REL 502
Philosophy and the Study of Religion */nocredit
Professor(s): Leora F. Batnitzky
9:00 am-11:50 F
The impact of twentieth-century philosophical ideas on the academic study of religion: naturalism, phenomenology, hermeneutics, structuralism, Nietzschean genealogy, and American pragmatism, among other philosophical movements.
REL 504 /HLS 525
Studies in Greco-Roman Religions : Antioch from the Seleucids to Late Antiquity
Transcript Topic Title: Antioch from the Seleucids */aud
Enrollment by application or interview. Departmental permission required.
Professor(s): AnneMarie Luijendijk
1:30 pm-4:20 Th
In this cross-disciplinary course about ancient Antioch students will learn about religious and ethnic diversity, imperial power, and domestic life in antiquity and communicate their knowledge clearly through creating virtual exhibits that draw on objects in collections at Princeton and Harvard. The seminar will focus on literary, archaeological, and art historical materials. This course will be parallel-taught at Harvard Divinity School by Prof. Laura Nasrallah. Participants will travel to collections at Dumbarton Oaks, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Worcester Art Museum, and Harvard University.
REL 509 /NES 510
Studies in the History of Islam : Representations of Sex and Gender in Muslim Societies
Transcript Topic Title: Representations of Sex and Gender */aud
Professor(s): Shaun E. Marmon
1:30 pm-4:20 M
This seminar explores the diverse ways in which sex and gender were and are constructed in Muslim societies. Topics include: gender binary, masculinities and femininities, same sex love, intersexed people, eunuchs, cross dressers, and gender reassignment. Readings in translation will be included, as well as primary texts in Arabic for students who are studying Arabic.
REL 510
Special Topics in the Study of Religion : Theism, Atheism, and Secularization
Transcript Topic Title: Theism, Atheism, and Secularization */aud
Professor(s): Denys A. Turner
1:30 pm-4:20 M
“One and the same is the study of opposites,” says Aristotle, and any study of atheism must take account both of what gods atheists deny and what atheisms theists resist. The first task of this course is to examine some basic theist models that atheists deny, specifically those of Thomas Aquinas, Immanuel Kant, and Karl Barth: what do they affirm? And then to examine four styles of atheism in the modern/post-modern eras–those of Feuerbach-Marx, Nietzsche, Jacques Derrida, and Dawkins-Dennett. Also, what about secularization: is it wishful thinking, or is it really happening?
REL 511
Special Topics in the Study of Religion: Critical Archive Theories and Methods
Transcript Topic Title: Critical Archive Theories and Methods */aud
Professor(s): Jessica Delgado
1:30 pm-4:20 W
In this seminar, we will read critical theoretical, methodological, and historiographical work on the construction, production, and use of archives. Some of the questions we will consider are: How does power shape the archives with which we work? How should scholars approach the silences and distortions built into the archives, particularly historians of religion, race, gender, and sexuality? What constitutes an archive? What are the possibilities and pitfalls of alternative and non-traditional archives? How do we as embodied actors shape the archives with which we engage–as historians, critical scholars, participants, and curators?
REL 512 /JDS 513
Studies in Ancient Near Eastern Religions */aud
Professor(s): Laura E. Quick
1:30 pm-4:20 T
This course will consider the production, consumption and transmission of written traditions in ancient Israel and Judah, through several case studies drawn from both inscriptional remains and biblical literature. In particular, we will focus on the writing, circulation and transmission of texts in social space; and the ways in which texts are conferred with authority. Along the way, we will consider the various methodologies scholars have used when describing writing systems and their social contexts, and how these choices impact upon their presentations.
REL 518
Religion and Critical Thought Workshop */aud
Professor(s): Leora F. Batnitzky
9:00 am-10:50 W
A weekly, year-long workshop focused on current student and faculty research in religion and critical
thought, designed primarily for graduate students working on dissertations and general examination essays on the philosophy of religion, religious ethics, and the role of religion in politics. Note: REL 518 (fall) and REL 519 (spring) constitute this year-long workshop. In order to receive credit and/or a grade, students must take the course both semesters.
REL 521
Religion and Culture Workshop */aud
Professor(s): Jessica Delgado
11:00 am-12:20 Th
A weekly, year-long workshop devoted to the critical discussion of research in progress in the ethnographic, historical, and normative study of religion and culture. Designed for dissertation writers receiving fellowships from the Center for the Study of Religion and post-doctoral fellows. Note: REL 521 (fall) and REL 522 (spring) constitute this year-long workshop. In order to receive credit and/or a grade, students must take the course both semesters.
REL 523
Religion in the Americas Workshop */aud
Professor(s): Wallace D. Best
3:00 pm-4:20 Th
A weekly, year-long workshop focused on the current research of visiting presenters, current students, and faculty in American religious history. The workshop is designed primarily for Ph.D. students in the field, but is open as well to undergraduate concentrators with a strong background in the study of American religion and culture. Note: REL 523 (fall) and REL 524 (spring) constitute this year-long workshop. In order to receive credit and/or a grade, students must take the course both semesters.
REL 525
Religions of Late Antiquity Workshop */aud
Professor(s): Martha Himmelfarb
12:00 pm-1:30 T
A weekly, year-long workshop providing students in the Religions of Late Antiquity with the opportunity to present their current research for discussion. Note: REL 525 (fall) and REL 526 (spring) constitute
this year-long workshop. In order to receive credit and/or a grade, students must take the course both semesters.
REL 529
Islamic Studies Workshop */aud
Professor(s): Shaun E. Marmon
TBA
A weekly year-long Religion workshop focusing on the research and writing of graduate students, faculty, and visitors in Islamic Studies. This workshop provides a forum for presentation of works in progress: drafts of dissertation chapters, dissertation proposals, seminar papers, conference papers, articles and book chapters. All Islamic Studies graduate students are encouraged to participate as presenters and as commentators. The workshop fosters collegiality and professional development. Note: REL 529 (fall) and REL 530 (spring) constitute this year-long workshop. Students must take the course both semesters to receive credit/grade.
REL 532
Studies in Chinese Religions: Buddhism and Daoism
Transcript Topic Title: Buddhism and Daoism */aud
Professor(s): Stephen F. Teiser
1:30 pm-4:20 T
Critical examination of enduring and recent scholarship on popular religion, ethnography, modern (20th century) religion, and modernity in China. Designed for graduate students preparing for general examinations or research in Chinese religion.
REL 533
Readings in Japanese Religions : Introduction to Japanese Buddhist Thought
Transcript Topic Title: Introduction to Japanese Buddhist Though */aud
Professor(s): Jacqueline I. Stone
1:30 pm-4:20 Th
This seminar will offer an intensive introduction to Japanese Buddhist thought, concentrating on major schools and figures with some attention to continental antecedents. We will consider Tendai, esoteric, Pure Land, Zen, and Nichiren Buddhist traditions, along with their modern reinterpretations. We will also investigate trans-denominational themes, such as the decline of the Dharma, the salvation of evil persons, and the rapid realization of buddhahood. Readings will be in English, with supplementary
material provided in Japanese and/or kanbun for those able to read it.