By reading ethnographic accounts of ritual performances in West Africa and its Atlantic diaspora, the seminar considers theories of ritual, discursive and non-discursive forms of remembrance, and the production, malleability …
The discipline of anthropology has made significant contributions to the study of Islam. Yet far too rarely has it been asked, how might we take Islamic traditions' own ways of …
An introduction to African religions that originated south of the Sahara. Drawing on ethnographic, historical, and religious studies scholarship, we explore indigenous religious systems, institutions, and ways of knowing ¿ …
This course offers MA students in Religious Studies resources for conceiving and executing a major research project or thesis. By the end of the semester, each participant will have completed …
This course familiarizes students with a range of ways of studying practice in religions as it is evidenced in sacred texts, religious artifacts, images and locations; as it is chronicled …
Given the multidisciplinary character of religious studies, it is imperative for new scholars to gain a basic sense of theoretical and methodological options in the field. By way of an …
This topical course provides Master's and Doctoral students in Religious Studies an opportunity for advanced coursework in selected, established areas of the department's curriculum.
This tutorial is designed to introduce students to the study of Hebrew manuscripts. It provides a foundation for codicology and training in paleographic analysis. The tutorial is ideal for graduate …
In this tutorial, students will work on developing translation skills: grammar will be reviewed as necessary.
This tutorial introduces the structure, scope, and contents of the Tibetan-language Buddhist canonical collections. We will read and discuss selections in both English and Tibetan from the 5000 works in …
This tutorial will focus on the translation of Chinese Buddhist texts into English. Texts will be drawn from a variety of time periods, traditions, and genres. Students will gain familiarity …
Tutorial 2 in sequence of 3. Mendelssohn's book Jerusalem, or on Religious Power (1783), the center of our discussion and a response to Hobbes, Spinoza, and Locke, is both a …
This graduate course is a sequence of three independent tutorials on theopolitical thought in Modern Judaism: I. Spinoza, II. Mendelssohn and the Enlightenment, III. Martin Buber, Hermann Cohen, and Franz …
This tutorial will examine the making of gender in Buddhist practice across Asia. We will interweave discussions in three regions of Asia: We will read historical texts on men, women, …
This tutorial examines Black Religious Studies and Black Studies scholarship that utilizes apocalyptic ideas to analyze Black religion, thought, politics, culture, and metaphysics.
This tutorial examines icon and their position in Christian practice and theology, with an emphasis on Eastern Christian traditions (Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, Church of the East). The tutorial will …
Students learn to analyze and interpret ancient rabbinic texts (c. 200-600 CE) in order to discern theological commitments and ethical instructions. The task is complicated by the fact that rabbinic …
This tutorial investigates the ethical dimensions of colonialism, neocolonialism, and resistance in Latin America. Through foundational and contemporary sources -- including Indigenous, Afro-Latinx, and feminist voices -- students will analyze …
This individualized graduate tutorial provides an introduction to the relationship between Religion and Poetry across a number of traditions, exploring the concept of "poetic knowledge" and the relationship between poetry …
Research on problems leading to a master's thesis.