2012-2013 - Sweet Briar College

RELG
244
CR 3.0
Christianity
An historical survey of the development of Christianity from its
beginnings in the Greco- Roman empire through its global
establishment in the modern era. The focus of the course will be on
how Christianity in its literature, rituals, institutional forms, and
intellectual traditions changes and develops as it encounters new
peoples and new cultures. May be counted as an auxiliary course
toward the minor in gender studies. III.W, V.1
RELG
248
CR 3.0
The Religions of
Africa
Students will examine religions of Africa both in their indigenous
expressions and in the Diaspora. Methodological issues such as what
constitutes a “traditional” religion will be examined, as will questions
of ritual, cosmology, myth-making, and the place of women. The
effects of colonialism and the situation of postcolonialism will be
discussed in-depth in the context of both continental and diaspora
religious experience. The relationship of colonialism to syncretism will
be explored in the examination of diaspora religions in the Caribbean
and American settings. Movements such as Voodoun and
Rastafarianism will be studied with a view to understanding how new
religions are created as a process of inter-cultural contact and
adaptation to historical events. III.O, V.4
RELG
255
CR 3.0
Islam
An introduction to the “world of Islam”, beginning with an
examination of its foundation in the seventh century and concluding
with a consideration of issues pertaining to Islam in the modern world.
The course will deal with such topics as: Muhammad; the Qur’an;
Islamic “Traditions” (hadith) and the “Law” (shariah); the Caliphate;
sectarian divisions, especially the Sunni-Shiite schism; Sufi mysticism;
Muslim influences on medieval European societies; the Crusades;
Islamic art and literature; and the modern resurgence of Islam. Offered
alternate years. V.4, V.5
RELG
261
CR 3.0
Directed Study
Prerequisites: One RELG course and permission of the instructor. The
study of introductory level material by an individual student or by a
small group of students under the immediate supervision of a faculty