Courses
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SPRING 2012
REL 104 Introduction to Religion
(3) Religion approached as 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 100 Smith; Instructor: Aaron Ketchell
REL 106 Living Religions of the East/EALC 105
(3) A basic introduction to religion in India, China, and Japan with emphasis upon religions that affect the modern period.
10:00-10:50 MWF100 Smith; Instructor: Bill Lindsey.
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.
11:00 – 12:15 TR 100 Smith; Instructor: Jacquelene Brinton
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.
11:00 - 11:50 MW 100 Smith (LEC); Instructor: Paul Mirecki.
3:00 – 3:50 W 206 Smith (DISCUSSION)
4:00 – 4:50 R 208 Smith (DISCUSSION)
5:00 – 5:50 R 208 Smith (DISCUSSION)
2:00 – 2:50 F206 Smith (DISCUSSION)
3:00 – 3:50 F 206 Smith (DISCUSSION)
REL 171 Religion in American Society/AMS 290
(3) A broad introduction to religion in America 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 of state, religion in ethnic and racial minority groups, and women and religion.
12:00-12:50 MWF 100 Smith; Instructor: Tim Miller
REL 311 Hebrew Scriptures
(3) Study of the development of the Hebrew Bible from its earliest stages of oral tradition to 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.
11:00 - 12:15 TR 107 Smith; Instructor: Molly Zahn
REL 345 Christianity
(3) An introductory examination of the history, doctrines, and practices of Christianity. Selected readings from the creeds, papal decrees, and major Christian theologians;
11:00 – 12:15 MW 107 Smith; Instructor: Joshua Lollar
REL 404 Undergraduate Seminar in Religion: American Religion and Popular Culture/AMS 494
(3) This course investigates expressions of religious sentiment within American popular music, film, television, radio and sports. It will also explore the devotional culture of fandom and issues pertaining to the commodification of religion within the related fields of material and consumer culture studies.
7:00-9:30 TR 107 Smith; Instructor: Aaron Ketchell
REL 490 Senior Seminar in Theories and Methods
(3) The goal of this course is to ensure that Religious Studies majors develop their ability to do methodological thinking about approaches to the study of religion by examining specific examples of those approaches.
2:30 - 3:45 TR 206 Smith; Instructor: Paul-Zimdars-Swartz
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 208 Smith; Instructor: Paul Mirecki
REL 525 Jews and Christians
(3) This course examines the ways Jews and Christians have interacted with and characterized one another at various points in their histories. Special emphasis is placed on the gradual separation of the two religious traditions in the 1st -- 4th centuries CE.
1:00 - 2:15 TR 107 Smith; Instructor: Molly Zahn
REL 534 Studies in Ritual: Passages in Asian Cultures/EALC 591
(3) A study of ritual theory and comparative study of ritual activity among selected religious traditions.
12:00-12:50 MWF 206 Smith; Instructor Bill Lindsey
(3) A reading and media-rich survey of institutional, ritual, literary, educational, and exegetical practices that have shaped the lives of Buddhists in China, past and present. Alterities within the Buddhist tradition, and interactions with other religious options, are considered.
11:00-12:15 TR 108 Fraser; Instructor: Daniel Stevenson
REL 557 Islamic Reform Movements
(3) This course examines movements of renewal and reform in the Islamic world today. We study the conditions that gave rise to calls for reform throughout the Muslim majority world, as well as the impact reform movements have had on the practices and the beliefs of Muslims today.
9:30-10:45 TR 107 Smith; Instructor: Jacquelene Brinton
REL 671 American Communes/AMS 696/ HWC 500
(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 of representative communal societies and movements including the Shakers, the Hutterites, the Oneida Community, Catholic religious communities, egalitarian communities, and other religious and secular communities
2:30-5:00 W 107 Smith; Instructor: Tim Miller
(3) Seminar exploring sociological, psychological, anthropological and other theories regarding religious experience. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor
2:30-5:00 T 107 Smith; Instructor: Michael Zogry
Cross listings (taught by other departments)
REL 535 The History of Islam in Africa/AAAS 542
A study of the history and institutions of Islam in Africa. Emphasis will be placed on the impact of Islam on African traditional religions and African civilization in general; the historiographical traditions of Islam in Africa. (Same as AAAS 542.) LEC
3:00 – 4:15 MW 202 Bailey; Instructor: Yacine Daddi Addoun
REL 558/559Honors Religion in Britain since the Reformation: A Survey/ HIST 558/559
This course deals analytically and synoptically with religion in Britain from the Reformation to the present with special reference to the Church of England, and focuses on the themes of ecclesiology, ecclesiastical polity, and political theology. It is essentially an examination of religious history from a perspective of history of ideas. (Same as HIST 558.) LEC
1:00 – 2:15 TR 4002 Wescoe; Instructor: Jonathan Clark
Appointment Courses Arranged with Permission of the Instructor:
REL 405 Directed Study in Religion
Investigation of a special topic or project selected by the student with advice, approval, and supervision of an instructor. Such study may take the form of directed reading or special research. Individual reports and conferences. May be repeated, with maximum cumulative credit of four hours. Course taken for one hour of credit may not be used to fulfill College distribution requirement. Prerequisite: One previous course in religious studies at the University of Kansas and permission of instructor.
By appointment; By permission of faculty
REL 499 Undergrad Honors Research
Required for Departmental Honors. May be taken more than once; total credit not to exceed 6 hours. Prerequisite: Open only to candidates for degree with departmental honors and with consent of the student's research supervisor.
By appointment; By permission of faculty
REL 500 Readings in Non-English Texts
This course provides directed readings for students in either primary or secondary texts related to religious studies utilizing material in languages other than English.
By appointment: By permission of faculty
REL 800 Readings
By appointment: By permission of faculty
REL 899 Thesis
By appointment: By permission of faculty
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