Course Descriptions

PSY 232 - Social Psychology

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.
Satisfies Educational Studies major requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
Psychology 101.

PSY 233 - Theory and Practice of Career Development

An overview of the field of Career Planning and Development, including major theories and research on career choice, self-assessment, career transition, and career management across the lifespan.  Emphasis will be on critical evaluation and application to students’ own processes of career development.

Fulfills a requirement in the Social/Industrial-Organizational area of the Psychology major.
Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
PSY 101

PSY 234 - Child Psychopathology

An overview of the psychological disorders of childhood, including their description, classification, etiology, assessment and treatment.  Emphasis will be placed on the theoretical and empirical bases of these disorders, focusing on relevant research methods and findings as well as case history material. 

Social-Scientific Thought requirement.
Educational Studies minor credit.
Public Health interdisciplinary minor credit.
Psychology Major credit (Clinical column)

Prerequisites & Notes
PSY 101

PSY 235 - Cultural Psychology

What is culture and how does it relate to psychology? What, if anything, can psychological science contribute to the study of culture? This course is an introduction to the various issues surrounding an increasingly globalized world by critically examining the dynamic relationship between psychological processes (e.g., motivation, memory, self, prejudice) and diverse socio-cultural contexts.

Satisfies Psychology major requirement.
Satisfies Social-Scientific Thought requirement.
Satisfies Cultural Diversity requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
PSY101 is a prerequisite. 

PSY 241 - Child Development (=EDU 241)

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
Psychology 101.

PSY 242 - Educational Psychology (= EDU 242)

Satisfies Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
Psychology 101.

PSY 243 - Adolescent Development (= EDU 243)

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
Psychology 101.

PSY 245 - Psychology of Aging

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
Psychology 101.

PSY 254 - Industrial and Organizational Psychology

PSY 260 - Organization Development

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
Psychology 101 required; Psychology 254 recommended but not required.

PSY 266 - Community Psychology

Community psychology investigates how social, cultural, economic, political, and environmental factors influence mental and physical health, development, and well-being. With a focus on promoting more equitable systems, community psychology emphasizes empowerment, citizen participation, respect for diversity, sense of community, strengths-based approaches, and a grounding in research and evaluation. In this course, we will utilize empirical articles, case studies, current events, and community-based learning to explore how research, evaluation, policy, programs, and interventions can incorporate these principles to improve systems, address disparities affecting diverse populations, and promote equity.

Satisfies Psychology major requirement.
Satisfies Social-Scientific Thought requirement.
Satisfies Justice, Equality, and Community requirement.

 

Prerequisites & Notes
PSY 101

PSY 276 - Cognitive Psychology

Satisfies the Social- Scientific Thought requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
Psychology 101.

PSY 279 - Neuroscience TBA

Coming Soon!

PSY 280 - Human Neuropsychology

Satisfies a major requirement in Psychology.
Satisfies an interdisciplinary minor requirement in Neuroscience.
Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
PSY 101

PSY 282 - Learning

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
Psychology 101.

PSY 284 - Drugs and Behavior

Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
Psychology 101.

Students with prior credit for PSY 302 are not eligible

PSY 290 - Autism Practicum: Autism Charlotte

The Autism Practicum, offered in collaboration with Autism Charlotte (http://www.autismcharlotte.org/) is a great opportunity for students with interests in psychology, education, pediatrics, and other child-related specialties. More specifically, the class focuses on Applied Behavior Analysis as it relates to those on the autism spectrum. Students who have completed this practicum in the past have found it meaningful in terms of refining career interests, personal growth, hands-on work with children, and getting to know a family and a child with autism at a deep level. After being matched with a child/family, each student works with his/her child 8-10 hours per week. The instructor meets with all practicum students as a group for a 50-minute class on a weekly basis. In the event that interested students do not have access to transportation, placement at the Community School of Davidson (15 minute walk or short bike ride from campus) may be possible.

Prerequisites & Notes
Instructor permission required.

This course is graded P or F.

PSY 291 - Practicum in Psychology

The PSY 291 Practicum in Applied I-O Psychology will provide a small group of students with the opportunity to work as a consulting team on projects with a host organization, coordinated through the Hurt Hub. All work will be done under the supervision of Professor Kello.

Prerequisites & Notes
Permission of the instructor is required.

Grading is pass/fail.

PSY 292 - Collective Memory

Instructor
Multhaup

Remembering is a social as well as cognitive experience.  For example, we reminisce with others, select which details we share and don’t share based on who those others are, and which portions of memories we rehearse and silence affects what we later remember. Students in this course will explore current theory and research regarding collective memory, primarily from a psychological perspective. We will explore questions raised by Boyer and Wertsch’s (2009) influential book (e.g., How do we build shared collective memories? How does memory shape history?  How does memory shape culture?) and related issues (e.g., silencing of memories, borrowing others’ memories, how culture influences memory).  Our study will be grounded in cognitive psychology and draw upon additional subfields (e.g., social psychology, cross-cultural psychology) and intersections with related fields (e.g., sociology, cultural studies, museum studies).

