Religious Studies

This course introduces students to key religious texts that have been foundational in shaping religious traditions. This course is intended for students who may or may not have some prior knowledge of the religious texts in question, but who have no prior knowledge of the critical methodologies used in academic study.

The writings included in the canon of the New Testament have been composed by different authors over a relatively long period of time. Translated in countless languages, the stories and ideas found in the New Testament have played a major role in shaping socio-political, ethical and religious discourses across the centuries and in different cultures and have been a constant source of inspiration in art, music, and literature. Students learn about the most relevant scholarly approaches to the study of the New Testament and its background in Second Temple Judaism and in the Graeco-Roman world. They examine the variety of literary genres and the diversity of sources and traditions, which contributed to the development of early Christianity and to the formation of new religious and cultural realities in the Graeco-Roman world, and are introduced to the history of interpretation of the New Testament in antiquity and in contemporary culture. 

Cosmology traces developments in the mythological and natural-scientific study of the universe in its complex history. This course presents these developments as they have been interpreted from biblical, theological, and philosophical perspectives, and the conditions under which they have been understood to conflict or converge with cosmologies from the natural sciences, particularly since the 16th century. It explores how specific cosmologies emerged and in turn impacted on theology, science and culture, in astronomy, thermodynamics, emerging universe models, evolutionary theory and the return to narrative in the natural sciences. It includes implications for anthropology: the human person as created in the image of God (imago Dei); as embodied and free, contingent and subject to frailty and failure (“sin”); as "steward" of creation; and as inhabitant of the earthly cosmopolis. 

This course provides an overview of Islamic history. It presents and discusses Islamic scriptures, doctrines, and rituals. The course demonstrates the significance and development within Islam of concepts such as prophethood, revelation, jihad, theology, law, and gender. Students develop an understanding of the contribution of Islamic civilization to human culture and examine various scholarly approaches to the study of Islam. 

Religion is prominent in public debates, in the media, and in the cultural imaginary of people's daily life, no matter whether they see themselves as believers or not. In turn, religions also “make use” of media and mediation, creating symbolic representations and special experiences, be it through architecture and music, images and narratives, or through clothes and body practices. The course focuses on how the relationship between religion and media can be studied, and how this can help to better understand the role of religion in the public sphere. Our understanding of media reaches beyond TV and the internet – scripture and dance, money, and microphones are means of mediating religion as well. The course explores what a medium is; how religions are depicted in the media; how religions act on and react to new media; and how religions can be understood as mediation while often claiming to provide “immediate” and direct access to divine spheres.

This course covers the journey of Buddhist monasticism from ancient India to modern Europe and America through a range of texts, including canonical literature and poems and autobiographies of monks and nuns. The course discusses how a disciplined life and living in a community can enable ethical transformations. Although some of the earliest Buddhist texts advocated strict celibacy, most of the Buddhist communities in subsequent centuries adopted a form of monasticism and priesthood that allowed for families. The course explores the social changes, ethical and philosophical ideas that led to the acceptance of families in Buddhist monasticism. Additionally, the course examines how monasticism, with or without celibacy, influences the ethical development of individuals who choose one or the other form of life.

Some understanding of theoretical, ethical, and practical aspects of field work is essential for students engaging in research with people. This course teaches students, especially but not only from religious studies and practical theology, the necessary competence and confidence in this field. This methodology course  investigates how fieldwork plays an important role in the study of religion. The course combines strong theoretical and practical discussion ranging from insider/outsider issues in the study of religion, alongside detailed classwork on participant observation, interview techniques, and writing up fieldwork notes. 

This course introduces students to the world of magic in the Islamic world. Dismissed as anti-rational by European colonialism and Islamic reformism, magic and other occult pursuits often played an important role in the religious, political, and intellectual lives of Muslims. Making extensive use of both literary and visual sources, this course examines how past and present scholars have attempted to define the occult and esoteric. It outlines several themes such as the role of sorcery in everyday life, politics, and the investigation of science. Surveyed topics include astrology, geomancy, treasure hunting, demonology, alchemy, and necromancy.