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RELIGION 238. (3) RELIGIOUS AUTOBIOGRAPHY. In this course students consider the nature of religion and the human religious quest as expressed in autobiographical texts from a variety of religious traditions, as well as versions that express the “loss of faith” or the “problem of belief.” They will also write their own autobiographical texts, which explore their own experience of religion and others’ expressions of religious life. Students also examine critically the nature, social uses, and ethics of memory, as well as consider the reliability of autobiographical reconstruction. Finally, students examine how autobiography is intended to persuade readers for particular ends, such as conversion, social justice, political/cultural reform, religious purity or identity, or religious reflection. Prerequisite: none. RELIGION 245. (3) PERSPECTIVES IN THE STUDY OF RELIGION. This course is a survey of the development of the discipline of religion from the 19th century to the present. By reading classical and current theorists, students are introduced to the methodology, theoretical debates, and approaches within the discipline of religion as they have historically developed. Students also consider how (and whether) one can academically define and investigate the phenomenon of “religion.” Emphasis is on seminal figures in the discipline, including James Frazer, Emile Durkheim, Mary Douglas, Mircea Eliade, and Clifford Geertz, as well as their contemporary critics. Prerequisite: none. RELIGION 334. (3) RELIGION AND ETHNICITY IN AMERICA. An examination of the relationship between religious and ethnic identity in the context of American culture. Topics include theoretical approaches to religion and ethnicity, debates over the designation of “American,” and consideration of how race, class, and gender affect ethno-religious identity. Prerequisite: Rhetoric 102. RELIGION 336. (3) ALTERNATIVE RELIGIONS IN AMERICA. An historical study of new religious movements in the United States. Topics include theoretical approaches about the nature of religious movements, the difference between “alternative” and “mainstream” religion, and the contours of religious success and failure. Prerequisite: Rhetoric 102.
RELIGION 435. (3) SEMINAR IN RELIGIOUS HISTORY. A seminar on a focused topic in American religion or religious history that prepares students for a significant exercise in research. Prerequisite: junior or senior status, or permission of the instructor. PRE-THESIS SEMINAR AND COLLOQUIUM RELIGION 444. (1) PRE-THESIS SEMINAR. This course is a seminar for majors and minors aimed at developing a research proposal for Religion 445. The seminar concentrates on development of a working research proposal for the departmental Colloquium, including a topic of study, guiding questions, a statement of methodology to be used, significant working and annotated bibliography, and a general plan for project completion. Students also present research in progress to their peers and consider the art and practice of scholarship. Students take this course the semester before Religion 445. Offered: every fall semester. RELIGION 445. (3) COLLOQUIUM. Under the direction of the Religion faculty, students propose and write a major research project. All senior Religion majors are expected to participate in this course in which all faculty members of the department play a role. Limited to Religion majors and to other qualified students with the permission of the instructor. Prerequisite: Religion 444.
