Study of Religion

A 2010 course by Jim Watts at Syracuse University explores "the various forms and functions of scriptures, primarily in Judaism, Christianity and Islam."

A 2003 course by Jeffrey Carlson at Dominican University "explores some key reasons for, approaches to, issues in and outcomes of Buddhist-Christian interchange and reflection. Emphasis will be on Catholic Christianity and a variety of Buddhist traditions."

A 2011 course by Gerald Schlabach at the University of St. Thomas "(enables students to think systematically about the Christian moral life within the framework of the Catholic tradition, while more broadly engaging current debates in Christian ethics and moral theory."

A 2006 course by Jane Smith at Hartford Seminary "designed to look at the ways in which Christian and Muslim perceptions of their respective religions and their relationships to one another have evolved through history, in conflict and in concord, contributing the conceptual "theological" heritage with which Christians and Muslims operate in the modern world."

A Fall 2014 course by Caryn D. Riswold at Illinois College surveys "foundational concepts of Christianity and their development in the life of the church" with attention to Christianity's relationship to other faith traditions.

A 2012 course by Shannon Craigo-Snell and Kathryn Johnson at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary that introduces seminary students to theology and ethics.

A 2014 course taught by Taylor Halverson at Indiana University examines the Abraham stories of the Hebrew Bible and the "emergence of Judaism and its use of Abraham to create religious identity" and how Christianity and Islam also look to Abraham as a "guiding figure in religious development."

A 2005 course by James Cutsinger at the University of South Carolina focuses on "introduce students to the perennialist school of comparative religious thought" with special attention to "the work of Frithjof Schuon."

A course by Joseph Molleur at Cornell College centered on how Christian theology responds to "the ongoing existence of a multiplicity of religions."

A 2002 course by Joe Incandela at Saint Mary's College concerns "what religion is, what questions religion prompts and how it functions in people's’ lives to affect how those lives are lived, how hopes unfold, and how others are encountered."

A 1997 course by Charles Ess at Drury University offers an introduction to "some of the main ideas, beliefs, practices, and historical developments of eastern religions/philosophies."

A 2007 course taught by Jonathan Lawrence at Canisius College applies "various scholarly approaches for understanding the New Testament."

A course by Peter Harle at the University of Minnesota introduces "students to the study of religion, using food as an entry point."

A course by Gisela Webb at Seton Hall University looks "will look at Islam from the point of view of Muslims' own self understanding as it has developed since the religion's origin in 7th century Arabia. We will begin the course with the study of the basic practices, beliefs, and values of Islam-including its concept of God, the universe, revelation, prophet-hood, ethics, and the afterlife. We will look at how religious devotion is expressed through art, poetry, and mysticism." Contemporary issues in American Islam will also be studied.

A 2009 course by Andrew Aghapour at the College of Charleston "designed to provide a brief introduction to major religious traditions, including Hinduism, Confucianism, Daosim, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam."

A 2012 course by Dan Hinman-Smith at North Island College is "an introduction to the world's major religions, with an emphasis upon those of the Abrahamic tradition: Judaism, Christianity and Islam."

A course by Thomas Peterson at Alfred University offers " a fundamental understanding of the general nature of religion and of various religious traditions."

A 1999 course by Daniel Breslauer at the University of Kansas introduces "Judaism, Christianity, and Islam."

A 2002 course by Andrew Fort at Texas Christian University "attempts to understand the nature of religion by looking at some foundational ideas, texts, and figures in a variety of religious traditions."

A 2003 course by Amir Hussain at California State University, Northridge "is an introduction to the academic study of religion and of world religions, and to the religious traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam," primal religions will also be considered.

A 2013 course by Kelley Rowan at Florida International University "explores the world’s various religious traditions and the individual’s personal experience within their chosen religion . . . [as well as] various practices, rituals, and symbols of the religions."

A 2018 course by Harold Morales surveys "the dynamic and influential world religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam."

A 2000 course by Diana Eck at Harvard University serves as "an introduction to five of the world's religious traditions -- the Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Christian and Muslim traditions" with a focus on "twentieth century adherents of each tradition."