Provides elective credit toward the Psychology major.
​Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.

*Interlinked Memory Studies Courses

Courses from different departments engage with phenomena of memory with joint meetings of the Memory Commons. Students meet one day a week with their course instructor to engage in the discipline-specific study of memory. On the other day each week, students and faculty members in multiple courses meet together to compare and share different disciplinary and personal ideas about the study of memory; the creation and effects of memory; the representation of memory; and the social, cultural, and personal creative processes that make memory. Participating courses vary with each offering.

PSY 300 - Research Design and Statistics: 2

This course will further develop students’ quantitative skills, with a specific focus on formalism (i.e., the explicit link between measurement, mathematics, and real-world phenomena) in the behavioral sciences, particularly psychology and neuroscience, as well as interdisciplinary research across the social sciences. This course will prepare students to consume, create, and critique quantitative knowledge. Course content will address: 1) theoretical & conceptual mathematics necessary for research in behavioral sciences, 2) analysis and interpretation of data in behavioral sciences, and 3) computer-aided computation. Descriptive, correlational, and experimental methods of research will be examined. Primary focus will be on data analysis (including descriptive and inferential statistics, and basic modeling), interpretation, and communication of quantitative analysis (in written and visual form). 

Satisfies Psychology major requirement.
Satisfies Mathematical and Quantitative Thought requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
PSY 200

PSY 301 - Psychological Research-Perception and Attention

PSY 302 - Psychological Research-Behavioral Pharmacology

PSY 303 - Psychological Research-Behavioral Neuroscience (= BIO 331)

PSY 304 - Psychological Research-Memory

PSY 305 - Psychological Research-Learning

PSY 313 - Psychological Research: Quantitative/Experimental

Science has experimentation and quantification at its foundation. This course will focus on the interdependency between methodology and measurement in Psychology with an emphasis on using human-machine interfaces (e.g., virtual reality, digital interaction, social media, computational modeling, eye/body movement tracking) to enhance accuracy, replicability, and explanation. We will survey a range of research designs using a behavioral dynamics framework to answer student-driven questions about human experience. We will explore these topics via readings, discussion groups, peer-led teaching, and by conducting, reviewing, and presenting an original research project. This course will be completed as part of a small team. Students are required to have taken PSY 101 and a statistics course in any department or have the permission of the instructor.

Satisfies Psychology major requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
PSY 200 or permission of the instructor.

PSY 314 - Psychological Research-Clinical

Overview of the research methods and statistical techniques used in research in clinical and positive psychology through lecture, laboratory, and independent research projects. Students gain knowledge and experience evaluating psychological research and applying these techniques and methods to complete individual research projects. Ethical and practical considerations in research in clinical and positive psychology discussed. Course requirements include participation in research as investigators. Recommended completion by Fall of senior year for majors.

Prerequisites & Notes
PSY 200 required. PSY 231 and/or PSY 234 recommended but not required

PSY 315 - Psychological Research-Child Development

Overview of the scientific methods, procedures, and techniques used to collect and analyze child development data. Focus on Developing students’ data-analytic, observational, and scientific writing skills.

Prerequisites & Notes
PSY 200 or permission of the instructor.

PSY 316 - Psychological Research-Industrial/Organizational

Counts as an elective in the Data Science interdisciplinary minor.

Prerequisites & Notes
PSY 200 or permission of instructor

PSY 317 - Psychological Research-Methods in Cultural Psychology

This course is designed to provide students with in-depth study of various methodologies and data analytic strategies used in cultural psychological research. Cultural Psychology focuses on how culture and psychological processes exist in a bi-directional relationship. This course will teach you to think like a cultural psychologist as we devote significant time to unpacking the empirical methods utilized to examine the relationship between various psychological phenomena and diversity in social and cultural contexts. 

Prerequisites & Notes
PSY 200 or permission of instructor. PSY 235 recommended but not required.

PSY 318 - Psychological Research-Social

Satisfies East Asian Studies major requirement; methods.

Prerequisites & Notes
PSY 200 required. PSY 232 recommended but not required.

PSY 319 - Psychological Research-Adult Development

PSY 320 - Research Methods in Community Psychology

Community psychology investigates how social, cultural, economic, political, and environmental factors influence mental and physical health, development, and well-being. Research methods in community psychology emphasize citizen participation, empowerment, respect for diversity, sense of community, and strengths-based approaches to produce actionable results that promote more equitable systems. In this course, we will 1) examine community-based research approaches, 2) utilize these approaches to design program evaluations in partnership with local organizations, and 3) analyze data to answer research questions related to community and equity.  

Satisfies Psychology major requirement.
Satisfies Social-Scientific Thought requirement.
Satisfies Justice, Equality, and Community requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
PSY 200 or permission of the instructor.

