Fall 2016

Religious Studies 001E. Fundamentalism (4 units)          
Flagg Miller

Lecture:
TR 4:40-6:00P
126 Wellman Hall

Course Description: Why do nearly a third of Americans believe every word in the Bible to be literally true?  Why do some 42% of Americans believe that God created humans just 10,000 years ago?  Why do so many people of different faiths find ancient holy books relevant to understanding current affairs?  Join us in exploring these and other questions as we examine religious fundamentalism across the globe. We will devote special attention to fundamentalists’ views of science, textual interpretation, nationalism, sexuality, and violence.  Readings will focus on Christianity in North America and the West as well as on Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism.  Throughout the course we will investigate the ways studies of fundamentalism reflect broader trends in religious studies.

Prerequisite: None.

GE credit (Old): Arts & Humanities or Social Sciences; Social-Cultural Diversity and Writing Experience.
GE credit (New): Arts & Humanities or Social Sciences; Oral Skills, Visual Literacy and Writing Experience.

Format: Lecture - 3 hours; Discussion - 1 hour.

Textbook: 

• Brian Malley, How the Bible Works: An Anthropological Study of Evangelical Biblicism  (AltaMira Press, 2004)
   

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Religious Studies 001G. Myth, Ritual, and Symbolism (4 units)
Naomi Janowitz

Lecture:
TR 9:00-10:20A
206 Olson Hall

Discussion Sections:

Course Description: Two religious taboos outline the basis of culture: taboos against incest and cannibalism. Different religious traditions have enacted these taboos in a stunning variety of ways.  This course will examine the history of food and sexual taboos as expressed in religious myths and rituals. No prerequisites.

Prerequisite: None.

GE credit (Old): Arts & Humanities, Social-Cultural Diversity and Writing Experience.
GE credit (New): Arts & Humanities, Oral Skills, Visual Literacy, World Cultures and Writing Experience.

Format: Lecture - 3 hours; Discussion - 1 hour.

Textbooks:

• Émile Durkheim, The Elementary Forms of Religious Life, translated by Carol Cosman  (Oxford University Press, 2008)
• Sophocles, The Theban Plays: Antigone, King Oidipous and Oidipous at Colonus, translated and edited by Ruby Blondell  (Focus Books, 2008)
• Matt J. Rossano, Mortal Rituals  (Columbia University Press, 2013)
• Talal Asad, On Suicide Bombing  (Columbia University Press, 1997)
   

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Religious Studies 011. Ethical Eating (4 units)
Allison Coudert

TR 4:40-6:00P
212 Veihmeyer Hall
CRN 53292

Course Description: In every culture food lies at the center of a complex value system that involves religious beliefs and rituals, social hierarchies, and gender distinctions. Food is the cement that binds groups together, but it also separates individuals according to age, wealth, status, and gender. Far from a natural product, food is a social construction and can only be “read” in specific cultural contexts. For example, the great 19th century French historian Jules Michelet attributed the French revolution to the consumption of coffee, but today coffee signifies the rest and relaxation associated with “coffee breaks.” Food connects the living with the dead and even with the gods. While the food that mothers provide will keep one alive, only male food offers eternal life. Food taboos are a central aspect of ancient as well as modern cultures and religions. Why do some foods pollute and not others? What makes us cringe at the thought of eating grasshoppers and worms, while other people relish both? And why are foods gendered, even eroticized? Finally, we are not only what we eat, but we are how we eat and how we produce, distribute, and consume the food we eat. What therefore are the effects of our modern industrial form of food production on the animals we raise and eat, on our environment, and on our own bodies? In this regard, as “chicken nugget” tells us a lot about modern food, modern life, and modern eating habits? It is the purpose of this course to introduce students to the varied ethical, religious, and cultural meanings food has had across the centuries and globe as well as its physical effects.

Prerequisite: None.

GE credit (Old): Arts & Humanities, Social-Cultural Diversity and Writing Experience.
GE credit (New): Arts & Humanities, Oral Skills, Visual Literacy, World Cultures and Writing Experience.

Format: Lecture - 3 Hours; Term Paper or Discussion.

Textbook:

• Raj Patel, Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System [Second Edition]  (Melville House, 2012)
   

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Religious Studies 021. Hebrew Scriptures (4 units)
Eva Mroczek

TR 3:10-4:30P
168 Hoagland Hall
CRN 53293

Course Description: The Bible is everywhere in modern culture, but it seems to mean very different things to different people. Many consider themselves David fighting Goliath; others argue all marriage should imitate Adam and Eve; and almost every politician claims to love the Bible. But what exactly does the Bible say? Who wrote it? How have people understood it, both in ancient times and today? This course introduces you to the Hebrew Scriptures (called the Old Testament by Christians), a diverse collection of texts that emerged over several centuries in Ancient Israel. This collection eventually became sacred scripture--the Bible--for Jewish and Christian communities, and deeply influenced Islamic traditions as well. We will read ancient texts about the creation of the world and the first humans; surprisingly vivid tales of sex and violence; warnings from prophets who claimed that God spoke to them about social inequality; and poetry that both praises God's greatness and questions his justice. We will discuss how these texts emerged in the ancient world, but also how they have been read in wildly diverse ways--from Jewish, Christian, and non-religious perspectives. The course will not only familiarize you with some of the most influential and dramatic literature in the world, but also prepare you to think critically about what you hear about the Bible in the media today. No prior knowledge is required. Course work is based on an English translation and no knowledge of Hebrew is required.

