Professors Utzinger, Vogel; Associate Professor Harris; Assistant Professor Cifers.
Chair: Jeffery A. Vogel
INTRODUCTORY COURSES
RELIGION 101. (3) INTRODUCTION TO RELIGION. A consideration of the nature of religion and the human religious quest. Students should gain an understanding of how religious communities and individuals interact with one another and their wider cultural milieu. Themes such as the role of experience, faith, theology, sacred texts, and ritual in the religious life of individuals and communities are considered. Prerequisite: none. Offered: each semester.
RELIGION 103. (3) INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS. This course introduces the central tenets of six major world religious traditions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Judaism, and Islam. Through a close reading of primary scripture, this course studies the diversity and similarity of religious thought. Prerequisite: none. Offered: each semester.
RELIGION 104. (3) INTRODUCTION TO HEBREW BIBLE/OLD TESTAMENT. An introductory study to the books of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament as an expression of the religious life and thought of ancient Israel and as part of the scriptural canon of both Judaism and Christianity. This study focuses on the first five books of the biblical canon (the Torah or Pentateuch) and the former and latter prophets (also referred to as the historical books and prophetic literature). Consideration is given to methods of interpretation, historical context and narrative, and literary form, as well as to principal themes and ideas. Prerequisite: none. Offered: each fall.
RELIGION 105. (3) INTRODUCTION TO NEW TESTAMENT. An introductory study to the books of the New Testament and the history and religious thought of the early Christian community. Consideration is given to methods of interpretation, historical context and narrative, and literary form, as well as to principal themes and ideas. Prerequisite: none. Offered: each spring.
COURSES IN WORLD RELIGIONS
RELIGION 201. (3) JUDAISM. Jewish history and religion, institutions and observances, customs and lore from the Biblical period to the present. Prerequisite: none.
RELIGION 202. (3) RELIGIONS OF SOUTH ASIA. This course introduces the central tenets of the five major religious traditions in South Asia: Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Islam. Through a close reading of primary scripture, this course studies the diversity and similarity of religious thought in South Asia. Prerequisite: none. Offered: each year. R
ELIGION 203. (3) RELIGIONS OF EAST ASIA. This course introduces the central tenets of the four major religious traditions in East Asia: Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Shinto. Through a close reading of primary scripture, this course studies the diversity and similarity of religious thought in East Asia. Prerequisite: none. Offered: each year.
RELIGION 204. (3) ISLAM. A study of the major elements of religious life and practice in the Islamic tradition: Allah, Qur’an, Prophet, worship, law, theology, mysticism. Special attention is paid to the influence of Islam on the development of European culture, the relation of Islam to the Jewish and Christian traditions, and the contemporary resurgence of Islam. Prerequisite: none.
RELIGION 303. (3) RELIGIOUS PLURALISM. This course involves critical reflection on the meaning of religious pluralism in the contemporary world. This process of reflection includes clarification of the significance of “pluralism,” its impact on asserting truth claims, and the possibility of one tradition’s claim to absolute truth in relation to the truth claims of other traditions. In particular, the course addresses the model of interreligious dialogue as a strategy for living with truth claims and religious pluralism. Prerequisite: Rhetoric 102.
RELIGION 305. (3) ART AND ARCHITECTURE OF INDIA. India has a rich visual culture that dates back more than 4,000 years. This course surveys art and architecture from the ancient to the present time, focusing on Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain contexts. This course will investigate a variety of themes. How does religious iconography and temple architecture reflect the wider universe, political order, and social world? What role do both play in the lives of devotees? How are religious and philosophical concerns reflected visually? How does modern and contemporary art integrate ancient themes with new creative techniques? This course is interdisciplinary in approach and provides a framework for comparison with other visual cultures. Prerequisite: Rhetoric 102
RELIGION 306. (3) SAINTS, YOGIS, AND MADMEN IN INDIA. This course surveys a range of spiritual teachings and practices associated with exceptional, religious individuals from three religious traditions in India— Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. The course will investigate a variety of questions: What is proper knowledge? Is it God? Is there an effective method to experience God or the soul? Can religious experience be at odds with social norms and conventions? This course also provides a framework for comparison with other major religious traditions. Prerequisite: Rhetoric 102.
RELIGION 401. (3) THE HOLOCAUST: CONTEMPORARY PERSPECTIVES ON MEANING. This seminar provides an integrative approach to studying the Holocaust. Through literature, film, drama, art, conversation with a Holocaust survivor, and a museum field trip, student participants explore a range of human responses-denial, guilt, rage, sorrowand thereby attempt to assess the enduring meaning of the Holocaust for the human community. Limited to juniors and seniors. Prerequisite: Rhetoric 102.
RELIGION 405. (3) SEMINAR IN WORLD RELIGIONS. A seminar on a focused topic in world religions that prepares students for a significant exercise in research. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
COURSES IN BIBLICAL STUDIES
RELIGION 141-142. (3-3) BIBLICAL HEBREW: THE LANGUAGE AND CULTURE OF ANCIENT ISRAEL. An introduction to the basics of Biblical Hebrew grammar, syntax, and vocabulary. Along with language acquisition, this course facilitates an understanding of the culture of ancient Israel, from which arose the literary legacy of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). Students will be equipped to read select texts from the Hebrew Bible and understand them in light of their cultural origins. Prerequisite: for 141: none; for 142: RELI 141, or placement by the department. Offered: when there is sufficient demand.
