Religious Studies



R.S. Home

Faculty     Walter Stiern Library     Kegley Institute of Ethics     From the Chair
 



Religious Studies Courses

NOTE: All upper division courses in Religious Studies carry as a prerequisite English 110 or its equivalent. Some courses also carry additional prerequisites--see individual descriptions. Prerequisites may be waived with the consent of the instructor. Each course not otherwise designated carries five quarter units of credit.

Lower Division 

RS 100 Introduction to Religion (5)
A comparative study of the way people express themselves religiously.  Topics might include religious experience, beliefs about God, salvation and liberation, the expression of religion in scripture, myth, ritual, ethics, community, art, faith, life after death, immortality, reincarnation, worship, prayer and meditation, the near-death experience and the effect of religion on individuals and societies.  Specific religious traditions, Eastern and Western, provide examples for the study of these topics.  [F,W,S]

RS 110 Religion in Western Civilization (5)
A comparative study of the religions and cultures which have shaped Western civilization.  This course traces the development and interaction of religions and various aspects of Western civilization.  Judaism, Christianity, and Islam and the role they have played in shaping the values and world views of Western civilization receive special attention.  Some religions and cultures of the ancient Near East, Greece,
Rome, and ancient Europe may also be studied.  [F,W,S]

RS 111 Religion in Asian Cultures (5)
A comparative study of the religions and cultures of India, China, and Japan.  The origins and development of selected religious traditions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and Shintoism are examined.  The interaction between religion and various aspects of culture such as art, literature, politics, and economics is included.  [Usually S]

RS 289 Experiential Prior Learning (variable units)
Evaluation and assessment of learning which has occurred as a result of prior off-campus experience relevant to the curriculum of the department.  Requires complementary academic study and/or documentation.  Available by petition only, on a credit, no-credit basis.  Not open to postgraduate students.  Interested students should contact the department office.  May not be counted toward major or minor requirements.


RS 290 Orientation: Study of Philosophy & Religious Studies (2)

Introduction to Philosophy and Religious Studies, including requirements for the major, computer and information competency.  In addition, an exploration of academic and non-academic careers, as well as information about graduate school (including financial issues).  Offered on a credit, no-credit basis only. [S]

RS 296/396 Human Corps Community Service I (variable units)
This course provides students a volunteer community service experience working with nonprofit, governmental, educational or community-based service organizations.  Offered on a credit, no-credit basis only. 

Top 


Upper Division

RS 301 Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) (5)
A study of the Hebrew Bible with special attention given to the historical development of the religion and literature of ancient Israel.  Several Hebrew literary forms are examined, including historical narrative, poetry, law, prophecy and apocalypse, as well as the Hebrew wisdom tradition.  [Alternate years]

RS 302 New Testament (5)
The history, literature, and religion of early Christianity considered against the background of the Greco-Roman world.  The gospels and epistles of the New Testament are analyzed and discussed.  [Alternate years]

RS 311 Psychology of Religion (5)
A study of the psychological dimension of religion, Western and Eastern.  Attention is given to various psychological theories of religion, including those of Freud, Jung, and James.  Such topics as religious experience, meditation, psychic phenomena, and the role of religion in personality development are included.  Carries credit in Religious Studies or Psychology.  [Alternate years]

RS 313 Sociology of Religion (5)
A study of the sociological dimension of religion, Western and Eastern.  The various sociological theories of religion, including those of Durkheim and Weber, are examined.  Such topics as religion and social change, the social aspects of religious experience, and religious institutionalization are studied, with particular attention to the function of religion in contemporary secular societies.  Carries credit in Religious Studies or Sociology.  [Alternate years]

RS 332 Judaism (5)
A study of the history and literature of post-biblical Judaism from the Maccabean Revolt to the founding of the Jewish State.  Attention will be given to major events and major movements during this period, such as Messianism, Rabbinic Judaism, Hasidic Judaism, the Jewish Enlightenment, Zionism, and the Nazi Holocaust.  [Alternate years]

RS 335 Christianity (5)
A study of the history and literature of the Christian tradition from its beginnings as a Jewish sect in Judea
to its transformation into Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant branches.  Some attention will be given to the development of sectarian and heretical movements.  [Alternate years]

RS 338 Islam (5)
A study of the history, literature, religion, governments, and culture of Islamic civilization from its beginnings in the Arabian desert to its spread throughout Asia
, Africa, and the Western world.  Attention will be given to tensions between traditional Islamic culture and modern Western society.  [S]

RS 342 Philosophy of Religion (5)
An examination of the following issues:  the nature of religion and religious experience, various conceptions of God, evidence for the existence of God including the classical arguments, faith and its relationship to knowledge, the problem of evil, the meaning and the logical status of religious language, the possibility and nature of personal immortality.  Carries credit in Philosophy or Religious Studies.  [Alternate years]

RS 343 Asian Philosophy (5)
A study of the major Confucian philosophers:  Confucius, Mencius, and Hsun Tzu; of the Taoist masters Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu; of the chief sources of Hindu philosophy – the Upanishads, the Bhagavadgita – and the three major Vedanta philosophies which grew out of them; and of Buddhist thought, in both the Theravada and Mahayana (including Zen) traditions.  Carries credit in Philosophy or Religious Studies.  [Alternate years]

RS 345 India (5)
A study of India’s culture, especially her religious, mythical, and artistic expressions; the values and living patterns of her citizens; the historical events leading up to her independence from Great Britain; and the social, economic and spiritual effect of independence on her people.  [W]

