Religious Studies

This course considers the religious, political, and cultural significance of Buddhism in modern Asia, with a particular focus on Japan. It surveys Japan's religious history and tradition, as well as recent issues facing Buddhist communities and modern society while covering topics such as religion and nationalism; gender issues in modern temple practices; religious violence and peace activities, and the role of tourism in temple affairs. The course provides a solid understanding of East Asia's religious heritage while developing critical perspectives on the impact of religion on modern Asian societies.

After surveying the basic tenets and history of Buddhism in India, this course discusses various aspects of Buddhist transmission from India via Central Asia (Silk Road) to East Asia. The course emphasizes practical aspects of Buddhism, including meditation, monastic life, and the production of Buddhist art. The course also explores doctrinal and devotional aspects of Buddhism. Employing an interdisciplinary approach, the course analzyes texts, art and archaeological remains, focusing on Buddhist caves as the place for practice. 

The course introduces students to historical and contemporary debates concerning the nature and characteristics of 'political Islam'. By examining key Islamic thinkers, movements and currents, the course aims to provide intellectual and analytical tools to make better sense of this complex and multifaceted phenomenon, drawing on a variety of disciplines (history, anthropology, sociology, religious studies, international relations) while grounded in a political science approach. The course is divided into three parts. An introductory section devoted to Islamic thinkers, conceptual frameworks and Islamist states. A second section dealing with Islamist movements – charting the evolution of Islamic liberation groups (Hamas and Hizbullah), revolutionary trajectories (Iran) and resistance movements (Islamic movement inside Israel). A third and final section will focus on internal dynamics and global challenges – exploring Islam and democracy, transnational jihadism, sectarian division and the legacy of the Arab Spring. The course rejects simplistic readings of political Islam but instead seeks to provide a dynamic and complex examination of Islamic thinkers, concepts and movements through discursive frames of ideology; state power, democracy, geo-politics and local socio-political realities.    

This course studies the theories and concepts of Judaism. It examines its principal texts and practices as the literature and customs of this religion serve as a gateway to understanding its fundamental philosophical structure.

This course addresses major issues in the history of anti-Semitism in the last seventy years. Topics include: origins of modern anti-Semitism and its difference from older theological forms of anti-Judaism; variations in anti-Semitic patterns in eastern, central, and western Europe; anti-Zionism and the delegitimization of the State of Israel; anti-Semitism in music, literature, and cinema; Jewish self-hatred and the internalization of anti-Semitic stereotypes by Jews; patterns of post-Holocaust anti-Semitism in America; Holocaust denial; the ambiguous religious connection between evangelical Christian pro-Zionism and anti-Semitism; anti-Semitism on the Internet; and contemporary debates on the persistence and new forms of anti-Semitism. A strong emphasis is placed on the Jews’ political, social, and ideological responses to this hatred. 

This course offers an introductory survey of major religious traditions of the world, with specific focus on Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Topics examine the historical development of each tradition, along with its sacred texts, basic philosophical ideas, patterns of ritual and worship, and specialized institutions The goal is to provide an objective understanding of each faith tradition on its own terms, and secondarily, to explore how religion is relevant to contemporary social, political and cultural issues.