Lower Level Coursework in Religion

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Introduction to methods and topics in the study of religion, using materials from the Bible, classical literature and modern theology.

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Upper Level Coursework in Religion

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Introduction to World Religions explores the sacred writings, traditions, and beliefs of the various religions of the world. The course investigates the diversity within religions and the lived experiences of participants in those religions.

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Anthropology of Religion begins with the study of the everyday religious practices of people in their local communities. Through fieldwork, anthropologists focus on the real religious worlds in which people experience religion and express it through their actions. They explore the ways people draw on religious practices to solve conflicts, attenuate uncertainty, and search for meaning, order, and power. By studying religions in everyday life, anthropologists are interested in the myriad ways religion intersects with other aspects of social/cultural life, whether economics, politics, race, gender, or history, within a cultural tradition as well as cross-culturally (the ‘holistic approach’). We will familiarize ourselves with the ways anthropologists engage with religions by reading ethnographic works and by conducting research ourselves.

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A reconstruction of the life and message of Jesus of Nazareth from the Gospels of the New Testament against the background of his Palestinian cultural and religious environment.

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The epic story of the life of Jesus has captured the imagination of filmmakers since the beginning of the twentieth century. These films are often pious, sometimes irreverent, and occasionally called blasphemous. Film is a distinctive way to engage with the stories about Jesus, interpretations, and social constructs of religious figures. Celluloid Jesus will explore how the story of Jesus is transformed and constructed in representations of his life on film during the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. The course will especially engage with the distinctive form of film – film styles, cinematography, editing, film narrative, and sound.

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This course serves as an introduction to the history of religious beliefs and practices in India (and to a lesser degree South East Asia and Tibet) with special attention to the religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Islam. It will make some effort also to observe the contemporary practice of some of these religions in the greater Des Moines area.

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This class will introduce you to the diverse traditions of Buddhism, with a focus on (1) how Buddhist traditions change in their historical transition from India to China and (2) contemporary manifestations of Buddhism in America. We will explore Buddhist perspectives on a variety of religious and philosophical questions of enduring human concern. Experiential learning components will focus on meditation practices and visits to local Buddhist temples and/or interactions with local practitioners (when available).

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Three of the largest and oldest religions developed from the cultures of the Middle East. Although the religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam share similar foundations and many similar beliefs, their histories and innovations led to distinct religions that are often entangled in deep religious and political conflict. Religions of the Middle East will begin by exploring the histories and beliefs of these religions. The class will then examine two major issues that affect and are influenced by the religions of the Middle East. (These topics are open and will rotate each semester.)

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This class explores China's major philosophical and religious traditions, or the ""Three Teachings"" of Daoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism. We look at doctrinal debates that unite and divide these three traditions, as well as at their rituals and practices. We pay special attention to how early texts discuss the effectiveness of various ritual actions. That is, how does Confucian ritual aid in moral cultivation? How does Buddhists meditation lead to enlightenment? And, what practices produce the astonishing skills of Daoist sages? Along the way, we will learn about Chinese culture and society, in both historical and contemporary contexts. Students will gain a solid foundation for continued study of China in various disciplines."

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Open for any 3 hour course in religion open to sophomore, junior, and seniors. Prerequisites as specified by the professor.

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Study of contemporary ethical problems from the perspective of philosophical and religious principles. Various sections of the course may specialize in different types of ethical problems. Crosslisted with Phil 091. May be used as part of Women's Studies Concentration.

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This class explores China's major philosophical and religious traditions, or the ""Three Teachings"" of Daoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism. We look at doctrinal debates that unite and divide these three traditions, as well as at their rituals and practices. We pay special attention to how early texts discuss the effectiveness of various ritual actions. That is, how does Confucian rituality aid in moral cultivation? How does Buddhist meditation lead to enlightenment? And, what practices produce the astonishing skills of Daoist sages? Along the way, we will learn about Chinese culture and society, in both historical and contemporary contexts. Students will gain a solid foundation for continued study of China in various disciplines."

