Department of Religion
111 Mather House
Phone 368-2210; Fax 368-4681
Eldon Jay Epp
The study of religion is a liberal arts discipline with many interdisciplinary aspects. It acquaints the student with a range of past and present cultures and ideas and it employs historical, literary, linguistic, archaeological, philosophical, social, anthropological and phenomenological methods, all of which sharpen critical and evaluative skills. Objectivity is emphasized and students are encouraged to formulate their own judgments and conclusions. The study of religion, therefore, when combined with appropriate courses in other fields, can provide an excellent background for any number of professional careers, including law and medicine. A major is also recommended, though not mandatory, for students going on to theological studies in a divinity school. By itself, a major in religion provides a fine liberal arts background, though it leads to no specific career without further studies at the graduate level. The religion major, however, can be combined conveniently with a second major.
Eldon Jay Epp, Ph.D. (Harvard University)
Harkness Professor of Biblical Literature and Chair
Christian origins; New Testament studies; Greco-Roman religions
William E. Deal, Ph.D. (Harvard University)
Severance Associate Professor of the History of Religion
Religions of China and Japan; Asian civilizations
James W. Flanagan, Ph.D. (University of Notre Dame)
Archbishop Paul J. Hallinan Professor of Catholic Studies
Hebrew scriptures; history and religion of Ancient Israel; social world of the Ancient Near East
Susannah Heschel, Ph.D. (University of Pennsylvania)
Abba Hillel Silver Associate Professor of Jewish Studies
Judaic studies; modern German intellectual history; women and religion
Stephen G. Post, Ph.D. (University of Chicago)
Associate Professor of Biomedical Ethics, School of Medicine; and Associate
Professor of Religion
Biomedical ethics; American religious thought; philosophy of religion
The Department of Religion offers a major and a minor in religion, as well as a Departmental Honors Program, for students pursuing the Bachelor of Arts degree. Humanities and social science sequences are offered for B.S. degree students in Engineering. Both the major and minor programs acquaint the student with the traditions of the ancient Near East, Judaism, Christianity, and Asian religions, which are investigated critically. Majors are welcome to participate in the Junior Year Abroad Program. Several 300-level courses may be taken for graduate credit by fulfilling additional requirements, and qualified students may pursue the M.A. degree under the Integrated Graduate Studies Program (IGS). The Department of Religion also contributes courses to and supports the Asian Studies, German Studies, Environmental Studies, and International Studies programs.
Students majoring in religion must complete a minimum of 30 semester hours of work in the department. Courses required of all majors are RLGN 201, 202, 203, and 204. In addition, every major is expected to complete six other three-semester-hour courses (18 hours). Majors are urged, but not required, to take two years of college-level work in one of the following languages: French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Latin, Arabic, Chinese, or Japanese.
Students minoring in religion must complete 15 semester hours, including at least three of the following: RLGN 201, 202, 203, and 204, and one or two other courses chosen in consultation with the departmental advisor, for a total of five courses.
Sequences (Case Core curriculum)
Sequences normally include three of the following: RLGN 201, 202, 203, and 204, and one additional course offered by the department. Approval for sequences should be sought from the departmental advisor.
RLGN 102, 120, 201, 202, 203, 204, 206, 207, 217, 223, 231, 254, 300, 301, 303, 306, 309, 314, 332, and 341 may be used to fulfill the History, Philosophy, and Religion portion of the GER. RLGN 204, 217, 223, 254, 303, and 314 may be used to fulfill the Global and Cultural Diversity portion of the GER. RLGN 206 applies to the Science and Society requirement. These courses need not be taken in sequence.
Students who are majoring in religion and who have an overall grade point average of 3.5 and also a grade point average of 3.5 in religion courses may apply for the honors program. Honors candidates enroll for RLGN 390 each semester during their senior year; a year-long honors project must be accepted by a member of the department faculty and the student's application must be approved by the department, upon demonstration of satisfactory progress, not later than the end of the first semester. Departmental honors are awarded upon satisfactory completion, defense, and acceptance of the senior project by a faculty committee, provided that the required grade point averages are maintained.
