*Religion 97. Tutorial — Sophomore Year
Catalog Number: 7608
Brian C. W. Palmer
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 17, 18
Note: Required of concentrators.
*Religion 98a. Tutorial — Junior Year
Catalog Number: 2832
Brian C. W. Palmer and assistants
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Note: Required of concentrators.
*Religion 98b. Tutorial — Junior Year
Catalog Number: 2922
Brian C. W. Palmer and assistants
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Note: Required of concentrators.
*Religion 99. Tutorial — Senior Year
Catalog Number: 6498
Brian C. W. Palmer and assistants
Full course. Hours to be arranged.
A required component of the senior year tutorial is a monthly seminar, led by the Assistant Head Tutor. Covers research methods and strategies in thesis writing in the fall, becoming an intensive review for general examinations in the spring.
Note: Required of concentrators.
Religion 1004. Religious Dimensions in Human Experience
Catalog Number: 9089
David L. Carrasco
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., at 11. EXAM GROUP: 13
A critical introduction to major themes in the history of religions including religious experience, cosmic cities, ritual violence, charisma, ancestors and ghosts, the death of God(s), search for the soul, identity and ethnicity. A robust study of religious claims in Judeo-Christian, Islamic, Hindu traditions and Latin American and African American Religions by reading Toni Morrison, Tomas Eloy Martinez, Diana Eck, Mircea Eliade, Leila Ahmed and others.
Note: Offered at the Divinity School as HDS 3160.
[Religion 1007. Religion in Multicultural America]
Catalog Number: 3416
Diana L. Eck
Half course (fall term). . EXAM GROUP: 12
An exploration of the changing religious landscape of the US, looking at the history and dynamic interaction of the various religious traditions that now compose the American religious scene. Focuses on the religious life of Asian-Americans—Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, Jain—and on the African-American and immigrant traditions of Islam. Throughout is a dual focus on how the various religious traditions are changing in the American environment and how America is changing in this new multireligious context.
Note: Expected to be given in 2002–03. Offered jointly with the Divinity School as 3221.
[Religion 1008. Practicing Religion]
Catalog Number: 1834 Enrollment: Limited
Kimerer LaMothe
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
When studying religion, how important is it for a scholar to consider what people actually do? What is the relationship between what a person or community practices and what a person or community believes? Between religious ideas and religious actions? Or between sacred texts and ritual performance? This course investigates the recent explosion of theories on practice and performance as these theories are being used to illuminate questions in and about the field of religious studies. Readings may include: Freud, Foucault, Merleau-Ponty, Bordieu, de Certeau, Bell, Schechner, Butler, and others.
Note: Expected to be given in 2002–03. Jointly offered by the Divinity School as 2446.
Prerequisite: Sophomore Tutorial or coursework in theory and method, philosophy, cultural studies, or the equivalent.
[Religion 1009. Designing a World Religion Museum]
Catalog Number: 4290
Lawrence E. Sullivan (Divinity School)
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
If you could design a World Religion Museum, how would you do it? Impassioned public debates surround the treatment of religion in museums, where research, education, and entertainment are displayed in revealing ways. This course asks how we learn and teach about religion in a plural society. As leisure time and access to “other” cultures grow, museums crystallize questions about the relationship of: art to religion, education to entertainment, object to community, self-representation to representation of the “other.” How do you reconcile the authority of social institutions with the ongoing creativity of living communities? What context best discloses the meaning of religious art: patronage, patrimony, property, or performance? Drawing on existing models and new proposals, students will develop defensible intellectual concepts and cultural content for a museum. This course will be offered in collaboration with the School of Design, the School of Education, and other Harvard graduate programs to produce model museums, replete with content and educational programs.
Note: Expected to be given in 2003–04. Offered by the Divinity School as 3323.
[Religion 1012a. Dreams and Dreaming]
Catalog Number: 5216
Kimberley C. Patton (Divinity School)
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
The course will consider the religious role of the dream as initiatory experience, metaphor for aboriginal time, gateway to the other world, venue for the divine guide, revelation, healing event, “royal road” to the unconscious, occasion for quest or journey, epistemological paradox, and divinatory omen of the personal or collective future. Theories of dreams, the history of dream interpretation, and the relationship of dreams to both myth and ritual will be examined cross-culturally. The course will also evaluate current research in the psychology and neurobiology of dreams with respect to relevance for the theological and spiritual dimensions of human dreaming.
Note: Expected to be given in 2002–03. Offered by the Divinity School as 3315A.
[Religion 1012b. Dreams and Dreaming]
Catalog Number: 5697
Kimberley C. Patton (Divinity School)
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
A continuation of Religion 1012a.
Note: Expected to be given in 2002–03. Offered by the Divinity School as 3315B.
Prerequisite: It is not necessary to have taken Religion 1012a/HDS 3315A to take Religion 1012b/HDS 3315B.
Religion 1016. How to Understand Religion: Theory from Max Müller to Catherine Bell
Catalog Number: 5017
Lawrence E. Sullivan (Divinity School)
Half course (fall term). M., W., at 11 and an hour to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 4
Surveying modern methods, this basic course reviews prominent theorists and schools concerned with the nature and function of religion in order to ground key questions about religion and culture.
Is religion rooted primarily in a personal quest for meaning or in institutional control of society? Do the order and function of religion operate largely on an unconscious level, like the structures of spoken language? Do myth and symbol point to truth? How can such truths be known and expressed? Are religious texts the best guides to religious meaning, or do actions speak louder than words? Do the origins of religion still shape religious experience and practice today? Are religions similar or different? Is the human being fundamentally intrinsically religious?
Note: Offered by the Divinity School as 3321.
Religion 1017. New Religious Movements and Society: Conference Course
Catalog Number: 8082
Helen Hardacre
Half course (fall term). M., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
This conference course examines the emergence and development of new religious movements (NRMs) from the 19th century to the present, based on case studies from Europe, Africa, the United States, and Japan. Topics include interpretations of the founding of NRMs, conflicts between NRMs and the media, and the contemporary millenarianism.
Note: Offered by the Divinity School as 3810.
Religion 1019. Science and the Spiritual Quest
Catalog Number: 5596
Lawrence E. Sullivan (Divinity School)
Half course (spring term). M., W., at 10 with an additional hour to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 3
The course covers three broad areas in science and religion: Cosmological sciences (e.g., physics and astronomy); Life sciences (evolutionary biology, genetics, neurobiology); and Sciences of the human person, individuals, and groups. Sullivan will draw on multiple religious traditions and spiritual perspectives to focus on the spiritual quest in an age marked by science. Separate sections for undergraduates, master’s students and doctoral students. Assignments for doctoral and master’s students include historical and philosophical dimensions.
Note: Offered by the Divinity School as 3319
[Religion 1030. Texts, Writers, and Readers]
Catalog Number: 1164 Enrollment: Limited to 20.
David D. Hall
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
This readings and research colloquium studies the production and transmission of texts within different religious traditions (chiefly Christianity, but also Buddhism, Judaism, etc.); authority or authenticity in relation to the fluidity of transmission; and the meanings of “author” and of the mediating figure of “reader.” The primary focus is on written texts, though oral tradition will be considered as well.
Note: Expected to be given in 2002–03. Offered by the Divinity School as 2389.