RS 348 China and Japan (5)
A study of the cultures of China and Japan.  Emphasis will be placed on their philosophical, religious, and artistic expressions, as well as on typical oriental attitudes towards family, community, and state.  The overall objective of the course is to understand something of the Chinese and Japanese people as they perceive themselves today, both religiously and socially.  [Alternate years]

RS 361 Mythology and Symbolism in Religion (5)
An exploration of the nature, function, and types of mythology and symbolism in religion.  Such topics as mythology and truth, symbol and reality, and literalism versus symbolic modes of comprehension and expression are studied.  Source readings are drawn from the world religions.  [Alternate years]

RS 362 Spirituality and Mysticism (5)
A study of spirituality and mysticism, including classical expressions of mystical experience.  Meditation and prayer, spiritual art and music, nature mysticism, and what it means to live spiritually are topics typically covered.  Different traditions, both Eastern and Western, will be compared.  [Alternate years]

RS 363 Philosophy and Religion in Literature (5)
An examination of such concepts as freedom, love, morality, God, death, afterlife, faith, and meaninglessness in novels, short stories, and poetry.  Authors include Rumi, Kabir, Tagore, Pope, Dickinson, Millay, Hopkins, Hesse, Maugham, Greene, Camus, and Betty.  Carries credit in Philosophy or Religious Studies.  [S]

RS 365 Native American Religion (5)
Religious life among Native Americans is rich and diverse.  This course will sample some of this diversity from the remote past to the present with primary focus on North American cultures.  Issues relevant to gender, ritual practice, moral values, sacred stories and world views will be examined.  Native and non-native sources will be studied, including the experiences of individual women and men.  Native American guest speakers and video interviews will be utilized where appropriate.  [Alternate years]

RS 377 Special Studies in Religion (1-5)
Topics to be offered will be announced prior to registration.  May be repeated for different course content.  [Offered irregularly]

RS 381 New Religious Movements (5)
An historical and sociological examination of popular cults and sectarian movements in contemporary
America.  Among the groups this course may highlight include the Shakers, Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Unification Church, Hare Krishna, the Nation of Islam, and the so-called religions of the New Age.  [Offered irregularly]

RS 396 Human Corps (5)

RS 401 Religion in Ancient Western Civilization (5)
An examination of Egyptian, Mesopotamian and Canaanite cultures.  This course will consider their influence upon western civilization, using such examples as religious beliefs and practices, literature, law, government and the development of writing.  [F]

RS 444 Buddhism and Christianity in Dialogue (5)
A comparative historical, systematic and critical investigation of such topics as the nature of ultimate reality, the meaning of life in the world, salvation and enlightenment as presented in various Buddhist and Christian traditions.  Along with traditional materials, students will read contemporary academic and nonacademic texts that address various aspects of this ongoing inter-religious dialogue.  [Alternate years]

RS 465 The Meaning of Death (5)
A study of various attitudes toward death and dying in world cultures.  Problems of aging, disease, euthanasia, the impact of technology on the dying, grief, suicide and the impact of life after death are topics typically covered.  [F]

RS 477 Special Studies in Religion (1-5)
Topics to be offered will be announced prior to registration.  May be repeated for different course content.  [Offered irregularly]

RS 489 Experiential Prior Learning (variable units)
Evaluation and assessment of learning which has occurred as a result of prior off-campus experience relevant to the curriculum of the department.  Requires complementary academic study and/or documentation.  Available by petition only, on a credit, no-credit basis.  Not open to postgraduate students.  Interested students should contact the department office.  May not be counted toward major or minor requirements.

RS 490 Senior Seminar (6)
Consideration of the nature of religion and of religious studies and of various related subjects.  Prerequisite:  Senior Standing.  [S]

RS 496 Internship in Applied Religious Studies (1-5)
Supervised field experience in applying religious studies skills in dealing with individuals and in community organizations and institutions.  Career-oriented experience in community setting is combined with academic activities in the college setting.  Hours in the field, placement and academic requirements such as conferences, reports, and readings are arranged in consultation with the work supervisor and faculty supervisor.  Prerequisites vary depending on the specific internship, but enrollment is limited to students with good academic records who are committed to understanding the religious elements present in professional life.

RS 497 Cooperative Education (5)
The Cooperative Education program offers a sponsored learning experience in a work setting, integrated with a field analysis seminar.  The Cooperative Education office contracts the field experience on an individual basis, subject to approval by the department.  The field experience, including the seminar and reading assignments, is supervised by the cooperative education coordinator and the faculty liaison (or course instructor), working with the field supervisor.  Students are expected to enroll in the course for at least two quarters.  The determination of course credits, evaluation, and grading are the responsibility of the departmental faculty.  Offered on a credit, no-credit basis only.  Department will determine application of credit.

RS 499 Individual Study (1-5)
Individual program with regular consultations and/or examinations as instructor may require.  Admission with consent of department chair.

RS 577 Special Studies in Religion (1-5)
Topics to be offered will be announced.  May be repeated for different course content.  Requires graduate level standing.


RS 580 Advanced Research Participation (1-5)
Individual investigation under the supervision of an identified instructor.  (Experience as a research or teaching assistant does not count for credit.)  Prerequisite:  3.0 GPA and consent of department chair.

RS 599 Advanced Individual Study (1-5)
Special projects developed by the individual in consultation with an identified instructor.  Prerequisite:  3.0 GPA and consent of department chair.

RS 677 Special Studies in Religion (1-5)
Topics to be offered will be announced.  May be repeated for different course content.  Requires graduate level standing.

Top 
 


Department of Philosophy Home

Academic Programs

Site Map

RS Major

FAQ

Philosophy/Religious Studies Club

Faculty Web Page Directory

Campus Map

RS Minor

APA Online