__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Click here to see Courses from Spring 2009, Summer 2009 and Fall 2009

SPRING 2010

REL 104 Introduction to Religion
(3) Religion approached as a search for meaning. Personal and social interpretation of life and death. The study proceeds by examination of autobiography, institutions, symbols, scriptures, literature, world-views, values. Modern critiques of religion, secular faiths, and religious pluralism are included.
7:00 - 8:15 MW Aaron Ketchell 100 Smith Hall

REL106/ELAC 105 Living Religions of the East
(3) A basic introduction to religion in India, China, and Japan with emphasis upon religions that affect the modern period.
11:00-11:50 TR Lecture Robert Minor 100 Smith, & one of the following discussion sections:
3:00-3:50 R Minor 206 Smith
4:00-4:50 R Staff 206 Smith
5:00-5:50 R Staff 206 Smith
1:00-1:50 F Staff 208 Smith
2:00-2:50 F Staff 208 Smith

REL 106 / EALC 105 Living Religions of the East
(3) A basic introduction to religion in India, China, and Japan with emphasis upon religions that affect the modern period.
9:00-9:50 MW F Bill Lindsey 208 Smith

REL 107 Living Religions of the West
(3) A basic introduction to the major religious traditions of the Near East, Europe, and the Americas, with an emphasis on their development through the modern period and their expressions in contemporary life. Not open to students who have taken REL 109 or REL 307.
4:00 - 5:15 TR Sergey Dolgopolskii 100 Smith

REL 108 / EALC 108 Living Religions of the East Honors
(3) A basic introduction to religion in India, China, and Japan with emphasis upon religions that affect the modern period. Open only to the students in the University Honors Program or by permission of instructor. Not open to students who have taken REL106 / EALC 105 or REL 306.
11:00 - 11:50 MWF Bill Lindsey 208 Smith

REL 124 Understanding the Bible
(3) An introduction to the literature of the Bible exploring the relationships among the various types of literature present and the function of each type in the history and religious life of the people who produced and used them. Cannot be taken concurrently with REL 311, or REL 315.
11:00-11:50       MW Lecture Paul Mirecki 100 Smith & one of the following discussion sections:
3:00-3:50           W Mirecki 208 Smith
4:00-4:50           R Staff 208 Smith
5:00-5:50           R Staff 208 Smith
2:00-2:50           F Staff 107 Smith
3:00-3:50           F Staff 107 Smith

REL 171 / AMS 290 Religion in American Society
(3) A broad introduction to religion in American culture. The class emphasizes the well-established religions with large followings, viz. Judaism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestantism. Some attention is also given to other religions active in America. Other topics covered include the relationship of church and state, religion in ethnic and racial minority groups, and women and religion.
12:00-12:50 MWF Tim Miller 100 Smith

REL 311 Hebrew Scriptures
(3) A study of the development of the Hebrew Bible from its earliest stages of oral traditionto its canonization with an emphasis on the relationship of the historical, intellectual, and cultural contexts shaping that development. Prerequisite: REL 124 or permission of instructor.
1:00 - 2:15 TR Molly Zahn 107 Smith

REL 326 Introduction to the Talmud and Interpretation
(3) 11:00 - 12:15 TR Sergey Dolgopolskii 108 Smith

REL 330/AMS 494 Native American Religions
(3) A survey of religious traditions among selected Native American peoples. Topics include religious freedom, ritual activity, cultural narrative ("myth"), kinshp, healing practices, ecology, governement relations, impact of colonization, impact of missionization, contact between cultures, and secularization.
1:00 - 1:50 MWF Michael Zogry 108 Smith

REL 350/AAAS 349 Islam
(3) Origins of Islam; the Prophet Muhammad; the Holy Koran; religious symbols and moral mandates; historical developments (Same as AAAS 349).
9:30 - 10:45 TR Marilyn Klaus 208 Smith

REL 373 / HIST 373 Supreme Court and Religious Issues in the US
(3) Historical study of the interpretation of the religion clauses of the First Amendment with special reference to the questions of establishment, the free exercise of religion, freedom of religious belief, worship, and action, and religion and the public schools. Not open to freshmen. EDWARDS CAMPUS.
4:00 - 7:10 R Sherry Wright 208 REGN 225

REL 405 Directed Study in Religion
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor by appointment: All Faculty

REL 468/HWC 468 Illness in Art and Literature
(3) An examination of how illness and health have been conceptualized, expressed, and explored in Western literature and art, as well as a consideration of issues of illness and health from the perspective of philosophy and religious studies.
2:30 - 3:45 TR Sandra Zimdars-Swartz 108 Fraiser