Religion 1045. Thinking About Thinking
Catalog Number: 6190 Enrollment: Limited to 250. 250 total: 50 law students, 50 graduate students from other Harvard schools, 140 undergraduates, and 10 fellows.
Harvey G. Cox, Jr. (Divinity School), Alan Dershowitz (Law School), and Stephen J. Gould
Half course (spring term). Tu., 3–5 and a weekly discussion to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 17, 18
A discussion of selected topics with the aim of isolating, illustrating, and examining the distinctive modes of thinking in science, religion, philosophy and law. Topics vary from year to year and may include some of the following: line-drawing and classification; beginnings and endings of life; effects and side-effects; causality, evidence, explanation and contingency; free will; biological and genetic explanations of behavior; legal punishment; discrimination and affirmative action; race, ethnicity and nationality; parents and children; gender; contrast between religious and empirical beliefs; natural law; textual interpretation; realism and perspectivism; animal rights.
Note: Offered by the Divinity School as 2480 and by the Law School as 47200-31.
[Religion 1050. Multicultural Biblical Criticism: Conference Course]
Catalog Number: 1219 Enrollment: Limited to 20.
Elizabeth Schüssler Fiorenza
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
The course will discuss both the multicultural character of biblical texts and multiculturalism as a new interpretive approach in biblical studies. African, Asian, Indigenous, Latin American, Aboriginal, American Indian, Latina/o-Hispanic, and Australian studies, as well as, ethnicity, feminist, womanist, black, queer, liberation theological, postcolonial, and third World studies, have begun to de-center the hegemonic paradigm of biblical studies. This emerging emancipatory paradigm of biblical criticism is interdisciplinary, multi-vocal, ideology critical, and multicultural. The course discussions will explore the theoretical and methodological challenges these multicultural voices from the margins bring to biblical interpretation and will study the works of leading scholars that are shaping this field of study.
Note: Expected to be given in 2002–03. Offered by the Divinity School as 2556.
[Religion 1075. Jerusalem: An Interdisciplinary Inquiry]
Catalog Number: 3014
Harvey G. Cox, Jr. (Divinity School)
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
A holy city for three faiths, the focus of poetry, song, legend, and ideology, and a continuing political flashpoint, the city of Jerusalem provides a rich case study in religious history, art and architecture, eschatology and the phenomenology of sacred space. It also provides a critical test for inter-faith dialogue and peace-making. Utilizing a variety of disciplines, we will explore the meanings Jerusalem has had in the past and consider alternative solutions to current questions about its future.
Note: Expected to be given in 2002–03. Offered by the Divinity School as 2505.
*Religion 2002. Major Themes in the Study of Religion: Seminar
Catalog Number: 0803
David D. Hall (Divinity School) and members of the Committee
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
A consideration of the issue of comparison in the study of religion. Problems in comparing religious phenomena are discussed through the preparation and presentation of sample course syllabi on particular themes across diverse religious traditions.
Note: For all second-year doctoral students in the Study of Religion.
[Religion 2004. Colloquium in Theory and Method in the Study of Religion]
Catalog Number: 2927
Lawrence E. Sullivan (Divinity School) and David D. Hall (Divinity School)
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Questions of theory arise out of and in turn inform the major categories we employ for understanding religion, culture, and society. This course uses a topics or problems strategy to engage with such questions. The topic for 2002 will be the changing construction of “knowledge.”
Note: Expected to be given in 2002–03.
[Religion 2040. Religion and Human Rights]
Catalog Number: 8115
David Little (Divinity School)
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
This course will consider the legal, historical, theoretical, and practical connections between religion and human rights. Debates over universality, particularly in relation to religious freedom and nondiscrimination, will be given special attention. Recent theoretical and empirical work, particularly in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe, will be taken up.
Note: Expected to be given in 2002–03. Offered by the Divinity School as 2800.
[Religion 2041. Conscience and Its Freedom: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 7093
David Little (Divinity School)
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
A consideration of the meaning and significance of the concept of conscience. The seminar will examine the history of the idea in Western thought, and give some attention to its place in Islamic and other cultural settings. It will also touch on the role of conscience in contemporary human rights discourse. It will take up contemporary philosophical, theological, and legal problems associated with the term.
Note: Expected to be given in 2002–03. Offered by the Divinity School as 2810.
[Religion 2042. Religion, Nationalism, and Peace]
Catalog Number: 7857
David Little (Divinity School)
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
This course will sample the literature on nationalism and ethnicity as it bears on conflict, with special focus on the role of religion. Specific cases will be examined, such as Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tibet, Northern Ireland, Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and Bosnia. Attention will be paid to the ingredients of peace in such situations, and how religion has and may function constructively.
Note: Expected to be given in 2002–03. Offered by the Divinity School as 2812.
*Religion 3007hf (formerly Religion 2007hf). Religion and Society Colloquium
Catalog Number: 5355 Enrollment: Limited to 15.
David Little (Divinity School) 2793 2793
Half course (throughout the year). Tu., 4–6. EXAM GROUP: 18
Topic for 2001-02: Religion and Social Theory. The seminar will feature “classical” theorists, such as Marx, Nietzsche, Durkheim, Weber, and Troeltsch. In addition, it will attend to subsequent critiques, adaptations, and reinterpretations. Special attention will be paid to the problem of “secularization,” cross-cultural comparison, the explanatory status of religion in regard to social behavior and organization, and the connection between normative and descriptive theory.
Note: A required year-long seminar for all pre-Generals doctoral students in the Religion and Society Department. Jointly offered with the Divinity School ast 2697.
[Religion 1212b. Judaism: The Liturgical Year]
Catalog Number: 8074
Jon D. Levenson (Divinity School)
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
A continuation of Religion 1212a.
Note: Expected to be given in 2002–03. Offered jointly with the Divinity School as 1667b/3667b.
Prerequisite: Religion 1212a.
Religion 1250a. Introduction to Modern Jewish Thought: From Spinoza to Heschel: Seminar
Catalog Number: 0399 Enrollment: Limited to 20.
Asher D. Biemann
Half course (fall term). W., 1–3.
Beginning with Spinoza’s political and hermeneutic thought, this critical survey will explore how Jewish thinkers met the social, cultural, and religious challenges of modernity and, in turn, influenced the transformation of modern Jewry. Changing and conflicting perspectives of tradition, education, culture, and religion will be in the center of our interest. A second part on modern and contemporary Jewish Thought from the aftermath of the Holocaust to the present will be offered in the spring.
Note: Jointly offered by the Divinity School as 3653.
Religion 1250b. Introduction to Modern Jewish Thought: Modern and Contemporary Jewish Thought from the Aftermath of the Holocaust to the Present: Seminar
Catalog Number: 5875 Enrollment: Limited to 20.
Asher D. Biemann
Half course (spring term). W., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
This course will explore topics in contemporary Jewish thought from the aftermath of the Holocaust to the present.
Note: Jointly offered by the Divinity School as 3654.
Religion 1251. The History and Ideas of Jewish Nationalism and Zionism: Seminar
Catalog Number: 7719 Enrollment: Limited to 20.
