RELIGST 1: Religion Around the Globe
A survey of significant religious traditions of the world with emphasis on contemporary manifestations. We will address aspects of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and Sikhism. In addition, we will discuss interaction between individuals and communities in diverse and complex religious settings such as East Asia, the Middle East, and North America.
Terms: Spr
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Units: 4
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UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, GER:EC-GlobalCom, WAY-ED, WAY-SI
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Grading: Letter or Credit/No Credit
Instructors:
Bashir, S. (PI)
RELIGST 2: Is Stanford a Religion?
This course seeks to introduce students to the study of religion by posing a two-part question: What is a religion, and does Stanford qualify as one? Scientific, pragmatic, seemingly secular, Stanford may not seem at all similar to religions like Christianity, Judaism or Buddhism, but a deeper look reveals that it has many of the qualities of religion--origin stories, rituals and ceremonies, sacred spaces and times, visions of the future, even some spirits. By learning some of the theories and methods of the field of religious studies, students will gain a better understanding not just of Stanford culture but of what motivates people to be religious, the roles religion plays in people's lives, and the similarities and differences between religious and secular culture.
Terms: Aut
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Units: 4
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UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II
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Grading: Letter or Credit/No Credit
Instructors:
Lum, K. (PI)
;
Weitzman, S. (PI)
RELIGST 5B: Biblical Greek II (CLASSGRK 5B)
This is a continuation of the Winter Quarter Biblical Greek Course. We will be reading selections primarily from the New Testament (both Gospels and Epistles) as well as focusing on knowledge of key vocabulary and grammar needed to read the Greek Bible with ease. Readings will be supplemented with sections from the Septuagint and Early Christian texts (Apostolic Fathers and Early Creeds). Pre-requisite:
ClassGrk 5 or a similar introductory course in Ancient Greek.
Terms: not given this year
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Units: 3-5
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Grading: Letter or Credit/No Credit
RELIGST 13Q: Mystical Journeys: Beyond Knowing and Reason
What makes a mystic a mystic? This question has many sides. Why do we call someone a mystic? Is there such a thing as mystical experience? Do experiences make a mystic? Do beliefs? Practices? Many religious traditions have records of visionaries whose lives and writings open windows on the more hidden and aspirational aspects of belief and practice. These writings also take many forms: poem, letters, teachings, and accounts of visions, which we will encounter in the course of the quarter. Readings for the course will cover a cross-section of texts taken from Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, and Native American sources.
Terms: Win
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Units: 3
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UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II, WAY-ED, Writing 2
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Grading: Letter (ABCD/NP)
Instructors:
Gelber, H. (PI)
RELIGST 14N: Demons, Death, and the Damned: The 'Other' and the Otherwordly in America
This course will examine how beliefs about the "other world" actually shape and are shaped by Americans' this-worldly actions and interactions (i.e. in the demonization of the "other," whether defined religiously, racially, ethnically, or in gendered terms). Students will ask how ideas about demons and death, heaven and hell have reflected the concerns, values, and identities of Americans over time. Students will learn how to read primary sources against secondary literature.
Terms: Aut
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Units: 3
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UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum
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Grading: Letter (ABCD/NP)
Instructors:
Lum, K. (PI)
RELIGST 17N: Love, Power, and Justice: Ethics in Christian Perspective
From its inception, the Christian faith has, like all religions, implied an ethos as well as a worldview, a morality and way of life as well as a system of beliefs, an ethics as well as a metaphysics. Throughout history, Christian thinkers have offered reasoned accounts of the moral values, principles, and virtues that ought to animate the adherents of what eventually became the world's largest religion. We will explore a variety of controversial issues, theological orientations, and types of ethical reasoning in the Christian tradition, treating the latter as one 'comprehensive doctrine' (John Rawls) among many; a normative framework (actually a variety of contested religious premises, moral teachings, and philosophical arguments) formally on par with the religious ethics of other major faiths as well as with the various secular moral theories typically discussed in the modern university. We will learn to interpret, reconstruct, criticize, and think intelligently about the coherence and persuasiveness of moral arguments offered by a diverse handful of this religious tradition's best thinkers and critics, past and present.
Terms: Spr
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Units: 3
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UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II, WAY-ER
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Grading: Letter (ABCD/NP)
Instructors:
Sockness, B. (PI)
RELIGST 18N: Religion and Politics: Comparing Europe to the U.S. (JEWISHST 18N)
Interdisciplinary and comparative. Historical, political, sociological, and religious studies approaches. The relationship between religion and politics as understood in the U.S. and Europe. How this relationship has become tense both because of the rise of Islam as a public religion in Europe and the rising influence of religious groups in public culture. Different understandings and definitions of the separation of church and state in Western democratic cultures, and differing notions of the public sphere. Case studies to investigate the nature of public conflicts, what issues lead to conflict, and why. Why has the head covering of Muslim women become politicized in Europe? What are the arguments surrounding the Cordoba House, known as the Ground Zero Mosque, and how does this conflict compare to controversies about recent constructions of mosques in Europe? Resources include media, documentaries, and scholarly literature.
Terms: Spr
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Units: 3-4
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UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, GER:EC-GlobalCom, WAY-ED
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Grading: Letter (ABCD/NP)
Instructors:
Fonrobert, C. (PI)
RELIGST 21: Religion in Science Fiction and Fantasy
Science fiction and fantasy create alternate worlds that incorporate religious institutions and beliefs that illuminate how we think about religion now and for the future. Texts work off diverse religious traditions: Islam, Buddhism, Catholic and Protestant forms of Christianity, ancient Sumerian and Mayan religion, and Voudou are some that appear. Themes of free will and determinism, immortality, apocalypse and redemption. Myth, ritual, prophecy, the messianic hero, monasticism and mysticism. Texts like Dune, Snow Crash, Count Zero and the like explore religion in the contemporary imagination. Main assignment: write a short story.
Terms: Spr
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Units: 4
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UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II, WAY-CE
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Grading: Letter (ABCD/NP)
Instructors:
Gelber, H. (PI)
RELIGST 22: Science and Ideology
Is science objective? Do ideologies shape knowledge? Do accepted theories reflect factors other than evidence, such as social values, political agenda, or philosophical assumptions? Can there be such a thing as Marxist/Christian/Islamic/Feminist science? Does religion hamper science? As part of an introduction to the philosophy of science, the course considers these questions, and examines the nature of knowledge and the relationship between theory and evidence. We focus on how scientific theories are formed and evaluated, examine the arguments for and against the objectivity of science, and explore the debates occasioned by religion, feminism, and Marxism. Several historical case studies are considered.
Terms: not given this year
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Units: 4
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Grading: Letter or Credit/No Credit
RELIGST 24: Sexuality, Gender, and Religion (FEMGEN 24)
From ancient times to the present, religious texts, authority figures, adherents, and critics have had a great deal to say about sexuality and gender, with powerful impacts in personal, social and political spheres. Today these debates are more wide ranging and public than ever. In this lecture and discussion series, distinguished scholars from within and beyond Stanford will consider how sexuality and gender become ¿religious¿ in Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism.
Terms: Win
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Units: 2
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Repeatable for credit
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Grading: Credit/No Credit
Instructors:
Hess, L. (PI)
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