Religion
Overview
In light of the pivotal role religion has played in shaping selves, societies, and cultures from ancient times to the present, the Religion program provides students with an understanding of the complexity of religious phenomena and offers the advanced student a variety of methods appropriate to such study.
The mission of the Religion program is to encourage critical thinking about religious traditions, ideals, rituals, and practices; to develop empathetic insight into the fundamental ideas and values of peoples from different times and places; and to foster critical self-consciousness about the values and commitments of one’s own age and society. Through these studies, students reflect upon the historically developed content of their own culture as well as that of others.
Faculty in Religion
David Edwards, Visiting Assistant Professor of Religion
Douglas Estes, Associate Professor of Religion
Manuel Lopez, Associate Professor of Religion and Buddhist Studies/Associate Provost
Susan Marks, Professor Emeritus of Judaic Studies
Sarit Moskowitz, Adjunct Faculty of Hebrew
Nassima Neggaz, Associate Professor of History and Religion
Requirements for the AOC in Religion
A minimum of ten (10) academic units.
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| Introductory Courses in the Study of Religion | |
| Two courses are required: | |
RELI 2100 | |
| Introduction to World Religions | |
| Conceptual Approach to the Study of Religion | |
| Select one from the following examples: | |
RELI 2120 | |
RELI 2400 | |
RELI 3300 | |
| Scriptures Course | |
| Select one from the following examples: | |
| Jewish Scriptures | |
| Christian Scriptures | |
| Introduction to the New Testament | |
| Introduction to the Qur'an* | |
| Religion and Society Course | |
| Select two from the following examples: | |
| Religion and Politics in America | |
| Growing Up Amish in Sarasota | |
| Cults, Sects, Communes: Religion on the Margins | |
| Islam 101: Beyond Western Media* | |
| REL 2936 | Medicine in the Medieval Islamic World |
| American Christianities* | |
| Righteous Discontent: Authority, Inclusion, and Exclusion in American Religion | |
| Race/Gender in Amer Religion* | |
| Resisting, Recreating, Reclaiming: LGBTQ+ People and Religion* | |
| Islamic Movements, Past and Present* | |
| Religion and Activism: Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X | |
| Religious Traditions Courses | |
| Select three courses focusing on a primary religious tradition and one course from a different tradition: | |
| Buddhism for Beginners: The Buddha, his Quest for Enlightenment, and the Rise of a Global Religion | |
RELI 2270 | |
| Introduction to Christianity | |
| Special Topics in Religion | |
| God and Robots (Theology and AI) | |
| Religion and Science | |
RELI 3700 | |
| Monks, Oracles, and Lamas: Buddhism in the Himalayas* | |
| Topics in Buddhist Studies | |
RELI 2280 | |
RELI 2800 | |
| The Black Church* | |
RELI 3800 | |
| African American Religions | |
| Chinese Religions: From Confucius To Mao | |
| The Many Gods of Hinduism: Ritual, Faith, and Representation in India* | |
| Contemporary Catholicism* | |
| Strongly Recommended | |
| Religion Capstone: Getting Ready for Your Senior Thesis | |
| Additional Requirements | |
| One Independent Study Project (ISP) in Religion | |
| Senior Thesis in Religion and Baccalaureate Exam | |
Requirements for the Joint AOC in Religion
A minimum of seven (7) academic units.