Asher D. Biemann
Half course (fall term). Tu., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
This course will examine Jewish nationalism and Zionism as diverse cultural, intellectual, and political movements within the context of modern Jewish and European history. We will trace the origins of the Jewish national idea and study its many transformations during Enlightenment, Emancipation, and the rise of competing European nationalisms. Readings will mostly focus on pre-State history.
Note: Jointly offered by the Divinity School as 3655.
Religion 1252. The Enlightenment and the Jews
Catalog Number: 0634
Asher D. Biemann
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 10–11:30 and one hour to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 12, 13
Modern Jewish history in Europe is largely defined by the lasting impact of the enlightenment and the consequent emancipation of the Jews. Explores the transition in European Jewish life and culture from a traditional society to a modern cultural identity. Focusing on German speaking and French Jewry, we will study the enlightenment as a European phenomenon and a phenomenon within Judaism (Haskalah). Our goal will be to understand the historical and intellectual origins of the enlightenment and its role in shaping modern Judaism.
Note: Jointly offered by the Divinity School as 3652.
Religion 1260. Midrash: Jewish Biblical Interpretation in the Rabbinic Period
Catalog Number: 2424
Jon D. Levenson (Divinity School)
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 10–11:30. EXAM GROUP: 12, 13
An introduction to the way the rabbis of the Talmudic period interpreted their Bible. Close reading in English of a range of midrashic literature, halakhic and aggadic, exegetical and homiletical, Tannaitic and Amoraic. Emphasis on literary assumptions and theological affirmations. Consideration of the affinities and contrasts of midrash with early Christian biblical interpretation and with contemporary literary theory.
Note: Offered jointly with the Divinity School as 3669.
[Religion 1414. Gospel Stories of Women]
Catalog Number: 6902
Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza (Divinity School)
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
This course will introduce a critical feminist rhetorical reading of various gospel texts. Special attention will be given to the significance of social location, critical methods, and historical imagination for biblical interpretation. Discussions will focus on hermeneutical-theological questions and their consequence for contemporary religious self-understandings and ministerial praxis. Lectures, group discussions and group projects seek to foster a participatory democratic style of learning.
Note: Expected to be given in 2003–04. Offered jointly with the Divinity School as 1503/ 2557.
Prerequisite: Religion 1415 or equivalent.
Religion 1416. Feminist Biblical Interpretation
Catalog Number: 3002
Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza (Divinity School)
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
This course will give a basic introduction to the emerging field of feminist biblical studies by discussing different hermeneutical approaches, methods of interpretation, and theoretical perspectives. Special attention will be given to historical interpretation and the significance of feminist hermeneutics for contemporary theological reflection and education for ministry. Lectures, group discussions, and presentations seek to foster a participatory style of learning.
Note: Offered jointly with the Divinity School as 1504/2558.
[Religion 1419. Jesus of Nazareth and the Gospels]
Catalog Number: 9164
Helmut H. Koester (Divinity School)
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
An investigation into the Gospels of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) and apocryphal early Christian Gospels (Gospel of Thomas, Dialogue of the Savior). The development of these Gospels and their traditions will be discussed as well as the “Quest for the Historical Jesus.”
Note: Expected to be given in 2002–03. Offered by the Divinity School as 1500.
[Religion 1420. History of Ancient Christianity from the Beginnings to the 4th Century]
Catalog Number: 2397
Karen L. King (Divinity School)
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
This course is designed to introduce students to the full range of the historical materials of ancient Christianity from the first to 4th centuries. Special emphasis will be given to setting out the diversity of Christian ideas and practices, the invention of orthodoxy, and the processes of Christian identity formation within the social and political context of the Roman empire.
Note: Expected to be given in 2002–03. Offered by the Divinity School as 1260/2145.
Religion 1421. The Gospel of Luke
Catalog Number: 8662
François Bovon (Divinity School)
Half course (fall term). F., 10–12. EXAM GROUP: 3, 4
A literary, historical, and theological interpretation of some chapters of the Greek text of Luke’s Gospel. Exegetical discussion will focus on Luke’s style, art of composition, and sources, as well as his situation in the history of Christianity. Late Antique Christianity and Reformation interpretations of Luke will be compared from time to time with the work of modern exegetes.
Note: Offered jointly with the Divinity School as 1511.
Prerequisite: One year of Greek.
[Religion 1423. First Images of Christ—Earliest Christologies of the New Testament]
Catalog Number: 8983
François Bovon (Divinity School)
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
The course will discuss the earliest forms of christology and their history. Starting from the Jewish messianic expectations of the first century C.E., it will investigate the prophetic perspective of Jesus and christological concepts of the first Christian congregations.
Note: Expected to be given in 2005–06. Offered jointly with the Divinity School as 1479.
Prerequisite: Introduction to the New Testament or equivalent.
[Religion 1424. The First Epistle to the Corinthians]
Catalog Number: 1514
François Bovon (Divinity School)
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
This course will focus on Paul’s historical and theological argument through a careful reading of the Greek text. An attempt will be made to reconstruct the social setting of the first Christian community in Corinth. Course may be elected as the equivalent of the fourth semester of Greek.
Note: Expected to be given in 2005–06. Offered by the Divinity School as 1521
Prerequisite: One and one–half years of Greek.
[Religion 1425. The Presence of God in the New Testament]
Catalog Number: 5275
François Bovon (Divinity School)
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
The variety and structural unity of early Christian faith as described particularly in Paul’s letters, the Synoptic Gospels and the Gospel of John are considered in a historical perspective
Note: Expected to be given in 2003–04. Offered by the Divinity School as 1240.
Prerequisite: Introduction to the New Testament or the equivalent.
[Religion 1426. The Apocryphal Jesus and the Noncanonical Apostles: Introduction to Ancient Christian Apocryphal Literature]
Catalog Number: 8930
François Bovon (Divinity School)
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
This course will begin by exploring the field of non-canonical gospels, particularly Greek fragments of lost Gospels, then devote a longer time to the apocryphal acts of the apostles, particularly to the Acts of Philip, and conclude by reading the Apocalypse of Peter and the Apocalypse of Paul. Course HDS 1874 is intended to act as a sequel to this course.
Note: Expected to be given in 2003–04. Offered jointly with Divinity School as 2130.
[Religion 1427. The Origins of Gnosticism and the Identity of Christianity]
Catalog Number: 3574
Karen L. King (Divinity School)
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Over fifty years have passed since the discovery of the “Nag Hammadi Library” in 1945. Three years ago, publication of critical editions of the full corpus was completed. Now the task of assessing the meaning and significance of these and related materials is beginning in earnest. This course will introduce students to critical issues concerning the identity of Christianity, including the problem of the origins and definition of “Gnosticism” (if such a thing exists), describing the diversity of ancient Christianities, defining orthodoxy and heresy, and discussing practices of syncretism and discourse of anti-syncretism. It will also introduce students to the analysis of select primary literature, including The Gospel of Thomas, The Gospel of Mary, The Gospel of Truth, The Apocryphon of John, and The Hypostasis of the Archons.
Note: Expected to be given in 2002–03. Offered jointly with the Divinity School as 1700.
Prerequisite: Introduction to the New Testament or History of Ancient Christianity, or the equivalent.
