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Undergraduate Program
The department offers a bachelor of arts degree in religious studies for students who are interested in learning more about the world’s religious traditions. Majors explore the many dimensions of religion and study religion’s spiritual, historical, cultural, and social aspects.
Areas of Study
Areas of study offered by the department include Asian religious traditions, Near (Middle) East religious traditions (Judaism, Islam, and Christianity), and comparative aspects of religion. Though the required coursework, majors in religious studies develop skills in reading and interpreting sacred texts. They explore the cultural and social dimensions of religion along with a consideration of religious values and ethics, from comparative and cross-cultural perspectives with relation to global issues.
Courses
The courses in the undergraduate program are writing intensive. They enable students to study and analyze religious ideas and symbols and give them the skills they need to present well-argued papers.
Minors
Students majoring in religious studies are encouraged to do one of the many minors offered by the college. See Minors and Interdisciplinary Minors on the College of Humanities and Social Sciences page.
The department also offers minors in religious studies and Judaic studies, both of which are available to students in all majors in the university.
Graduate Program
The department sponsors the concentration in religious studies in the interdisciplinary studies, MAIS. This concentration is designed for students who are interested in exploring the world’s major religions at the graduate level. Students study the development and interaction of the global religious traditions that influence human identity, behavior, culture, and values. They investigate the effects that historical crises and the forces of change have on religion, placing contemporary religious pluralism and inter-religious dialog in a global context.
Department Faculty
Professors
Young Chan Ro
Aziz Sachedina
John Turner
Emeritus Professors
John Barclay Burns
Cuong Tu Nguyen
Associate Professors
Assistant Professors
Religious Studies (RELI)
100 Level Courses
RELI 100: The Human Religious Experience. 3 credits.
Examines main forms of religious expression as embodied in several important religious traditions in contemporary world. Investigates religious experience; myth and ritual; teachings and scripture; ethical, social, and artistic aspects of religion; and nature and function of religion in human society. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
200 Level Courses
RELI 211: Introduction to Religions of the "West". 3 credits.
Focuses on Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and other global and local religions of Europe, Asia Minor, north Africa, and the Americas from historical, comparative, and cross-cultural perspectives. May include modern developments of religions like Mormonism, Baha'ism, and Scientology as well as other religions of ancient Asia Minor like Zoroastrianism. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Specialized Designation: Non-Western Culture
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 212: Introduction to Religions of Asia. 3 credits.
Focuses on the traditional religions from Asia, particularly Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism, and Confusianism from historical, comparative, and cross-cultural perspectives. May also include Jainism, Sihk, Shinto, native shamanism, and others as well as modern developments after European colonialism and these traditions' growth as global religions. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Specialized Designation: Non-Western Culture
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 235: Religion and Literature. 3 credits.
Explores the relationship between religion and literature in different times and cultures, the influence of religion on literary works, and how literature expresses major religious themes such as death and immortality, divine will and justice, suffering and human destiny, and religion and state. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Mason Core: Mason Core (All), Literature
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 236: Religion and Film. 3 credits.
Surveys representations of religious beliefs, practices, persons, and institutions in popular film. Focuses on the media consumption of box office movies in the United States. Examines how religion is imaged in film and how that religious imagination relates to social constructions of national, ethnic, racial, gender, and sexual identities. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 237: Religion and Art. 3 credits.
The course examines both the way that religious stories, images, ideas, and values have influenced the production and experience of art, and how art has historically been a primary means to express religious thought, feeling, and meaning. Thus, this course will examine the arts across different religions. The course will also examine the extent to which the artistic experience may be thought of as a kind of "religious" experience, and how even civil art projects convey a kind of civic or national "religion." Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Mason Core: Mason Core (All), Arts
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 240: Death and the Afterlife in Religion. 3 credits.
Explores how selected world religions address the universal experience of death and express their beliefs in an afterlife. Focuses on the scriptures, beliefs, rituals and customs of selected world religions as they reflect each tradition's response to the most basic question about human destiny - how human beings face death and attempt to transcend it. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
300 Level Courses
RELI 300: Theories and Methods in Religious Studies. 3 credits.
