31 - 40 of 51 results for: RELIGST

Required of graduate students in Religious Studies. Approaches to the study of religion. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

Onassis Seminar "Icons of Sound: Architecture, Acoustics and Ritual in Byzantium". This year-long seminar explores the creation and operations of sacred space in Byzantium by focusing on the intersection of architecture, acoustics, music, and ritual. Through the support of the Onassis Foundation (USA), nine leading scholars in the field share their research and conduct the discussion of their pre-circulated papers. The goal is to develop a new interpretive framework for the study of religious experience and assemble the research tools needed for work in this interdisciplinary field.

This course introduces the life, poetry, and mystical thought of the Indo-Persian poet Mirza Abd al-Qadir Bedil (1644-1720) through reading selections from his autobiographical work Chahar Unsur. In this work, composed in ornate prose interspersed with poetry, Bedil recounts episodes from his life: miraculous events, encounters with Sufis, the composition of poems, and elaborates on themes of mysticism. We will pay close attention to Bedil's peculiar linguistic and literary style and tackle his metaphysical views. Two years Persian language required.

Readings in key genres of pre-modern Islamic scholarship. Genre-specific historical research methods. The 'ad'th literature, tafs'r, biographical dictionaries, fiqh, ta'r'kh, and geographical works. Reading knowledge of Arabic is required.

Is it possible for a deeply committed religious person to be a good citizen in a liberal, pluralistic democracy? Is it morally inappropriate for religious citizens to appeal to the teachings of their tradition when they support and vote for laws that coerce fellow citizens? Must the religiously committed be prepared to defend their arguments by appealing to 'secular reasons' ostensibly accessible to all 'reasonable' citizens? Exploration of the debates surrounding the public role of religion in a religiously pluralistic American democracy through the writings of scholars on all sides of the issue from the fields of law, political science, philosophy, and religious studies.

Readings in and discussion of theological and social aspects of sixteenth century reformations: Luther, Radical Reform, Calvin, and Council of Trent, missionary expansion, religious conflict, creative and artistic expressions. Texts include primary sources and secondary scholarly essays and monographs.

Chinese Buddhist texts from the Han Dynasty onwards, including sutra translations, prefaces, colophons, story collections and biographies. Prerequisite: reading competence in Chinese.

A study of an important Chinese Buddhist apocryphal work, with special attention to interpretation of content, impact on monastic codes in medieval China, transmissional history and commentarial tradition.

Exploration of the end of the metaphysical quest for God in nineteenth and twentieth century thought. Seminal works of German philosopher Martin Heidegger, including Being and Time, What Is Metaphysics? Nietzsche's Saying `God is Dead.' Phenomenological method and its application to traditional and contemporary philosophy of religion, including works by John D. Caputo and Gianni Vattimo.