A 2011 course by Christine Thomas at the University of California Santa Barbara examines "the production of archaeological data and their use in reconstructions of past human religious experience, both in historic and prehistoric times, and in the Old and New Worlds" with a focus on "method and theory."

A 1999 course by Gail Hamner at Syracuse University "introduces students to many of the classic texts that explore the phenomenon of religion."

A 2011 course by Ann Grodzins Gold at Syracuse University "explores a range of aims, strategies and genres for writing religion in multiple contexts of culture, history and politics."

A 2000 course by Daniel Varisco at Hofstra University introduces the concept of religion using primarily anthropological methods.

A 2012 course by Mindy McGarrah Sharp at Phillips Theological Seminary seeks to "establish and build on a basic framework of Christian ethics in order to study models of Christian moral reasoning and responding in the face of violence over a variety of contexts."

A course by Timothy Dobe at Grinnell College "offers a basic introduction to the beliefs and practices of each tradition and emphasizes the interactions, blendings, coexistence and competition of Asian religions as they occur in these dynamic contexts."

A 2009 course by Ellen Posman at Baldwin Wallace College examines "the beliefs about death and the afterlife from a variety of religious and cultural perspectives."

A 1998 course by Jeffrey Carlson at DePaul University explores Paul Tillich's "analysis of religion," Christianity, and Buddhism.

A 2013 course by Stuart Squires at Brescia University "surveys five different religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam" with attention to their similarities and differences and special focus on how they respond to the problem of suffering.

A course by Christopher Johnson "introduces students to a number of ways to approach the academic study of religion along with seven major religious traditions (Islam, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and Daoism)."

A 2013 course by David Hackett at the University of Florida about the "many meanings of the sacred journey through outer and inner pilgrimages."

A 2002 course by Darren Middleton at Texas Christian University aims to "examine and assess the major beliefs and practices of five world faiths [Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam] through a careful, critical study of selected world fiction."

A 2007 course by Peter McCourt at Virginia Commonwealth University offers a "critical survey of ethical concepts and issues in the thought and practice of major religious traditions."

A 2006 course by Nora Rubel at Connecticut College "is a methodological inquiry into American food traditions as elements of personal and communal religious identity."

A 2014 course by Benjamin Wall at Houston Graduate School of Theology on various "ethical systems and theories in light of biblical and traditional Christian perspectives and moral norms, with reflection upon several contemporary social issues."

A 2013 course by Jean Ranier at Florida International University "considers how symbols related to the supernatural world are created and structure," their meanings and functions.

A 2005 by Levanya Vemsani at St. Thomas University "is an introduction to Ritual studies theory and research methods, focussing on the experience, knowledge and research."

A course by Miriam Dean-Otting at Kenyon College examines "the phenomenon of sainthood in a variety of religious traditions and sources."

A 2013 course by Caryn Riswold at llinois College explores "the history and beliefs of several religious traditions" through "food rituals and dietary customs."

A course by Joseph Molleur at Cornell College seeks "to understand the general patterns of experience and expression that constitute the religious world" through the thought of Mircea Eliade and Black Elk.

A 2002 course by Jeffrey Carlson at DePaul University explores "significant elements of religion, especially symbol, doctrine, experience, and systems of cosmic, social and individual order, as they are manifested in Christianity and Judaism, with some attention as well to Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism."

A 1999 course by Philip Arnold at Syracuse University surveys the "inner dimensions of the 'great religious traditions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Islam, Judaism, Christianity, and 'primal' religions" as well as how they are situated within the American context.

A 2010 course by Gerald Schlabach at the University of St. Thomas "is an introduction to the principles, methods and topics of Christian theological ethics."

A 2014 course by Charles Bellinger at Brite Divinity School offers an "examination of the historical development of major themes in Christian theological ethics from the early Church up to early modern times."

A 2014 course by Cheryl Overmeyer at the University of Notre Dame explores Christian responses to "in what does our happiness consist?"

A 2006 course by Yehezkel Landau at Hartford Seminary Is an " intensive training program offers a practical foundation for mutual understanding and cooperation among Jews, Christians, and Muslims."