Basic introduction to interdisciplinary methods, theories, definitions, and thinkers in the academic study of religion. Provides foundation for further comparative studies of religions, concentrated studies of a particular religion, and the understanding of engagement between religion and wider culture. Prerequisite for upper-level courses on religious studies theory and method, such as the writing intensive and synthesis courses in Religious Studies. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 310: Judaism. 3 credits.
Studies Judaism from origins to present. Includes origins of Judaism B.C.E.; Rabbinic Judaism; Jews in the Middle Ages; Hasidic and Mystical Judaism; Enlightenment; persecution and Holocaust; contemporary American Judaism; and Jewish, Christian, and Muslim relations. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 311: Beginnings of Christianity. 3 credits.
Examines early Christian church from time of Jesus to 700 C.E. Covers internal development of Christianity as it formed official doctrines and institutions, and external relations of Christians with followers of other religions in Roman Empire. Special attention to reasons for success of Christianity in Roman world. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 312: Islam. 3 credits.
Introduces basic religious beliefs and practices of Islam, with view to diverse manifestations of Islamic culture in different ethnic and social contexts. Provides overview of essential rituals of Islamic life, mystical practices of Sufis, certain popular forms of religious practice, sources and application of Islamic law, and distinctive Islamic artistic and literary forms. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Specialized Designation: Non-Western Culture
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 313: Hinduism. 3 credits.
Introduces Hindu religion and thought, beliefs, rituals, ethics and religious practices. Emphasis on classical Hinduism, but also covers Hinduism and modernity, modern Hindu movements, and Hinduism as a global religion. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Specialized Designation: Non-Western Culture
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 314: Chinese Philosophies and Religious Traditions. 3 credits.
Surveys major religious traditions and philosophical themes of China including Confucianism, Taoism, and Chinese Buddhism and Neo-Confucianism. Examines foundation of Chinese world view and spirituality by investigating diverse religious traditions that have created tensions and harmony among them. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Specialized Designation: Non-Western Culture
Recommended Prerequisite: RELI 212 or permission of instructor.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 315: Buddhism. 3 credits.
Surveys Buddhist religious traditions. Includes historical development of Buddhism in India, China, and Japan, examining both Theravada and Mahayana traditions; philosophical and religious significance of Buddhism; and social and political implications of Buddhist traditions in South Asian and East Asian countries. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Mason Core: Mason Core (All), Global Understanding
Specialized Designation: Non-Western Culture
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 317: Daoism. 3 credits.
Daoism is one of the most influential philosophical and spiritual traditions in East Asia and especially in China. This course explores philosophical ideas, spiritual orientation, religious practice, and social and political values in Daoist tradition reading classic Daoist texts including Dao De Jing, Chuang-tzu, and other sources. Students will analyze Daoism in light of comparative and cross-cultural studies for global understanding of issues on concepts of nature, human nature, and good and evil. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Specialized Designation: Non-Western Culture
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 318: Korean Philosophy and Religions. 3 credits.
Survey of the religious traditions and philosophical systems of Korea including Shamanism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Christianity. The course will explore the Korean development of the religious traditions and philosophical ideas introduced to Korea in relationship to native Korean spirituality and thought pattern. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Specialized Designation: Non-Western Culture
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 322: Religions of Africa. 3 credits.
Explores traditional religious practices and world views in Africa south of the Sahara, the spread of African religions to the Caribbean and the Americas, the forms that religions imported or imposed from the north have taken in Africa south of the Sahara, and the interaction among the religious cultures of Africa, European Christianity and Islam. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 324: Religion in America. 3 credits.
Religious heritage in American culture, growth of denominations and sects, and interrelationship of religion and sociopolitical life. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 327: Sex and the Bible. 3 credits.
This course explores topics related to gender, sex, and sexuality in selected texts from the Hebrew Bible and New Testament in both their ancient contexts and their usages in the contemporary world. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to two attempts.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 330: Religion, Fantasy and Imagination. 3 credits.
Explores the worlds of religion, fantasy and imagination, presented in selected writings of 20th century fantasy authors, including Lewis, Tolkien, Pullman, Rowling. Covers ideas of quest for enlightenment, redemption or salvation, conflict between good and evil, worlds of the supernatural, parallel dimensions and their inhabitants. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 333: Spiritual Autobiography. 3 credits.
