well as allied literary and philosophical works. 6 units. Also listed as East Asian Studies 220.
RLST 240
Islam
An introduction to Islam. Students will study primary sources beginning with the Quran and ending with a contemporary Muslim writer. Attention will be focussed on both the theological development of Islam and its lived experience as witnessed through the arts and architecture. 6 units.
RLST 255
Religion in America
This course will explore both chronologically and thematically the nature and history of religious belief and practice in America. Making use of a variety of textual and visual materials, we will analyze the religious perceptions that have informed America's understanding of itself as a nation and a culture. 6 units.
RLST 260
Christianity through the 15th Century
An examination of the major developments in Christian thought and practice from its origin to the late Middle Ages. Topics include the formation of doctrine in the early church, Christian heresies, the cult of martyrs, the development of the monastic tradition, and the rise of the papacy. 6 units.
RLST 270
Christianity in the Modern World
A study of Christian history from the Reformation to the present. Topics include the origins of Protestantism, the Counter Reformation, Pietism, Deism, Liberal Theology, the Vatican Councils, Dialectical Theology, Fundamentalism. Special attention to the impact of modernity (e.g., the rise of science, the development of the historical critical method, pluralism, secularization). 6 units.
RLST 275
History of Catholicism in America
An examination of the history and development of Catholicism in America from the Colonial Period through the present day. Themes to be addressed include: the roles of women, characteristics of material culture, devotional practices, racism and ethnic discrimination, “threats” to the Republic, and continuities and discontinuities between American Protestant culture and Catholicism. 6 units. Also listed as Ethnic Studies 270. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing
RLST 280
Quran
A thorough examination of the Quran and what we know about its historical context from early sources. The ways in which the Quran has become a civilization book, molding the thought and artistic expression of all later Muslims while being re-interpreted and re-contextualized as new cultural demands arise, will also be explored. 6 units. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing
RLST 290
Religion in Ancient Egypt: Pyramids, Wisdom, and Eternal Life
We will examine the religious tradition of Egypt as it developed in the old, middle and new kingdoms. Ideas about eternal life as detailed in the Pyramid Texts and embodied in the Pyramids will be closely studied, along with the tradition of wisdom literature. 6 units. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or permission of instructor
RLST 330
Rationality and Religious Belief
An examination of the range of views on the relationship between reason and religion, focusing in particular on theistic belief. Questions addressed include: Can God’s existence be proven? Is faith different from ordinary belief? Does mystical experience provide adequate grounds for religious belief? 6 units. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing
RLST 335
Cairo: Islam in Context
An examination of the place of Islam within medieval and modern Cairo. We will read historical and creative texts in order to better understand how this religion and social system constructed what we know as Cairo. 6 units. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or permission of the instructor
RLST 345
Conversion and Conquest: Spanish, French, and British Encounters with “The Other”
An exploration of three distinct “frontiers” of conversion and conquest in the New World during the 16th and 17th centuries. The Spanish Conquistadores, the French Jesuits, and the English Puritans brought their very different ideas about Christianity to native peoples with their own distinct religious traditions. The course will examine key aspects of these complex encounters. 6 units. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or consent of instructor
RLST 350
Gandhi
An examination of the life, times, and thought of Mohandas Gandhi, emphasizing the religious concept of satyagraha (holding fast to the truth) and the philosophy of non-violence as the central precepts in his effort to transform Indian society and ultimately of his global influences. 6 units. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing
RLST 370
The Holocaust
An interdisciplinary examination of the social psychological and religious dimensions of the Holocaust. Topics include social psychological and cultural origins of the Holocaust (including the role of Christian anti-Semitism); social psychological and religious aspects of Nazi ideology; understanding perpetrators, victims, and bystanders; and theological responses to the Holocaust. 6 units. Also listed as Psychology 220. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing
RLST 375
Luther, Calvin, and the Radical Reformation
This course will address the major historical and theological themes of the European Reformation. Students will engage in close reading of primary texts of the magisterial as well as radical reformers, and will situate these theological texts within the social, political, and historical contexts of Early Modern Europe. 6 units.
RLST 400
Themes in Modern Western Religious Thought
A critical survey of one or more of the distinctive themes in the religious thought of the West since the Reformation. 6 units. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing
RLST 420
Systems of Buddhist Philosophy
A detailed examination of five schools of Buddhist philosophy. Close study of each school’s explanation of key doctrines such as no-self, interdependent arising, samsara, nirvana, and enlightenment further clarifies the historical development of Buddhist thought in India and China. Readings emphasize primary texts (in translation). 6 units. Prerequisite: RLST 220 and sophomore standing
RLST 500
Seminar: Kierkegaard
Intensive study of the works of the Danish philosopher/theologian considered to be the father of Existentialism. Concentration on Kierkegaard’s view of the self and its relation to his stages of existence, with particular attention to his view of faith. Some consideration to the historical context of his thought and his influence on 20th-century theology and philosophy. 6 units.
RLST 510
Seminar: Zen Buddhism
Zen Buddhism is perhaps the most widely known form of Buddhism in the West and also the most widely misunderstood. This course provides a detailed look at the history and doctrines of Zen Buddhism in China and Japan. Combining the use of original source materials (in translation) with an emphasis on intellectual history, the course covers specific doctrines that have differentiated the major schools of Zen. 6 units. Also listed as East Asian Studies 510. Prerequisite: RLST 220 or consent of instructor
RLST 550
Seminar: The Hajj to Mecca
A course examining the institution of the Hajj to Mecca through the history of Islam. We will begin with an examination of what we know about pre-Islamic religious practices in Mecca, but the heart of the course will consist of a close reading of historical pilgrimage narratives, ranging from Ibn Jubayr to Richard Burton. Along the way we will also give attention to pilgrimage in other religious traditions. 6 units. Prerequisite: RLST 240 recommended
RLST 560
Seminar: The Problem of Evil
An examination of one of the classic problems of philosophy of religion; the course will examine both traditional theistic analyses of the problem (is the existence of an omni-god incompatible with the existence of evil?) as well as more recent, non-theistic analyses of evil as a social phenomenon. 6 units. Prerequisite: RLST 330 or consenf of instructor
RLST 570
Seminar: Mary through the Ages: Historical and Cultural Perspectives on the “Mother of God”
Over the centuries the cult of Mary has inspired both intense devotion and condemnation among Christians. In this course we will use material and textual evidence to examine the figure of Mary and the ways in which she has been understood and interpreted from the earliest days of Christianity through the present day. 6 units.
Prerequisite: Junior standing or consent of instructor
RLST 600
Seminar in Methodology
An examination of approaches to the study of religion selected from a school of thought or a more eclectic group of authors. Students are encouraged to draw upon previous coursework. 6 units. Prerequisite: Two courses in religious studies or consent of instructor
RLST 190, 390, 590, 690
Tutorial Studies in Religious Studies
Advanced research, arranged and carried out under the direction of an instructor. Variable units. Prerequisite: Counter registration required
RLST 199, 399, 599, 699
Independent Study in Religious Studies
Advanced research, arranged in consultation with the department. Students planning an honors project should register for this course, for one or more terms. Variable units. Prerequisite: Counter registration required
Recent tutorial topics in religious studies
Eschatological Aspects of Zoroastrianism
Nietzsche’s Critique of Christianity
Gnosticism and the Early Church
Feminist Theology
Nineteenth Century German Idealism
The Philosophy of Dogen