A course by Dennis Sasso and Clark Williamson at Christian Theological Seminary "is about learning to listen, both to the Christian tradition and how it talked of and treated Jews as an alienated other, as the shadow side of Christianity that has to be rejected, and to Jews whom we need to learn to listen to."

A 2013 course taught by Reid B. Locklin at University of Toronto "offers an advanced introduction to religious diversity as a feature of contemporary Christian life, thought and practice." The course includes a service learning in the city of Toronto.

A 2013 course by Marti Steussy and Frank Burch Brown at Christian Theological Seminary surveys "both religious diversity itself and a variety of possible responses to it."

A 2010 course by Michael Andres at Northwestern College is "an exploration of religious pluralism."

A 2016 course by Lauren Osborne at Whitman College "takes a comparative thematic approach to reading across the three scriptures of the Abrahamic traditions."

A 2010 course by Bruce Janz at the University of Central Florida for Humanities & Religious Studies majors; course theme is globalization.

A course by Jeffrey Bjerken at the College of Charleston "is an introduction to the academic study of religion in general and a survey of different understandings of sacred place and pilgrimage found in America and India."

A 1998 course by Dale Cannon at Western Oregon University introduces students "to the discipline of acquiring an understanding of, and communicating to others, the meaning of specific expressions of religious life in a manner that does them justice, a manner that is empathetically sensitive to the viewpoints of participants as well as appropriately objective."

A 1998 course by Michael Barnes at the University of Dayton on "the range of beliefs about the religious dimension of life, and to theories about the origin and functions of those beliefs."

A 2000 course by Alan Altany at Marshall University "is an introduction to the major religions of the world: Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam."

A 2007 course by Jonathan D. Lawrence at Canisius College seeks to define religion and "identify and analyze examples of the ways religious traditions have affected history, culture, and current events, in particular the Jesuit and broader Catholic traditions."

A 2009 course by Randolph Lumpp at Regis University "introduces the academic study of religion and develops an awareness of the nature of religion, the way it functions and its role in human existence."

A course by Ehud Ben Zvi and Steven Engler at the University of Calgary surveys the "historical aspects of these traditions . . .[however] emphasis will be on the way in which these traditions are 'at work' today."

A 2008 course by Mary Suydam at Kenyon College introduces "some of the basic concepts and categories that are used by scholars in the academic study of religion. The major categories that we will study this semester are: IDENTITY, MYTH, MORALITY (or ethics), in terms of both INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETY, RITUAL, and the SACRED."

A 2016 course by Ken Derry at the University of Toronto provides a "basic introduction to the academic study of religion, using examples from contemporary popular culture as well as Indigenous and other religious traditions."

A 1998 course by Betsy Bauman-Martin at the University of California-Riverside "provides an overview of the three formative religions of the West: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam."

A 2002 course by Jeffrey Richey at Berea College "seeks to introduce students to the comparative study of religion as well as to acquaint them with four important religious traditions: Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam."

A 2002 course by Omid Safi at Colgate University surveys "the religious traditions of Hindu Dharma, Buddhist Dharma, Chinese Religions, and Islam."

A 2008 course by Chad Bauman at Butler University provides a "basic introduction to the scriptures, history, thought, practice, and diverse expressions of the world’s larger religious traditions."

A 1998 course by Ann Gold and Richard Pilgrim at Syracuse University is an "introduction to the nature and significance of religion within human culture and existence as evidenced in the various religions of the world both past and present."

A 1998 course by Ivan Strenski at the University of California, Riverside, is an introduction to the study of religion.

A course by Bryan Rennie at Westminster College offers "a phenomenological approach to the study of religion and religious experience."

A 2011 course by Ann Burlein at Hofstra University which aims to describe, analyze, and raise questions about "religion" through the lens of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

A 1998 course by Eliezer Segal at the University of Calgary examines "the history of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, tracing their development from their foundational scriptures-the Hebrew Bible, New Testament and Qur'an-and subsequent developments in their observances, communal structures and ideas."

A 2005 course by Joseph Adler at Kenyon College "introduces students to the variety of academic approaches to the study of religion . . . religious studies as an academic discipline, the phenomenology of religion, history of religion, the sociological and anthropological approaches, the psychology of religion, ecological approaches, feminist theory, and postmodern theory."

