Religious Studies

This course introduces Buddhist philosophy by directly reading the original texts, by selecting the classics from the “Madhyamika” school and late stages of Indian Buddhist philosophy, in particular, the three modules of Indian Buddhist philosophy in the middle and late periods —— Madhyamika, Mind-Only and Logic schools.

This course is different from the general selection of Buddhist Sutras. The Buddhist scriptures are divided into three parts: Sutra, Vinaya and Abhidharma. The Abhidharma part is the most important medium of Indian Buddhist philosophy. In the middle and late period of Buddhist philosophy, there are many theories which have not been translated into Chinese, or the Chinese translation is not perfect. We will use the combination of English translation and the original to teach. The problems discussed in these theories are closely related to the general problems of philosophy, so this course is also suitable for philosophy majors to take.

This course explores religious education and the different approaches to religious education in general. It evaluates religious education in Israel and the different approaches held in diverse school systems. The course exposes how the religion of the “other” is presented in various educational systems and how it impacts the view of the “other.” It provides insight to the connection between religious education and multidimensional conflicts (political, social, religious). Moreover, it illuminates the link between religious education and peace building and provides an intersectional and critical lens to religious education in Israel and beyond.

This course explores the relationship between theater and religion in Antiquity, from the Pharaonic era to the early Middle Ages. It examines the spaces and forms of possible interactions between dramatic performances and cultural practices, the identity of the actors involved, and the effectiveness of drama in the process of emotional and cognitive arousal, both individual and collective, within the religious experience.

This course provides a detailed understanding of the European jihadi phenomenon, from its inception during the war in Afghanistan (1979) to the fall of ISIS (2019) and its current reconfigurations on the Old Continent (2020-2023). It is the results of a decade of on-the-ground research, it explores the way jihadi groups and organizations spread their ideas throughout the Old Continent, from the French “banlieues” to the British and Belgian inner cities, and from the German countryside to the Scandinavian metropolitan area. The course also covers female activism, online activism, and the way jihadism functions behind bars. It points out the poorly understood centrality of prisons in the making of European Jihadism and its current reconfigurations since the fall of ISIS. The course introduces jihadism and its key concepts, including pre-modern Islamic theology and jurisprudence to demonstrate how these references were appropriated and repurposed by jihadi ideologues for political ends. It concludes on the current debates in Europe surrounding jihadism and Islamism in the wake of the killing of Samuel Paty in France and subsequent attack in Vienna, Austria.