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| Introductory Courses in the Study of Religion | |
| Two courses are required: | |
| Intro to Study of Religion | |
| Introduction to World Religions | |
| Conceptual Approach to the Study of Religion | |
| Select one from the following examples: | |
RELI 2120 | |
RELI 2400 | |
RELI 3300 | |
| God and Robots (Theology and AI) | |
| Religion and Science | |
| Scriptures Course | |
| Select one from the following examples: | |
| Introduction to the Qur'an* | |
| Christian Scriptures | |
| Jewish Scriptures | |
| Religion and Society Course | |
| Select one from the following examples: | |
| Religion and Politics in America | |
| Growing Up Amish in Sarasota | |
| Cults, Sects, Communes: Religion on the Margins | |
| Medicine in the Medieval Islamic World | |
| Buddhism for Beginners: The Buddha, his Quest for Enlightenment, and the Rise of a Global Religion | |
| American Christianities* | |
| Righteous Discontent: Authority, Inclusion, and Exclusion in American Religion | |
| Race/Gender in Amer Religion* | |
| Resisting, Recreating, Reclaiming: LGBTQ+ People and Religion* | |
| Islamic Movements, Past and Present* | |
| Religion and Activism: Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X | |
| Special Topics in Religion | |
| Religious Traditions Courses | |
| Select two courses focusing on one religious tradition and one course focusing on another tradition: | |
| Introduction to the New Testament | |
RELI 3700 | |
| Monks, Oracles, and Lamas: Buddhism in the Himalayas* | |
| Topics in Buddhist Studies | |
RELI 2270 | |
| Islam 101: Beyond Western Media* | |
RELI 2280 | |
RELI 2800 | |
| The Black Church* | |
RELI 3800 | |
| African American Religions | |
| Chinese Religions: From Confucius To Mao | |
RELI 2320 | |
| The Many Gods of Hinduism: Ritual, Faith, and Representation in India* | |
| Contemporary Catholicism* | |
Requirements for the Secondary AOC in Religion
A minimum of five (5) academic units.
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| Foundation Course in the Study of Religion (1 course) | |
| Intro to Study of Religion | |
| Introduction to World Religions (Tradition-specific Courses (2 courses)) | |
| Tradition-specific Courses (2 courses) | |
| Two courses, each focusing on a different religious tradition | |
RELI 2270 | |
| Introduction to Judaism | |
| Introduction to Christianity | |
| Buddhism for Beginners: The Buddha, his Quest for Enlightenment, and the Rise of a Global Religion | |
| Religion and Society/Ethics Course (1 course): | |
| One course exploring the intersection of religion with ethics, politics, social justice, or culture | |
| Religion and Politics in America | |
| Cults, Sects, Communes: Religion on the Margins (One theoretical approach to the study of religion) | |
| -OR- One theoretical approach to the study of religion | |
RELI 2120 | |
RELI 2400 | |
| Elective in Religion (1 course): | |
| Any additional course with a REL or RELI designation, allowing for personal interest or thematic depth | |
| Additional guidelines | |
| Courses must be taken with at least two different faculty members in religion. | |
| With faculty approval one of the 5 courses may be a tutorial. | |
| With faculty approval, one course may be completed during study abroad. | |
Representative Senior Theses in Religion
- Memory: Abstracted Manifestations of the Void of Jewish Life within the Jewish Museum of Berlin
- Dancing Out of Bounds: The Disruptive Image of the Tavern Dancer in the Babylonian Talmud
- Catholic Empire: Austria-Hungary and the Nationalities Question
- A Tillichian Analysis of Hip Hop as an Instrument for Communal Courage and Religious Expression
- Collective Action: The Social Dimension of Buddhist Karma Doctrine
- Pursuing Harmony with Life's Flux: The Pragmatic Value of Experience for Modern Life in William James
- Feminist Methodologies and Qumran Ideologies: Rhetorical Criticism of 1QS, The Community Rule Scroll
- Ascending the Heavens on Conjured Dragons: Differentiating Between Magic and Religion in Chinese Daoist Practice
- What about the Agape?: Understanding the Communal Love-Feast of Early Christianity
- Learning to Live and to Lead: How Post-Secondary Religious Education Helps Women to Shape Modern Orthodox Judaism in Israel
- Religious Responses to the Problem of Evil
- Dissent in Modern Catholicism
- Acting Womanish: Black Slave Women's Religion
- Creativity in Crisis: The Theology and Fiction of Flannery O'Connor and Dietrich Bonhoeffer
- Lilith: Mother of Demons or Feminist Ideal?