A 2012 course by Joanne Punzo Waghorne at Syracuse University "introduces graduate students to some of the classical texts, methods and approaches in use in the field."

A 2003 course by Jim Kanaris at McGill University "examines some of the philosophic sources that have formed contemporary academic reflection on religion. . . . to an understanding of the philosophic sources informing contemporary discussions of religion (genealogy, deconstruction, postcolonialism, feminism)."

A 2000 course by Jeffrey Carlson at DePaul University is a capstone course for Religious Studies majors.

A course by Kang Na at Westminster College.

A 2016 course by Steven Weitzman at the University of Pennsylvania aims to develop the teaching capacity of students working "in a secular academic setting" about religion.

A 2002 course by Ivan Strenski at the University of California-Riverside on significant theories and methods within the modern study of religion.

A 2004 course by David Hall at Centre College explores "the idea of religion from an interdisciplinary perspective. We will look at the way in which religion is theorized and then studied in the fields of the history of religion, sociology, psychology, and philosophy."

A2007 course by Mark Hulsether at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville "provides an orientation to some of the major analytical frameworks for the academic study of religion."

A course by Chad Bauman at Butler University provides "an intensive, roughly chronological overview of various approaches to the study of religion, as well as an introduction to some of the field's most prominent scholars."

A 2006 course by Adam Porter at Illinois College introduces "students to the three religious traditions that trace their heritage to Abraham: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam."

A 1999 course by Dale Cannon at Western Oregon University examines "the nature and role of ["the way of devotion"] . . . In a variety of religious traditions."

A 2012 course by Mark Unno at the University of Oregon takes a comparative approach to "religious and philosophical thought" of "selected Asian and Western thinkers" on "conception of the self, with a special focus on the dark side of the self . . . including sin in Christianity, karmic evil and delusion in Buddhism, disharmony in Taoism, and suffering in psychology."

A 2014 course by Joseph Adler at Kenyon College about the "various human phenomena that we call 'religious" and "the world's major religious traditions."

A 1998 course by Jim Dalton at Siena College examines "religious experiences and their expressions within a comparative, cross-cultural and interdisciplinary context."

A 2002 course by Tim Lubin at Washington and Lee University "looks as how deities, cults, ideas, and practices spread from one place to another as part of a growing empire, a network of holy men, or a circuit of traders."

A 2011 course by Wakoh Shannon Hickey at Alfred University details key features of selected religious traditions and how they understand assorted topics.

A course by Gisela Webb at Seton Hall University surveys "Indian, Chinese, and Abrahamic religious traditions, focusing on 1) their conceptions of ultimacy, 2) their conceptions of human nature, 3) their conceptions of spiritual transformation . . . (and) how these religious concerns are expressed in literature and the arts."

A 2009 course by John Huddleston at the College of Charleston on "pivotal scholarly issues . . . surrounding the founding figures, and origins generally, of at least . . . Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam."

A 2002 course by Franz Metcalf at California State University-Los Angeles "looks at how religions wrestle with the basic human realities of growing up, being an adult, and facing suffering, aging, and dying." The religions of ancient India and the Lakota nation receive special attention.

A 1999 course by Michael Fuller at St. Louis Community College examines "the nature and function of religion in human experience and culture, and an introduction to the history, content, and present status of selected world religions, such as Traditional African religions, Traditional Native American religions, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism."

A 2012 course by Frank Burch Brown at Christian Theological Seminary explores "the features and histories of several religions that have had a major impact on human life and that Christians encounter today."

A 2013 course by Jack Hawley at Columbia University "explores the creation, maintenance, and performance of the dominant rubric in the field of Religious Studies--the concept 'world religions'"

A 2008 course by Peter Slade at Ashland University provides structure and support to religion majors "researching and writing their religion thesis."

A course by Judith Berling and Jeff Richey at the Graduate Theological Union.

A 2010 course by Michael Andres at Northwestern College offers "a biblically based, theologically and historically informed study of both personal and social moral issues from a Christian perspective."

