REL 101   INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF RELIGION   3 Units

This course Introduces students to various methods employed in the academic study of religion and will provide opportunity for students to apply these methods to diverse expressions of the religious life. This course is primarily a global awareness competencies course.

REL 201   ASIAN PHILOSOPHY   3 Units

(PHI 201 & REL 201 are the same course.) An exploration of philosophically significant topics pertaining to the traditions of Asia. Typically includes the traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Confucianism, Daoism, & Shinto. May include topics such as the nature of ultimate reality & its relationship to the self, liberation & enlightenment, ethical ideals & practices, social institutions, & the nature of government. Attention will be paid to arguments pertaining to these topics as well as careful analysis of such classic primary sources as the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Analects, Daodejing, & Zhuangzi.

REL 299   INDEPENDENT READING IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES   1-3 Units

Intensive study of a sacred text or of a secondary theological, literary, exegetic or other text within a religious tradition.

REL 343   RELIGION, MAGIC, AND WITCHCRAFT   3 Units

Religion, magic, and witchcraft are uniquely human means of reaching out to the supernatural realm to effect changes in the here and now. This course introduces students to descriptions and interpretations of magico-religious beliefs and practices in a variety of cultures from an anthropological perspective, which does not attempt to judge the validity of such beliefs but to understand their origins and functions, among other things. It examines theories about religion and some of the conceptual issues regarding the interpretation of religion and related phenomena which have interested anthropologists.
PREREQ: 15 UNITS OF COURSEWORK