[Religion 1431. Introduction to Patristic Theology: The Cappadocians]
Catalog Number: 4279
Nicholas P. Constas (Divinity School)
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
This course is an introduction to patristic theology through the work of Basil of Caesarea, Gregory Nazianzus, and Gregory of Nyssa. From the eastern province of Cappadocia, these fourth-century thinkers are among the most important theologians of Christian antiquity. Their major works will be studied in English translation and organized around the following themes: 1) Trinitarian theology and the ontology of personhood; 2) creation and cosmology; 3) anthropology, gender, and eschatology; and 4) asceticism and spirituality.
Note: Expected to be given in 2003–04. Offered by the Divinity School as 2581.
[Religion 1432. Theology of the Icon]
Catalog Number: 2091
Nicholas P. Constas (Divinity School)
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Historical and systematic introduction to the icon as both theological category and liturgical/devotional artifact through lectures, readings, slides, and museum visits. The history of the icon will be traced from Greco-Roman Egypt to the pop-icons of Andy Warhol, with special attention to medieval icons and their viewers. Theological themes include creation and incarnation, modes of presence and relation, the production of sacred space and perspective, and the role of women in the struggle against Byzantine Iconoclasm. Ancient sources range from John of Damascus, Theodore the Studite, and iconophile hagiography, to the proceedings of the Seventh Ecumenical Council. Modern theologies of the icon will also be surveyed through the work of Florensky, Evdokimov, and Lossky, along with Levinas’ conceptualization of the face and Marion’s distinction between the icon and the idol.
Note: Expected to be given in 2003–04. Offered by the Divinity School as 2582.
Religion 1437. History of Western Christianity, 1100-1500
Catalog Number: 5997
Kevin James Madigan (Divinity School)
Half course (spring term). M., W., at 10 and an hour to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 3
Church and society in western Europe during the high and late Middle Ages. Particular attention will be paid to theological and institutional change and continuity and to popular religious movements..
Note: Offered at the Divinity School as HDS 2250.
[Religion 1465. Liberalism and Orthodoxy, 1600–1870]
Catalog Number: 0833
David D. Hall
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
The emergence of Unitarianism, Universalism, and Transcendental Perfectionism in the context of 17th-century Puritanism, the impact of the Enlightenment, romanticism, moral and social reform and the meaning and uses of “domesticity.”
Note: Expected to be given in 2002–03. Offered jointly with the Divinity School as 2317.
[Religion 1466. Practices of Piety: Studies in the History of Devotion, Worship, and Spirituality]
Catalog Number: 1079
David D. Hall
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Encompassing Catholic and Protestant practice from the 15th to the 18th centuries, and dealing both with European and American materials, this readings and research colloquium addresses such topics as sacraments and sacramentals, asceticism and bodily mortification, mysticism and spirit possession, confraternities and youth groups, social discipline and religious instruction.
Note: Expected to be given in 2002–03. Offered by the Divinity School as 2388.
Religion 1470. Introduction to Ethics
Catalog Number: 2884
Arthur J. Dyck (Public Health and Divinity School)
Half course (fall term). M., 5–7 p.m. EXAM GROUP: 7, 9
An introductory analysis of the major questions of ethics regarding the identification, justification, and attainment of what is moral for individuals and communities. Readings include classical and modern texts, both philosophical and theological, and acquaint the student with contemporary modes of moral reasoning.
Note: Offered jointly with the Divinity School as 2700.
Religion 1471. Human Rights
Catalog Number: 8564
Preston N. Williams (Divinity School)
Half course (fall term). Th., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 17, 18
An examination of philosophical, theological, and political theories of human rights and their implementation by Christian churches and national governments. Emphasis will be placed upon the relation of theory to practice, the formations of action guidelines, and the ethical criteria for the evaluation of policy proposals. Case studies will be employed. Primarily constructive and comparative.
Note: Offered jointly with the Divinity School as 2740.
Religion 1472. The Ethical and Religious Thought of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Catalog Number: 8761
Preston N. Williams (Divinity School)
Half course (fall term). Tu., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 17, 18
A study of the life, thought, and actions of Martin Luther King, Jr. An ethical analysis of his primary concepts, ideas, and strategies based upon a reading and discussion of his writings and their sources.
Note: Offered jointly with the Divinity School as 2721.
Religion 1475. Christian Social Ethics: Seminar
Catalog Number: 2905
Ralph B. Potter (Divinity School)
Half course (spring term). Th., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
Introduction to the major alternative modes of thought and action by which Christians have sought to express concerns for social and political issues. Stress put on the social dimension of Christian ethics with attention to the behavioral sciences and philosophy. Historical, descriptive, and normative in character.
Note: Offered jointly with the Divinity School as 2711.
Religion 1489. Contemporary Interpretations of Jesus
Catalog Number: 6437
Harvey G. Cox, Jr. (Divinity School)
Half course (fall term). W., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9
Beginning with the narratives of the life of Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), this course covers four current efforts to reclaim his significance: 1) the new search for the “historical Jesus,” especially the Jesus Seminar and its critics; 2) emerging Asian, African, and Latin-American Christian views of Jesus; 3) recent interpretations of Jesus in such non-Christian faiths as Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism; and 4) images of Jesus in music, film, and literature.
Note: Offered jointly with the Divinity School as 2483.
[Religion 1490. Feminist Theology as Systematics: A Critical Survey]
Catalog Number: 3223
Sarah Coakley (Divinity School)
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
This course surveys some of the best work on feminism and Christianity to date, and analyzes its effect on the contemporary task of systematic theology. A course suitable for both those with no previous knowledge of feminist theology, and for those with a good background in this field, the early lectures give some telling examples of how feminist insights have shifted the ground of discussion in biblical exegesis, in patristics, and in medieval church history and spirituality. We shall also look briefly at the construction of ideas of “femininity” in Enlightenment philosophy and theology, which provides the historical backcloth against which a range of contemporary feminist theologies (both Christian and post-Christian) may be discussed and analyzed in later lectures.
Note: Expected to be given in 2002–03. Offered jointly with the Divinity School as 2436.
[Religion 1491. Themes in Christian “Spirituality”: Theories of Prayer, Self and Gender]
Catalog Number: 3824
Sarah Coakley (Divinity School)
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
“Spirituality” and “mysticism” are both relatively modern words; we shall start by peeling back some misunderstandings that may attend them. Thereafter, the course will be strongly text-based. We shall begin by comparing Jesus on “prayer” and Plato on “contemplation,” and move from there to a number of distinctive theories of “prayer,” “meditation,” and “contemplation” in the Christian tradition (both East and West), and analyze how the discussion of prayer-practice is interwoven with presumptions about the nature of the (gendered) self. We shall be especially concerned with the way the Platonic and neo-Platonic traditions have been assimilated into Christian “spirituality.”
Note: Expected to be given in 2002–03. Offered jointly with the Divinity School as 2439.
Religion 1492. Introduction to Christian Theology
Catalog Number: 2161
Sarah Coakley (Divinity School)
Half course (spring term). M., W., at 11. EXAM GROUP: 4
A basic course for beginning students which will analyze different approaches to Christian theology as evident in classic, modern, and contemporary theological texts.
Note: Offered jointly with the Divinity School as 2401.
