USF 1998-99 Undergraduate Catalog - Pages 152 - 154
CLA 3000 ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS (4)
Study of the character, ideas, and cultural achievements of the peoples of the Ancient Middle East and Mediterranean and their relevance for modern Western civilization.
CLA 3801 HISTORY OF THE ALPHABET (2)
Study, in reasonable detail, of the evolution of our "Roman" alphabet, as well as of other ancient and modern alphabets, from the writing system of ancient Egypt.
CLA 4171 MESOPOTAMIAN CIVILIZATION (3)
Study of the Ancient Mesopotamian (Sumero-Babylonian) civilization, including customs, religion, art and architecture, languages and literatures, science and the calendar, and an introduction to cuneiform writing.
CLA 4930 SELECTED TOPICS (1-4)
Course contents depend on student demand and instructor's interest and may range over the whole field of Ancient languages, literatures, and civilizations. Offerings on a semi-regular basis include Tongues of the Bible (2), and The Bible as History (3).
Note: In any of the numbers CLA 4900, CLA 4930, enrollment is repeatable for different subject matters.
GRE 2040 NEW TESTAMENT GREEK I (4)
An introduction to an intensive study of the koine Greek of the New Testament, for beginners; New Testament readings, composition, analysis of the structure of Greek of the New Testament.
GRE 2041 NEW TESTAMENT GREEK II (4)
PR: GRE 2040. Intermediate readings and grammar of the Greek New Testament.
HEB 1120, 1121 BASIC HEBREW I, II (4,4)
Designed to give students a working knowledge of Classical (Biblical) Hebrew and to introduce them to the Biblical literature in the original language.
REL 2210 HEBREW BIBLE/OLD TESTAMENT (4)
An introduction to the critical study of the Hebrew Scriptures against the background of the ancient Near East, with attention to the history and religion of the Hebrew people.
REL 2240 INTRODUCTION TO THE NEW TESTAMENT (3)
An introduction to the critical study of the New Testament in context of Christian beginnings in the first century A.D.
REL 2300 INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS -6A -HP (4)
A cross-cultural exploration of the major religions of the world through lectures, films, and the reading of key religious texts. Religions covered include Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Taoism, Confucianism, Hinduism, and Buddhism.
REL 2306 CONTEMPORARY WORLD RELIGIONS -HP (4)
This course explores the unity and diversity of religious traditions in a global context in order to understand the mutual interactions between religions and cultures. Emphasis is placed on the role of religions in shaping human values which can either create or resolve social conflicts, and the impact these values can have on issues of race, ethnicity and religious diversity in a multicultural world.
REL 2500 HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY-6A -HP (4)
The historical development of Christianity, its ideas and institutions, from the first century to the rise of religious modernism in the 19th century.
REL 3003 INTRODUCTION TO RELIGION (3)
This course examines the phenomenon of religion to answer the question: Religion, what is it? Religious thought (mythology and theology) and religious behavior (ritual and morality) are closely examined.
REL 3114 COMEDY, TRAGEDY, AND RELIGION -6A -XMW (3)
Examines the visions of life in comedy and tragedy, and relates both to the major world religions.
REL 3120 RELIGION IN AMERICA (3)
To examine the movement from state church to pluralism in American religious institutions, the religious results of non-Protestant immigration; the Jewish factor; the effect of home missions and social concern programs upon American life; political entanglements and the concept of church/state separation.
REL 3131 NEW RELIGIONS IN AMERICA (3)
A course designed to allow the student to survey the wide spectrum of contemporary sects and cults and learn what motivates their development.
REL 3132 WITCHCRAFT AND PAGANISM IN AMERICA (3)
A study of contemporary witchcraft and paganism, including theories, methods, history, myths and symbols, beliefs, rituals and practices, believers, recruitment, socialization, and organizations.
REL 3145 WOMEN AND RELIGION -6A (3)
Analysis of the status and roles of women as compared to men in the Judeo-Christian tradition. Contemporary issues of feminist theology, and the controversies surrounding them. (May also be taken for credit in Women's Studies.)
REL 3146 THE RELIGIOUS QUEST IN CONTEMPORARY FILMS -6A -SS -HP (4)
This course will use contemporary films such as Gandhi, Malcolm X, The Long Walk Home, The Color Purple, The Leap of Faith, The Chosen, and Grand Canyon, to explore the personal and social dimensions of religion in modern secular societies, with an emphasis on issues of racism, sexism and human liberation and reconciliation.
REL 3147 NATIVE AMERICAN RELIGIONS (3)
Introduction to and survey of Native American Religions. A variety of multiplicity of perspectives, including anthropological, historical, social psychological, sociological, and philosophical.
