2023-2024 BSC Catalog Updated_UG ONLY_FINAL[82]
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ACADEMIC PROGRAMS<br />
247<br />
RE 353 Nonviolence (1)<br />
A study of the concept of nonviolence in spiritual, ethical, and political perspective. This<br />
course examines the virtue of nonviolence within religious traditions, particularly within<br />
the pacifist religion of Jainism, and seeks to understand how personal commitment to<br />
nonviolence operates within greater spiritual and ethical dispositions. It also examines the<br />
evolution of nonviolence as a political strategy for the resolution of conflict from the<br />
interpersonal to the national. Emphasis is placed on the 1963 civil rights campaign in<br />
Birmingham and the study of the strategy and tactics of nonviolent direct action. A<br />
Leadership Studies designated course.<br />
RE 360 Understanding Religion: History, Theory, and Method (1)<br />
An investigation of the concept of religion as well as the theory and methods that define<br />
the academic study of religion. This course is a critical inquiry into the origins and<br />
evolution of the concept of religion and its use as category in the study of the human<br />
experience. This inquiry is carried out by examining the work of the major theorists of<br />
religion from Marx and Freud to Eliade and Geertz. Examination of these theorists<br />
highlights the various methodological approaches to the study of religion. Emphasis will<br />
be placed on the evolution of new approaches to the study of religion under the<br />
conditions of postmodernity.<br />
RE 375 Gender and the Hebrew Bible (1)<br />
An exploration of the Hebrew Bible through the lens of gender theory. On a theoretical<br />
level, students develop the skills to read and critique primary and secondary readings<br />
according to their presuppositions and ideological commitments concerning gender.<br />
Additionally, the course equips students with a more developed understanding of the<br />
complexity of this sacred text that frequently informs modern conceptions of gender<br />
roles. A Leadership Studies designated course. Prerequisite: at least one unit in RE.<br />
RE 390 Violence and the Bible (1)<br />
An exploration of the violent narratives, imagery, symbolism, and rhetoric of the Bible.<br />
In addition to examining the way biblical texts have been used to legitimate and authorize<br />
violent acts in the world, a significant focus of this course is how violence function<br />
within the textual world of the Bible. Attention is given to possible models of<br />
interpretation of and ethical responses to the violent texts of the Bible. Prerequisite: at<br />
least one unit in RE.<br />
RE 470 Senior Seminar in Religion (1)<br />
The senior capstone seminar in which senior religion majors write a significant research<br />
paper on a topic chosen by the student in consultation with the instructor. This course is<br />
required for all religion majors during their senior year. Students will present their final<br />
projects in a senior conference. Instructor consent required.<br />
Birmingham-Southern College <strong>Catalog</strong> <strong>2023</strong>-<strong>2024</strong>