Prerequisite: None.

GE credit (Old): Arts & Humanities, Social-Cultural Diversity and Writing Experience.
GE credit (New): Arts & Humanities, World Cultures and Writing Experience.

Format: Lecture/Discussion - 3 hours; Term Paper.

Textbooks:

• The Jewish Study Bible (2nd Edition), edited by Adele Berlin and Marc Avi Brettler  (Oxford University Press, 2014)
• Douglas A. Knight and Amy-Jill Levine, The Meaning of the Bible: What the Jewish Scriptures and Christian Old Testament Can Teach Us  (HarperOne, 2012)
   

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Religious Studies 040. The New Testament (4 units)
Wendy Terry

Lecture:
MWF 9:00-9:50A
1002 Giedt Hall

Discussion Sections:

Course Description: This course is an introduction to the study of earliest Christianity, and of the documents that came to be understood as a "New Testament" in the early centuries of Christian history. In order to understand these documents, we will be looking at many different aspects of the contexts in which they were written. Students will come to an understanding of how Christian thought emerged from: the political situation of Judaism in Roman Palestine; the intellectual and cultural situation of Judaism in the wider Hellenistic and Roman world; Greek and Roman religions and philosophies; Greek and Roman literary genres. Students will also learn the basic methods of modern New Testament studies, in order to understand why the academic study of the New Testament takes the shape that it does, and why New Testament scholars ask the questions that they ask.

Prerequisite: None.

GE credit (Old): Arts & Humanities and Writing Experience.
GE credit (New): Arts & Humanities, World Cultures and Writing Experience.

Format: Lecture - 3 hours; Discussion - 1 hour.

Textbook:

• Luke Timothy Johnson, The Writings of the New Testament [3rd Edition]  (Fortress Press, 2010)
   

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Religious Studies 068. Hinduism (4 units)
Deepa Mahadevan

TR 1:40-3:00P
90 Social Sciences Building
CRN 49957

Course Description: This course is an introduction to Hindu religious culture, its mythology, sacred texts, ritual and philosophy. The course emphasizes both text and practice in the development of Hinduism, and covers the period from 1200 BCE to approximately the mid-17th century.

Prerequisite: None.

GE credit (Old): Arts & Humanities, Social-Cultural Diversity and Writing Experience.
GE credit (New): Arts & Humanities, Visual Literacy, World Cultures and Writing Experience.

Format: Lecture - 3 hours; Writing.

Textbook:

• Gavin D. Flood, An Introduction to Hinduism  (Cambridge University Press, 1996)
   

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Religious Studies 080. Religion, Gender, Sexuality (4 units)
Allison Coudert

TR 3:10-4:30P
216 Wellman Hall
CRN 54379

Course Description: This course examines the constructions of gender and sexuality within different religious traditions, both pre-modern and modern. Topics covered include: pre-modern and modern definitions of masculinity and femininity and the religious implications of these definitions in terms of status of persons of differing genders or of non-gender-normative persons. We will also discuss the way gender stereotypes influence the appearance, dress, and behavior of individuals in different religious traditions. The course also examines historical constructions of sexual behavior and the interaction between these constructions and different religious identities, for example in religious requirements of celibacy, procreation, or polygamy. The course introduces students to the variety of changes and conflicts in different religious attitudes toward gendered and sexual behavior such as marriage, reproduction, abortion, and homosexuality. It also examines the reciprocal effects that ideas of gender and sexuality have on human notions of the divine and on notions of divine and human interaction, for example in the use of sexual language to describe mystical experience. A focus of the class will be on the way the art of different religious traditions reflects prevailing assumptions about gender and sexuality. 

Prerequisite: None.

GE credit (Old): Arts & Humanities, Social-Cultural Diversity and Writing Experience.
GE credit (New): Arts & Humanities and Writing Experience.

Format: Lecture/Discussion - 3 hours; Term Paper.

Textbook:

• Dag Olstein Endsjo, Sex and Religion: Teachings and Taboos in the History of World Faiths  (Reaktion Books, 2011)
   

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Religious Studies 130. Burning Man and Modern Ritual (4 units)
Naomi Janowitz

TR 1:40-3:00P
3 Wellman Hall
CRN 53298

Course Description: The Burning Man festival is famous not only for the burning of a giant statue of a man, but also for the hundreds if not thousands of other rites that take place during the week-long festival in the desert. This seminar will consider questions such as 1) what is a ritual? 2) why are rituals so intensely compelling to both individuals and groups? 3) is Burning Man a modern form of religion and what difference does our answer to this question make? And finally 4) what is the role of ritual in our lives today? Student will review theoretical reading on these topics as well as create their own rituals in order to examine some of the fundamental questions about belief, creativity and the invention of tradition. This course serves as an equivalent to RST 100 for majors and minors.

