RE 112: Introduction to the New Testament:
Course Description: The Bible has been one of the most influential collections
of literature on religion, other literature, politics, society, and
culture. Jesus and Paul are
immediately recognizable figures, popularly invoked in daily life and even public
policy. From the Gospels to
Revelation, the books of the New Testament saturate our culture from popular
films and novels to shaping people’s behavior and national politics. Despite the New Testament’s seeming
familiarity in religious institutions and public life, however, it can be very
strange and disorienting. In this
class we will recover the strangeness of the New Testament in order to read it
anew in their ancient Greek, Roman, and Near Eastern contexts. To do this we will critically examine
their transmission, development, historical contexts, and literary aspects.
RE 189: Abrahamic Faiths:
Course Description: The category of
“Abrahamic Faiths/Religions/Traditions” has recently been on the rise to
describe and analyze the relationships between Judaism, Christianity, and
Islam. What does this designation
mean? Why can we categorize these
religions together? What do they
have in common that other religions do not also share, if anything? In this course, we will investigate the
commonalities and differences of these three religions on a wide variety of
beliefs, practices, and lived experiences with a strong emphasis on primary
sources and experiential learning.
RE 216: Religion and Film:
Description: Many people's ideas about religion are shaped by
how it is presented in film. This class will introduce the vocabulary of film
analysis to students and then use it to study a variety of films. We will see
that films often reflect the concerns of the time in which they were made, even
if they claim to represent the life of Jesus or other biblical figures. Films
to be studied include several Bible films (that is, films adapting stories from
Bible), films that represent Jewish and/or Christian ideas, and films
representing other religions. Films
are one of the most complex art forms, but most people watch them
passively. In this class we will
learn to “read” them carefully, analyze them, and reflect upon them. While the content of the films
will be biblical and religious, the skills learned in this class are applicable
to any film-based medium.
I am also offering two independent studies: on on Hebrew language and one on Life after Death. The latter will likely appear as a full-fledged course in the next two years.
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