Investigates the genre of autobiography as employed by religious authors, both classical and modern. Introduces students to personal, historical, and religious doctrinal contexts that shape the autobiographical literature. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Mason Core: Mason Core (All), Literature
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 334: American Scriptures. 3 credits.
In this course, students will analyze texts that Americans have treated as “scripture.” Students will read texts that present themselves as scripture, such as selections from the Book of Mormon and a Holy Sacred and Divine Roll and Book (a Shaker text). They will also read texts that have attained a sort of canonicity within American culture, such as the Declaration of Independence and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Students will thus gain more than a valuable familiarity with a variety of American religious traditions. They will also reflect on the way that, even in a digital age, texts continue to shape American identity. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts. Equivalent to HIST 334.
Mason Core: Mason Core (All), Literature
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 335: Paul and His Letters. 3 credits.
This course will focus on the oldest known Christian literature, the letters by Saint Paul. The course will explore these letters in their first-century historical and literary contexts, while also surveying some of the most relevant contemporary theoretical approaches to the letters (e.g., feminist, queer, affective, African American, and economic approaches). Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 336: Jesus and the Gospels. 3 credits.
Examines Gospel accounts of Jesus in context of first-century Christianity. Applies variety of historical and literary methods to gain understanding of Jesus and history and theology of early church. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 338: Qur'an and Hadith. 3 credits.
Explores two primary sources of Islamic belief and practice: Qur'an and Hadith. Discusses thematic structure and literary quality, and examines theological and moral issues. Also introduces various methods of interpretation and critical analysis applied to texts in both Islamic and Western scholarship. Lecture and discussion. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Specialized Designation: Non-Western Culture
Recommended Prerequisite: 3 credits in philosophy and religious studies, or permission of instructor.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 339: The Bible as Literature. 3 credits.
Analyzes the Bible as a collection of literary texts. Course readings will include selections from the Jewish Tanakh and from the Christian New Testament. Students will become familiar with contemporary scholarship on the Bible and sample the Bible's impact on the art and literature of the last millennia. Students will become conversant with concepts such as scripture, canon, source criticism, historical criticism, genre, and reception history. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Mason Core: Mason Core (All), Literature
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 341: Spirituality and Healing. 3 credits.
Cross-cultural investigation of human understandings of relationship between spirituality and health. Beliefs about spiritual causes of sickness and health and spiritual techniques of healing in variety of world cultures placed in context of religious beliefs of those cultures. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Recommended Prerequisite: 30 credits or permission of instructor.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 342: Comparative Study of Mysticism. 3 credits.
Comparative treatment of major expressions of "mysticism" in diverse religious traditions through exploration of various ways of understanding "mystical" experiences. Readings and discussion emphasize one or more religious traditions from southern and eastern Asia (e.g., Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism, etc.) as well as other religious traditions (e.g., Judaism, Christianity, and Islam). Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Specialized Designation: Non-Western Culture
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 343: Sufism. 3 credits.
Examines the tradition of Islamic mysticism, Sufism, through an exploration of the literature produced by Sufis themselves. Provide general introduction to Sufism and its spiritual perspective and investigates various genres of Sufi literature, including hagiography, symbolic scriptural exegesis, spiritual autobiography, didactic allegory and love poetry. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 344: Muhammad: Life and Legacy. 3 credits.
Examines life and character of the founder of Islam, as remembered and understood by Muslims, as well as explores influence of his paradigmatic life and teachings on Islamic religious discourse and culture. Addresses Western critical studies of the accounts of Muhammad's life and contemporary controversies regarding Muhammad. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Specialized Designation: Non-Western Culture
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 345: Catholicism. 3 credits.
With over 1 billion members, the Roman Catholic Church is the largest and oldest single religious institution around the world, and the only official religion with a vote in the United Nations. Focuses on the history of the beliefs, practices, and cultural production and engagement of Catholic Church including Catholicism's dialog with modern secularism and the controversies and challenges facing the Church today. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 346: Evangelical America. 3 credits.