Religion 1493. Contemporary Roman Catholic Theology
Catalog Number: 6926
Francis Fiorenza (Divinity School)
Half course (spring term). Tu., 1–3 and one hour to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
A survey of contemporary Roman Catholic theology that discusses issues in the interpretations of God, Jesus, and the church with reference to theological method. The broad spectrum of present-day Roman Catholic theology will be covered through an analysis of diverse theologians and approaches: existential, transcendental, liberationist, feminist, analytical, and hermeneutical.
Note: Offered jointly with the Divinity School as 2479.
[Religion 1494. Feminist Theory and Theology: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 1430 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza (Divinity School)
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
The seminar explores the intersections of feminist theory with feminist theologies and gender studies in religion. This semester’s discussions will focus on feminist political theories and their implications for the articulation of a critical feminist political theology and spirituality.
Note: Expected to be given in 2003–04. Offered by the Divinity School as 2689
[Religion 2464. Radical Religion in England and America, 1550–1750: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 5810 Enrollment: Limited to 20.
David D. Hall
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
The history of the Puritan movement in the context of the Reformation and the Reformed tradition; mainstream and radical movements, including Quakerism. A reading seminar, using primary materials and the major historiography.
Note: Expected to be given in 2002–03. Offered jointly with the Divinity School as 2270.
Religion 2479. Advanced Seminar In Pentecostalism: Current Issues
Catalog Number: 6674
Harvey G. Cox, Jr. (Divinity School)
Half course (spring term). W., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9
Readings in current theology by and about Pentecostalism, focused especially on its rapid growth in the non-western world. The seminar will include participant observation in some immigrant congregations. Reading knowledge of Spanish, Portuguese or Korean recommended, but not required.
Note: Religion 2479 will be offered by the Divinity School as 2500.
Prerequisite: Some previous work in Pentecostalism.
[Religion 2490. Philosophy, “Religious Experience,” and Feminist Critique: Conference Course]
Catalog Number: 5297 Enrollment: Limited to 30.
Sarah Coakley (Divinity School)
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
This course will examine the notion of “religious experience” as it has been constructed and utilized in different schools of 20th-century philosophy of religion, and then subject the notion to feminist analysis. We shall ask to what philosophical purposes “religious experience” has been put: as a justificatory tool in evidential arguments for theism, as an organizing concept for certain intense psychological states, or as a means for counting theistic belief as “properly basic.” We shall also consider philosophical reasons for being suspicious of evidential appeals to discrete “religious experiences.” Drawing on recent work in feminist epistemology, as well as a number of test cases from the history of “female mysticism,” we shall expose the gender dimensions of these various philosophical accounts of intimacy with the divine.
Note: Expected to be given in 2002–03. Offered by the Divinity School as 2647.
Prerequisite: Graduate work in philosophy and theology.
Religion 2492. Christology: Ancient, Modern, and Contemporary: Seminar
Catalog Number: 8450 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Sarah Coakley (Divinity School)
Half course (spring term). Th., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
This seminar will offer: an examination of formative christological developments in the patristic period, focusing on interpretational problems with the Definition of Chalcedon (451); an analysis of the fate of Antiochene/Alexandrian emphases in christology including a discussion of various understandings of “communications of idiom” in Greek, Scholastic, and Protestant thought; consideration of post-Enlightenment and contemporary assessments of Chalcedonianism including recent feminist and liberationist reappraisals.
Note: Offered jointly with the Divinity School as 2643.
Prerequisite: Graduate work in theology or philosophy.
*Religion 3490hf (formerly *Religion 3490). Colloquium in Theology
Catalog Number: 6295
David Lamberth (Divinity School) 3714 and the members of the Faculty
Half course (throughout the year). W., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: Fall: 8, 9
In the fall the weekly colloquium will focus on the thought of William James. In the spring bi-weekly meetings will be used to discuss the work in progress of doctoral candidates writing dissertations, faculty, and occasionally invited guests.
Note: This colloquium is a central vehicle of doctoral education in theology, and is composed of all faculty members, doctoral candidates and ThM students in the Theology Department. (Doctoral students in related fields should consult with the department chair concerning participation.) Central figures and recurrent issues in theology and philosophy of religion are considered. Participation in the colloquium is required of all theology doctoral candidates (including affiliated doctoral candidates) while in residence, with the exception of the semester in which they write General Examinations. Requirements for written work may differ for pre- and post-Generals students. Jointly offered with the Divinity School as 2696.
Religion 1502. Freedom and the Navigation of Desire
Catalog Number: 7987
Courtney Bickel Lamberth
Half course (fall term). M., W., at 11. EXAM GROUP: 4
This course considers western conceptions of the human using the categories of freedom and desire to approach landmark texts in the Christian tradition. A central focus of the course will be descriptions of the often embattled dimensions of the relationship between the body, human agency, and divine grace. Authors may include: Plato, Paul, Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Teresa of Avila, Kant, Hegel, Foucault, Bynum, Ruether, Irigaray, and Girard.
Note: Jointly offered with the Divinity School as 2462.
Religion 1504. Religion in America: From the Coming of the Europeans to the 1870s
Catalog Number: 2509
David D. Hall (Divinity School)
Half course (spring term). M., W., at 10. EXAM GROUP: 3
Encompassing both “mainstream” and insurgent, “popular” or “new” forms of religion (e.g., the Society of Friends, Mormonism, African-American Protestantism), this survey course deals with the history of Christian thought; changing patterns of religious practice in relation, especially to gender; and religion and society in the context of the regulating and/or liberating “reform” movements of the 19th century.
Note: Offered jointly with the Divinity School as 2303.
[Religion 1508. New Approaches to American Religious History: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 8669 Enrollment: Limited to 20.
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Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Recent scholarship in the field will form the basis for this seminar considering new narrative strategies, interpretive departures, and current research methods in American Religious History. Students will compare new works with relevant precursors.
Note: Expected to be given in 2003–04. Jointly offered with the Divinity School as 2323.
[Religion 1509. Divining Imagination: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 7918
Courtney Bickel Lamberth
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
With the early Romantics, the human imagination emerges as a locus for divine revelation and religious encounter. The poet especially becomes a prime agent of religious discovery and innovation. This course considers key conceptions of the imagination in relation to divine and human creativity and artistic genius. Authors may include: Novalis, Schelling, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Emerson, Goethe, Schleiermacher, and Kant.
Note: Expected to be given in 2002–03. Offered jointly with the Divinity School as 2463.
Religion 1513. Harvard: Five Centuries and Eight Presidents
Catalog Number: 1233 Enrollment: Limited to 100.
Peter J. Gomes (Divinity School)
Half course (spring term). W., F., at 11 and one hour to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 4
An exploration of the intellectual and institutional history of America’s oldest college through the examination of four pairs of its 27 presidents. Among themes to be considered are European antecedents, developments in faculty, governance, and curriculum, as well as the maturation of the built environment. Significant attention will be paid to the evolution of the religious context of the school, including the practice of and instruction in religion, and the challenges of secularism and pluralism.
Religion 1514. Interpretations in American Religious History: An Introduction to the Historical Literature: Colloquium
Catalog Number: 6685
David D. Hall (Divinity School)
Half course (spring term). W., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 8, 9
An introduction to changing interpretations of American religious history, from Tocqueville to the present. Attention to sociological and anthropological perspectives, as well as those arising within church history and the history of theology.