Prerequisite: Religious Studies 001 or consent of instructor (nhjanowitz@ucdavis.edu).

GE credit (Old): None.
GE credit (New): World Cultures and Writing Experience.

Format: Lecture/Discussion - 3 hours; Term Paper.

Textbook:

• Lee Gilmore, Theater in a Crowded Fire: Ritual and Spirituality at Burning Man  (University of California Press, 2010)
   

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Religious Studies 134. Human Rights (4 units)
Keith Watenpaugh

MW 2:10-4:00P
115 Hutchison Hall
CRN 69785

Course Description: This upper division course introduces students to the comparative and critical study of Human Rights. Students will study the theoretical, historical and practical foundations of human rights in various civilizations, cultures and religions, evaluate the role of Human Rights within western and non-western societies, and examine the role of human rights thinking, policy and institutions in the contemporary world. Of particular interest will be the intersection of the question of human rights and religious difference and the role religious institutions and movements have in the protection/violation of human rights.

Prerequisite: None. (Students who have completed Religious Studies 090 are ineligible to receive credit for Religious Studies 134)

GE credit (Old): Arts & Humanities or Social Sciences; Social-Cultural Diversity and Writing Experience.
GE credit (New): Arts & Humanities or Social Sciences; World Cultures and Writing Experience.

Format: Lecture/Discussion - 3 hours; Term Paper or Discussion.

Textbooks:

• Readings will be provided online
   

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Religious Studies 140. Christian Theology (4 units)
Meaghan O'Keefe

TR 10:30-11:50A
105 Olson Hall
CRN 53299

Course Description: This course examines the history of Christian thought through the lens of traditional problems in "God-talk": how have people in the Christian tradition historically attempted to describe something (God) that has usually been understood as beyond human comprehension?  We will examine the ways that Christian thinkers attempted to solve the problem of "how can humans know the unknowable" from antiquity to the present day.

Prerequisite: Consent of instructor (mmokeefe@ucdavis.edu).

GE credit (Old): Arts & Humanities.
GE credit (New): Arts & Humanities, World Cultures and Writing Experience.

Format: Lecture/Discussion - 3 hours; Term Paper.

Textbook:

• Saint Augustine of Hippo, On Christian Doctrine, translated by D.W. Robertson Jr.  (Pearson Books, 1958)
   

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Religious Studies 144. History of the Bible (4 units)
Wendy Terry

MWF 11:00-11:50A
80 Social Sciences Building
CRN 53300

Course Description: This course covers the creation, transmission, and interpretation of the set of texts that Christians today call "the Bible." It begins with the formation of the Jewish and Christian canons in antiquity and continues through the translation of the Bible into thousands of modern languages and media. There will be short writing assignments and term paper required.

Prerequisite: Religious Studies 021 or 040.

GE credit (Old): Arts & Humanities, Social-Cultural Diversity and Writing Experience.
GE credit (New): Arts & Humanities, World Cultures and Writing Experience.

Format: Lecture - 3 hours; Term Paper.

Textbook:

• Michael L. Satlow, How the Bible Became Holy  (Yale University Press, 2014)
   

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Religious Studies 163. Social Life of Islam (4 units) 
Flagg Miller

TR 3:10-4:30P
90 Social Sciences Building
CRN 53302

Course Description: This course provides an introduction to culture and social life in Muslim societies. Special attention is devoted to family life, sexuality, ethics, youth culture, urbanization and modern forms of public activism.  Throughout the course, we explore the extent to which religion can be considered an ordering system or, as sociologist Peter Berger puts it, a formula for “world maintenance.”  We continuously situate this approach in relation to social and economic struggles underway in the Middle East and North Africa, focusing especially on Lebanon, Egypt and Morocco.  Complementing and in tension with regional case studies we investigate how Muslim ways of life and understandings of religion have been shaped by global processes that extend beyond the Arab world.  Central to course goals will be developing a critical vocabulary for assessing the influences of the West and neoliberalism on Muslim selfhood.

Prerequisite: Religious Studies 060 or History 006 recommended.

GE credit (Old): Arts & Humanities or Social Sciences; and Social-Cultural Diversity and Writing Experience.
GE credit (New): Arts & Humanities or Social Sciences; and Oral Skills, World Cultures and Writing Experience.

Format: Lecture - 3 hours; Term Paper.

Textbooks:

• Michael Sells, Approaching the Qur’an: The Early Revelations [2nd Edition]  (White Cloud Press, 2007)
• Fatima Mernissi, Dreams of Trespass: Tales of a Harem Girlhood  (Perseus Books, 1995)
• Lara Deeb, An Enchanted Modern: Gender and Public Piety in Shi`i Lebanon  (Princeton University Press, 2006)
• Gabriele Marranci, Jihad Beyond Islam  (Bloomsbury Academic, 2006)