PSY 323 - Animal Behavior (= BIO 223)

One can explore animal behavior on multiple levels of analysis: ontogenetic (the developmental origins of behavior), phylogenetic (the evolutionary origins of behavior), proximate (the physiology and neurophysiology of behavior), and functional (the fitness consequences of behavior).  In Biology 223, we will touch on all of these facets of behavior, but we will focus on functionality - the adaptive significance of behaviors.

Prerequisites & Notes
BIO 112/114.  One laboratory meeting per week.  Counts towards the Psychology major as a Research Methods course in the Cognitive/Neuroscience column.

PSY 324 - Functional Neuroanatomy (= BIO 332)

For Psychology majors this meets the major’s seminar requirement. 
For Interdisciplinary Minors in Neuroscience, this course satisfies the interdisciplinary minor requirement as stated in Interdisciplinary Minor in Neuroscience (Requirements, section 1b).

Prerequisites & Notes
Psychology 303 (=Biology 331)  or Psychology 280 and permission of the instructor.

PSY 330 - Psychology Tutorial

PSY 331 - Psychology Tutorial

PSY 332 - Psychology Tutorial

PSY 350 - Advanced Seminar: Lang and Learning Dev

Spring 2022
Section A &B
Adv Sem: Lang Learning and Dev

Language is central to the human experience. All human communities have rich linguistic culture and children around the world learn language without explicit teaching. In fact, if children don’t find an accessible language in their environment, they will invent their own. Strikingly, however, children become less skilled at language learning over development, even as they become more skilled in most other areas. 
In this seminar we will explore how children learn the forms, meaning, and structure of their language, as well as explore the ways language structure reflects the way human children learn, think, and communicate. We will consider a variety of language environments and situations and a range of potential theoretical accounts of child language learning. 

Fulfills the seminar requirement in Psychology.
Satisfies Educational Studies minor requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
Prereq: PSY 101 or permission of the instructor. PSY 241 is recommended but not required.

PSY 351 - Advanced Seminar in Clinical Psychology: Gender & Psychopathology

This course will address a range of topics related to the intersection of gender and psychopathology.  We will begin the class by discussing the meaning of “gender” and the various mechanisms by which biological sex, gender identity, gender roles and sexual orientation may relate to the development, presentation and treatment of psychological disorders.  We will also discuss historical and current controversies regarding the classification of psychological disorders related to gender identity.  The rest of the course will address gender differences in specific psychological disorders and the biological, psychological and social mechanisms contributing to these differences.

Satisfies a requirement of the Psychology major.

Prerequisites & Notes
Permission of the instructor is required to register for this course.  PSY 231 or PSY 234 are recommended but not required.

PSY 352 - Advanced Seminar: Counseling Psychology, Facilitating Personal Well-Being

This course delves into the field of Counseling Psychology, which seeks to empower all individuals to overcome challenges and achieve optimal functioning.  Reading and discussions will center on the history, ethics, outcomes research, and prominent theories of counseling, as well as issues typically addressed by counseling psychologists such as stress, loss, self-esteem, contextual identity, motivation, personal growth, and social justice.

Prerequisites & Notes
Psychology 101

Spring 2021- This course is most suitable for students who are able to attend synchronously

PSY 353 - Advanced Seminar: Psychology of Prejudice

This course explores current psychological theory and research regarding stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination. We will discuss stereotype formation and activation, current and past conceptualizations of prejudice, interpersonal and institutional discrimination, as well as strategies for reducing the expression of prejudice. Throughout the course, we will consider the experiences of several marginalized groups including, but not limited to, prejudice based on gender, race, sexual orientation, age, disability, and socio-economic status. The general framework for the class will be social psychological, given that many of the central topics in social psychology are applicable to the study of prejudice; however, other psychological perspectives will also be touched upon (cognition, development, health, etc.) and interdisciplinary discussions are encouraged.

Satisfies Psychology major requirement.
Satisfies the Justice, Equality, and Community requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
Permission of the instructor.

PSY 354 - Medical Rehabilitation and Disability

This course addresses the conceptualization, assessment, and treatment of chronic health conditions, traumatic injuries, and disabilities. The sources include peer-reviewed articles, videos, and memoirs from the vantage point of the patient, caregiver, and healthcare provider.  One additional unique reading is a graphic medicine novel.  This course also has a community-based component and is especially valuable for students who are interested in a health profession.

Satisfies Psychology major requirement.
Satisfies Public Health interdisciplinary minor requirement.
Satisfies Justice, Equality, and Community requirement.

 

Prerequisites & Notes
PSY 101

PSY 355 - Advanced Seminar: Parent, Child, Lit Development

This course introduces participants to major issues related to culture and parenting in children’s language and literacy development. Throughout the semester participants examine different sources of evidence on the relation between cultural beliefs, parents’ practices and children’s language and literacy abilities. In addition, participants review evidence on the impact of several family programs serving communities with different socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds on children’s development. Participants will lead class discussion, make observations of story time sessions at the local library, and complete individual and group assignments. Class sessions involve primarily group discussion (led by students) based on journal articles, press articles, videos and TED talks. 