Note: Offered by the Divinity School as 2392.
[Religion 1515. Religion and Culture in 19th-Century America and Europe: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 4488 Enrollment: Limited to 20.
David D. Hall
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Encompassing the “Victorian” period (c.1830–1890) and such themes or ideas as: liberalism (laissez faire) and its critics; the idea of culture; medievalism, agnosticism, and the renewal of orthodoxy; the origins of the social sciences; and the social history of intellectuals. Materials drawn from British and American sources.
Note: Expected to be given in 2002–03. Offered jointly with the Divinity School as 2320.
[Religion 1520. Introduction to Hermeneutics and Theology]
Catalog Number: 6184
Francis Fiorenza (Divinity School)
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
General introduction to hermeneutical theory. A survey of the development from classical to modern and contemporary hermeneutics. Examines the influence of contemporary hermeneutical theory upon the interpretation of biblical texts, the diverse conceptions of theology, and the explication of key theological categories such as revelation, experience, method, foundations, classics, community, and practice.
Note: Expected to be given in 2002–03. Offered jointly with the Divinity School as 2410.
[Religion 1525. Radical Movements in Modern America]
Catalog Number: 3935
David D. Hall
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
A survey and close analysis of radical movements in 20th-century America, with particular attention to the problem of means and ends as it has been posed within the Old Left (Socialist and Communist) and the New (Students for a Democratic Society), within movements to confront war and racism (pacifism, nonviolence, and SNCC), and within anarchist and Christian perfectionist communities (e.g., the Catholic Workers).
Note: Expected to be given in 2003–04. Offered jointly with the Divinity School as 2302.
Religion 1526. Religion in America from c. 1865 to the 1970s
Catalog Number: 8025
Robert A. Orsi (Divinity)
Half course (fall term). M., W., at 9 and one hour to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 2
A survey of the history of American religions from the end of the Civil War to the 1970s. Topics include the religious worlds of immigrants and migrants (including the “new immigrations” of the mid-1960s); religion and race; the emergence of new religious idioms (such as Pentecostalism) and the reformulation of more established traditions in response to the challenges and conditions of modern culture (e.g., the changing intellectual landscape of American Catholicism in the 1960s), religious constructions of important social and moral issues (e.g., abortion and workers’ rights), the religious response to urbanization and suburbanization, and religion and gender.
Note: Jointly offered by the Divinity School as 2304.
[Religion 1528. Globalization and Human Values: Envisioning World Community]
Catalog Number: 4705
Brian C. W. Palmer
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Are we witnessing the emergence of a world community? How and by whom are pan-human solidarities imagined, symbolized, and contested? In this course, we look for the seedlings of a global civil religion in such practices as war-crimes tribunals, U.N. women’s conferences, human-rights declarations, Doctors Without Borders, interreligious dialogues, CNN broadcasts, Internet forums, McDonaldization, and Hollywood myth-making. The course draws upon ethnographic and cinematic accounts—as well as in-class interviews with relevant experts—to understand the history of worldwide convergences, the rites and identities of today’s global citizens, and the possibilities for utopian or dystopian futures.
Note: Expected to be given in 2002–03. Offered by the Divinity School as 3332.
Religion 1529. Personal Choice and Global Transformation
Catalog Number: 2866
Brian C. W. Palmer
Half course (fall term). M., W., at 3 and a discussion hour to be arranged. EXAM GROUP: 8
This is a course for students seeking to have an impact as ethically serious global citizens. How do personal choices about consumption, careers and child-rearing affect a wider world? Has globalization created new contexts for humanitarian service and political engagement? What does it mean to live deliberately, to forge a conscientious religious or secular lifestyle? What guidance and what warnings do religious communities offer to the would-be world-shaker? The course draws upon practical case studies to explore the collective consequences of individual decisions. What are the possibilities for women and men to “make a difference”?
Note: Lectures are supplemented by films, biographical explorations, and in-class interviews with relevant experts. Jointly offered with the Divinity School as 3333.
Religion 1530r. Religious Values and Cultural Conflict: Seminar
Catalog Number: 6858 Enrollment: Limited to 15.
Harvey G. Cox, Jr. (Divinity School)
Half course (fall term). Tu., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 17, 18
By reading a number of recent novels and reflecting on both their content and their sometimes controversial reception this course will examine how conflicting theological, cultural, and ethical values find expression. The works considered are Charming Billy by Alice McDermott, The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy, The Beauty of the Lilies by John Updike, Children of Men by P.D. James, Satanic Verses by Salmon Rushdie, Left Behind by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, Jazz by Toni Morrison, and Lying Awake by Mark Salzman.
Note: Offered jointly with the Divinity School as 2504.
Religion 1531. Christianity and Democracy
Catalog Number: 9071
Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza (Divinity School), Ronald Thiemann (Divinity School), and Cornel West
Half course (fall term). W., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
An examination of the interaction between Christianity and modern political democracies and political theories. The course will cover topics such as: the separation of church and state; the relation of democratic government to the market economy; the struggle for democracy in the face of nationalism and racism; the struggle for women’s rights; the role of social movements in democratic reform; and the spirituality of radical democracy. This course will also examine the tensions inherent in the relation between Christianity anddemocracy and will seek new visions for the theory and practice of both.
Note: Offered jointly with the Divinity School as 2539.
Religion 1535. Theology and Power: Seminar
Catalog Number: 8857 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
Francis Fiorenza (Divinity School)
Half course (spring term). W., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
An exploration of the diverse understandings of power within classical and recent social and theological thought. Transitions in the understanding of power with contemporary critical theory, feminist theology, and post-colonial theory will be discussed. Among the authors described: Weber, Lukes, Dahl, Foucault, Arendt, Habermas, Tillich, Rahner, Boff, West, Cobb, Butler, and Young.
Note: Offered by the Divinity School as 2633.
[Religion 1536. Theology and Culture]
Catalog Number: 1908 Enrollment: Limited to 30.
Francis Fiorenza (Divinity School)
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
This course will discuss the various modern theological interpretations of the relation between religion and culture in general and Christianity and culture in particular. The lectures and discussion will deal with the following authors: Weber, Troeltsch, Niebuhr, Barth, Tillich, Bellah, Berger, Habermas, Moltmann, Metz, Segundo, West.
Note: Expected to be given in 2002–03. Offered by the Divinity School as 2630.
[Religion 1539. Nietzsche and Religion ]
Catalog Number: 8102 Enrollment: Limited.
Kimerer LaMothe
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
How are we to understand the cry of Nietzsche’s madman: “God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him”? This course conducts close readings of Nietzsche’s texts with an eye to understanding his critique of religion—Christianity in particular—and the relationship of this critique to other ideas within his work, including his notions of eternal recurrence, the will to power, the affirmation of life, and the transvaluation of all values. This course will allow students to interrogate popular interpretations of Nietzsche as a nihilist, misogynist, relativist elitist, and decide for themselves why he has proved such a compelling and provocative voice in western culture since his death in 1900.
Note: Expected to be given in 2002–03.
Prerequisite: Coursework in philosophy or theology.
[Religion 1541. Kant and Kierkegaard]
Catalog Number: 7694 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
David Lamberth (Divinity School)
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
A close reading of selected major works of Kant and Kierkegaard. The seminar will focus on issues such as the nature and limits of reason, the concepts of freedom and morality, and the relationship between reason and faith.
