RELIGIOUS STUDIES

106. The Hebrew Bible and Its Interpretations. Haas (9:10-10:00 MWF) An examination of selected readings from the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and the ways these have been understood by Jews, Christians and Muslims from ancient times to present. Readings in the past have included the Creation story (Genesis 1-2), Noah's Flood, the Binding of Isaac, the anointing of Saul as king of Israel, the prophecies of Habakkuk, and the Book of Ruth. During the course, students will have a chance to discuss topics such as Biblical archeology; the history of Biblical Israel; the process through which the Bible came into being; classical Jewish, Christian and Muslim appropriation of these stories; modern interpretive methods such as feminist hermeneutics; and the current interrelationship between the Bible and science.

107. African American Religious Traditions. Baldwin (1:10-2:00 MWF) An historical survey of the leadership, dynamics, and cultural milieu of African-American religious traditions, with some attention to institutional expressions and theologies from the colonial period to the present.

109. Themes in New Testament . Patte (1:10-2:25TR) "When the millennium ends, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth" (Revelation 20:7-8). What does the New Testament say about the "kingdom" (in the Sermon on the Mount, in the Parables of Jesus), about the end of the world (in passages of Paul's letters, the Gospels, and the Book of Revelation about the "Judgment" and the "second coming of Christ" in Paul's letters, the Gospels, and the Book of Revelation)? How central is this teaching about the end of time in the message of the different books of the New Testament? For Christian believers today, at the end of the second millennium? These New Testament themes have been and are interpreted in quite different ways by churches and believers through the centuries and today. Similarly, scholarly studies, because they follow different critical methodologies, reach very diverse conclusions concerning the religious teaching of the New Testament texts. How are all these interpretations related? Our selective survey of New Testament literature will respect the diversity of interpretations of the New Testament even as it calls students to assume responsibility for their interpretations. Comparison with the views of the kingdom, and of the end of the world in other ancient texts (Jewish and other Religious texts of the time) as well as in modern media (including movies), we shall gain a greater appreciation for the distinctiveness of the New Testament teaching about these themes.

132. Religion and Culture in Japan. Arai (1:10-2:25 TR) Short-stories, poetry, tea ceremony as windows upon Japanese religious experience. How Buddhism was transformed through the centuries according to Japanese assumptions of human nature, reality, and concept of ultimate. The Christian experience in Japan studied in terms of the influence of Japanese cultural ideals. Methods of healing used as people usher in the 21st century.

201. The Problem of Biblical Authority. Patte (11:00-12:15 TR) How do believers-in-the-pews conceive of the authority of the Bible? How do they read the Bible, if at all? How do they see the relationship between the Bible and their daily life? Such are the questions that the class will seek to answer by VISITING CHURCHES AND SYNAGOGUES and entering in conversation with members of these religious communities (you will be trained for this field-work as "participant-observers"). How do the views of biblical authority by believers-in-the-pew compare with the doctrines of biblical authority held by religious leaders and scholars in various denominations today--in evangelical, conservative and liberal Protestant Churches, in the post-Vatican II Catholic Church, in African-American Churches, in Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox Synagogues? How do they compare with views of biblical authority throughout the history of the Church and of Judaism? With views of biblical authority expressed in the uses of Scripture in New Testament texts and in Jewish texts of the same period. Requirements: Visit of two sites (churches and/or synagogues). Reports to the class. Four short papers on case-studies (two present ones; two historical ones), and a final paper comparing the views of biblical authority in these case-studies.

208. The Hebrew Bible. Sasson (11:10-12:00 MWF)A basic study of the life and thought of ancient Israel. Our primary concern will be to understand the Hebrew Bible as a product of its times and as a document of lasting significance. We will be examining its rootage in the life of the people, its relation to the ancient Near Eastern world, and the growth and formation of the Hebrew Bible literature in its parts and as a whole. There will also be discussion of ancient Israel's social and political life, religion, and ethics, especially in light of recent investigations and archaeological finds. Two exams; one 10-page paper.

215. Catholic Tradition. Staff (9:10-10:00 MWF) It was in the early and medieval periods that the "classical" tradition of Christian doctrine, shared by Catholics and Protestants, took form, and many of our contemporary assumptions are shaped by the developments of those earlier centuries. We shall look at the growth of the doctrines of the Trinity, Christ, and salvation in relation to the general history of the church and the wider political, social, and cultural setting. Readings are designed to acquaint the student with original source material, as well as current historical interpretations. Previous acquaintance with classical history, Western civilization, or History of the Christian Thought (RLST 107) is desirable.

219. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Social Roles of Religion. Baldwin (10:10-11:00 MWF) An intermediate level course exploring Martin Luther King, Jr.'s roles as preacher, religious leader, theologian, and social change agent, with special attention to his cultural roots and legacy, the experiential and intellectual sources of his thought and praxis, and the development of his communitarian ideal beyond southern particularism to an explicit and enlightened globalism. King's perspective on the social roles of religion will be studied and critically analyzed against the background of classical Judeo-Christian views (e.g., the ancient Hebrew Prophets, Jesus, the Apostolic Church, the Church Fathers, and Fundamentalist and Evangelical traditions), of Western philosophical streams (e.g., Plato, Socrates, Heraclitus, Hegel, Kant, the Existentialists), of 19^th and 20^th Century dissenting traditions (e.g., Marx, Thoreau, Gandhi, Luthuli), and of the perspectives of African American leaders from the time of slavery to the present (e.g., Hammon, Walker, Truth, Tubman, Delany, Douglass, Washington, DuBois, Garvey, Jackson, Eikerenkoetter, Malcolm X, and others). The roles of the church and religion in King-led civil rights campaigns from Montgomery to 219 continued...Memphis will also be examined. Finally, attention will be devoted to King's image as a world leader and symbol, taking into account his position against racism, colonialism, poverty, and economic injustice in the United States and abroad.

229. The Holocaust: Its Meanings and Implications. Geller (9:35-10:50 TR) This course examines the systematic destruction of European Jewry and other groups during World War II. Attention is directed at the social, economic, and cultural factors that contributed to its occurrence as well as at the aftermath of response, recollection, and revision. We will address attempts to create meaningful narratives about events which appear to lack discernable meaning. To that end we will analyze historical accounts, theology, memoirs, memorials, fiction, film, etc., and the issues of history, memory, witness, language and otherness that they raise. Special emphasis will be placed on the theme of this year's Vanderbilt Holocaust Lecture Series: the politics of memory. There will be brief (1-2 page) thought/response papers each week, a mid-term, and a final. At least biweekly film screenings on Mondays (6:00 PM).

230. Women and Religion. Welch (11:00-12:15 TR) An introduction to the themes and issues that arise when the traditions and texts of selected Western religions are viewed from the perspective of women's studies (or gender-equity or feminism), among which: scripture and other sources of religious authority; psychological and ethical implications of feminist approaches to religion, God and gender, and women's proper roles.

231. Women in Buddhist Traditions. Arai (2:35-3:50 TR) Exploring Buddhist traditions through the contributions and concerns of women in various cultural contexts (Indian, Tibetan, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, and North American) and time periods (ancient and modern). Critical analysis of practices, texts, and hermeneutical schemes that foster misogyny. Special attention will be given to laying a theoretical foundation in the construction of gender in each cultural and religious context encountered. We will look into reasons why texts on religion have not always included the voices of women as we investigate ways turn cover them through research techniques and developing hermeneutical strategies. Previous background in women's studies and Buddhism is optimal. Some knowledge of Asia and the study of religion would be helpful.

280. Senior Seminar. Haas (9:35-10:50 TR) The major methods, movements and personalities that have shaped the academic study of religion over the last two centuries. Besides full participation in class discussion, the course will require a series of short papers and final paper or project.

294.01 Complementarity of Science and Religion: The Nature of Knowledge. Haas/Sousan (12:10-1:00 MWF) The current state of our knowledge about God and the universe as developed through the works of selected modern philosophers, scientists and theologians. The course is designed to examine the complementarity of science and theology as guides in shaping our understanding of ourselves, the divine and the structure of the cosmos. Course requirements include book reports, presentations and a final paper.

294.02. SP TOP: Literature of the Ancient Near East. Sasson (3:10-5:00 M) In this course we shall read a great number of literary texts from the Ancient World: Egypt, Canaan, Anatolia and Mesopotamia. In addition to examining these narratives for their contents and for the information they provide, we shall strive to reconstruct the contexts which produced them. After establishing a typology of the material, we shall apply structuralist and formalist approaches to explore the possibility that folktale patterns may be found in the simpler examples, as well as test the possibility that "nationalistic" movements influenced the production of epic literature and aided in the creation of paradigmatic characterizations. --Aside from the required final, you will be writing a number of brief essays, some on individual texts, other on reconstructing contexts that are implied by the text. Imaginative replays of ancient texts are also encouraged. Books: Foster's From Distant Days, and Lichtheim's Ancient Egyptian Literature, vol. 3. Prerequisites: Undergraduates should have had an introductory course on the ancient world or on the Bible.

299A&B. Senior Honors Thesis. A/Fall; B/Spring, TBA. Reading of primary research sources and writing an honors thesis under the supervision of the thesis advisor. Open only to senior honors students.

HEBR 111A. Elementary Hebrew. Halachmi (3:10-4:00 MWF) Elementary conversational Hebrew emphasizing the spoken colloquial usage of Israel today. Course prepares students for further study in modern Hebrew, while also providing a foundation for understanding Biblical Hebrew. No prior knowledge of Hebrew pre supposed. Fulfills language requirement.

HEBR 113A. Intermediate Modern Hebrew. Halachmi (2:10-3:00 MWF) Reinforcement of advanced grammar, reading, and conversation in modern Hebrew. Some knowledge of elementary Hebrew is required. Fulfills language requirement.