A 2017 course by Dan Capper at the University of Southern Mississippi "is a basic introduction to the variety of the world’s religions as well as methods for studying them. . . . In rapid survey we will discuss the nature of religion; indigenous religions; and the religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and Islam."

A 2018 course by Lynn Neal at Wake Forest University uses "myth and ritual, sources and stereotypes, identity and aesthetics, and more" to ponder what religion is and how to study it.

A 2011 course by Christopher Elwood at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary "students to the global history of Christianity. Special attention will be paid to formation of Christian identity and theological expression in relation to other religious traditions."

A course by Catherine Wessinger at Loyola University New Orleans aims to "acquaint the student with the primary religious groups of the world in order to promote an awareness and understanding of the goals that have been of ultimate concern to various peoples as well as the methods used to achieve these goals."

A 2011 course by Daniel Alvarez at Florida International University "is an introduction to the study of religion. It will analyze various elements common to world religions and their expressions. In addition, it will examine the search for the transcendent and its implications at both the personal and the social level."

A 2013 course by Janet McDaniel at Florida International University "serves as an introduction to the study of religion. The course explores the ways in which people understand and express religious experience."

A 2010 course by Kenneth Atkinson at the University of Northern Iowa introduces "the academic study of religion and the world’s major religions. . . . not only study the good side of religion, but we will also explore together the origins of contemporary religious violence in order to help you understand the important role that faith continues to play in world conflicts."

A 2007 course by Catherine Wessinger at Loyola University New Orleans explores "religious responses to disaster in the context of diverse faiths, with special attention paid to the 2005 Katrina and Rita disaster in New Orleans."

A 2015 course by Ken Brashier at Reed College is "not so much focused on particular religions as on the lenses through which we view religion. . . . [through] the 20th and 21st century “greats” in the field of religious studies . . . ."

A 2008 course by Catherine Wessinger at Loyola University New Orleans aims to "understand the ways women's roles in society and religious beliefs are interrelated and affect one another . . . through the historical study of some of the major religions of the world."

A 2017 course by Jessica Starling examines "acts of self-discipline in a variety of cultural contexts, including Eastern (Jain, Hindu, Buddhist), Western (Stoic, Christian mystic), and modern secular (eco-activism, fasting diets, and extreme exercise regimes)" and through this "various understandings of the self, the body, desire, liberation and virtue."

A 2019 course by Peter Gottschalk at Wesleyan University considers religion "as a phenomenon . . . the meaning of 'sacredness' & 'the sacred' and question their comparative use" in various religious traditions.

A 2014 course by Margaret Ann Crain at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary examines the "theological and philosophical bases, goals, and methods of qualitative research in congregations and draw[s] on the fields of congregational studies, Christian education, evangelism, practical theology, sociology, anthropology, and educational evaluation."

A 2018 course by Tina Pippin at Agnes Scott College explores "the concept of religion/s in scholarship and culture, engage[s] theories and methods in religious studies, and use[s] interdisciplinary tools to explore the religious worlds in Atlanta and beyond."

A 2017 course by Jill DeTemple at Southern Methodist University provides "an introduction to a wide variety of religious traditions, communities and practices within the context of globalization" through modern methods in the field of the study of religion.

A 2018 course by Jill DeTemple at Southern Methodist University introduces "several social scientific approaches to the academic study of religion. We will investigate the history and use of anthropological, sociological, and psychological theory and method in relation to the study of religion, especially as these fields relate religion to broader cultural, societal, and physiological fields of knowledge."

A 2019 course by Madison Tarleton at the University of Denver/Illiff School of Theology introduces "students to the academic study of religion" through a survey of "early theorists and anthropologists as well as examine how these theories evolved over time."

A 2020 course by Steven Weitzman at the University of Pennsylvania asks "What is the value of studying religion in a higher education setting? How does one bridge between a critical approach to religion and the beliefs of one’s students? The course will broach these and other questions through readings and discussions meant to help you think through the challenges of teaching about religion to college students, and will give you opportunities to develop your own approach to them."

A 2018 course by Peter Gottschalk at Wesleyan University for religious studies majors on "how the discipline of the study of religion creates knowledge."