Faculty members in the department are engaged in scholarly research and writing, as well as editorial work, in such areas as transmission and interpretation of biblical literature; archaeology and the social world of the ancient Near East; history, literature, and the intellectual context of Judaism; and issues in the religions of China and Japan; as well as comparative ethics, religion and the environment, women and religion, and other related areas.
Religion (RLGN)
RLGN 102, Introduction to the Study of Religion, 3
Introduction to the critical study of religion and of the religious dimension of life.
RLGN 120, Comparative Ethics, 3
An exploration of the diversity of ethical claims from a cross-cultural perspective, involving a study of different world views, including religious, scientific, humanist, and Marxist perspectives, and the implications of such world views on how values are thought about and justified. Consideration also of the force of rhetoric and discourse in persuading others to follow a certain moral course or argument.
RLGN 125, Beginning Hebrew I, 3
(Both RLGN 125 and 126 must be completed to obtain credit. However, RLGN 125 and/or 126 may not be used for credit toward a Religion major.) Elements of Hebrew grammar and syntax, with conversation, reading, and translation from classical and modern sources.
RLGN 126, Beginning Hebrew II, 3
Prerequisite: RLGN 125
RLGN 201, Literature and History of Ancient Israel, 3
The Jewish Bible in the light of the history and religion of Israel and the ancient Near East.
RLGN 202, Christian Origins and the New Testament, 3
The literature of the New Testament in its historical, ideological, and religious setting.
RLGN 203, Introduction to Judaism, 3
The beliefs, doctrines, and institutions of classical Judaism; their origin and development.
RLGN 204, Introduction to Asian Religions, 3
Principal Asian religious traditions based on a study of classical sources. Classical Chinese thought, Hinduism, and Buddhism. Readings include selections from the works of Confucius, Mencius, Mo Tzu, Lao Tzu, Chuang Tzu, the Mahabharata, the Bhagaavad Gita, and the early Buddhist canon.
RLGN 206, Religion and the Environment, 3
A study of the ethical and religious assumptions underlying the environmental crisis, examining the views of several religions toward creation and the human relationship to the earth and to animals. Readings will consist of primary and secondary literature drawn mainly from Judaism and Christianity, with some attention to Islam, Buddhism, and Hindu traditions.
RLGN 214, Text and Image in Japanese Culture, 3
(Also listed as ASIA 214, CMPL 214.) Introduction to major intellectual, artistic, and historical works that have shaped traditional and modern Japanese culture. Special attention will be given to gender issues. Lectures and discussion will focus on primary readings in translation, films, and field trips to the Cleveland Museum of Art.
RLGN 217, Buddhism, 3
The development of Buddhism. The life and teaching of the Buddha, the formation of the early Buddhist church, the schools of Hinayana Buddhism and Abhidharma philosophy, Nagarguna and the emergence of Mahayana Buddhism, the spread of Buddhism to China, the transformation of Buddhist thought in China, Zen Buddhism, the spread of Buddhism to the West.
RLGN 225, Intermediate Hebrew I, 3
Advanced grammar. Grammar review, vocabulary building, conversation, readings in classical and modern Hebrew.
Prerequisite: RLGN 126
RLGN 231, Modern Judaism, 3
century, with focus on religious reform movements, Zionist theory, and formulation of Jewish identity.
RLGN 254, The Holocaust, 3
century; investigation, from perspectives of history, psychology, literature, philosophy, and religion, of how bureaucracy could exterminate six million Jews; responses of individuals, groups, institutions, and nations to deliberate extermination of nearly a whole people.
RLGN 300, Archaeology of Biblical Israel, 3
Religious and social world of biblical Israel as recovered by archaeology and interpreted with aid of comparative history and anthropology.
RLGN 301, History and Ritual in Religion, 3
Religious traditions, including those of the Ancient Near East, as they change throughout history. Selected historical personalities and events that accompany the formulation and reformulation of traditions. Changes such as the rise of literacy in oral society, relationship between agrarian and nomadic societies, and devolution of centralized power, serve as case studies for religious transformation.