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Study of major Western religious ideas and the historical contexts within which they have arisen. Prereq.: A religion course or PHIL 21.

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Study of American religious and ethical movements that have been of paramount public interest in public news media. Particular emphasis on differences between authentic understanding and popular misconception. Prereq.: A religion course or PHIL 21.

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An introductory study of the Jewish tradition from antiquity to today. Jewish history, thought, culture, life cycle, and ceremonies are examined. Contemporary Judaism is particularly emphasized. Sponsored by the Jewish Chautauqua Society.

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This course serves as an introduction to a particular religious tradition with an emphasis on how that tradition is practiced in the greater Des Moines area. Among the course requirements are frequent site visits to a local religious community and the facilitation of digital stories by and about that religious community.

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This course explores critical race theories that depict the ways is socially constructed and uses these to explore how religion has contributed to the construction of racial identities in select moments of U. S. History. We explore how religious activity and religious thought have created and maintained racial stratification, as well as how these have undermined stratification by fueling resistance movements for justice. The primary emphasis is on relations between white, African American and Native American communities.

This course is designed to explore death and human response to it, different circumstances and settings of dying, and issues of end-of-life choices, social justice, and bio- ethical dilemmas. We will consider the meanings of death from historical, societal, religious and personal perspectives, including how we adapt to loss through the grief process. A variety of resources will be used including guest speakers, a field trip, and videos.

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This course will explore various forms of Black Christianity in their historical and cultural contexts and will identify the unique ways in which Black Christianity has contributed to democracy. Attention will be given to both what Black Christianity has said to the civic body, as well as to debates within the Black community. Manifestations of prophetic politics in the present will also be a significant focus, with particular attention given to the roles of Black Christianity in presidential campaigns. Opportunities will be created to explore the role that Black churches have played and continue to play in the Iowa (and Des Moines in particular) context.

This class serves both as an introduction to the academic field of comparative religion and as an actual comparison of several of the world's religions with respect to some question or theme (which will vary from year to year).

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This is a course about the invention of religion as a category of scholarly inquiry. It tracks the genealogy of ""religion"" and religions from ancient Rome to the present; it explores the various ways in which religion is constructed and studied by scholars of religion; and it reenacts the 1893 World Parliament of Religions, the first ever dialogue of practitioners and scholars of the world's diverse religions."

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This class serves as an introduction to the contemporary practice of philosophy of religion as well as an exercise in the comparative explanation and evaluation of religious reason-giving. Each year we will examine one particular set of religious ideas and reasons in several different religious traditions from a variety of disciplinary perspectives.

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Myth and ritual are aspects of all human societies, ours included. What roles do myths and ritual play in human experience and everyday life? Why do we need them? Are myths and rituals ways of responding to existential questions? Or reflecting on the fact they can't be responded to? Do they reproduce or subvert social orders? This course will address these questions by drawing on readings from history, religious studies, anthropology, sociology, and film studies. We look at some specific cases of societies experiencing turmoil and violence that cannot possibly be understood except in reference to local myths and rituals. We then conclude with a look at mythical and ritual phenomena in American society, focusing on urban myths, vampire legends, and UFO stories to reflect on what these stories tell about ""us."""

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The Bible belongs to the people of the world... but the Bible has also been used to oppress and alienate the world's poor and disenfranchised. As the western colonial empires of the sixteenth through twentieth centuries collapsed and changed, scholars and local political leaders emphasized the dramatic effects the empires had on subjugated peoples. Empires affect the economy, political structures, and familial systems as well as religion, self-understanding, and ways of thinking. ""The Global Bible"" will explore the ways that empires have affected the composition of the biblical text, its transmission into colonized territories during the period of colonial expansion, and liberated, postcolonial readings of the Bible from previously colonized and oppressed groups."

