Graduate Level Courses in Religion
Note that those courses that are listed as being both 4000/6000 level courses
can be taken by undergraduates for undergraduate (4000 level) credit.
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RELI 4001/6001. Old Testament/Hebrew Bible Literature. 3 hours.
Oasis Title: OT/HEB BIBLE LIT.
Undergraduate prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or permission of department.
The nature, content, and problems of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, with attention
given to historical data, literary forms, and ancient Near Eastern cultural
backgrounds.
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RELI 4002/6002. Prophetic Literature of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible. 3 hours.
Oasis Title: PROPHETIC LIT OT/HB.
Undergraduate prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or permission of department.
The origin and development of the phenomenon of prophecy as it existed throughout
the history of ancient Israel.
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RELI 4003/6003. Ancient Israelite Religion. 3 hours.
Oasis Title: ANC ISRAELITE REL.
Undergraduate prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or permission of department.
Origins of the religion of ancient Israel, its emergence from and continuities
with ancient West Semitic religion and culture. Historical and comparative methods,
emphasizing current knowledge of Near Eastern history and religions contemporary
with ancient Israel.
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RELI 4040/6040. Apocalyptic Literature. 3 hours.
Oasis Title: APOCALYPTIC LIT.
Undergraduate prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or permission of department.
Apocalyptic literature from its origins in the sixth and fifth centuries BCE
down to its flourishing in Hellenistic and Roman times. Texts to be studied
include Isaiah 24-27, 40-66, Zechariah 9-14, Joel, Malachi, Daniel, I Enoch,
IV Ezra, Baruch, Qumran material, Mark 13 and the Book of Revelation. Questions
bearing on contemporary theological significance will also be discussed.
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RELI 4070/6070. Judaism. 3 hours.
Oasis Title: JUDAISM.
Undergraduate prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or permission of department.
The interaction of Jewish history and Western civilization, with emphasis upon
the development of Jewish religion in the biblical, rabbinic, and modern periods.
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RELI 4071/6071. The Holocaust. 3 hours.
Oasis Title: HOLOCAUST.
Undergraduate prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or permission of department.
The background and legacy of the destruction of European Jewry from 1933 to
1945. Topics include: the historical context, Holocaust art, literature, and
film, the reactions of rescuers and bystanders, and theological issues raised
by the Holocaust.
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RELI 4072/6072. American Judaism. 3 hours.
Oasis Title: AMERICAN JUDAISM.
Undergraduate prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or permission of department.
An examination of what it means, and has meant, to be a Jew in the United States,
with emphasis upon the historical experience and religious expressions of American
Jews.
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RELI 4080/6080. New Testament Literature. 3 hours.
Oasis Title: NEW TESTAMENT LIT.
Undergraduate prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or permission of department.
The nature, content, and problems of New Testament literature, with particular
attention given to its canonization and textual transmission.
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RELI 4081/6081. Jesus. 3 hours.
Oasis Title: JESUS.
Undergraduate prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or permission of department.
Although primarily a study of what Jesus taught, attention is given to the literary
and environmental background of his teaching, the historical life of the teacher,
and the contemporary validity of what he taught.
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RELI 4082/6082. Life and Letters of Paul. 3 hours.
Oasis Title: LIFE-LETTERS PAUL.
Undergraduate prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or permission of department.
An historical-exegetical study of the life and letters of Paul, the relation
between Acts and the Pauline epistles, early non-Pauline Gentile Christianity,
Pauline theology, and its lasting impression on Christianity.
Offered spring semester every odd-numbered year.
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RELI 4083/6083. The New Testament World. 3 hours.
Oasis Title: NEW TESTAMENT WORLD.
Undergraduate prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or permission of department.
The political, social and religious influences on the New Testament writings.
Special attention is given to intertestamental Judaism and Hellenistic and Roman
religion as background to New Testament Christianity.
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RELI 4101/6101. History of Christian Theology (Ancient-Medieval). 3 hours.
Oasis Title: CHRST THEO ANCT/MED.
