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Religion

RELI E-1010/W World Religions (21794)
(Printable version)
Christopher S. Queen, PhD, Lecturer on the Study of Religion, Harvard University.
Writing-intensive course. Course tuition: noncredit and undergraduate credit $800, graduate credit $1,725.
Spring term: Thursdays beginning Jan. 29, 5:30-7:30 pm, Sever Hall, Room 113.
Online and on-campus options. See Distance Education.

The historical origins, central teachings, and devotional practices of the major religious traditions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—are considered in relation to common themes of human experience: the holy or sacred, evil and suffering, love and compassion, wisdom and justice, death and deliverance. The roles and meanings of religious symbols are explored through lectures, discussion, film, and the writing of short critical essays. (4 credits)

RELI E-1015/W Comparative Religious Ethics (12898) (Website) (Printable version)
Anne E. Monius, PhD, Professor of South Asian Religions, Harvard Divinity School.
Writing-intensive course. Course tuition: noncredit and undergraduate credit $800, graduate credit $1,725.
Fall term: Tuesdays beginning Sept. 16, 5:30-7:30 pm, William James Hall, Room 1.
Online and on-campus options. See Distance Education.

This course is a comparative examination of conceptions of the moral self and ways of thinking and acting ethically within the framework of three religious traditions: Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity. (4 credits)

RELI E-1027 From the Hebrew Bible to Judaism, from the Old Testament to Christianity (13081) (Website) (Printable version)
Shaye J. D. Cohen, PhD, Nathan Littauer Professor of Hebrew Literature and Philosophy, Harvard University.
Course tuition: noncredit and undergraduate credit $800, graduate credit $1,725.
Fall term: Thursdays beginning Sept. 18, 5:30-7:30 pm, Harvard Hall, Room 104.
Online and on-campus options. See Distance Education.

The Hebrew Scriptures, what Christians call the Old Testament and Jews call the Bible, are the basis of both Judaism and Christianity. In this course we survey how this book spawned two different religious systems. Topics include canon and prophecy; exegesis and Midrash; temple, synagogue, and church; the oral Torah and the Logos; sin and righteousness; messiah and redemption; salvation and resurrection; faith and works. (4 credits)

RELI E-1029 The Interpretation of the Hebrew Bible (22944)
(Printable version)
John Lee Ellison, PhD, Lecturer on Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University.
Course tuition: noncredit $450, undergraduate credit $800, graduate credit $1,725.
Spring term: Mondays beginning Jan. 26, 5:30-7:30 pm, Sever Hall, Room 213.

In this course we examine some of the most recognized stories in the Hebrew Bible (Christian Old Testament) and examine how these stories are elucidated by the techniques used by modern scholars and how they were understood by ancient Christian and Jewish interpreters. (4 credits)

RELI E-1061 Rethinking Mental Health: Spirituality, Healing, and Culture (23078)
(Printable version)
Cheryl A. Giles, PsyD, Francis Greenwood Peabody Professor of the Practice of Pastoral Care and Counseling, Harvard Divinity School.
Course tuition: noncredit $450, undergraduate credit $800, graduate credit $1,725.
Spring term: Thursdays beginning Jan. 29, 5:30-7:30 pm, Room to be announced.

Despite significant advances in traditional medicine that offer potential cures, more than 35 million people use mind/body practices for healing. Exploring the growth of mind/body medicine creates an opportunity for understanding what has been known since early civilization: meditation, ritual, and prayer are resources for health and healing and protective factors against illness. This course examines the juxtaposition of mind/body healing practices that have cultural roots in stories with current treatments in mental health. Prerequisites: previous coursework in psychology or counseling. (4 credits)

RELI E-1063 Literature of Journey and Quest (22840)
(Printable version)
Stephanie A. Paulsell, PhD, Amory Houghton Professor of the Practice of Ministry Studies, Harvard Divinity School.
Course tuition: noncredit $450, undergraduate credit $800, graduate credit $1,725.
Spring term: Tuesdays beginning Jan. 27, 7:35-9:35 pm, Sever Hall, Room 102.

This course explores themes of journey and quest in world literature with particular attention to the religious dimensions of those themes. The course considers the relationship between home and exile, between interior journeys and journeys through external landscapes, and between the religious and literary dimensions of literature itself. (4 credits)

RELI E-1064 Religion and the Sport Culture (13193) (Syllabus) (Printable version)
Susan Abraham, ThD, Assistant Professor of Ministry Studies, Harvard Divinity School.
Course tuition: noncredit $450, undergraduate credit $800, graduate credit $1,725.
Fall term: Wednesdays beginning Sept. 17, 5:30-7:30 pm, Sever Hall, Room 106.

