For students majoring in humanities-related disciplines and other students interested in the academic study of religion. Presents the comparative study of the history, ritual, "theology," and ethical beliefs of the major western religious traditions including Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism. Explores similarities and differences between them by examining the primary sources and sacred texts along with the unique beliefs and practices of each tradition.

For students majoring in humanities-related disciplines and other students interested in the academic study of religion. Presents the comparative study of the history, ritual, "theology," and ethical beliefs of the major eastern religious traditions including Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and Shintoism. Explores similarities and differences between them by examining the primary sources and sacred texts along with the unique beliefs and practices of each tradition.

Studies the religious systems of indigenous peoples, particularly those which have been called shamanic. Focuses on the classical study of shamanism and the literature on indigenous shamanism. Locates the study of shamanism within a social context that includes social relational and political economic contexts of the groups within which shamanism is found. Poses questions of how shamanism is different from the expanding world religions and compares and contrasts shamanism with non-shamanic indigenous religions. Looks at the current marketing of shamanism in New Age contexts.

For students majoring in humanities-related disciplines and other students interested in the academic study of religion. Teaches critical thinking methods and strategies regarding traditional philosophical issues in religious belief and practice. Explores various topics including the traditional arguments for the existence of God, religious experience, the relation between faith and reason, religious pluralism, and the traditional problem of evil.

For students majoring in humanities-related disciplines and other students interested in the academic study of religion. Teaches methodological approaches and critical thinking strategies in the study of religion. Explores various disciplines in their approaches to religious belief and practice. Includes the study of such thinkers as David Hume, Immanuel Kant, Friedrich Schleiermacher, Rudolf Otto, William James, Ludwig Feuerbach, Soren Kierkegaard, Max Weber, Emile Durkheim, John Hick, and Rene Girard

For students majoring in humanities-related disciplines and other students interested in the academic study of religion. Addresses specific topics and theoretical approaches related to religious studies. Topics may include religion and violence, religion and public discourse, religious ritual, etc. Subject matter varies by semester and is repeatable for a total of nine hours of credit.

Explores the many aspects of religion, including its history, diversity, and how it relates to social science studies. Also examines terms such as myth, magic, religion, ritual and shamanism, among others, and how these items are used to discuss religious and spiritual practices around the world.

Poses the question of what religiosity was prior to the Spanish conquest in the countries that were part of the Inca Empire--Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru. Asks how one can determine religiosity given the fierceness of the conquest and the extirpation of idolatries that followed it. Explores the nature of Catholicism that was recreated on these Andean bases. Discusses the contemporary religious issues of Andean societies, such as secularity, and how Andean categories differ foundationally in nature from those on which academic ideas of religion are constructed.

Studies the religious systems of indigenous peoples, particularly those which have been called shamanic. Focuses on the classical study of shamanism and the literature on indigenous shamanism. Locates the study of shamanism within a social context that includes social relational and political economic contexts of the groups within which shamanism is found. Poses questions of how shamanism is different from the expanding world religions and compares and contrasts shamanism with non-shamanic indigenous religions. Looks at the current marketing of shamanism in New Age contexts.

Examines the anthropological and sociological work on Mormonism, both the Church and Mormon society and culture. Studies Mormonism in a comparative framework, and will explore the question of the adequacy of the conceptual apparatus of a social science of religion for comprehending Mormonism.

Studies contemporary Mormon cultural issues from a cultural studies point of view. Interrogates prejudice against Mormons and non-Mormons. Explores historical Mormon constructions of race and gender. Develops an understanding of culture as a complex site of struggle where identities and social relations are actively produced, negotiated, and changed.

Focuses on reading and interpreting primary texts of Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and others emphasizing resonances of these texts in later works of literature. Discusses texts from a literary standpoint within the genre of "religious writings." Requires reading, informal and formal writing, and tests.

For students majoring in humanities-related disciplines and other students interested in the academic study of religion. Presents the comparative study of the history, ritual, "theology," and ethical beliefs of the major western religions including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Zoroastrianism, Baha'i, and nontraditional religious belief in the western world. Explores similarities and differences between them by examining the primary sources and sacred texts along with the unique beliefs and practices of each tradition.

Surveys the history of the Jewish people from the Biblical period to the present. Analyzes Jewish cultural and religious contributions to world history. Examines religious and political Zionism leading to the establishment of the State of Israel.

Examines key developments and conceptions in Christian ethics through historical and conceptual methodologies. Explores the relationship between religious and secular approaches to ethics in their approach to questions of war, economics, politics, and/or other relevant issues.

Examines key developments and conceptions in Christian theology through historical and conceptual methodologies.

For students majoring in humanities-related disciplines and other students interested in the academic study of religion. Engages students in exploring the defining features of Mormon thought in relation to the broader Christian tradition. Examines traditional theological questions such as the problem of evil, the scriptural canon, the nature of God and humanity, and the role of ritual.

Examines religion from a sociological perspective. Analyzes religion as a social phenomenon. Discusses religious organizations, religion and politics, and religion and social class.