Prerequisites & Notes
Permission of the instructor is required.

PSY 358 - Advanced Seminar: Psychology of Teamwork

This seminar will examine in depth the psychology of teamwork both in the context of business organizations and in the context of team sports.

Prerequisites & Notes
Permission of the instructor is required.

PSY 361 - Advanced Seminar: Clinical Psychopharmacalogy

This course focuses on the clinical application of psychotherapeutic drugs (i.e., drugs designed to treat mental illness).  Intensive readings will be made in the use of these drugs to treat a variety of psychological disorders, including panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, bipolar depression, ADHD, autism, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, eating disorders, sexual disorders, and substance use disorders.  Over the course of the semester, students will (1) make weekly classroom presentations on empirical research derived from the literature, (2) compose a review paper discussing pharmacological treatment options for a disorder of their choosing, and (3) submit a 10-12 page research proposal outlining a novel set of experiments examining the effects of a psychotherapeutic drug of their choosing.  

 

Prerequisites & Notes
PSY 101

PSY 363 - Is Nature vs. Nurture the Wrong Question?

The question of nature vs. nurture is everywhere in developmental psychology. Do children come into the world with certain knowledge and expectations? Or does the world around them shape what they know and how they learn? While some of the content children need to learn is relevant to many species, some is actually the product of human culture. In this seminar we will focus on six topics in development: objects vs. agents, faces, number, minds, language, and gender. We will consider each with respect to the nature vs. nurture debate. This course will seek to move beyond the traditional solution of accepting that every developmental process is about nature and nurture working in concert. Instead we will think more deeply about when the question is a helpful framework and when it is not. During the course of the semester, students will serve as discussion leaders to facilitate our consideration of research papers from a range of psychology journals. Each student will also complete a final paper and presentation on a topic of their choice that we have not otherwise covered in the seminar. 

PSY 365 - Advanced Seminar: Clinical Neuroscience

This is an advanced seminar course that will address common neuropsychological findings in organic brain syndromes and neurodevelopmental conditions.  Students will be expected to critically review neuropsychological research and link neuropathology to observed data patterns.  Classes will involve pre-assigned, student-led discussions of neuropsychological conditions. A major emphasis of this class will be the ability to interpret neuropsychological research and synthesize and present material for class discussion.  Major assignments include student-led discussions, term paper, and class participation.

Prerequisites & Notes
At least one from the following list : Abnormal Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience, Behavioral Pharmacology.
OR Permission of the Instructor

PSY 366 - Psychology of Women: Critical Perspectives on Race, Class and Gender

This class will address the psychology of women through an intersectional theoretical framework. Throughout the course, students will learn how the field of psychology and related social sciences have studied the effects of social, cultural, and political influences on the socialization of girls and women. Students will explore how such paradigms, specifically the intersections of race, class, and gender, affect psychological, social, and environmental outcomes for girls and women, nationally and internationally.

Satisfies Psychology major requirement.
Satisfies Gender and Sexuality Studies major and minor requirement.
Satisfies Social-Scientific Thought requirement.
Satisfies Justice, Equality, and Community requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
PSY 101

PSY 367 - Psychological Modeling

In this seminar we will explore modeling techniques used in psychological science. Example analytic techniques that may be covered include: linear and non-linear models, agent-based modeling, network analysis, natural language processing, machine learning, systems modeling, dynamical/complex systems, or other computational/representative models. We will focus broadly on psychological science, meaning models will be applied to diverse areas (e.g., clinical, personality, social, health, I/O, behavioral neuroscience) but may have arisen in other fields (e.g., economics, mathematics, physics, computer science). Major assignments will include written papers, mathematical modeling, and a group based digital learning project. This course will use a variety of coding environments (e.g., NetLogo, R) so a willingness to learn how to program is expected but experience with coding is not required. 

Satisfies Psychology major requirement.
Satisfies Data Science minor requirement.
Satisfies Mathematical and Quantitative Thought requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
Students should have previously completed PSY 101. A statistics course in any department is also recommended. Instructor permission may override the requirements.

PSY 369 - Advanced Seminar: Black Psychology

In this course, we will examine psychological phenomena and issues that emerge in the context of African-descent peoples living in the African Diaspora. Keep in mind, this is not a “how-to” course (for laughs, see “How to Be Black” by Baratunde Thurston instead). Rather, we will examine and reflect on a variety of psychological issues through “non-Western” lenses. The purpose of this course is to critically examine psychological experience, theories, and methods from perspectives grounded in the “Black experience.” Major assignments include written reflections, student-led discussions, final project, and class participation.

