REL - Religion

History of the Hebrew nation. Addresses Old Testament in light of the historical situation and prophetic literature in its relation to Christian tradition.

Addresses literature and teaching of the New Testament in light of the historical situation and authority of the New Testament for faith and practice.

Course designed around special theories, practices, or areas of interest of an individual or group.

Examines historical background to the Gospels, the uniqueness of the genre and the content of the four Gospels with sensitivity to the particular theological emphasis of each of the evangelists.

Course examines the history and contemporary manifestations of the Christian spiritual tradition. Students use academic study and spiritual experience to learn about Christian spirituality and way the Church has and does experience the Spirit of God.

Course examines period of Jewish history from 587 B.C.E. to 70 C.E. The course focuses on Jewish history (biblical and nonbiblical) and the application of lessons learned from this period to the Gospels and the early church.

Overview of the theological, philosophical, administrative, and practical ministry issues necessary to become an effective youth minister.

Introduces basic theological categories traditionally included within Christian systematic theologies; Revelation, God, Christology (the doctrine of Christ) and Ecclesiology (the doctrine of the Church). Categories are approached from both a historical and contemporary perspective.

Course explores the call to ministry. Topics include the work of the church, the definition of a church ministry, and skills necessary to carry out a calling from God. Experiential component in mentoring situation required.

Introduces some of the more significant themes of Christian thought today. Themes include both traditional concepts and more contemporary developments in religious thought. Emphasis on one's personal interaction with these themes.

Introduces basic concepts of philosophy of religion. Addresses meaning of religion in context of ritual, worship, morality, and the sacred.

An in-depth study of a particular Biblical book, varies from year to year.

Examines 2000 year-old relationship between Jews and Christians, including Jewish and Christian history after 30 C.E., issues surrounding the Christian Jesus, anti-semitism, the Holocaust, the nation of Israel today, the place of Israel in God's plan of salvation, and present day Jewish-Christian relations.

Survey of the theologically central documents of the Hebrew bible. Designed to acquaint students with the characters, concepts and events which lay the foundations for the Jewish, Christian (and in some cases, Muslim) religious traditions.

Explores function of myth, ritual and symbol in anthropological and psychological thought through interdisciplinary framework.

Examines concept of worldview and its importance. Surveys a number of viable contemporary worldview options (e.g., Marxist, Darwinian Evolutionistic, New Age, Postmodern) and analyzes them in light of their philosophical coherence and relationship to orthodox Christianity.

Promotes further reflection upon central Christian doctrines: pneumatology (the doctrine of the Holy Spirit); Anthropology (the doctrine of Humanity); Soteriology (the doctrine of salvation); and Eschatology (the doctrine of the last things).

An introduction to the Hebrew language. Explore biblical texts in their original languages and pursue exegetical and interpretive work in those languages.

Examines key issues relating to Biblical literature including historical uniqueness, reliability, historical Jesus, interpretation, and authority of the Bible.

Interdisciplinary seminar which examines myths, symbols, and ritual in Kenya as intersections of popular culture, spiritual life, political history, and sacred spaces. The course culminates in travel to Kenya, including field experience, original research, and reflective writing. Cross listed with LAS 33000 and ENG 33000.

Examines the beginnings, development and the current state of liberation theology in its various forms and explore a reading of the Biblical text that pays special attention to the oppressed and excluded.

Enables participants to increase their knowledge of Judaism, Catholicism and Protestantism. Develop awareness of own ultimate concerns. Analyze and identify way religion relates to modern societal issues. Provides biblical and historical investigation of origins and common roots of faiths, as well as distinct differences among them.

Studies different ways human beings, throughout time and around the globe, have expressed what they regard as basic problems and meanings of existence and how to deal with them. Provides tools to use in unlocking experiences central to several primitive, Oriental and Hebraic religious traditions. Lecture, slides, music, sacred texts, scholarly literature, and class discussion assists in relating personal experiences to themes of world's religions. Prerequisites: REL 10223 Introduction to the Gospels and REL 11023 Christian Thought I, or consent of instructor.

Examines Gospel literature as it relates to Jesus. Considers various historical approaches to the life and ministry of Jesus. Explores the significance of Jesus.

Through videos, classroom discussions, lectures, demonstrations, projects, text readings, and visits to spiritual centers, explore questions such as: What is a spiritual quest? What does holy mean? How do individuals and groups encounter the holy? How does one use religious language, stories and scripture? What is the purpose of rites and how do they work? What problems arise with various ideas about God, good and evil, sex, healing, and human destiny? What is the future of religion?

Course will explore the process of spiritual transformation and how its processes and elements are reflected in film.

Examine basic assumptions and beliefs of pluralism and Christianity. Investigate how worldviews interact, challenge, and confront one another. Study church history, modernity, post modernity, and Christianity and its liberal, evangelical, and conservative components.

Introduce the formulation of theology from the perspective of women's experience. Feminist and womanist theology's contributions to the doctrine of God, atonement theories, scriptural interpretation, and spirituality are explored. Insights offered by women theologians from around the world and across religious traditions. Emphasizes equality, ecology, justice and reading lives as texts.

Students study the history behind the origins of Christianity. Course has a mandatory field experience to Israel and key cities where the Gospel was spread and churches were formed.

Mixture of classics and contemporary writings selected through consultation with student. Studies various understanding of the relationship of faith to life in society. Explores major models for understanding the moral life.

Practical experience in major area of study. Arranged individually and taken after completion of major coursework.

Introduction to elements of grammar and vocabulary of Koine Greek. Includes reading and interpreting the New Testament Greek. Prerequisites: REL 10223 Introduction to the Gospels, REL 11023 Christian Thought I and either ENG 23723 Intermediate Writing or ENG 31053 Advanced Expository Writing.

Covers basic teachings of sacred literature of Zoroastrianism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Daoism.

Introduces basic belief and traditions in early Christian thought. Includes history of the Hebrew nation and the Old Testament.

Explores scientific methodology, religious methodology and the relationship between these domains of inquiry. Brief survey of the historical relationship between science and religion (e.g., Christianity and the rise of western scientific method, the Galileo affair, etc.) and contemporary controversial issues such as Big Bang and evolution. Crosslisted with BIO 41523, LAS 41523.

Course examines the reasons and impact of a major demographic shift in world Christianity. Assesses the great increases in the Christian population as found in Africa, Latin America, and Asia and how this impacts America and the world in the post-Christian West era. Topics include a projection of the look of the Christian mainstream at the end of the 21st century.

Examines the life of Paul in relation to his career and his epistles.

Encourages students to become better acquainted with the theology of their own tradition (if they understand themselves as being in a particular tradition) and better acquainted with the theology of the wider Christian community. Can be offered as an overview course or specialized course concentrating on particular issues or theologians.

Specialized study of recent scholarship regarding the life and times of Jesus. Seminar draws on current videos, work of The Jesus Seminar, and contributions of various scholars.

Course will explore spiritual transformation and how processes and elements are reflected in film. Using a model of transformation the course will explore the elements of leaving the Ordinary World/Home, Answering the Call, Wandering in the wilderness (Exodus), the Awakening/Transformation, and Returning Home. Course explores how these elements have been reflected in contemporary film.

Comprehensive in Religion capstone course that guides student in development of integrative projects that demonstrate achievement of learning outcomes.

A comparative study of the early Christian Gospels including some not found in the New Testament. Relationships between the Gospels, the similarities and differences in their messages, the reasons for their inclusion or exclusion from the New Testament, and recent discoveries and theories of interpretation will be explored. Students will research individual topics for research and presentations.