Religion Courses
REL 100 Introduction to Religion
General Education Course (Self-Understanding/Humanities Perspective) that promotes the Public Affairs Mission. Investigates what religion is and does, compares culturally diverse religious ideas and practices. This course explores how religion influences the relationship between individual and community by examining religious ethical systems, and providing community engagement opportunities. 3(3-0) F,S
REL 101 Literature and World of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible
General Education Course (Culture and Society/Humanities Perspective). Explores the religion, life experiences, cultures, thoughts, and history of the ancient Israelites as found in their literature and artifacts. 3(3-0) F,S
REL 102 Literature and World of the New Testament
General Education Course (Culture and Society/Humanities Perspective). An introduction to early Christian literature and the persons and movements that produced it in their Jewish and Greco-Roman contexts. 3(3-0) F,S
REL 103 History of the English Bible
The ancient manuscripts of the Bible; early versions; the English Bible; evaluation of recent translations. 1(1-0) D
REL 131 Religion in America
General Education Course (Culture and Society/Humanities Perspective). A historical survey of different religious groups in America and their contributions to American identity and values. Includes the connections between religious affiliation and race, ethnicity, gender, politics, the media, and other aspects of U.S. society and culture. 3(3-0) F,S
REL 197 Topics in Religious Studies
Topics of general interest in the area of religious studies such as Humor in the Bible, Religion and Literature, Religion and Film. May be repeated, as topics change, to a maximum of 6 hours. Variable content course. 1-3 D
REL 200 Religion in the News
Increases students' awareness of the presence and relevance of religion in current events and examines the influence of the news media on shaping public awareness and opinion of religion-related issues. 1(1-0) D
REL 210 Paths of World Religions
General Education Course (Self-Understanding/Humanities Perspective). A global survey of religious movements, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Students will learn how these religions have affected individual and cultural identities in history and in the contemporary world. 3(3-0) F,S
REL 312 The Hebrew Prophets
Recommended Prerequisite: REL 101. A survey of the prophetic literature of ancient Israel in its social and historical contexts. 3(3-0) D
REL 315 Native American Religions
Recommended Prerequisite: REL 131. A survey of historical and contemporary Native American cultures and spiritualities, including Native responses to European contact and colonization. 3(3-0) D
REL 319 The Bible and Film
This movie-viewing course enables students to compare and to contrast films reflecting on biblical stories and themes. Films are viewed and grouped according to biblical stories, books, and themes and change each semester. 3(3-0) D
REL 320 Jesus of Nazareth
Recommended Prerequisite: REL 102. Jesus as presented in the canonical gospels and other early sources with attention given to literary and historical issues. 3(3-0) F
REL 321 Paul
Recommended Prerequisite: REL 102. An introduction to the historical Paul and scholarly interpretation of his writings. 3(3-0) S
REL 323 Apocalypses
Prerequisite: REL 101 or REL 102. A historical and socio-rhetorical analysis of ancient Jewish and Christian apocalyptic movements and literature with some attention to modern examples. Canonical texts such as Daniel and Revelation will be examined in the context of numerous extra-canonical Jewish and Christian apocalypses. 3(3-0) D
REL 330 Judaism
A survey of the history and religion of the Jewish peoples, including the Holocaust, the State of Israel, and modern Jewish movements. 3(3-0) D
REL 332 Modern Religious Thought
Examines ways modernity impacted philosophy of religion in Europe and North America in the twentieth century. Major movements studied may include: Existentialism (Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Tillich); Process Thought (Whitehead); Feminism (Ruether, Daly); Deconstruction (Derrida, Caputo); and African American thought (King, Cone). 3(3-0) D
REL 340 Christianity
Surveys Christian history from the second century to the present, exploring how past events have led to the development of contemporary churches, denominations, beliefs, and practices. Major topics: Eastern Christianity, Medieval Christendom, the Protestant Reformation, the Enlightenment, and global Christianity in the twenty-first century. 3(3-0) D