Introduces the intellectual and social sources of evangelical Protestant traditions in the United States. Examines varieties of evangelical beliefs and practices. Surveying a range of themes, including science, sexuality, politics, and environmentalism, students examine how evangelicals have defined themselves in opposition to secular society but also have engaged the secular in an effort to convert souls, manage personal behavior, and transform American society in their image of Christian community. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 347: Mormonism. 3 credits.
Examines the origins and development of Mormonism, as embodied in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other related churches. Introduces students to a critical analysis of Latter-day Saint scriptures, rituals, and history. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 348: American Judaism. 3 credits.
Surveys Jewish religious life focusing on various types of American Judaism such as orthodox, conservative, reform, reconstructionist, as they have developed historically and continue to evolve. Emphasizes issues and challenges facing contemporary Judaism. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Recommended Prerequisite: 3 credits in RELI or PHIL or permission of instructor.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 350: Religion and History of Ancient Israel. 3 credits.
Examines religion and history of ancient Israel from origins around 1250 BCE to Babylonian Exile in 587 BCE. Topics include debate on historical value of biblical narratives, extra-biblical texts mentioning Israel, move from polytheism to monotheism, archaeology and artifacts, and development of Israel's unique religious and historical self-understanding. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 352: Judaism from Exile to Talmud. 3 credits.
Examines Jewish religion, history, and literature from the Babylonian Exile to third century C.E. Special attention to development of Hebrew Bible, Apocalyptic and Apocryphal literature, belief in resurrection and final judgment, Dead Sea Scrolls, Jewish sects, and emergence of Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 357: Gender and the Body in Judaism. 3 credits.
Explores distinctively Jewish approaches to questions of gender, sexuality, and the body as described in the legal, religious, ethical, and literary material in the Jewish tradition. Topics include the "body of God," circumcision, laws of purity, rites of passage, the synagogue, feminist theology, and masculine and feminine stereotypes. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 358: Islamic Thought. 3 credits.
Examines Islamic views on fundamental issues in religious thought, such as nature of God, nature of man, and relationship between God and man as reflected in both divine revelation and human religious vocation. Investigates intellectual approaches to these problems within Islamic tradition, including those of theological, philosophical, and mystical thinkers. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Mason Core: Mason Core (All), Global Understanding
Specialized Designation: Non-Western Culture
Recommended Prerequisite: RELI 211, 3 credits in religious studies, or permission of instructor.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 360: Religion and Politics: Foundations. 3 credits.
Examines the role of religion in the political community from antiquity until 1900. It encompasses questions of church and state, and religion in society. Students analyze texts by Plato, Augustine, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Rousseau, Locke, Tocqueville, and Marx. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 364: Religion and Law in the United States. 3 credits.
Explores issues relating to law and religion. Focuses on the legal doctrines that have arisen in cases under the Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses of the First Amendment. Topics include religion and public schools, government aid to religious institutions, including school vouchers, government endorsement of religious symbols, freedom of religious expression, and freedom of religious practice. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 366: Jewish Political Tradition. 3 credits.
Explores Jewish thinkers' attitudes towards politics and state. Topics include traditional sources, theological and political crisis of modern times, liberal Jewish thought, Zionist ideology, Israel as a separate state, relationship between religion and politics in modern Israel. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Recommended Prerequisite: RELI 211 or permission of instructor.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 367: Islamic Law, Society, and Ethics. 3 credits.
Introduces foundational sources and principles of Islamic Law or shariah. Examines the historical development and application of Islamic law, its role in Muslim societies, and its relationship to Islamic social ideals and ethical discourse. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Specialized Designation: Non-Western Culture
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 368: Islam, Democracy, and Human Rights. 3 credits.
Evaluates the political and religious goals of Muslim societies and governments, and whether these goals are conducive to the development of democratic institutions to promote democratic cultures and explicit support for human rights, as well as to these societies' full integration in an international order founded upon secularism and modernism. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Specialized Designation: Non-Western Culture
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 369: Religion and Revolution in Latin America. 3 credits.
Explores the intersection between Christian and revolutionary thought, such as Marxism and existentialism, in Latin America after the 1960s that formed liberation theology. Emphasis on historical, philosophical and interdisciplinary issues. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Mason Core: Mason Core (All), Global Understanding
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 373: Religion and American Politics. 3 credits.