Undergraduate prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or permission of department.
The development of Christian thought from the first through the fourteenth century
as expressed in the writings and practices of the Christian community and its
leading thinkers.
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RELI 4102/6102. History of Christian Theology (Modern-Contemporary). 3 hours.
Oasis Title: CHRSTN THEO/MOD-CON.
Undergraduate prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or permission of department.
The development of Christian thought from the fifteenth century to the present
as expressed in the writings and practices of the Christian community and its
leading thinkers.
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RELI 4105/6105. Women in Christian History. 3 hours.
Oasis Title: WOMEN CHRISTN HIST.
Undergraduate prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or permission of department.
The relationship between women and Christianity, particularly concerning matters
involving gender equality in church and society.
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RELI 4107/6107. American Religious History. 3 hours.
Oasis Title: AMERICAN REL HIST.
Undergraduate prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or permission of department.
Major and innovative religious organizations, ideas, movements, and personalities
as they express themselves in particular religious settings as well as the manner
in which they have influenced other aspects of American culture.
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RELI(AFAM) 4201/6201. African American Religious History. 3 hours.
Oasis Title: AFRCN AM REL HIST.
Undergraduate prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or permission of department.
The religious traditions of African Americans from Colonial times to the present;
major religious movements, personalities, and ideas and their relationship to
various aspects of American culture.
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RELI(AFAM) 4202/6202. Southern Religious History. 3 hours.
Oasis Title: SOUTHERN REL HIST.
Undergraduate prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or permission of department.
The origins, growth, and current practices of religion in the American South.
The interaction between religion and other aspects of Southern culture, such
as racial and gender concerns, education, Darwinian science, temperance, and
politics.
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RELI(AFAM) 4203/6203. The Bible in the Black Church. 3 hours.
Oasis Title: BIBLE BLACK CHURCH.
Undergraduate prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or permission of department.
Biblical interpretation in black America from 1865 to the present.
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RELI 4300/6300. Islam and Its World. 3 hours.
Oasis Title: ISLAM AND ITS WORLD.
Undergraduate prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or permission of department.
Islam as a religious and sociocultural phenomenon. The fundamental principles
of the Islamic faith, Qu'ran, the Sunna of Muhammad, Islamic sectarianism, Islamic
law, theology, and mysticism, and themes in Islamic art. The course will also
survey Islam in its various forms throughout the world.
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RELI 4301/6301. Islamic Thought in the Caliphal Age. 3 hours.
Oasis Title: ISLAMIC THOUGHT.
Undergraduate prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or permission of department.
Islamic scholarship from the eighth through the fourteenth centuries. Principal
topics covered will include the Qur'an and Qur'anic exegesis, the Hadith tradition,
Islamic law, theology, philosophy, and Sufi mysticism.
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RELI 4302/6302. Islam and the Modern World. 3 hours.
Oasis Title: ISLAM/MODERN WORLD.
Undergraduate prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or permission of department.
Islamic modernism and revivalism as a response to Western cultural penetration
since the eighteenth century. Subjects covered will include Sufi reformism,
Wahhabism, the Salafiyya movement, Islamic "Fundamentalism," the Iranian
Revolution, women's rights, and Western perceptions of Islam.
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RELI 4303/6303. The Sufi Way. 3 hours.
Oasis Title: THE SUFI WAY.
Undergraduate prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or permission of department.
Islamic mysticism, both as a set of metaphysical doctrines and as it is expressed
in religious practices. Particular attention will be given to the doctrinal
development of Sufism, its literature, major figures, and the process of consciousness
transformation.
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RELI(CMLT) 4307/6307. Comparative Islamic Literature. 3 hours.
Oasis Title: COMP ISLAMIC LIT.
Undergraduate prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or permission of department.
The major genres of Islamic literature and its principle concepts, covering
Qur'anic, hadith, legal and political literature, philosophy, theology, historiography,
hagiography, and poetry, emphasizing the Medieval period and mystical prose
and poetry primarily in Arabic, Persian, and Turkish. The works will be in English
translation. A writing intensive course.