REL 341 C. S. Lewis
An analysis of a selection of Lewis's works of fiction and apologetics. Student will interpret these works in their historical, theological, philosophical, literary and cultural contexts. They will also read and discuss critiques of and challenges to Lewis's ideas. 3(3-0) D
REL 344 New Religious Movements
Prerequisite: REL 100 or REL 210. Often negatively designated by outsiders as "cults", New Religious Movements continue to emerge at a rapid rate. This course examines the histories, structures, beliefs, and impacts of such groups as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Nation of Islam, Scientology, Raelians, and others. 3(3-0) D
REL 345 African American Religious Experience
Recommended Prerequisite: REL 131. Explores the establishment and maintenance of African American religious institutions, particularly the Black Churches and their future development. 3(3-0) D
REL 346 Sexuality and American Religion
Recommended Prerequisite: REL 131. Examines historical and contemporary beliefs about sexuality as reflected in sexual practices and experiences, such as celibacy, marital and extra-marital sex, and homosexuality, in American Protestantism, Catholicism, Judaism, Islam, and Native American cultures. Also, the ways American social culture and religious attitudes about sexuality have influenced each other. 3(3-0) D
REL 347 Suffering and Meaning
An exploration of religious approaches to suffering, death and the making of meaning in life. Students will survey the complex history of western responses to the "problem of evil" in the Bible, literature, theology, and philosophy of religion by reading texts from Augustine to Derrida. 3(3-0) D
REL 350 Islam
Origin, expansion, and continuity of Islam, including pre-Islamic influences, Muhammad, Qur'an and Tradition (hadith), sects, ritual and law, community and worldview, prayer and mysticism. 3(3-0) D
REL 355 Buddhism
Recommended Prerequisite: REL 210. A broad survey of the diverse patterns and expressions of Buddhist life throughout history. Studies will examine the beliefs, practices, and values that have existed among adherents of Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana Buddhism. Course materials will be drawn from Asian and Western cultures. 3(3-0) D
REL 357 Religions of China and Japan
Recommended Prerequisite: REL 210. An historical survey of the major religions from East Asia, with particular emphasis given to their doctrines, practices, and institutions. The course will focus on Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, and Shinto. Some consideration will also be given to Korean religious traditions, religion in contemporary East Asia, and popular religious traditions. Important themes include cultural adaptation and religious competition in East Asian religious history. 3(3-0) D
REL 360 Hinduism
Recommended Prerequisite: REL 210. An historical and thematic survey of the religions of India from the Vedic period to the present day. 3(3-0) D
REL 362 Jesus and the Parable Tradition
A survey of extant parables in Greek, Jewish, Gnostic, Synoptic and Patristic traditions, and an examination of the history of methods in the interpretation of the Parables of Jesus. In the light of this study the student will read and interpret selected parables of Jesus. 3(3-0) D
REL 365 The Life and Thought of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Recommended Prerequisite: REL 131. Studies the cultural roots, intellectual odyssey, social thought and action of Martin Luther King, Jr. Investigates his role in the Civil Rights Movement and compares him with other prominent leaders of this century. 3(3-0) S
REL 370 Women and Religion
Exploration of women's roles in Christianity and other religions. Alienation from places of power has had profound implications for the personal, social, political, economic, and religious aspects of women's existence. Course will examine patterns of religious domination of women and explore possibilities for transformation. 3(3-0) F,S
REL 385 Religious Studies Service Learning
Prerequisite: 30 hours, concurrent registration in a Religious Studies course designated as a service learning offering. Designed to provide a learning environment for research and reflection on the meaning of public and community service, this course is intended to strengthen human communities by modeling an ethos of service and integrating service into the Religious Studies curriculum. May be repeated. 1(0-2) D