Examines the relationship between religion and politics in the United States since 1900, with attention to diverse religious, racial, ethnic, and political movements. Students analyze theological traditions within Catholic and Protestant branches of Christianity, from the Social Gospel to the impulses of the Second Vatican Council to the African American Civil Rights Movement. Students also examine the ways that Jews, Muslims, a variety of new religious movements, and unaffiliated Americans approach the relationship between religion and the state. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 383: Holocaust: History and Meaning. 3 credits.
Students examine the Holocaust – the term commonly used to denote the destruction of European Jewry during World War II – within the contexts of twentieth-century
European, Jewish, and global history. The first part of the course, “History,” analyzes the
steps leading to the genocide of the Jews in Europe as well as the factors that enabled its
implementation, focusing on the on the interaction of victims, perpetrators, and
witnesses/bystanders. The second half of the course, “Meaning,” deals thematically
with contemporary interpretations and literary and visual representations of the Holocaust
and its meaning, looking at issues of testimony and how the tension between history and
memory affects how we can learn about the violence and mass murder. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 384: Global History of Christianity. 3 credits.
Explores the history of Christianity around the world in the context of political and social structures as well as religious beliefs and practices. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Specialized Designation: Non-Western Culture
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 385: Modern Christian Thought. 3 credits.
Examines influential Christian thinkers and Christian intellectual trends of the modern period, from the Enlightenment through the present. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 386: Islam in the Modern Age. 3 credits.
Covers the study of the Islamic tradition and its peoples during the last two centuries-the period of Islamic reform in the wake of Western hegemony-and the efforts of the community to readjust itself in light of Westernization and modernization, as well as the broader challenges of the secular, liberal, and technical age. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 388: Cults, Sects and New Religions. 3 credits.
Focuses on various New Religious Movements (NRMs) in the US and wider world, the particular contexts from which they emerged and the impact of their beliefs, practices, depictions in popular culture and media. Critically examines the ways that new religious movements are described such as NRMs, "sects," "cults," etc. in the social sciences and history of religions. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 399: Special Topics in Religious Studies. 3 credits.
Selected topics on either the comparative study of religion, study of a particular kind of religion or aspect of religion, or engagement of religion and other topic (e.g., art, history, culture, politics, etc.). Offered by Religious Studies. May be repeated within the term for a maximum 12 credits.
Specialized Designation: Topic Varies
Recommended Prerequisite: 3 hours of Religious Studies or permission of instructor.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
400 Level Courses
RELI 403: Scripture and Authority in Religious Traditions. 3 credits.
Examines origins, development, and role of Scripture (religious texts) in various historically influential dominant and even less familiar religions, concentrating on concepts of divine inspiration, authority, authenticity, processes of standardization, and approaches in interpretation. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Recommended Prerequisite: 60 credits including 6 credits of Religious Studies or permission of instructor.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 405: Religion, Values, and Globalization. 3 credits.
Explores diverse value systems, ethical norms, and teaching found in different religious traditions and cultures. Examines assumption that globalization is attempt to universalize Western culture. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Recommended Prerequisite: 60 credits, including 6 credits in Religious Studies or permission of instructor.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 407: Women in Religious Traditions. 3 credits.
Seminar course offering theoretical and comparative study of role of women in various historically influential religious traditions such as in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and religions of China. May also include less familiar religions such as Jainism, Zoroastrianism, and Indigenous religions from Africa and of the Americas as well as New Religious Movements. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Recommended Prerequisite: 60 credits; 6 credit hours in Philosophy or Religious Studies.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 420: Capstone Seminar in Studies of Religion. 3 credits.
Senior seminar on a specific topic of relevance to religious studies. Content varies. Notes: May be repeated when topic varies. Students with other majors may be take the course if the topic is sufficiently close to their field of study. Offered by Religious Studies. May be repeated within the term for a maximum 12 credits.
Mason Core: Mason Core (All)
Specialized Designation: Topic Varies, Writing Intensive in Major
Recommended Prerequisite: Major in religious studies with 60 credits including 9 credits or permission of instructor.
