2013-2014 Catalog - Virginia Wesleyan College

158 RECREATION AND LEISURE STUDIESRELIGIOUS STUDIES159348 Maui to Moguls: The Impact ofAdventure Travel on Culture andthe Environment (4)Examines the impact of adventure travel onculture and the environment. Students travel to twodiverse locations, a ski area and the island of Maui, tolearn how activities as diverse as skiing,snowboarding, snorkeling, hiking, windsurfing, andbiking affect local culture, the economy, andpreservation of the environment. Classroom workprepares the group for the travel experience. Offeredin selected Winter Sessions.349 Leadership II: InstructionalTechniques (4)Students learn the successful leadership andteaching styles associated with the instruction ofoutdoor recreation and athletic activities. Theypractice a variety of leadership approaches and groupprocess techniques, behavior management, andteaching styles. Prerequisite: REC 204. Offeredintermittently in spring.408 Seminar in Recreation andLeisure Studies (4)IExploration and discussion of current trends andinnovations in recreation/leisure studies as identifiedby students. Students determine course content incollaboration with the instructor. One scheduledtopic is leisure education. Prerequisite: consent.Offered each spring.409 Internship in Recreation andLeisure Studies (12)Field placement in an approved recreation ortherapeutic recreation setting. Students intern undera trained recreation professional and participate in allphases of agency operation. Prerequisite: REC 309.Offered each spring, and in summer on request.RELIGIOUS STUDIESDR. TERRENCE LINDVALLDR. ERIC M. MAZURDR. MICHAEL PANITZ (adjunct)DR. PAUL B. RASORDR. CRAIG WANSINK, Program CoordinatorWithout a knowledge of religion, it is difficult tounderstand daily newspapers, modern history, andmany of our own behavior patterns. In the ReligiousStudies Department, the methods and interests of thehumanities, the social sciences, and the naturalsciences converge as students examine the role ofreligion in history, literature, and science; in humanexperience and diversity; and in culture, politics, andsociety. The requirements for a major in religiousstudies ensure that students not only acquire a broadbase of knowledge, but develop skills of interpretationand methodological approaches that characterize astrong liberal arts education. Because these coursesinvolve analysis, comparison, and interpretation andbecause they require sensitivity to the perspectivesand practices of others, the study of religion preparesstudents well for careers in education, business, law,politics, diplomacy, counseling, public service, andministry.Major Requirements: Religious StudiesCOURSE NUMBER AND TITLE SEM.HRS.Comparative AnalysisRELST 113Introduction to Religious Studies OR 4RELST 116World ReligionsLiterary and Exegetical AnalysisTwo of the following:RELST 217The Old Testament WorldRELST 2188The New Testament WorldRELST 251/351Religion & LiteratureHistorical AnalysisTwo of the following:RELST 303Saints & Heretics: Christian History IRELST 3048Damned & Saved: Christian History IIRELST 326MethodismInstitutional AnalysisRELST 232Religion & American Politics OR 4RELST 233Religious Battles in CourtsSocial/Cultural AnalysisRELST 335Christian Theology & Film OR 4RELST 363/463Sports & ReligionSeminarRELST 361/461 4Thinkers/Topics in ReligionOne Religious Studies courseat the 300/400 level4TOTAL 36Minor Requirements: Religious StudiesCOURSE NUMBER AND TITLESEM.HRS.RELST 113Introduction to Religious Studies OR 4RELST 116World ReligionsOne Religious Studies courseat the 200 level or above4Two Religious Studies coursesat the 300/400 level8One Religious Studies course at any level 4TOTAL 20RELIGIOUS STUDIES COURSES(RELST)113 Introduction to Religious Studies (4) VAn introduction to the academic study of religion.Students gain familiarity with a wide range ofreligious traditions; ways in which religions shapesociety, culture, and world affairs; and scholarly toolsfor coming to terms with the wide variety ofsometimes strange, always interesting phenomena.Offered each fall.116 World Religions (4) VA survey of major religions of the world, theirbeliefs, practices, and ethical concerns. Focusingprimarily on Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism,and Buddhism, students examine the history,literature, structures, and manifestations of each ofthese religions. They examine how such disciplines aspsychology, sociology, theology, art, and ethics shape,and are shaped by, religious world views. Concludeswith an examination of some of the keyconflicts/disagreements between two of thesereligious traditions. Offered each semester.140 Religion in American Culture (4) VFocuses on religion as practiced by bothmainstream and minority groups in America.Examines how religion shapes, and is shaped by,American views on ethnicity, ethics, literature,business, and politics. Offered each spring.157 Bible in American Culture/Life (4) VFocuses not on the content of the Bible, but onthe function of the Bible in American culture,politics, and society. Students examine such personsas Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Thomas Jefferson anddistinctively American types of biblical interpretation.Issues such as slavery, prohibition, and the Scopestrial are studied and highlight how the Bible has beenused and abused in arguments on social policies. Byexamining issues related to publishing and translatingthe Bible, some of the most intense theologicaldebates in American life are highlighted. Studentsalso learn how American laws shape the influence ofthe Bible in American life by highlightingcontemporary public educational contexts. Offeredon demand.180 Judaism and Film (4) VIntroduces students to Judaism through the use offilm. Examines images of Jewish history, text, ritual,and belief, as presented in film, and evaluates thecontemporary positive and negative portrayal ofJudaism from both non-Jewish and Jewish sources.Offered each spring.181 Judaism through Food (4) VA hands-on introduction to Judaism. From feaststo fasts, students explore the history, texts, andtraditions of Judaism through the study and firsthandencounter with its foods; their place,preparation, restrictions, and geographical variationsthat are central to the religious and culturalexperience of Judaism. Offered each spring.201 Religion in the News (4)An introduction to the way in which religiouscommunities and religious issues are portrayed intoday’s news. Through an investigation of multiplesources, students examine the ways in which newsshapes—and is shaped by—our understanding ofreligions (or lack thereof). Offered in Winter Sessionson demand.217 The Old Testament World (4) VThe ancient Israelites wrote stories of their past.They preserved laws. They wrote prophecies,biographies, common-sense advice, love poetry, andapocalypses. An introduction to some of thesewritings; specifically, the writings preserved in theOld Testament and in the Apocrypha. Examines boththe history of the Hebrews and Israelites and theliterature they used to express and communicate theirfaith. Offered fall of odd-numbered years.218 The New Testament World (4) VThe first Christians wrote letters to each other,they wrote tales about Jesus, they wrote sermons, andapocalypses. An introduction to some of thosewritings preserved in the New Testament and to thoseapocryphal and non-canonical works that shapedhow the New Testament was remembered and howChristianity developed. Examines both the earliestChristians and the literature they used to create