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The dramatic end of the current world order remains a fascination in American culture. From the Puritan desire to establish a Christian utopia prompting the return of Jesus and the expansionist mandates of Manifest Destiny to the Left Behind series, the Mayan Calendar, and Zombie films, many Americans continue to anticipate an imminent end of the world. American Apocalypse will examine this trend in popular culture by exploring the ancient religious documents and interpretations through history on which this vision is based. The role of the ""Millennial Kingdom"" in American history and culture will then enable students to analyze contemporary incarnations of the theme.

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Climate change, viruses, pandemics, nuclear war, political disintegration, aliens, and zombies have all been part of American popular culture and its visions of end times. Since the foundations of America, its role in God's plan and various end-time scenarios has been at the center of many political, religious, and cultural debates. Apocalyptic America in Film and Culture will examine how popular culture has altered and reconstructed America's role in the end times, how that vision has changed during the 20th and 21st centuries, and how it influences social debates.

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Observation of successful ministers in their professional tasks. May be repeated two additional semesters. Prereq.: Junior standing and religion major.

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Students with a classification of Freshman or Sophomore may not enroll.

Enrollment is limited to students with an major in Religion.

Enrollment limited to students in the AS_REL_BA program.

This course introduces students to the emerging field of environmental and ecological ethics and the spectrum of responses to the questions, issues, and dilemmas posed by the contemporary global ecological crisis. We examine fundamental issues such as how human beings should relate to the rest of nature, the historical roots of the ecological crisis, and the intersection of ecological and social justice issues in various responses to the ecological crisis. Prereq.: A religion course.

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As the digital world becomes more and more a part of the everyday human world, religion has increasingly become digitized and crowd-sources. Digital Religion will engage this religious phenomenon by studying and analyzing religious movements that have a lasting digital legacy. Students will participate in critically analyzing the history, traditions, and teachings of a religious movement and creating digital annotations to clarify and connect a group's essential online documentation. These types of innovative religious movements often encounter significant dissent and attacks from non-participants leading to misinformation or misunderstood interpretations. The course will also engage in analyzing various conspiracy theories and techniques of vilification intended to marginalize such groups.

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A critical and exegetical study of the so-called prophetic books of the Old Testament. Major emphasis is on the moral, ethical and social teachings of the 8th century B.C. writers. The various types of ""prophetic writing"" are studied. Prereq.: REL 10, 51, 52 or 53."

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Selected topics in the study of religion (for which there is currently no assigned course in the curriculum).

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An historical approach to the major theological doctrines and issues emergent in the patristic, reformation and modern eras, with an emphasis on western theological traditions and --from the Reformation forward--a focus on significant Protestant thinkers. We will explore the major streams in theological thought, particularly, the implications of certain theological conflicts to Christian communities. We will also focus on the relations between historical and social contexts and the particular developments that have taken place in Christian Theology.

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Study of the emerging field of liberation and feminist theologies as these disciplines are related to contemporary religious, social, and political issues in Latin America and North America. The course explores the relation between theological reflection, social context, and the social- political location of theologians. May be used as part of Women's Studies Concentration.

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In this course, we will explore the particular religious landscape of Nicaragua and Costa Rica, including the range of expressions of religiosity (Christianity will be a significant focus). We will explore first hand the ways in which particular forms of religious understanding have informed particular kinds of political and social activity in both of these countries. We will pay particularly close attention to the differences and relationships between official institutional religious teachings and the religious sensibilities and practices of communities and laypeople (in the in-travel portion of the course, we will have the opportunity to meet with persons from an array of locations in this regard). Comparative analysis of the different religious formations of these two areas will be a primary consideration. Care will be taken to consider the importance of studying religious life in its appropriate historical and cultural context. Enrolled students must also register for SCSS 196, Sustainable Development in Central America.

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Prereq.: Consent of instructor.

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Prereq.: Consent of instructor.

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Prereq.: Consent of instructor.

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