Recommended Corequisite: RELI 300
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 425: Directed Readings in Religious Studies. 1-3 credits.
Individual readings and research in religious studies on a topic selected in consultation with instructor. Offered by Religious Studies. May be repeated within the degree for a maximum 6 credits.
Recommended Prerequisite: Major in religious studies with 60 credits including 9 credits in religious studies.
Schedule Type: Independent Study
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 426: Religious Studies Internship. 3 credits.
Course rubric to be used for acquiring academic credit in Religious Studies for religious studies related internships. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Recommended Prerequisite: The completion of 60 undergraduate credits and 12 credits toward the Religious Studies major or minor.
Schedule Type: Internship
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
RELI 490: Comparative Study of Religions. 3 credits.
Cross-cultural examination of comparative aspects of religious phenomena. Examines significance of religious phenomena from diverse religious and cultural perspectives, and investigates patterns of religious phenomena that have appeared in world cultures and civilizations. Offered by Religious Studies. Limited to three attempts.
Mason Core: Mason Core (All), Mason Apex
Specialized Designation: Topic Varies, Non-Western Culture
Recommended Prerequisite: 9 credits in religious studies including RELI 211 and RELI 212, or permission of instructor.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
500 Level Courses
RELI 591: Special Topics in Religious Studies. 3 credits.
Topics in religious studies selected by importance in the field and pertinent to the role of religion in society and culture. Emphasis on historical, interdisciplinary, and cross-cultural issues. Notes: May be repeated when topic is different with permission of department. Offered by Religious Studies. May be repeated within the term for a maximum 12 credits.
Specialized Designation: Topic Varies
Registration Restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Enrollment is limited to Graduate, Non-Degree or Undergraduate level students.
Students in a Non-Degree Undergraduate degree may not enroll.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
600 Level Courses
RELI 600: Interdisciplinary Pathways in the Study of Religion. 3 credits.
A co-taught course by Religious Studies faculty that introduces students to the graduate study of religion through a survey of different lines of inquiry in the field and different methodological approaches in the discipline. Offered by Religious Studies. May not be repeated for credit.
Registration Restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Students in a Non-Degree Undergraduate degree may not enroll.
Schedule Type: Seminar
Grading:
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
RELI 630: Theories and Methods in the Study of Religion. 3 credits.
Examines study of religion as academic discipline. Evaluates various intellectual approaches and methods used in study of religious phenomena. Offered by Religious Studies. May not be repeated for credit.
Registration Restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Enrollment is limited to Graduate, Non-Degree or Undergraduate level students.
Students in a Non-Degree Undergraduate degree may not enroll.
Schedule Type: Seminar
Grading:
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
RELI 632: Interreligious Dialogue. 3 credits.
Examines the philosophical and theoretical foundation for religious pluralism and dialogue and different approaches to interreligious dialogue and understanding among leading interreligious thinkers. Offered by Religious Studies. May not be repeated for credit.
Registration Restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Enrollment is limited to Graduate, Non-Degree or Undergraduate level students.
Students in a Non-Degree Undergraduate degree may not enroll.
Schedule Type: Seminar
Grading:
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
RELI 633: Issues in Religious Ethics. 3 credits.
Examines how perceptions of ultimate reality shape ethical values and behaviors of various religious traditions. Addresses problems in interpretation of authoritative foundational teachings in contemporary contexts. Special attention to non-Western religions. Offered by Religious Studies. May be repeated within the degree for a maximum 9 credits.
Registration Restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Enrollment is limited to Graduate, Non-Degree or Undergraduate level students.
Students in a Non-Degree Undergraduate degree may not enroll.
Schedule Type: Seminar
Grading:
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
RELI 634: Topics in American Religion. 3 credits.
Examines key issues related to religion in North America and the United States. Topics may include evangelicalism/revivalism; religion and the American founding; religious conversion; the intersection of religion and race; new religious movements; religion and immigration. Offered by Religious Studies. May not be repeated for credit.
Registration Restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Students in a Non-Degree Undergraduate degree may not enroll.