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RELI 4400/6400. The History of Religions. 3 hours.
Oasis Title: HISTORY OF RELIGION.
Undergraduate prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or permission of department.
The nature of early primitive religions and the main outlines of the chief living
religions of the world. The method will be both historical and analytical.
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RELI 4401/6401. The Buddhist Tradition. 3 hours.
Oasis Title: BUDDHIST TRADITION.
Undergraduate prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or permission of department.
Buddhism from its origin in the life and teachings of the Buddha through the
period of philosophical ferment in India, and its thought and institutions in
the East and the West up to the present.
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RELI 4402/6402. Confucianism and Chinese Tradition. 3 hours.
Oasis Title: CONFUCIANISM.
Undergraduate prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or permission of department.
Confucianism and its place in traditional Chinese religion, thought, and culture.
Emphasis on the teachings of foundational thinkers such as Confucius, Mencius,
and Hsun-tzu.
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RELI 4403/6403. The Taoist Tradition. 3 hours.
Oasis Title: TAOIST TRADITION.
Undergraduate prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or permission of department.
Taoism and its place in traditional Chinese religion, thought, and culture.
Emphasis on the classical texts, Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu; the evolution of the
later Taoist religion; and the many varieties of Taoist spirituality.
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RELI 4404/6404. Japanese Religion. 3 hours.
Oasis Title: JAPANESE RELIGION.
Undergraduate prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or permission of department.
Religion in Japan from earliest times to the present, with emphasis upon Shinto,
the domestication of Buddhism, and the relationship of religion to the Japanese
state and "national identity." Particular attention given to the development
of Zen in Japan.
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RELI(PHIL) 4500/6500. Philosophy of Religion. 3 hours.
Oasis Title: PHY OF RELIGION.
Undergraduate prerequisite: RELI 1003 or PHIL 1000 or PHIL 2200 or PHIL 2400.
The meaning, nature, and validity of religious discourse, beliefs, and practices,
involving theories concerning the existence and nature of God and humanity's
relation to God.
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RELI 4510/6510. Indian Philosophy and Religion. 3 hours.
Oasis Title: INDIAN PHY AND REL.
Undergraduate prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or permission of department.
Traces the path of India's religious and philosophical thought from the Indus
civilization to the present. Attention will be given to interpreting the orthodox
Hindu systems as well as Buddhism and their related religious practices, ethics,
castes, and sects.
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RELI 4520/6520. Constructive Theology. 3 hours.
Oasis Title: CONSTRUCTIVE THEO.
Undergraduate prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or permission of department.
The aims, methods, and content of theology as related to the theistic religions
of humanity.
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RELI 4530/6530. Theology and Culture. 3 hours.
Oasis Title: THEOLOGY/CULTURE.
Undergraduate prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or permission of department.
The relation of theology to philosophy, science, technology, and the arts, with
special attention to the theological attempts to deal with the impact of science
and technology upon culture and civilization.
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RELI(ANTH) 4640/6640. Anthropology of Religion. 3 hours.
Oasis Title: ANT OF RELIGION.
Undergraduate prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or permission of department.
Anthropological approaches to the world's major religions as they relate to
complex societies.
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RELI 4910/6910. Topics in Asian Religions. 3 hours. Repeatable for maximum 9
hours credit. 9 hours lab per week.
Oasis Title: TOPICS ASIAN REL.
Undergraduate prerequisite: RELI 3300 or permission of department.
Selected topics in the study of one or more of the religions of Asia.
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RELI 7000. Master's Research. 1-3 hours. Repeatable for maximum 15 hours credit.
Oasis Title: MASTER'S RESEARCH.
Prerequisite: Permission of department.
Research while enrolled for a master's degree under the direction of faculty
members.
Non-traditional format: Independent research under the direction of a faculty
member.
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RELI 7300. Master's Thesis. 1-3 hours. Repeatable for maximum 15 hours credit.
Oasis Title: MASTER'S THESIS.