RLGN 303, Japanese Religions, 3
Thematic and historical survey of major Japanese religious ideas and institutions. Emphasis on translated readings in primary texts. Issues covered include Shinto and Buddhist traditions, religion and state, and role of religion in modern Japan.
RLGN 306, Interpreting Buddhist Texts, 3
Readings in translation of major texts from the Buddhist tradition. Special emphasis on problems of textual interpretation, historical context, Buddhist conceptions of the sacred, and Buddhist ethics. Previous coursework in Religion or Asian Studies desirable but not required.
RLGN 309, Greco-Roman Mystery Religions, 3
Hellenistic religious structures and motifs from Alexander to Constantine. Hellenistic mystery religions and healing cults, heroization and the growth of tradition, and related features of early Christianity.
RLGN 314, Jews and Christians in Germany, 3
Jewish and Christian self-understandings and attitudes toward each other in Germany from the late eighteenth century to the present. Special attention to the history of modern anti-Semitism and Jewish responses to it, particularly as a factor in the Nazi period.
RLGN 315, Heresy and Dissidence in the Middle Ages, 3
(Also listed as HSTY 315) Survey of heretical individuals and groups in Western Europe from 500 -1500 A.D., focusing mainly on popular rather than academic heresies. The development of intolerance in medieval society and the problems of doing history from hostile sources will also be explored.
RLGN 330, Classical Jewish Religious Thought, 3
The thought of some major biblical and Rabbinic writings and of the classic age of medieval Jewish philosophy.
RLGN 332, Jewish Experience in America, 3
Religious, political, and social history of Jews in America from the 17th century to the present. Special attention to the question, "How have Jews responded to the openness of American society?" including the definition of Jewish theology in contrast to Christianity, the special culture of Eastern European immigrants, and the struggle of Jewish women to assert Jewish commitments against the tide of assimilation in the late 20th century.
RLGN 341, Religion and Post-modernism, 3
Consideration of the impact of postmodern thought on the study of religion. Examination of how recent critical theory informs our understanding of religious texts and religious themes in contemporary literature, arts and film. Utilizing the theories of Focault, Derrida, Kristeva, and others, the class will explore such postmodern concerns as narrative, textuality, the author, ideology, gender, and rhetoric.
RLGN 372, Anthropological Approaches to Religion, 3
(Also listed as ANTH 372) Religion as a socio-cultural institution; its relation to magic, witchcraft, science, and other institutions; its functions in relation to social control. Religion in nonliterate societies and non-Western civilizations.
Prerequisite: ANTH 102
RLGN 374, Reformation in Europe, 1500-1650, 3
(Also listed as HSTY 309.) Origins and development of Protestantism, the Catholic counterreformation, and the interaction between secular power and religious identification in Christian Europe.
RLGN 388, Topics in Religion, 3
Critical assessment of selected topics of historical or current interest. Project must be accepted by a member of the department faculty prior to registration.
RLGN 390, Independent Study, Honors, 3
Generally limited to junior and senior religion majors. Project must be accepted by a member of the department faculty prior to registration.
RLGN 400, Archaeology of Biblical Israel, 3
(See RLGN 300)
RLGN 401, History and Ritual in Religion, 3
(See RLGN 301)
RLGN 409, Greco-Roman Mystery Religions, 3
(See RLGN 309)
RLGN 414, Jews and Christians in Germany, 3
(See RLGN 314)
RLGN 430, Classical Jewish Religious Thought, 3
(See RLGN 330)
RLGN 432, Jewish Experience in America, 3
(See RLGN 332)
RLGN 441, Religion and Postmodernism, 3
(See RLGN 341)
RLGN 488, Topics in Religion, 3
See RLGN 388. Project must be accepted by a member of the department faculty prior to registration.
RLGN 601, Special Research, 1-6
Project must be accepted by a member of the department faculty prior to registration.
RLGN 651, Thesis M.A., 1-9
Project must be accepted by a member of the department faculty prior to registration.
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