Religious Studies

Not long after the canonization of the Bible, it had already become the subject of fierce debate between Jews and the nascent Christian church. With the appearance of Islam centuries later, all three major monotheistic religions took part in such polemics. These polemics involved both technical issues surrounding the biblical text and larger theoretical issues such as the method by which it should be interpreted, the identity of its author(s), and the editorial process which it underwent. For each of these issues, the course proceeds chronologically from the earliest Jewish-Christian debates in the ancient period to the polemics involving Jews, Christians, and Muslims in the Middle Ages. Finally, as the course moves into the modern period, it explores the pivotal role that Jewish-Christian disputes played in the evolution of modern biblical criticism. Examining the inter-religious debate about the Bible throughout the ages provides a window into central themes in the history of these religions as well as familiarizing us with the questions that form the core of modern biblical studies.

This course examines overview of Buddhist intellectual and social history of over 2500 years, covering several geographical regions and aspects including historical traditions, scriptures, fundamental doctrines, basic ethical ideas, practices and customs.

Modern Jews address contemporary issues by communicating across time and space, in words and practices, with other generations and other communities. Is this a "traditional" approach? How did Jews in early modern Europe think about "tradition"? How did they create traditions in the age of the European Enlightenment, how did they challenge them in the nineteenth century, and how do they argue about them today? We will explore these questions by looking at unity and diversity among Jews in early modern Europe; examining the implications of the European Enlightenment for their innovations; studying major movements, texts and practices that will allow us to understand Jewish perspectives on tradition and modernity in Europe, America, and the Middle East.

The course provides a basic introduction to studies of the relationship between natural science and religion with focus on the ability to reflect upon own conceptions and values. The course addresses how science and religion can contribute to answers of existential questions in human life. The course gives a general introduction to how natural science in contemporary society mediates and expresses worldviews and addresses issues how different religions relate to and are affected by theories in natural science, including physics and biology.

This course covers the history of Islam in France. It explores the great influence of Islam and Islamic nations on the French language and terminology used in France and Francophone cultures as well as the diversity among nations within the Islamic culture and religion. The general focus of this course is the impact that Islam has had in France from long ago to today and how Islamic culture in France is largely underrepresented in French history.

This lecture analyzes the three basic factors that have influenced modern Jewish identity: enlightenement, anti-Semitism, and Zionism. It examines the changes of how Jewish identity is understood. A special focus is placed on the differentiation of cultural or national and religious identity with an emphasis on feminism and queerness. Gender relations are examined within their respective religious, cultural, and social contexts. Social history and the history of the common man is discussed and a special focus is placed on the active participation of Jewish women in society as well as the intellectual and artistic life within European nation states.