Prerequisite: Permission of department.
Thesis writing under the direction of the major professor.
Non-traditional format: Independent research and thesis preparation.
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RELI 7770. Theories and
Methods in Religious Study and Pedagogy. 3 hours.
Oasis Title: REL STDY & PEDAGOGY.
Theories, methodologies, and issues involved in the academic study, research,
and teaching of religion. This course is required of all entering graduate students
in religion and open to students in other departments.
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RELI 8450. Seminar in Problems and Topics in Biblical Research. 3 hours. Repeatable
for maximum 9 hours credit. 1 hour lecture and 2 hours lab per week.
Oasis Title: SEM BIBL RSCH.
Major issues in Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) and/or New Testament research.
Pentateuchal criticism, prophecy, apocalyptic movements, wisdom literature,
the history of Religion of Ancient Israel, the text of the New Testament, the
canon of the New Testament, Synoptic Gospels, Jesus, and Paul. Some topics will
require a reading knowledge of Greek and/or Hebrew.
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RELI 8460. Seminar in Problems and Topics in Judaism. 3 hours. Repeatable for
maximum 9 hours credit. 1 hour lecture and 2 hours lab per week.
Oasis Title: SEMINAR IN JUDIASM.
A major field or issue in Judaic studies such as Rabbinic literature, Jewish
Mysticism, or Post-Holocaust Theology, or a particular Jewish thinker or school
of thought. Some topics will require a reading knowledge of Hebrew.
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RELI 8480. Seminar in Problems and Topics in Islamic Research. 3 hours. Repeatable
for maximum 9 hours credit. 1 hour lecture and 2 hours lab per week.
Oasis Title: SEM IN ISLAMIC RSCH.
Major issues in Islamic studies, Qur'anic exegesis, Islamic law, philosophy,
history, literature, hadith, sectarianism, and Sufism.
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RELI 8490. Seminar in Problems and Topics in Asian Religions. 3 hours. Repeatable
for maximum 9 hours credit. 1 hour lecture and 2 hours lab per week.
Oasis Title: SEM IN ASIAN REL.
Issues in one or more religions of South or East Asia, focusing on textual,
historical, and/or interpretive problems.
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RELI 8500. Seminar in the History of Christian Thought. 3 hours. Repeatable
for maximum 9 hours credit. 1 hour lecture and 2 hours lab per week.
Oasis Title: SEM HIS CHRIST THGT.
Prerequisite: RELI 4102/6102 or permission of department.
The life, thought, and religious activities of a selected major or innovative
Christian leader and his/her impact on the development of Christianity.
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RELI 8510. Seminar in Problems and Topics in Theology. 3 hours. Repeatable for
maximum 9 hours credit. 1 hour lecture and 2 hours lab per week.
Oasis Title: SEMINAR IN THEOLOGY.
Prerequisite: Permission of department.
Traditional and contemporary problems and topics in theology. Substantive and
methodological issues will be addressed.
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RELI 8520. Seminar in Christian Theologians. 3 hours. Repeatable for maximum
9 hours credit. 1 hour lecture and 2 hours lab per week.
Oasis Title: CHRISTIAN THEOLGNS.
Prerequisite: Permission of department.
The works of Christian theologians both past and present. Substantive and methodological
issues will be addressed.
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(RELI)PHIL 8630. Seminar in Philosophy of Religion. 3 hours. Repeatable for
maximum 9 hours credit.
Oasis Title: SEM PHIL OF REL.
Prerequisite: Permission of department.
Major topics in the philosophy of religion, such as the nature and existence
of God, the problem of evil, and the character of religious discourse.
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RELI 8700. Seminar in Problems and Topics in Religion Research. 3 hours. Repeatable
for maximum 12 hours credit.
Oasis Title: SEM RELIGION RSCH.
Prerequisite: Permission of department.
Major issues in religion research. Topics will vary according to the area of
discussion. Such areas will include biblical studies, religious history and
philosophy, rabbinics, Islamics, Buddhism, canonical criticism.
Offered fall, spring, and summer semesters every year.
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