Satisifes Psychology major requirement
Satisfies Justice, Equality, and Community requirement

Prerequisites & Notes
Completion of PSY 101 or instructor permission required

PSY 381 - Advanced Seminar in Neuroscience

Coming Soon

PSY 400 - Senior Thesis

PSY 401 - Issues in Psychology

PSY 402 - History and Systems in Psychology

This course is designed to facilitate an understanding of changes in the field of psychology over time. Students will consider the social, historical, and cultural contexts in which psychology developed and continues to evolve. This course will also highlight the contributions of women and people of color, often overlooked in psychology’s origin stories, and facilitate discussions of critical social issues in the history of the field (e.g., eugenics, racism, and sexism).

Prerequisites & Notes
Limited to Psychology seniors except by permission of the department.

REL 105 - Religion and Law in Jewish Tradition and American Jurisprudence

A study of the relation of religion and law with special regard to its role in classical Judaism and in American legal theory and practice. Utilizing legal discussions from rabbinic texts and American Supreme Court decisions, the course engages in comparative case studies of oppressive contracts, the obligation to aid, the private facts tort, and capital punishment, as well as first amendment controversies.

REL 108 - The Kingdom of God and a Good Society

What is a good society?  How does it compare with current political communities, cultures, and nations?  How does it address poverty and treat the vulnerable?  Can we approximate it through political revolutions and / or social reforms?  For a variety of biblical texts, Christian movements, and thinkers, answers to questions such as these are bound up with the idea or image of the kingdom of God, e.g., “thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  This seminar explores the biblical and theological image and its relevance for a social ethic as they have been understood at different places and times.  We will read and discuss important texts from Exodus, Amos, the gospels, and Revelation to Savonarola, Thomas Muntzer, Walter Rauschenbusch, Reinhold Niebuhr, and Leonardo Boff.

Satisfies Religious Studies major and minor requirement.
Satisfies Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.
Satisfies Justice, Equality, and Community requirement.

REL 110 - Aliens, Strangers, & Zombies

An exploration of how voices in various religious traditions have - or have not - expressed the self’s problem of alienation as it is experience in relation to body, family, community, social location, “strangers”, one’s own self and one’s higher purpose (e.g., God, spirit, one’s true self, Buddha nature, etc.)  The course will draw from modern and contemporary sources of popular culture as well as historical sources from several major religious traditions, including Christianity, Buddhism and Islam.  The course will pay special attention to how the forces of modernity (e.g., democracy, imperialism, instrumentalism, capitalism) have either introduced or intensified individual alienation, thus forcing religious traditions to adapt.

Fulfills a requirement in the Religious Studies major and minor.
Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.

REL 122 - Tragedy and Comedy in Biblical Narrative

Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.

REL 127 - Female Resistance in the Old Testament

This course will introduce a number of Old Testament narratives that show women using a variety of creative means in order to resist the violence of war, rape, patriarchy, and poverty. By means of this narrative portrayal of female resistance we will contemplate the nature and the extent of the challenges that cause women in particular to be vulnerable in our world today, in addition to thinking together of ways in which we may help change this reality.

Satisfies a major and minor requirement in Religion.
Satisfies the Philosophical & Religious Perspectives requirement

REL 130 - Introduction to the New Testament

Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.
 

 

Prerequisites & Notes
 

Not open to juniors or seniors until Drop/Add or to students who have taken Religion 230 or 231.

This course may be applied towards a Classics major.

REL 137 - Bible and Qur’an

This course takes a comparative look at the Christian Bible and the Qur’an. We’ll consider their origin, their literary qualities, and their theological tendencies. Expect close readings of selected passages and a focus on shared characters (e.g., Ishmael and Isaac, Jesus and Mary). 

Satisfies Religious Studies major and minor requirement.
Satisfies Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.
Satisfies Cultural Diversity requirement.

REL 140 - Sin and Redemption in Christian Thought

Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
Not open to juniors or seniors until Drop/Add.

REL 142 - Autobiography and Religion

Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
Not open to juniors or seniors until Drop/Add.

REL 143 - Being Human

Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
Not open to juniors or seniors until Drop/Add.

REL 144 - The Christian Faith

Thematic exploration of basic Christian beliefs focusing on the affirmations of the Apostles’ Creed and the ways in which different communities and theologians have understood them.

Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.

REL 145 - The Spiritual Imagination in Contemporary Poetry

A study of how contemporary poets have imagined religious and spiritual experience, as well as a consideration of the relationship of poetry and religious language.  Poets to be discussed may include Christian Wiman, Spencer Reece, Franz Wright, Mark Wunderlich, Mary Szybist, Katie Ford, Mary Karr, and Jean Valentine.  The course has no prerequisites and is open to all students.

Satisfies a requirement in Religious Studies major and minor.
Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement

 

Prerequisites & Notes
No pre-requisite and open to all students

REL 150 - Introduction to Christian Ethics

Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
 

REL 155 - Issues in Religion and Science

Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
Not open to juniors or seniors until Drop/Add.

REL 161 - GodLoveSex

Exploration of several U.S. movements, past and present, expressing religious commitment through rejection of received understandings of gender and/or reorganization of sexual practices. Specific movements change but may include groups such as Shakers, Mormons, Oneida, Nation of Islam, and Quiverfull.