REL 475/REL 875 Loving Relationships
(3) Theories and elements of love in a variety of types of relationships, with attention to religious ethical traditions and social and behavioral sciences. Includes small group discussions and application to personal experience.
1:00 - 2:15 TR Robert Shelton 208 Smith

REL 490 Senior Seminar in Theories and Methods
(3) A capstone course for religious studies majors to survey methods and theories in religious studies. Prerequisite: Religious Studies major or permission of the instructor.
2:30 - 5:00 T Robert Minor 12 Smith

REL 499 Undergraduate Honors Research
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor by appointment: All Faculty

REL 500 Readings in Non-English Texts
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor by appointment: All Faculty

REL 502 Special Topics in Religion: Ethical Issues in Health Care
(3) For more information on this course, please contact the instructor.
3:00 - 5:30 R Bob Shelton 12 Smith

REL 507 Religion in India
(3) Survey of religious thought and practice in India from the Vedic period to the present.
1:00 - 2:15 TR Robert Minor 206 Smith

REL 523 Dead Sea Scrolls
(3) A study of the archaeological evidence and texts from the Dead Sea area that provide primary evidence for Jewish religious belief and practice in the Greek and Roman periods (ca. 250 B.C.E. - 135 C.E.) Prerequisite: REL 124 or consent of the instructor.
12:30 - 1:45 MW Paul Mirecki 208 Smith

REL 669/COMS 669 Human Conflict and Peace
(3) Study of religious, cultural, and social traditions toward understanding the nature and purposes of human conflict. Analysis of various meanings of peace, with emphasis on study of nonviolent approaches to management of conflict. Class discussion, readings, and individual research projects. (Same as COMS 669). Prerequisite: Junior standing or above.
9:30 - 10:45 TR Bob Shelton 206 Smith

REL 671/AMS 696/ HWC 500 American Communes
(3) An examination of utopian communities in North America from the seventeenth century to the present. The course will survey the history, literature, and social dynamics od representative communal societies and movements including the Shakers, the Hutterites, the Oneida Community, Catholic religious communities, egalitarian communities, and other religious and secular communities.
6:30 - 9:00 T Tim Miller 208 Smith

REL 775/ GINS 804/ AMS 696 Seminar in Religion and Sociology in the West: Issues in the Study of Native American Religious Traditions
(3) For more information on this course, please contact the instructor.
2:00 - 4:30 W Michael Zogry 107 Smith

REL 781 Seminar in Theories of Religion
(3) For more information on this course, please contact the instructor.
7:00 - 9:30 R Paul Zimdars-Swartz 12 Smith

REL 800 Readings
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor by appointment: All Faculty

REL 875 Topics in Religion and Society: Loving Relationships
(3) Theories and elements of love in a variety of types of relationships, with attention to religious ethical traditions and social and behavioral sciences. Includes small group discussions and application to personal experience.
1:00 - 2:15 TR Robert Shelton 208 Smith

REL 899 Thesis
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor by appointment: All Faculty

FALL 2009 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________

REL 106/EALC 105 Living Religions of the East
(3) A basic introduction to religion in India, China, and Japan with emphasis upon religions that affect the modern period.
11:00-11:50 TR Lecture Robert Minor 100 Smith, & one of the following discussion sections:
3:00-3:50 R Minor 206 Smith
4:00-4:50 R Staff 206 Smith
5:00-5:50 R Staff 206 Smith
1:00-1:50 F Staff 208 Smith
2:00-2:50 F Staff 208 Smith

REL 107 Introduction to Religion
(3) A basic introduction to the major religious traditions in the Near East, Europe, and the Americas, with an emphasis on their development through the modern period and their expressions in contemporary life.
9:30-10:45 TR Molly Zahn 100 Smith

REL 124 Understanding the Bible
(3) An introduction to the literature of the Bible exploring the relationships among the various types of literature present and the function of each type in the history and religious life of the people who produced and used them. Cannot be taken concurrently with REL 311, or REL 315.
11:00-11:50       MW Lecture Paul Mirecki 100 Smith & one of the following discussion sections:
3:00-3:50           W Mirecki 208 Smith
4:00-4:50           W Staff 208 Smith
3:00-3:50           R Staff 208 Smith
4:00-4:50           R Staff 206 Smith
5:00-5:50           R Staff 206 Smith

REL 339 History of Religion in America
(3) Survey of the development of religious institutions and ideas in America from colonial times to the present. Emphasis is given to the mainstream religious traditions (Protestant, Catholic, Jewish), but attention is also paid to other phenomena, including nonwestern and native American religion.
6:00-8:30 T Aaron Ketchell 208 Smith

REL 378 Religion and Moral Decisions, Honors
(3) Introduction to religious viewpoints on individual and social ethics. Influence of religious thought on the making of moral decisions, and on value development. Examined in relation to specific moral issues.
1:00-2:15 TR Robert Shelton 12 Smith