REL 390 Religion in Society
Examines the relationship between religion and its social context. Students will explore the social nature of individual religious institutions. The relationship between religion and modernity will be studied. The course will pay special attention to the role of religion in American society, as well as the religious dimensions of class, gender, region, and race/ethnicity. Identical with SOC 390. Cannot receive credit for both REL 390 and SOC 390. 3(3-0) D
REL 397 Religious Studies Topics
Recommended Prerequisite: 3 hours in Religious Studies. Selected topics of general interest in Religious Studies. Examples: Introduction to Archaeology and the Bible, Women in the Bible, Dead Sea Scrolls, the Holocaust, C. S. Lewis, Food and American Religion. May be repeated, as topics change, to a maximum of 6 hours. Variable content course. 1-3 D
REL 399 Independent Study
Prerequisite: 9 hours in Religious Studies and permission of instructor. Independent study of a Religious Studies topic related to student's major or special interest. Before registering for the course, student and instructor must sign an agreement that details the course requirements. May be repeated to a total of 6 hours. Variable content course. 1-3 F,S
REL 510 Topics in Biblical Studies
Prerequisite: 50 hours. Recommended Prerequisite: REL 101 or REL 102. Advanced study of canonical and non-canonical texts and related subjects. Examples: Genesis, The Social World of Ancient Israel, Dead Sea Scrolls, Historical Jesus, Acts as History and Literature, Revelation and Apocalyptic Literature. Variable content course. May be repeated, as topics change, to a maximum of 9 hours. May be taught concurrently with REL 615. Cannot receive credit for both REL 615 and REL 510 for the same topic. 3(3-0) D
REL 530 Topics in Religion, Self, and Society
Prerequisite: 50 hours. Recommended Prerequisite: REL 100 or REL 131. Explores advanced issues in the study of religion as a component of cultural life including issues of gender, race, and ethnicity. Examples of topics: Religion and Politics; Religion, Media, and Popular Culture; Religion and Visual Culture; American Religious Communities; Lived Religion; Bible Belt Religion; Food and Religion; Women and Religion. Variable content course. May be repeated, as topics change, to a maximum of 9 hours. May be taught concurrently with REL 635. Cannot receive credit for both REL 635 and REL 530 for the same topic. 3(3-0) D
REL 531 Ozarks Religion
Prerequisite: 50 hours. Recommended Prerequisite: REL 131 or REL 390 or SOC 390 or HST 375 or ENG 385. Explores the rich and varied terrain of Ozarks religious life, focusing on the impact of social change. This theme is explored through readings on rural and urban communities, Protestant revivalism, folklore and traditional practices, Ozarks Jewish life, Bible Belt Catholicism, Branson tourism, and the new immigrants. Students will use the methods of oral history interviewing and field observation to make sense of Ozarks religion. May be taught concurrently with REL 636. Cannot receive credit for both REL 531 and REL 636. 3(3-0) D
REL 540 Topics in the History of Religions
Prerequisite: 50 hours. Recommended Prerequisite: REL 210. Studies of advanced topics in comparative religions or in the history of a particular region or religious tradition. Topics may include material ranging from ancient history to the present day. Examples; Mysticism, Colonialism, Religion and Culture, Yoga, Fundamentalism. Variable content course. May be repeated, as topics change, to a maximum of 9 hours. May be taught concurrently with REL 645. Cannot receive credit for both REL 645 and REL 540 for the same topic. 3(3-0) D
REL 550 Topics in the History of Judaism and Christianity
Prerequisite: 50 hours. Recommended Prerequisite: RE: 330 or REL 340. Selected topics of advanced content in Christianity and Judaism. Examples: Death and Dying in the Christian Tradition; Spirituality in Christianity; Women in the History of Christianity; Reformation of the Sixteenth Century; Thought of Martin Luther; Eastern Christianity; Ritual in Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Protestantism. Variable content course. May be repeated up to 9 hours as topics change. May be taught concurrently with REL 655. Cannot receive credit for both REL 655 and REL 550 for the same topic. 1-3 D
REL 570 Archaeology and the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible
Prerequisite: 50 hours. Recommended prerequisite: REL 101. Archaeological discoveries in their relation to the literary, cultural, and religious background of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible. Methods and objectives of archaeological research, including a brief history of Near Eastern archaeology. May be taught concurrently with REL 675. Cannot receive credit for both REL 675 and REL 570. 3(3-0) D
REL 571 Archaeology and the New Testament
Prerequisite: 50 hours. Recommended Prerequisite: REL 102. Archaeological discoveries in their relation to the literary, cultural, and religious background of the New Testament. Includes methods and objectives of archaeological research. May be taught concurrently with REL 676. Cannot receive credit for both REL 676 and REL 571. 3(3-0) D
REL 580 Theories of Religion
Prerequisite: 60 hours and permission. This required course for majors surveys influential theories of religion from the Enlightenment to the present. Students will write a major research paper involving theoretical perspectives learned in the course. May be taught concurrently with REL 685. Cannot receive credit for both REL 685 and REL 580. 3(3-0) F
REL 615 Topics in Biblical Studies
Recommended Prerequisite: REL 101 or REL 102. Advanced study of canonical and non-canonical texts and related subjects. Examples: Genesis, The Social World of Ancient Israel, Dead Sea Scrolls, Historical Jesus, Acts as History and Literature, Revelation and Apocalyptic Literature. Variable content course. May be repeated, as topics change, to a maximum of 9 hours. May be taught concurrently with REL 510. Cannot receive credit for both REL 615 and REL 510 for the same topic. 3(3-0) D
REL 635 Topics in Religion, Self, and Society
Recommended Prerequisite: REL 100 or REL 131. Explores advanced issues in the study of religion as a component of cultural life including issues of gender, race, and ethnicity. Examples of topics: Religion and Politics; Religion, Media, and Popular Culture; Religion and Visual Culture; American Religious Communities; Lived Religion; Bible Belt Religion; Food and Religion; Women and Religion. Variable content course. May be repeated, as topics change, to a maximum of 9 hours. May be taught concurrently with REL 530. Cannot receive credit for both REL 530 and REL 635 for the same topic. 3(3-0) D
REL 636 Ozarks Religion
Recommended Prerequisite: REL 131 or REL 390 or SOC 390 or HST 375 or ENG 385. Explores the rich and varied terrain of Ozarks religious life, focusing on the impact of social change. This theme is explored through readings on rural and urban communities, Protestant revivalism, folklore and traditional practices, Ozarks Jewish life, Bible Belt Catholicism, Branson tourism, and the new immigrants. Students will use the methods of oral history interviewing and field observation to make sense of Ozarks religion. May be taught concurrently with REL 531. Cannot receive credit for both REL 636 and REL 531. 3(3-0) D
REL 645 Topics in the History of Religions
Recommended Prerequisite: REL 210. Studies of advanced topics in comparative religions or in the history of a particular region or religious tradition. Topics may include material ranging from ancient history to the present day. Examples; Mysticism, Colonialism, Religion and Culture, Yoga, Fundamentalism. Variable content course. May be repeated, as topics change, to a maximum of 9 hours. May be taught concurrently with REL 540. Cannot receive credit for both REL 540 and REL 645 for the same topic. 3(3-0) D
REL 655 Topics in the History of Judaism and Christianity
Recommended Prerequisite: REL 330 or REL 340. Selected topics of advanced content in Christianity and Judaism. Examples: Death and Dying in the Christian Tradition; Spirituality in Christianity; Women in the History of Christianity; Reformation of the Sixteenth Century; Thought of Martin Luther; Eastern Christianity; Ritual in Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Protestantism. Variable content course. May be repeated, as topics change, to a maximum of 9 hours. May be taught concurrently with REL 550. Cannot receive credit for both REL 550 and REL 655 for the same topic. 1-3 D
REL 675 Archaeology and the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible
Recommended Prerequisite: REL 101. Archaeological discoveries in their relation to the literary, cultural, and religious background of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible. Methods and objectives of archaeological research, including a brief history of Near Eastern archaeology. May be taught concurrently with REL 570. Cannot receive credit for both REL 570 and REL 675. 3(3-0) D