Satisfies a requirement in the Gender & Sexuality Studies major and minor.
Satisfies a requirement in the Religious Studies major and minor.
Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.
Satifies the Justice, Equality, and Community requirement.

REL 162 - Contemporary Seekers in the U.S.

Instructor
Wills

Examines religious memoirs of twenty and twenty-first century U.S. writers who have forcefully described their own experiences of exile and their various visions of “home”–as justice, family, vocation, health, tradition, or place.
 
Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.
 

*Interlinked Memory Studies Courses
2 different courses that engage with phenomena of memory will link up once a week for common readings and discussions. Students will meet one day a week with their course instructor to engage in the discipline-specific study of memory. On the other day each week, students and faculty members in all five courses will meet together to compare and share different disciplinary and personal ideas about the study of memory; the creation and effects of memory; the representation of memory; and the social, cultural, and personal creative processes that make memory.

REL162
PSY292

Prerequisites & Notes
Not open to juniors or seniors until Drop/Add.

REL 163 - Imagining Race and Religion

Wills

This course explores intersections of race and religion in both literary and popular fiction from the mid-nineteenth century to the beginning of the twenty-first. We will examine novelists’ personal experiences and their historical contexts. We will also analyze the religious, social, and political motives in the stories authors tell and the narrative forms they use. Not open to students who have taken Rel 262.

Meets the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.
Meets the Justice, Equality, and Community requirement.

Representative texts (not all required):

Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852)

Nella Larsen, Quicksand (1928)

Zora Neale Hurston, Jonah’s Gourd Vine (1934)

James Baldwin, Go Tell It on the Mountain (1952)

Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon (1977)

Paule Marshall, Praisesong for the Widow (1983)

William P. Young, The Shack (2007)

Jacqueline Woodson, Another Brooklyn (2016)

REL 165 - Muslim-Americans

Explores historical origins and major events/figures, intellectual currents, cultural practices, and theological and political controversies related to Muslim communities in the U.S.
 

Satisfies a major and minor requirement in Religion.
Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.
Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement.
 

REL 170 - The Sacred Quest in Comparative Perspective

Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.
Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
Not open to juniors or seniors until Drop/Add. 

REL 173 - Shiism ( & and Sunni Islam)

Introduction to the Shi’ite tradition that also highlights commonalities and differences between Sunni and Shi’ite interpretations of islam. Topics include: the origins of Shi’ism and the Sunni-Shi’ite split; Shi’ite theology; religious and ritual life, piety and spirituality; development of the tradition over time; major institutions; Shi’ite Messianism; major themes in polemics between Sunnis and Shi’ites; ecumenical efforts; mediatory role of Sufism; and political thought and political ramifications of the Sunni-Shi’ite divide. 

Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.
Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement.
Satisfies Middle Eastern Studies requirement.
Satisfies South Asian Studies requirement.

REL 174 - THE END.

How does the Islamic tradition deal with the end of human life, death of an individual and that of humanity at large? Is there another life after this one? Is there another World-to-Come? We will explore Islamic perspectives on these questions, learn about Muslim death rituals and burial practices, teachings regarding meaning of death and preparation for it, prophecies about the apocalyptic End and the mission of the Messianic Mahdi, and visions of the World-to-Come. Various messianic movements in Islamic history and contemporary times and ethical, aesthetic and mystical expressions of these eschatological ideas will also be considered.

Satisfies a major requirement.

Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.
Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement.
Satisfies Middle Eastern Studies requirement.
Satisfies South Asian Studies requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
Students at all levels welcome.

REL 175 - The Qurʾan and Its Interpreters

This course will introduce students to the Qurʾanic scripture, its history, themes, characteristic styles, and the way in which it has functioned as an authority for Muslims throughout Islamic history. The course will explore two genres that have emerged from the direct study of the Qurʾan, most specifically Qurʾanic exegesis (tafsīr) and the art of its recitation (tajwīd). We will examine competing modes of interpretation and the most significant exegetes in the pre-modern and modern periods, paying specific attention to the role of modernity in creating new approaches to Qurʾanic interpretation. Lastly, this course surveys a wide range of exegetical interpretations on 1) women and sexuality, 2) violence and jihād, and 3) religious pluralism. 

Satisfies a requirement for the Religious Studies major and minor.
Satisfies a requirement for the Middle East Studies interdisciplinary minor.
Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Studies requirement.
Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement.
 

REL 176 - Nostalgic Islam

Why remember the past? Why do we have nostalgia for a certain past? Why do we imagine and fantasize another world? What distinguishes nostalgia from memory? And what is imagination? 

On these questions, we will hear classical and contemporary Islamic and Muslim literary, visual, and religious voices. Our study explores Muslims’ relationships to “the past” and their perspectives on memory, myth, nostalgia, and imagination.  
 

Satisfies a requirement in the Global Literary Theory major and interdisciplinary minor.
Satisfies a Middle Eastern Studies interdisciplinary minor requirement.
Satisfies a South Asian Studies interdisciplinary minor requirement.
Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.
Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement.