REL 3150 RELIGION AND THE MEANING OF LIFE -6A -XMW (3)
What is the meaning of life? An exploration of answers to this question in Eastern and Western religions, and in humanistic philosophies of life.
REL 3155 LIFE AFTER DEATH (3)
An exploration of ideas about life after death and its relations to this life, in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.
REL 3170 RELIGION, ETHICS AND SOCIETY THROUGH FILM -6A -HP -SS (4)
An ethical analysis of contemporary social issues through contemporary films, drawing on religious narrative traditions from Eastern and Western cultures which have contributed to the development of an ethic of human dignity, human rights and human liberation after Auschwitz and Hiroshima.
REL 3280 BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY -XMW (3)
An in depth examination of the archaeological data relating to the background and content of the Bible, including ancient customs, Biblical sites and cities, Biblical history, and material culture of the Biblical period. Special attention will also be given to excavation methods and interpretation of archaeological evidence.
REL 3310 WORLD RELIGIONS (3)
An introduction to and a comparison of the ideas, the literature and institutions of the major religions of the world including Judaism, Christianity, Islam from the Near East and Hinduism, Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism from the Far East. General comparison of Western and Eastern beliefs.
REL 3330 THE RELIGIONS OF INDIA -AF -SS (3)
All religions of the world came to India and all became Indian. What is this "Indianness" which stems from Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, but extended itself to include Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Zoroastrianism and Baha'i. Readings from classical texts and modern literature.
REL 3367 ISLAM IN THE MODERN WORLD (3)
Examines the major developments in Islamic thought since the 13th century, with emphasis on the 19th and 20th century Islamic resurgence. Issues of diversity, gender, and social values will be stressed.
REL 3420 CONTEMPORARY RELIGIOUS THOUGHT (3)
An examination of the central ideas of recent theological thinkers; such men as Barth, Brunner, Bultmann, Bonohoeffer, Rahner, Tillich, Cox, Altizer, Buber, Niebuhr.
REL 3550 ROMAN CATHOLICISM -6A -XMW (3)
An examination of the history, doctrine, and ethics of the Roman Catholic Church.
REL 3600 INTRODUCTION TO JUDAISM -6A -AF (3)
An introduction to Judaism: its religious tenets; its codes of ethics; its rites and customs. This course is intended as a description of what it means to be a Jew.
REL 3602 CLASSICS OF JUDAISM -6A (3)
PR: One course in Religious Studies. How to read the principal documents of Judaism beyond the Old Testament, particularly the Mishnah, Talmuds, and Midrash.
REL 3611 HISTORY OF JUDAISM (3)
A study of the evolution of the religion of ancient Israel from the Exodus to the end of the second century of our era, seen against the background of its historical, geographical, political, social and spiritual setting.
REL 3613 MODERN JUDAISM (3)
A study of Jewish life in the West since 1789, emphasizing Jewish beliefs, practices, and institutions.
REL 3700 INTRODUCTION TO ISLAM -6A -HP -AF (3)
This course introduces the basic elements of Islamic belief and practice, placing the rise of Islam in its historical context in the Middle East, and stressing issues of diversity (including ethnicity and gender).
REL 3900 DIRECTED READINGS (1-4)
PR: CI. Individual guidance in concentrated reading on a selected topic.
REL 3921 COLLOQUIUM (1)
This colloquium will be held in order to bring all religious studies faculty and undergraduate majors together to discuss research of a particular faculty member, student, or guest scholar. May be repeated up to 3 semester hours.(S/U only.)
REL 3936 SELECTED TOPICS (1-4)
PR: CI. Course contents depend on students' needs.
REL 4113 THE HERO AND RELIGION -XMW (3)
A study of the way in which embedded religious models help to fashion the representation of an heroic protagonist. The focus of the course will be on the relationship between the hero and the "other," as differentiated by race, gender, ethnicity, or merely inner being.
REL 4133 MORMONISM IN AMERICA (3)
A study of Mormonism in America as an example of a new religion. Includes the study of history, myths and symbols, texts, beliefs, rituals and practices, believers, recruitment, socialization, and organizations.
REL 4161 RELIGION, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY (3)
An exploration of the way in which religion and technology have interacted in Western civilization so as to both express and transform human values and identity. Special emphasis will be given to the value questions raised by modern technology.
REL 4171 CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN ETHICS -6A (4)
PR: Jr. standing or CI. This course will survey several major approaches to contemporary Christian ethics and their application to a number of ethical issues peculiar to personal and social life in contemporary society.
REL 4193 COMPARATIVE MYSTICISM (4)
A course designed to acquaint the student with the nature of mystical experience, and some of the varieties of mystical experience recorded in the writings of the mystics.
