Religious Studies Fall 2026 Course Offerings
RELIGIOUS STUDIES FALL 2026 COURSE OFFERINGS
REL 106 Intro Religion & Politics
This course, like any introductory course on the study of religion, aims to familiarize students to methodologies used in the study of religion. In this course, however, we will focus on how we might think about the study of religion in relation to political issues. We will first think about how to define "religion," and the equally difficult task of defining "politics." Then we will apply these lessons to real-life situations, like how we decide what religions are worthy of protection afforded under the law in a given context. We will also look at religion and politics in the context of climate change and other ecological concerns. In the last section of the course, we will consider the broader social significance of religious and political concepts mediated to us through popular media - e.g., horror movies, Reggae music, and comics. Fulfills DIV13 requirements. (2013 Curriculum)
REL 127 Parents, Children & Life WL
In this course, we will reflect on leading a life worth living by thinking seriously about parents and children. The course will begin by looking at the Bible. We will begin at the beginning with Genesis, a book about (among many other things!) parents, children, and sibling rivalry. We will then explore these same themes in the Ancient Greek world, reading Homer's Odyssey and works by Sophocles. We will then turn to Daoist and Buddhist perspectives on parenting before ending with contemporary parenting advice. Finally, we will think about the social implications of our thinking. What policies do we owe parents and children, and does a society have an obligation to promote a life worth living for every child born into the society? The course has no prerequisites. Students will be expected to read challenging texts and be open to exploring the continuing significance of these texts, especially when we may find them most confusing or difficult.
REL 180 Christian Univ. Against Racism
The goal of this course is to explore how universalism developed by the Bible, especially as expressed in the Christian Beatitudes, can be used to fight against racism. While the Bible has been, and continues to be used, as a text of exclusion, the Bible can be read otherwise. The Bible can offer an education against racism. Special focus of the course is on people who attempted to live a life of Beatitude-some of whom are memorialized in our Gunnison Chapel windows-serving others, no matter their background, and often at great risk to themselves. The course has no prerequisites, though students will be held accountable for reading challenging texts, critically self-reflecting on what these texts mean for their lives. In addition to considering the evils of racism, we will also consider other forms of oppression, especially oppression of the poor.
REL 207 African Am Religion Tradition
This course is a survey of African American religions that exist outside the Black Church tradition. We will begin with a discussion of blackness in America through the works of W. E. B. DuBois and Franz Fanon, among others. This is meant to contextualize our later discussions. We will then look into African traditions that were adapted in the context of the enslavement of African peoples in the Americas. These include Vodou, Espiritismo, and Santeria, as well as a brief look at West African traditions that still are practiced in Nigeria and in the United States. Other case studies include Rastafarianism, The Nation of Islam, and Father Divine's ministry, which merged elements of Catholicism, Pentecostalism, Methodism, and proto-New Age spirituality. All of this is designed to expand our historical understanding of what African American religions have expressed, what they have meant to the people who practiced them, and what they have meant for defining America. Fulfills HU distribution. Fulfills DIV13 distribution.
REL 219 Arts of South Asia
This course thematically surveys South Asia’s cultural, economic, social, and ethnic complexity through visual art and film. Lectures and class discussions focus on themes of cross-cultural contacts, migration, religious, ethnic and gender identities, rural and urban realities, disability, and the social roles of children and youth. By taking this course, students learn to reflect on their “responsibilities toward others as citizens at the local, national, and global scales.” Fulfills DIV13 and HUM distribution. Also offered as Asian Studies and Religious Studies electives. Must be taken for a grade. Open to all students.
REL 242 Norse Mythology
NO INCOMING FIRST YEAR STUDENTS This course is an introduction to the pre-Christian religion of Scandinavia. Beginning with an introduction to pagan sources outside of Scandinavia, the course examines the major sources for Old Norse mythology. We will discuss Christian influence and the ongoing expression of myth in a Christian context. The course ends with some consideration of the continuing reinterpretations and adaptations of Norse mythology in cultural expressions such as Wagner's Ring cycle and Marvel's Thor. Fulfills HU Distribution.
REL 290 Women Religion & Food
Devil's food cake; sinless sugar cookies; pure and natural foods. We use religious language to talk about food, food choices, and the emotions of eating. This class explores why that is and the consequences of it for one's sense of self. We will talk about the resemblance between weight loss memoirs and Christian conversion narratives and how other religious ideas are central to the ways we think about food. Because women's appearance and bodily control still receive more emphasis than men's, the focus of the course is women's writings and experiences of weight stigma. Counts as Public Health elective
REL 3075 Intro to Religion & Culture
This course surveys four religions: Christianity, Islam, the religion of the Oglala Lakota, and Old Norse (pre-Christian) religion of Scandinavia. Students learn about myths, rituals, texts, and traditions from these religions. Examples from everyday life - Christmas, sports, and popular culture supplement these four religions. The class also introduces basic ideas in the academic study of religion including questions about religion, power, and gender. In the class, we talk about religion as something human beings do, using perspectives from the humanities and social sciences. The course content provides case studies for understanding the academic study of religion. Fulfills HU distribution.
REL 4011 Religious Extremism
300 level, no First Year students. - This course is a special topics offering at the 300 level on the topic of "Religious Extremism." In this course, we will explore the definitions of the key terms of the course, like extremism, religion, and terrorism, and inquire about the political and social contexts of these definitions. Next, we will examine key cases that allow us to apply our understanding of the category of "religious extremism" related to actual historical events. These events include the Aum Shinrikyo attacks in Japan, the strikes on the World Trade Center and Pentagon on 9/11, and January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. This course will involve small writing assignments, concluding in a research project of the student's choosing related to the course topic.