Historically, sport in the West has a venerable tradition of grounding its values of physical health and normative notions of masculinity and femininity, gender, and sexual relations in the religious notion of muscular Christianity. This course provides students with the means to analyze the cultural context in which the sport culture shores up Christian triumphalism, sexism, racism, classicism, and normative heterosexism. (4 credits)

RELI E-1076 Religion and Politics in Current "Fundamentalist" Movements (13177)
(Printable version)
Harvey G. Cox, Jr., PhD, Hollis Professor of Divinity, Harvard Divinity School.
Course tuition: noncredit and undergraduate credit $800, graduate credit $1,725.
Fall term
Online only, beginning Sept. 19. See Distance Education. Required sections to be arranged.

Why have so-called fundamentalist movements emerged in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in recent years? Why have they attracted so many people? How are they changing, and what future do they have? Is the term fundamentalist useful or misleading? We put these questions to such phenomena as TV evangelism, Christian Zionism, mega-churches and Opus Dei (Christian); the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas (Islamic); Chabad Lubavitch and West Bank Settler Messianic Zionism (Jewish). The recorded lectures are from the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences course Religion 1076. Prerequisite: students must view sample online lectures before they register. (4 credits)

RELI E-1422 The Apostle Paul: His Letters, Cities, and Heritage (22930)
(Printable version)
Helmut Koester, DrTheol, John H. Morison Research Professor of Divinity and Winn Research Professor of Ecclesiastical History, Harvard Divinity School.
Course tuition: noncredit $450, undergraduate credit $800, graduate credit $1,725.
Spring term: Thursdays beginning Jan. 29, 7:35-9:35 pm, Room to be announced.

This course discusses the original letters of Paul and their interpretation, the deutero-Pauline letters, the cities of Paul's activities (with presentations of archaeological evidence for the culture and religions of these cities), and the effects of his ministry and the importance of the collection of his letters for the development of the canon of New Testament scriptures. (4 credits)

RELI E-1505 Religion, Education, and Democracy (13202) (Website) (Printable version)
Diane L. Moore, PhD, Professor of the Practice in Religious Studies and Education, Harvard Divinity School.
Course tuition: noncredit $450, undergraduate credit $800, graduate credit $1,725.
Fall term: Wednesdays beginning Sept. 17, 7:35-9:35 pm, Sever Hall, Room 203.

The focus of this course is to develop an understanding of the complex intersection between religion, secularism, democracy, and public education in multicultural America. Our exploration includes a historical review of the relationship between religion and public education in the US with special attention to pivotal Supreme Court decisions that have shaped public policy discourses in these areas over the past half century; a consideration of the social and moral consequences that stem from privileging secularism as the normative ideology of the public sphere; and a historical and contemporary analysis of differing views regarding the nature and purpose of public education and the role of religion in those debates. Final projects focus on the legal, political, or curricular dimensions of the course. (4 credits)

RELI E-1510 The Bible and Politics (13050) (Syllabus) (Printable version)
Paul D. Hanson, PhD, Florence Corliss Lamont Professor of Divinity, Harvard Divinity School.
Graduate seminar. Course tuition: graduate credit $1,725. Limited enrollment.
Fall term: Tuesdays beginning Sept. 16, 5:30-7:30 pm, Northwest Building, Room B109.

The seminar examines political models found in the Bible; the role of biblical tradition in church-state relations in the history of the United States; and the possibility of developing a suitable political theology within the context of contemporary society. (4 credits)

RELI E-1705 Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism (22756)
(Printable version)
Leonard van der Kuijp, PhD, Professor of Tibetan and Himalayan Studies, Harvard University.
Course tuition: noncredit $450, undergraduate credit $800, graduate credit $1,725.
Spring term: Thursdays beginning Jan. 29, 5:30-7:30 pm, Sever Hall, Room 209.

This course is an introduction to and exploration of Tibetan Buddhism in the context of Tibetan intellectual and political history, cultural manifestations, doctrines, and thought. Students read secondary works and examine various primary materials in translation. The course assumes no background in the study of Buddhism, Asian history, religion, or languages. (4 credits)

RELI E-1710/W Introduction to the Hindu Traditions of India (22731)
(Printable version)
Anne E. Monius, PhD, Professor of South Asian Religions, Harvard Divinity School.
Writing-intensive course. Course tuition: noncredit $450, undergraduate credit $800, graduate credit $1,725.
Spring term: Wednesdays beginning Jan. 28, 5:30-7:30 pm, Sever Hall, Room 206.

This course is an introduction to the many distinct yet interrelated religious traditions of South Asia that are often labeled Hinduism. We consider the ways in which Hindus from a variety of historical time periods, local traditions, and social backgrounds have attempted to make sense of their world and their lives within it. (4 credits)