REL 676 Archaeology and the New Testament
Recommended Prerequisite: REL 102. Archaeological discoveries in their relation to the literary, cultural, and religious background of the New Testament. Includes methods and objectives of archaeological research. May be taught concurrently with REL 571. Cannot receive credit for both REL 571 and REL 676. 3(3-0) D
REL 685 Theories of Religion
Prerequisite: permission of department head. This required course for majors surveys influential theories of religion from the Enlightenment to the present. Students will write a major research paper involving theoretical perspectives learned in the course. May be taught concurrently with REL 580. Cannot receive credit for both REL 580 and REL 685. 3(3-0) F
REL 710 Basic Issues in South Asian Religions
A survey of major ideas and practices associated with the religions of South Asia from early history to the present. Important theories and critical issues related to such concepts as colonialism, gender, nationalism, and text will be examined to orient students in the study of South Asian religions. Material from the Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Sikh, and Muslim traditions of South Asia may be considered. 3(3-0) D
REL 711 Seminar in South Asian Religions
Recommended Prerequisite: REL 710. This seminar will examine a specific topic or tradition within South Asian religions. Students can expect to do focused reading, discussion, and research on a particular subject related to the Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Sikh, and/or Muslim traditions of South Asia. Historical and contemporary material, along with critiques of scholarship in the field may be considered. May be repeated once if topic is different. 3(3-0) D
REL 730 Basic Issues in Biblical Studies
A survey of the history of research on biblical and related literatures with an emphasis on the period from the Enlightenment to the present. The course will cover classic and contemporary historical and literary problems including the theories and methods devised to address them. 3(3-0) D
REL 731 Seminar in Biblical Studies
Recommended Prerequisite: REL 730. This seminar examines a specific topic within the history and literature of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and/or New Testament. Students can expect to do focused reading, discussion, and research on a particular historical, literary, and/or methodological issue pertaining to the topic. Variable content course. May be repeated once if topic is different. 3(3-0) D
REL 750 Basic Issues in the History of Judaism and Christianity
A critical survey of historiographies, evaluative principles and periodizations, their underlying assumptions and results. 3(3-0) D
REL 751 Seminar in the History of Judaism and Christianity
Recommended Prerequisite: REL 750. Detailed study of selected persons, authors, movements, and eras in the history of Judaism and Christianity. Variable content course. May be repeated once if topic is different. 3(3-0) D
REL 770 Basic Issues in Religion, Self, and Society
A critical survey of religion as a cultural, social, and personal phenomenon with attention to theory and methodology from related disciplines. 3(3-0) D
REL 771 Seminar in Religion, Self, and Society
Recommended Prerequisite: REL 770. A seminar applying various perspectives to individual religious practice and religious institutions in selected Western and non-Western societies. May be repeated once if topic is different. 3(3-0) D
REL 796 Readings in Religious Studies
Prerequisite: recommendation of the Religious Studies general graduate advisor and permission of instructor. Arranged program of readings for the individual student directed by a member of the graduate faculty. Before enrolling in the course, student and instructor must sign an agreement that details the course requirements. Variable content course. May be repeated, when topics varies, to a maximum of 9 hours. 1-3 F,S
REL 799 Thesis
Prerequisite: recommendation of the Religious Studies general graduate advisor and permission of student's thesis advisor. The student will prepare an in-depth thesis on a clearly-defined topic within his or her area of specialization. Before enrolling in the course, student and thesis advisor must sign an agreement that details the course requirements. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 hours. 1-6 F,S