Schedule Type: Seminar
Grading:
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
RELI 635: World Religions in Transition and Transformation. 3 credits.
Explores transitions and transformations in selected world religions as they respond to and influence forces of cultural change, social values, and the crises of history. Fresh or modified constructions of the sacred and their relationship to world and humans will be examined. Offered by Religious Studies. May be repeated within the degree for a maximum 6 credits.
Registration Restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Enrollment is limited to Graduate, Non-Degree or Undergraduate level students.
Students in a Non-Degree Undergraduate degree may not enroll.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
RELI 636: Religion and the Natural Environment. 3 credits.
Explores contemporary religious thought on the morality and ethics of environmental responsibility. Begins with an exploration of this issue in Western Christian thought and examines religious approaches to the environment in the traditional and contemporary thought of other major world religions, including Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and the Chinese traditions. Offered by Religious Studies. May not be repeated for credit.
Registration Restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Enrollment is limited to Graduate, Non-Degree or Undergraduate level students.
Students in a Non-Degree Undergraduate degree may not enroll.
Schedule Type: Seminar
Grading:
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
RELI 637: Religion and Secularity in State and Society. 3 credits.
Examines the relationship between religion, state, society, and law in modern contexts, and across the global and religious spectrum, through the lens of different theoretical approaches to this issue. Offered by Religious Studies. May not be repeated for credit.
Registration Restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Students in a Non-Degree Undergraduate degree may not enroll.
Schedule Type: Seminar
Grading:
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
RELI 640: Religion and Law. 3 credits.
Focuses on United States Supreme Court decisions on religion clauses over the last 50 years. Provides a close reading of court's opinions and considers material from religious legal traditions. Covers contemporary political debates on issues like prayer in public schools, displays of religious symbols, ceremonial references to God, and public aid to religious schools. Offered by Religious Studies. May not be repeated for credit.
Registration Restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Enrollment is limited to Graduate, Non-Degree or Undergraduate level students.
Students in a Non-Degree Undergraduate degree may not enroll.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
RELI 644: Islamic Texts and Contexts. 3 credits.
Introduces foundational Islamic texts; scholarly traditions of commentary, criticism and analysis on these texts; and application and significance of these texts in contemporary Islamic discourses. Offered by Religious Studies. May not be repeated for credit.
Registration Restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Enrollment is limited to Graduate, Non-Degree or Undergraduate level students.
Students in a Non-Degree Undergraduate degree may not enroll.
Schedule Type: Seminar
Grading:
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
RELI 645: Muslim Comparative Theologies: Sunni-Shi`i Religious Thought. 3 credits.
Compares and analyzes Sunni and Shi`ite theologies, with particular attention to the historical development of Muslim creed in the context of social and political conditions, and the essential differences between the Sunni and Shi'ite schools of thought. Offered by Religious Studies. May not be repeated for credit.
Registration Restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Enrollment is limited to Graduate, Non-Degree or Undergraduate level students.
Students in a Non-Degree Undergraduate degree may not enroll.
Schedule Type: Seminar
Grading:
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
RELI 646: Islam and Human Rights. 3 credits.
Compares the conception of human rights in international human rights documents and accords with conceptions of human rights in classical Islamic theological, legal, and ethical texts. Examines various relevant issues, including but not limited to religious and gender discrimination, slavery, freedom of religion and belief and apostasy, and questions of punishment. Offered by Religious Studies. May not be repeated for credit.
Registration Restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Enrollment is limited to Graduate, Non-Degree or Undergraduate level students.
Students in a Non-Degree Undergraduate degree may not enroll.
Schedule Type: Seminar
Grading:
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
RELI 660: Islamic Biomedical Ethics. 3 credits.
Examination of the foundations of religious ethics and ethical principles developed by Muslims to solve bioethical problems. Relates ethical principles to the moral experience of contemporary Muslims, and explores the role of human experience and intuitive reasoning in deriving ethical decisions. Offered by Religious Studies. May not be repeated for credit.
Registration Restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Enrollment is limited to Graduate, Non-Degree or Undergraduate level students.
Students in a Non-Degree Undergraduate degree may not enroll.
Schedule Type: Seminar
Grading:
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.