REL 4221 WHO WROTE THE BIBLE (GENESIS-KINGS) -6A -XMW -XLW (4)
A critical examination of Genesis through 2 Kings. This course focuses on the history of the formation of the text and the development of the religious traditions represented therein. Special attention will be paid to Israelite Law, Covenant Theology, and the history of the religion(s) of Israel in their Ancient Near Eastern context.
REL 4224 HEBREW BIBLE II/PROPHETS AND WRITINGS (4)
PR: REL 3210 or REL 4221 or CI. An investigation of the prophetic movement and the historical and cultic writings in Israel from the point of view of theological developments, history presupposed, and the religious institutions depicted. Special attention is given to a theme such as Job and the problem of evil.
REL 4244 NEW TESTAMENT I: GOSPELS, ACTS (4)
An exploration of the Gospels and Acts, including their backgrounds in Judaism and pagan religion, literary and form criticism, historical Jesus research, and the social history of earliest Christianity.
REL 4250 JESUS' LIFE AND TEACHINGS (4)
PR: CI. An examination of the various historical studies made in the quest of identifying Jesus as an historical figure. The concern is to make a reasonable assessment of who Jesus was and what he was saying to the Jews in Palestine at the beginning of the common era.
REL 4252 NEW TESTAMENT II: THE LETTERS OF PAUL AND OTHER NEW TESTAMENT WRITINGS (4)
PR: REL 4244 or REL 3240 or CI. An investigation of the phenomenon of earliest Christianity in its Pauline and non-Pauline forms, particularly as reflected in Paul's letters and in other writings of the New Testament. Special attention is given to the program of Apocalyptic, as in the book of Revelation.
REL 4333 HINDUISM (4)
The philosophy of the saints; the complex rituals of the Brahmins; the art of its temples; the psychology and physiology of yoga; the social rigidity of the caste system; the esoteric science of meditation; the ascetic activism of Mahatma Gandhi--all of these are Hinduism, and more. Close readings of classical texts, philosophic systems and medieval poems.
REL 4343 BUDDHISM IN INDIA, SRI LANKA, AND SOUTH EAST ASIA (4)
The life and teachings of the Buddha; the order of monks and nuns; the Buddhist Emperor Ashoka; schisms; the rise of the Great Vehicle and the philosophy of emptiness; Buddhist missions; Buddhist art and culture; Buddhism and national liberation; contemporary social and political issues.
REL 4344 BUDDHISM IN CHINA, JAPAN, AND TIBET (4)
Mahayana Buddhism followed the silk routes to China and Japan, and later it crossed the Himalayas into Tibet. An overview of the variety of schools and practices of Buddhism and its adaptation by these ancient cultures.
REL 4508 FROM MYTH TO CHRISTIANITY (4)
Study of the religions/mythologies of the ancient Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean and how their influences shaped the theology and practices of Christianity up to the end of the fourth century; influences many of which continue to be evident in the traditional Roman and Eastern Orthodox churches.
REL 4626 REASON IN RELIGION: TALMUDIC LOGIC -XMW (3)
Analyzes the modes of thought and of logical analysis of the Talmud of Babaylonia; the way in which applied logic and practical reason work in a religious definition of the social order; the dialectical argument.
REL 4670 JUDAISM AND CHRISTIANITY AFTER THE HOLOCAUST -6A -XMW -XLW (4)
This course will explore the impact of the Holocaust on Jewish and Christian thought and identity in the light of the history of religious and cultural anti-semitism in Western civilization.
REL 4910 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH (1-4)
PR: Junior standing and CI. Individual investigations with faculty supervision.
REL 4931 SEMINAR IN RELIGION (3)
A course designed for students, especially Religious Studies majors, whose prior religious studies have prepared them for a cooperative creative and/or research effort in the area of religion.
REL 4936 SELECTED TOPICS (1-4)
PR: Junior standing and CI. Individual investigations with faculty supervision.
REL 4939 THE DEVELOPMENT OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES (3)
Course designed for senior majors (and minors) in religious studies to complement REL 4931 (Senior Seminar). Discussion of key figures and methodological advances in the development of the field from the 18th century to present, with readings of classics in the development.
WST 5318 FEMINIST SPIRITUALITY (3)
This course focuses on the many voices of contemporary feminist spirituality, emerging from women's experiences in diverse religious, ethnic and cultural traditions, and representing a range of theoretical perspectives from biblical feminism to goddess worship and wicca. May not be repeated. (May be taken through Women's Studies.)
Send comments to:
Karen M. Hall - webCat@ugs.usf.edu
Effective Date: Semester I, 1998
http://www.ugs.usf.edu/catalogs/9899/cdrel.htm