REL 177 - Islamic Ethics

What are the various conceptions of a “good human life” within the Islamic tradition? What do seminal and representative Muslim thinkers and texts have to say about the meaning and purpose of human life? How do various facets of Islamic life and thought such as revelation, prophetic example, piety, law, philosophy, theology, literature, and spirituality inform views and prescriptions for a good human life? And how does conception of a good human life overlap (or not) with a good Muslim life? 

Satisfies a Middle Eastern Studies interdisciplinary minor requirement.
Satisfies a South Asian Studies interdisciplinary minor requirement.
Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.
Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
Students at all levels welcome.

REL 178 - Classical Islam

An introduction to Islam and the Muslim world in the classical era (i.e., 7^th through the 13^th century). We will focus particularly on the origins and development of Islamic religious tradition (worldview and practices) and religious and philosophical ideas of this period. We will conclude with observations on trends in Islamic philosophical and religious thought toward the end of the 13^th century, key Muslim thinkers of the classical age, and impact of these seminal intellectual trends on Islamic thought of the post-classical era.

Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.
Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement.
Satisfies South Asian Studies requirement.
Satisfies Arab Studies major and minor requirement.

REL 180 - Introduction to East Asian Religions

An introduction to the religious and philosophical traditions that played fundamental roles in shaping traditional Chinese, Korean, and Japanese culture: Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, and popular religion.

Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.
Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement.
Satisfies East Asian Studies major and interdisciplinary minor requirement.

REL 190 - Welcoming the Stranger: Christian Hospitality in a Global Context

In light of the so-called “refugee crisis” and the fact that migration has become a trans-national phenomenon, this course explores the promise of the notion of hospitality (as welcoming the stranger), and its relation to the Christian faith.  Through the engagement with a variety of biblical, philosophical and theological texts, as well as examples from literature and film, the course aims at deepening our understanding of the challenges and opportunities involved in living in multi-cultural and multi-religious societies in our global world today.

Satisfies a major requirement in Religion

Satisfies a minor requirement in Religion

Satisfies the Philosophical & Religious Perspectives requirement

REL 215 - The Art and Practice of Reading

This course examines addiction using theories from the sociology of health and medicine. We examine the use, abuse, and societal context of alcohol and drugs through a sociological perspective. The goal of this course is to learn how society and political structures are related to individual or group alcohol and drug use. We begin with a social construction perspective on psychoactive chemicals. We then move into discussing the psychological and psychology components of addiction. Finally, we examine how social context can relate to how drugs are viewed, used, abused, and criminalized within particular societies.
 

Satisfies a Sociology major requirement.
Satisfies the Social-Scientific Thought requirement.
Satisfies Justice, Equality, and Commuity requirement.
 

REL 223 - Wisdom Literature: From Job to David Foster Wallace

A study of Israelite, Jewish, and early Christian wisdom writings in conversation with modern and post-modern authors such as Camus, Wendell Berry, and David Foster Wallace.  Topics to be pursued include: what constitutes a meaningful or blessed life, the challenges of absurdity and unjust suffering, the dignity of work and vocation, distraction and boredom, happiness, and learning.

Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.

REL 224 - The Psalms and the Self

A study of selected biblical psalms and their exploration of the fabric of human selfhood. Particular attention will be given to the psalms’ poetic construction of what it means to be a self and how they, in turn, offer transformative means for the self’s expression. Study will involve a close analysis of psalms as literary texts and intertexts as well as analysis of their function in given liturgical contexts.

Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.

REL 230 - Jesus and His Interpreters

This course explores Jesus in the midst of his historical, religious, and political context: how did Jesus encounter and resist the political and religious structures of his day? Can we construct an historically adequate picture of Jesus based on the different gospels that narrate his life and teachings?  Is he best understood as an apocalyptic prophet, an ethereal sage, or a political revolutionary? The course also attends to Jesus’ ethical teachings on subjects such as wealth and poverty, non-violence, and love of enemies. 

Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.

REL 231 - Paul: his Communities and Conflicts

Paul is now enshrined in Christian history and dogma, yet few people realize how controversial his original message was. Many of Jesus’s first followers were suspicious of Paul and there were fierce debates over his preaching.  By a careful inspection of his letters we’ll explore these debates and seek to understand the nature of the groups he founded in cities around the Mediterranean. Some of these groups survived, and some disappeared: what held them together - or broke them apart? Why would someone be drawn to Paul and his preaching? What was appealing about the life of these groups? The goal is to understand Paul and his theological ideas in their first-century context.

Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.

This course may be applied towards a Classics major.

Prerequisites & Notes
 

REL 232 - Parables in the Jewish and Christian Traditions

Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.

REL 233 - The Other Gospels: Lost Literature of Early Christianity

Examines the gospel literature that did not make it into the New Testament: the Gospel According to Thomas, Gnostic gospels such as the Gospel According to Phillip, the Gospel of Mary Magdalene and the Gospel of Judas, infancy gospels, and lost Jewish-Christian gospels. It also considers the development of the categories “heresy” and “orthodoxy,” as well as the process of canonization.

Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
Students at all levels welcome.

REL 234 - Hell Breaks Loose

The course begins with a close reading (and performance) of the Book of Revelation. We then examine the patterns of thinking encouraged by the Book of Revelation, from the periodization of history in Joachim of Fiore, to the uses of demonization in the Protestant Reformation, fundamentalist Christianity’s prediction of the endtimes and its intersection with American culture and politics, culminating in the wheels within wheels thinking seen in phenomena like the QAnon Conspiracy. The course includes film and literary components.
 

Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.

REL 236 - The Bible and Modern Moral Issues

This course examines how the Bible is being used in contemporary moral, political, and cultural debates: homosexuality, creationism, environmentalism, race, Middle-Eastern politics, end-of-the-world predictions, among others. The range of topics is flexible, and can adapt to current conditions, e.g., the elections of 2016. Students will be encouraged to investigate issues of particular interest through individual research. 

For purposes of comparison, REL 266 The Bible in America emphasizes the role the Bible “has” played in American life; REL 236 emphasizes the role the Bible “is playing” in American life. The former course is more historical; the latter, more ethical and theological.  

Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.

REL 244 - Modern Jewish Literature

Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.
Fulfills the Diversity requirement in the English major.
Satisfies a requirement of the Global Literary Theory interdisciplinary minor.
Satisfies the Cultural Diversity requirement.

REL 245 - Modern Christian Thought

Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.

REL 246 - God (=PHI 170)

This course focuses on what is said about God in Christian tradition and in philosophy.  It explores representations, symbols, and inklings of the divine in biblical and religious texts, developed conceptions of God put forward by philosophers and theologians, and traditional arguments about God, as well as contemporary statements and debates.

Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.

REL 247 - Black and Womanist Theology

Satisfies a major requirement in Religious Studies.
Satisfies a minor requirement in Religious Studies.
Satisfies a major requirement in Africana Studies.
Satisfies a major and minor requirement in Gender and Sexuality Studies.
Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.
Satisfies the Justice, Equality, and Community requirement.

REL 248 - Christianity and Nature

Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.
Satisfies depth and breadth course requirement in the Humanities track of the Environmental Studies major or interdisciplinary minor.

REL 250 - Issues in Theological Ethics

Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.
ENV credit varies year by year, so please check with the ENV Chair if you have a question.  For students enrolled in 2016-2017, satisfies depth and breadth course requirement in the Humanities track of the Environmental Studies major or interdisciplinary minor.

REL 251 - Moral Reflection in a Perilous World: Ethics, Injustice, and the Vagaries of Fortune

In this class, we will explore both historical and contemporary ethical reflection on what it means to lead good lives as human persons. We will examine deontological, virtue, and utilitarian approaches to ethical reflection. In particular, we will focus on the ways in which forces beyond our complete control-for instance, the unjust structures we live within, fate, or luck-can intersect with our lives in ways that can impact our moral obligations and our capacities to either understand or execute on those moral obligations. As such, the class focuses on questions of: a) the role of character in understanding the ‘good life’, b) the impact of fate or fortune on our responsibilities and our moral lives, c) how to evaluate actions morally, and d) how structural or systemic injustices affect and relate to our individual responsibilities. We will engage both theological and philosophical thinkers, from Plato to Iris Murdoch and from Augustine to Howard Thurman.

Satisfies Religious Studies major and minor requirement.
Satisfies Philosophical and Religous Perspectives requirement.
Satiafies Justice, Equality and Community requirement.

REL 252 - Social Christianity in America

A study of the theological ethics that contributed to the Social Gospel, Christian Realism, and the Civil Rights Movement in America. Resources include works by Walter Rauschenbusch, Reinhold Niebuhr, and Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as some secondary texts, recordings, and films.

Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.
Satisfies Justice, Equality, and Community requirement.

REL 253 - Religious and Philosophical Environmental Ethics

Environmental degradation at every level of existence is considered a primary existential threat facing people today. But, how to respond ethically to such degradation is less clear. In this class, we will explore the short history of both religious and philosophical environmental ethics to consider how to answer this concern. What is the content and extent of our current environmental moral obligations? To attend to this overarching question, the class will examine first the religious and philosophical arguments regarding the causes of environmental crises. We will ask: how should we understand the sources of such dramatic and escalating environmental destruction? Can we learn from those roots? And, what do those roots tell us about our moral responsibilities today? We will then turn to examine normative environmental ethics, from issues around the treatment of animals and species to agricultural practices, and from climate change responsibility to environmental justice. Lastly, we will consider the challenges that pressure moral action in response to environmental degradation–at individual and collective levels–and we will engage thinkers on how to respond to those challenges.

Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.
Satisfies Environmental Studies major and minor requirement (Humanities). 
Satisfies Religious Studies major and minor requirement.

Prerequisites & Notes
Students at all levels welcome.