REL 404 / EALC 431 Undergraduate Seminar in Religion: Islamic Literature
(1-3) This course focuses on literature that reflects Islamic culture from its inception to contemporary times. Beginning with attention to the importance of the spoken word in the establishment of Islam, course readings and lectures follow the place of literary works in confirming Islamic perspectives. Readings include selections from the Qur’an, classical works of poetry and narrative, and contemporary autobiography. Authors include the best known: al-Ghazali (d.1111 C.E.), Attar (d. circa 1193-1235), Ibn Arabi (d. 1240 C.E,), Rumi (d. 1273), Saadi (d.1291), Hafiz (d. 1389 C.E.), and Shah (contemporary), as well as readings by and about less well known women Sufis in all historical periods. Readings are all in English translation.
11:00-11:50 MWF Bill Lindsey 208 Smith

REL 502 Topics in Religion: Contemporary Jewish Identities
(3) For more information on this course, please contact the instructor.
11:00-12:15 TR Lynn Davidman 107 Smith

REL 502 Topics in Religion: Kansas Religious History
(3) For more information on this course, please contact the instructor.
4:00-6:30 W Tim Miller 206 Smith

REL 502 Topics in Religion: Masculine Pleasure and Power in Western Christianity
(3) For more information on this course, please contact the instructor.
7:00-9:30 R Paul Zimdars-Swartz 206 Smith

REL 508 /EALC 508 Religion in China
(3) Survey of religious thought and practice in China from the Shang to the People's Republic.
11:00 - 12:15 TR Daniel Stevenson 208 Smith

REL 524 Studies in Ancient Egyptian Culture and Religion
(3) A study of the basic features of Egyptian history, culture, and religion from the beginning of the Pharaonic period (ca. 3500 B.C.E) to the rise of Greek rule in Egypt (ca. 350 B.C.E.). Prerequisite: A principal course in Religious Studies or consent of instructor.
12:30 - 1:45 MW Paul Mirecki 208 Smith

REL 601 Approaches to the Study of Religion
(3) An introduction to the various methods by which social scientists, historians, philosophers, and theologians study the meaning, influence and significance of religions as an integral part of society and its cultural heritage. Prerequisite: REL 104 required for Undergraduate students. No prerequisite for Graduate Students.
1:00-3:30 W Michael Zogry 4 Smith

REL 665 Religious Ethics
(3) Main themes and traditions in ethical thought. Religious thought as basis of systems of ethics. Contemporary approaches to methods of value organization and moral choices. Prerequisite: A basic course in Religious Studies.
1:00-2:15 TR Robert Shelton 12 Smith

REL 667 Religious Perspectives on War and Peace
(3) Views of war and peace in various faith traditions throughout the world. Examination of teachings and actions of religious groups and selected individuals, including use of war rhetoric and differing theological and social understandings of peace. Lecture, seminar discussion, and research assignments require preparation and participation by students. Prerequisite: Junior standing or above.
9:30-10:45 TR Robert Shelton 206 Smith

REL 773 Seminar in Religion and National Identity: Religion and Secular States
(3) This seminar is an analysis and comparison of a variety of ways selected countries that value "secularism" are working out the idea of a “secular state.” It is not a study of theories of secularism or the secular state -- as if there is one unambiguous way a nation must be "secular" -- but how five nations are implementing the variety of their definitions of what it means for a nation to be a "secular state" and the problems each encounters in doing so. It centers on the reading and discussion of the required texts and the student research papers prepared for distribution and presentation in class at the end of the semester. More information and download a syllabus at: http://www.people.ku.edu/~rminor/REL773INTL750.html
2:30-5:00 T Robert Minor 12 Smith

LA&S 292: Topics and problems on: Elemantary Hindi I
(5) The objectives of our course sequence on Elementary Hindi are to: 1. enable students to communicate in spoken Hindi in diverse situations involving daily actions, health, shopping, emergency, travel, Indian cuisine, music, arts, and creating business or other work related connections, 2. enable students to read and write the Devanagari script, and 3. provide an understanding of India's cultural, political, historical and lingual diversity. In addition to developing basic language skills, Elementary Hindi will be a very interactive class that seeks to instill, through use of personal stories by the lecturer, visuals and other related media, an understanding of Indian culture, geography, peoples, family life, wildlife, philosophy, music, and yoga.
11:00 - 12:25 MWF Geeta Tiwari Wescoe 4001

REL 800 Readings
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor by appointment: All Faculty

REL 899 Thesis
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor by appointment: All Faculty

Cross Reference List for REL

Click here to see courses in Spring 2008, Summer 2008 and Fall 2008