Note: Expected to be given in 2003–04. Offered by the Divinity School as 2670.
[Religion 1543. Modern Theology I: Modern Theology and the Critique of Religion]
Catalog Number: 6386
David Lamberth (Divinity School)
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
In this course we will consider the formative development of modern theology (primarily continental) in the context of the principal philosophical and social critiques of religion in the 19th century. Topics will include human nature and society, the developing understanding of religion, the relationship of humanity to the divine, the possibility and character of religious knowledge, and the impact of developing understandings of the social, of history, and of historicity. Authors considered may include Kant, Schleiermacher, Hegel, Feuerbach, Marx, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Harnack, Troeltsch, and Rauschenbusch.
Note: Expected to be given in 2003–04. Offered jointly with the Divinity School as 2431.
Prerequisite: Previous work in Theology or Philosophy.
[Religion 1547. Modern Theology II: Modern Theology and the Ends of Modernity]
Catalog Number: 7008
David Lamberth (Divinity School)
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
A thematic continuation of 1543, this course will consider developments within 20th century modern theology, focusing in particular on the internalization and development of forms of critique that were principally external to theology and religion in the 19th century. Beginning with the socially critical developments in kerygmatic theology, we will analyze and trace the influence of critical thought within theology through the 20th century, paying particular attention in the second half of the course to the emergence of feminist and black liberation theologies in the United States. In the final weeks we will evaluate selected developments in postmodern thought in light of this tradition of theological reflection.
Note: Expected to be given in 2003–04. Offered by the Divinity School as 2433.
Prerequisite: 2431 or the equivalent.
[Religion 1548. Religion and the Performing Arts: The Case of American Modern Dance: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 3603 Enrollment: Limited to 15. Preference given to concentrators.
Kimerer LaMothe
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Can categories of religious studies—such as ritual, practice, play, performance—help us understand the impact of contemporary performing arts on artists and audiences alike? What is the relationship between religion and art? Between the sacred and the beautiful? Beginning with an exploration of some theoretical perspectives on religion and the performing arts (e.g., Nietzsche, Kandinsky, Artaud; the Turners, Schechner, Blacking, and Hanna), this seminar will examine the case of American modern dance. We will examine claims made for dance by artists, critics, and scholars alike, and assess the usefulness of religious studies in explaining the power of nonverbal aesthetic experience.
Note: Expected to be given in 2002–03. Field trips dependent on local concert schedules. Offered jointly with the Divinity School as 2445.
Prerequisite: One course in the modern West.
[Religion 1549. Religion and Art in the Twentieth Century]
Catalog Number: 6267 Enrollment: Limited.
Kimerer LaMothe
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
How are religion and art related—or are they? This course investigates conceptions of the relationship between religion and art proposed by twentieth-century philosophers, artists, and scholars of religion. This course focuses on how conceptions of this relationship evolve in the context of the shift from a modern to a postmodern condition, in particular as played out in the visual and performing arts. While this course is primarily a study of ideas about religion and art, examples of the art and religion in question will be incorporated into class discussions. Readings may include works by: Adorno, van der Leeuw, Heidegger, Langer, Artaud, Graham, Benjamin, Beaudrillard, Kristeva, Mark C. Taylor, and others.
Note: Expected to be given in 2002–03.
Prerequisite: Coursework in theory, cultural studies, religious studies,philosophy, or art history.
Religion 2515. Church and World: A Theological and Political Assessment: Seminar
Catalog Number: 9233
J. Bryan Hehir (Divinity School)
Half course (fall term). Tu., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 17, 18
This seminar will analyze in ecumenical perspective the relationship of the church to the world in its biblical, theological and moral dimensions. Theological perspectives drawn from classical sources (Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin) and contemporary theologians (Congar, Rahner, R. Niebuhr, Hauerwas) will be considered in light of the historical-theological perspective of Troeltsch’s Social Teaching of the Christian Churches and in light of literature from political and social science.
Note: Offered by the Divinity School as 2857.
[Religion 2540. Circumscribing a Discipline: Theology and the Philosophy of Religion: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 4141 Enrollment: Limited to 12.
David Lamberth (Divinity School)
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
In the contemporary academy, philosophy of religion is regularly treated as a separate enterprise from theological study. This seminar will be concerned with two central questions, one genealogical and the other critical and conceptual: 1) What are the conditions (conceptual, academic, historical) under which the philosophy of religion emerged as its own field in the development of Western thought? and 2) To what extent is it justifiable and valuable from theological or philosophical perspectives to consider the philosophy of religion as separate from theology (and vice versa)? Readings will include pivotal primary texts as well as historical treatments, and will consider both European and American developments. Seminar participants will be expected to conduct primary research on some aspect of the seminar topic, and to present their work to the seminar at the end of the term.
Note: Expected to be given in 2003–04. Offered by the Divinity School as 2672.
Prerequisite: Advanced work in the theology or philosophy of religion.
Religion 2545. Religion and Social Theory: Seminar
Catalog Number: 2728
David Little (Divinity School)
Half course (spring term). Th., 9–11. EXAM GROUP: 11, 12
The special focus of this course will be the writings of Max Weber together with the reactions of his critics and defenders. Relevance to current topics of concern, such as “secularization,” “religious nationalism,” and “cultural relativism” will be examined. Some attention will be devoted to the “theoretical reference points” of these thinkers, such as Marx, Nietzsche, and Dilthey.
Note: Offered by the Divinity School as 2813.
Religion 2550. Women and Religion in Contemporary America: Seminar
Catalog Number: 8927 Enrollment: Limited.
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Half course (spring term). Tu., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 15, 16
Post World War II America has witnessed dramatic changes in the roles and experience of women, as well as significant shifts in the role of religion in shaping public values, personal identity, and group affiliations. This course will examine the points of intersection between these two fundamental shifts in American social life across a spectrum of religious communities. We will survey responses to the changing roles of women both among groups that have embraced feminism and among those that view feminism as antithetical to religious values. We will explore debates and concerns leading to the ordination of women, the revision of prayer books, liturgies, language and policies, as well as debates and initiatives leading to the reassertion of traditional gender roles or to new models of family based on male headship.
Note: Offered by the Divinity School as 2328.
[Religion 1555. Introduction to Islamic Mysticism: The Sufi Tradition]
Catalog Number: 3830 Enrollment: Limited to 20.
Ali S. Asani
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Introductory survey of Sufism, focusing on its fundamental concepts, ritual practices, institutions, and its impact on literary and sociopolitical life in different regions of the Islamic world.
Note: Expected to be given in 2002–03. Offered jointly with the Divinity School as 3620.
Prerequisite: An introduction course in Islam or equivalent helpful but not essential.
*Religion 1585. Islam in South Asia: Religion, Culture and Identity in South Asian Muslim Societies
Catalog Number: 2741 Enrollment: Limited to 20.
Ali S. Asani
Half course (fall term). Th., 3–5. EXAM GROUP: 17, 18
A survey of Islamic civilization in the Indian subcontinent focusing on an exploration of Islamic identity. Issues and themes salient to Islamic identity considered within religious and political contexts, as well as the broader context of South Asian culture as expressed in language, literature, and the arts. Also examines the uses of the term “Islamic” in various pre-modern and modern discourses in South Asia.
