Religious Studies

This course explores how the first Islamic caliphate transformed the society, culture, and politics of western Asia in the centuries after the mission of Muhammad, c. 600-950. In the 7th century the new faith of Islam emerged in Arabia. Its adherents, though few in number, overturned the geopolitical world order, defeating the superpowers of their day to create the world’s largest empire, stretching from Portugal to Pakistan. This course asks how this first Islamic state was brought into being and how it changed life in the Middle East and beyond.
 

This course answers a wide range of inquiries related to the one of the most complex and profound texts in human history, the Old Testament, or the Hebrew Bible. Who wrote this book? For whom was this book written? When and how was this book created and completed? How was this book interpreted throughout the history of Western civilization? 

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will:
1. Be familiar with theological terms and expressions in the English language for Old Testament study.
2. Demonstrate understanding and knowledge of the basic contents and theological outlooks of some relevant texts of the Old Testament.
3. Discuss some significant contemporary debates and recent developments concerning the formation history of the Old Testament.
4. Engage with big ideas.
5. Improve intellectual and academic skills.

Students pursue an area of study in their major which is not available in the normal framework of the Undergraduate Study Abroad Program. Applicants for such study are expected to develop a sound rationale for their individual research project which requires faculty guidance and must reflect an intensive research project. This course is supervised one hour weekly for the duration of the 11 week semester.

This course introduces Buddhism and its philosophies. In this course, students examine the basic tenets of Buddhism, its mythology and Buddhism’s impact in the world.

Taoism is an important school of ancient Chinese philosophy, and Laozi is the core text of Taoism. This course is conducted around the main philosophical concepts and topics in the text of Laozi. The seemingly loose text of Laozi is reorganized. On the basis of in-depth interpretation of the text, we are able to make the chapters as well as the internal specific expression of the text show their relationship in terms of meaning, and thus a “substantive system” can be organized in a text with a “formal system.” The course emphasizes text reading as the starting point for any discussion, and attempts to demonstrate how resources can first be sought from within the text, rather than from outside, to interpret the main ideas of Laozi and construct his main ideas. The class explains the connotation and significance of the core ideas and concepts of Laozi, on the basis of which, some misunderstandings about the philosophy and Taoism of Laozi are clarified. It guides students to experience the unique spirit of Laozi philosophy, and leads students to reflect on the possible relevance of classical thinking to the contemporary world. The course integrates the cultivation of philosophical speculative thinking into classroom oral expression and academic writing training. 

After taking this course, students grasp the explanation of the origin of Taoism, the status and development of Taoism in Chinese philosophy, and the discussion between Laozi and Laozi, to know the basic situation of different editions of Lao Zi, especially the relationship between the unearthed documents and the handed down literature, to understand the tradition of Chinese annotation, and to understand the relationship between Laozi and Laozi’s annotation.

The course will deal with the involvement of Jews as a group and as individuals in the civic and political life of the United States, during the period since 1920. The course will be given in English. The students will learn about the complex character of civic participation in a changing American political landscape, in which Jews have expressed their interests and taken part in the discourse of political events and public affairs.