Note: Offered jointly with the Divinity School as 3625.
Prerequisite: Introductory course in Islam or equivalent.
[Religion 1590. Issues in Feminism and Islam: A Historical Overview]
Catalog Number: 9891
Leila Ahmed (Divinity School)
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
This course will explore some of the major issues and debates in relation to feminism and women in Islam in historical overview from a post-colonial perspective. Thus, as we explore these issues and debates, we will also be examining the methods, tools and assumptions forming the grounds of our studies, including in particular issues of Orientalism, colonialism and feminism in the construction of the religions/cultures of Others. Subsequent topics include an examination of some contemporary feminist readings of early Islam and exploration of women in Sufism and lived religion.
Note: Expected to be given in 2003–04. Offered by the Divinity School as 2562/3604.
Religion 1708. Issues in Buddhist Philosophy
Catalog Number: 8754 Enrollment: Limited to 20.
Janet Gyatso (Divinity School)
Half course (spring term). Tu., Th., 11:30–1. EXAM GROUP: 13, 14
A critical examination of key issues in Indian Mahayana Buddhist philosophy. Readings in Madhyamika, Yogacara, and epistemological traditions. The class will also consider two later Asian appropriations of Indic philosophical concepts: a set of Tibetan writings on special forms of memory; and a modern Japanese attempt to write a philosophy of the body, which draws together meditation theory with Japanese artistic practices and key notions from western continental thinkers.
Note: Offered by the Divinity School as HDS 3889.
Prerequisite: Some knowledge of Buddhist traditions is preferrable.
Religion 1710. Buddhist Ethics: Seminar
Catalog Number: 8878
Janet Gyatso (Divinity School)
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., 10–11:30. EXAM GROUP: 12, 13
An exploration of selected classic doctrinal texts and contemporary literary and autobiographical writings from several Buddhist traditions. In each instance the task will be to discern the bases of key ethical principles, with particular attention to the definition of the self, the grounds for human relationships, and the question of why one cares for others. Some works of contemporary western philosophical ethics will also be read in order to elaborate further distinctions and to consider the relevance of the Buddhist material for contemporary ethical issues.
Note: Offered by the Divinity School as 3888.
Religion 1712. Readings in Tibetan: Medical and Monastic Writings
Catalog Number: 8995
Janet Gyatso (Divinity School)
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., at 2. EXAM GROUP: 16
A close reading of sections of the root Tibetan medical text and early commentaries that pertain to the relation of sex to gender and other issues about bodily practice and function. This will be followed by the study of monastic writings with comparable or contrasting concerns as found in Tibetan commentaries on the Vinaya from the same period.
Note: Offered by the Divinity School as 3567.
Prerequisite: Some reading knowledge of classical Tibetan required.
[Religion 1724. The Genre of Biographical Narrative in Buddhist South and Southeast Asia: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 2219 Enrollment: Limited to 15. Preference to undergraduate concentrators.
Karen Anne Derris
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
The genre of biographical narrative is central to the ritual, didactic, and ethical life of Buddhists. These compelling stories offer their audiences—both historical and present day readers—critical resources for understanding and interpreting the Buddhist world. This seminar will consist of a close reading of a broad range of biographical literature from South and Southeast Asia, including biographies of the Buddha and bodhisattvas, of monks, nuns, laity, even biographies of images and relics. How do the representations of life stories figure in conceptions of ethical and historical ideals? What is the relationship between the biographical genre and Buddhist notions of history as exemplified in Buddhist chronicles? How have the responses of diverse readers of these texts shaped their sense of self and their relationships to others?
Note: Expected to be given in 2002–03.
Prerequisite: Prior coursework in Buddhist studies recommended.
[Religion 1725. Buddhism and Social Change: Seminar]
Catalog Number: 4517 Enrollment: Limited to 15.
Christopher S. Queen
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
A survey of Buddhist social teachings, this course examines the evolution of central concepts (impermanence, selflessness, suffering), ethical styles (discipline, virtue, altruism, engagement), and themes (peace, justice, gender, ecology) in Asia and the West. Representative figures and movements in the rise of socially engaged Buddhism since the 19th century will be considered.
Note: Expected to be given in 2002–03. Offered jointly with the Divinity School as 3853.
Prerequisite: Previous study of Buddhism desirable.
Religion 1726. Buddhism in America: Seminar
Catalog Number: 4292 Enrollment: Limited to 15.
Christopher S. Queen
Half course (fall term). M., 1–3. EXAM GROUP: 6, 7
The transmission of Buddhist teachings and institutions to the West. A survey of Buddist thinkers and movements since the 19th century, with primary attention to America: immigrant Buddhist communities, Transcendentalists and Theosophists, Pragmatist and Process philosophers, the “beat” generation, and recent Zen, Tibetan, and Theravada developments. Topics for discussion and research include tradition and transformation, socially engaged Buddhism and environmentalism, feminism, peace activism, and the dialogue with other faiths.
Note: Separate requirements for undergraduate and graduate students. Knowledge of Asian Buddhism is desirable. Offered jointly with the Divinity School as 3851.
*Religion 3001. Reading and Research
Catalog Number: 7954
Ellen Aitken (Divinity School) 2513, Ali S. Asani 7739, Asher D. Biemann 3966, François Bovon (Divinity School) 3551, Harvey G. Cox, Jr. (Divinity School) 3479, Arthur J. Dyck (Public Health and Divinity School) 1670, Diana L. Eck 4514 (on leave fall term), James Engell 8076, Francis Fiorenza (Divinity School) 2735, Robert M. Gimello 9240, William A. Graham, Jr. 4156, Janet Gyatso (Divinity School) 4243 (on leave fall term), David D. Hall (Divinity School) 2510, Paul D. Hanson (Divinity School) 1394, Jay M. Harris 2266, Albert Henrichs 4085, William R. Hutchison (Divinity School) 4061, Karen L. King (Divinity School) 4217 (fall term only), Helmut H. Koester (Divinity School) 3477, James L. Kugel 7575, David Lamberth (Divinity School) 3714, Jon D. Levenson (Divinity School) 2264, David Little (Divinity School) 2793, Peter Machinist 2812 (on leave spring term), Francisco Márquez 5064, Everett I. Mendelsohn 2700, David Gordon Mitten 1290, Roy Mottahedeh 1454, Richard R. Niebuhr (Divinity School) 2183, Kimberley C. Patton (Divinity School) 3306, Ralph B. Potter (Divinity School) 1046, Hilary Putnam 2838, Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza (Divinity School) 3193, Lawrence E. Sullivan (Divinity School) 2653, Stanley J. Tambiah 4692, Ronald Thiemann (Divinity School) 3395, Wei-Ming Tu 7233, Cornel West 1212, and Preston N. Williams (Divinity School) 3153
Note: and others authorized by the Chair.
*Religion 3002. Foreign Language Certification
Catalog Number: 4791
Members of the Committee
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Reading and research conducted in a specific foreign language, normally French or German, to satisfy the modern language reading proficiency requirement for Ph.D. students in the Study of Religion.
Note: Limited to Ph.D. candidates who receive written permission from the Committee’s Director of Ph.D. Studies.