RELIGION 251. (3) READINGS IN INTERMEDIATE HEBREW. Reading of selections from the Hebrew Bible and from the Dead Sea Scrolls with the goals of increasing speed and proficiency in the language, of beginning an appreciation of Hebrew poetry, and of gaining insight into the texts. Prerequisite: Hebrew 151-152, or their equivalent. Offered: on sufficient demand.
RELIGION 210. (3) BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY. A study of the goals and methods of archaeologists working in the Near East that enables the student to understand the peoples of the Near East, especially Palestine, in terms of their culture, artifacts, and history. This course seeks to provide the background--history, geography, and culture--within which the setting of the Bible can be understood. The course treats methods in archaeology, archaeological sites and the history of Palestine, and analysis of Biblical and non- Biblical texts. Prerequisite: none.
RELIGION 211. (3) THE TORAH. A study of the Five Books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Students consider passages which reflect the ancient life of monarchic and premonarchic Israel, but concentrate on discovering the exilic and post-exilic message of the books as they presently exist. Prerequisite: none. RELIGION 212. (3) THE HEBREW PROPHETS. An investigation of the rise and development of the prophetic movement in Israel, with particular emphasis upon the relevance of the prophets for their own and later times. Prerequisite: none.
RELIGION 213. (3) EXILIC NOVELLAS: SINGING THE LORD’S SONG IN A FOREIGN LAND. The biblical books of Daniel and Esther are part of a genre known as exilic novellas, which each offered their ancient audiences tales of faithfulness in the wake of imperial oppression, loss, and unexpected relocation to foreign territory. While making connections to the influence of stories in our culture, students will explore the power of these narratives to shape ancient Judean identity, theology, and ethics. Prerequisite: none.
RELIGION 214 (3). THE WRITINGS OF ANCIENT ISRAEL. An exploration of the rich literary legacy of ancient Israel and Judah, including the psalms, books of wisdom, and exilic and post-exilic narratives of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). Prerequisite: none.
RELIGION 215. (3) THE SYNOPTIC GOSPELS. A study of the presentation of Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels. Students also study other ancient portraits of Jesus to show how the Synoptic Gospels define the character and teaching of Jesus over against an astonishing breadth of possibility. Prerequisite: none.
RELIGION 216 (3). HIDDEN FIGURES IN EARLY CHRISTIANITY. This course will employ several methodologies of historical reconstruction of the first five centuries of the early Christian movement. Students will explore a variety of historical evidence, seeking especially to uncover the roles and influence of women in the early Church. Literary and archaeological evidence from around the ancient Mediterranean will be considered, as well as the work of modern reconstructionists. Collectively, the class will work to piece together what we can of Christianity’s earliest communities and the lives of the women that shaped them. Prerequisite: none.
RELIGION 219. (3) LIFE AND LETTERS OF PAUL. In the first half of this course, students study the life of the apostle Paul and the central themes and issues addressed in his letters to the first century Church. In the second half of this course, students grapple with the ethical concerns surrounding the interpretation of certain passages of Paul’s letters regarding slavery, women, Jews, and sexuality. Attention is also given to addressing controversial arguments about the authorship of the Pauline letters in the New Testament. Prerequisite: none.
RELIGION 312. (3) SECOND TEMPLE PERIOD LITERATURE. This course offers a deep exploration of the Second Temple period literature. Through engaging with both the primary sources (in translation) and leading secondary scholarship, students will consider how the rich textual remnants of this era provide our first evidence for biblical interpretation as well as a window into the diversity of ancient Jewish identity, thought, and expression. Prerequisite: Rhetoric 102.
RELIGION 316. (3) THE GOSPEL OF JOHN. Through careful reading of John and of ancient works that clarify John’s imagery, the class attempts to understand this simple and profound Gospel. Students also read selections from interpreters, such as Origen, Augustine, Calvin, and Brown. Prerequisite: Rhetoric 102.
RELIGION 318. (3) THE ETHICS OF BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION. In this course, students are equipped with the tools of Narrative Poetics and Ethics to analyze how form shapes function in a selection of biblical narratives and their literary re-presentations. Students will study how biblical stories are retold and biblical characters are re-presented by later authors to different ethical effects. Prerequisite: Rhetoric 102.
RELIGION 415. (3) SEMINAR IN BIBLICAL STUDIES. A seminar on a focused topic in Biblical studies that prepares students for a significant exercise in research. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
COURSES IN CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY AND ETHICS
RELIGION 221. (3) HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN THOUGHT I. A study of important Christian thinkers and the historical currents in which they worked from New Testament times to the Reformation. Readings include the work of several early Church Fathers and Medieval mystics as well as singularly important figures such as Augustine and Thomas Aquinas, with a view toward exploring the diversity of Christian experience, practice, and theology in the first fifteen hundred years of the Christian era. Prerequisite: none.
RELIGION 222. (3) HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN THOUGHT II. A study of important Christian thinkers and the historical currents in which they worked from the Reformation to the present. Within the great diversity of this period, the course focuses upon the work of the Reformers (Luther, Calvin, the Anabaptists), the development of 18th and 19th century liberalism, and the subsequent reactions of thinkers such as Newman, Kierkegaard, Barth, and Balthasar. Prerequisite: none.
RELIGION 225. (3) CHRISTIAN ETHICS. An exploration of Christian ethics emphasizing the role of Christian community and identity as fundamental to Christian ethical practice. An initial examination of the Biblical, theological, and historical bases for Christian ethics in the first part of the course leads to focused discussions of specific contemporary moral and social issues in the latter part of the semester. Prerequisite: none. Offered: spring semester.
RELIGION 323. (3) THEOLOGY AND LITERATURE. A consideration of the usage of specific Biblical and/or religious themes or motifs in contemporary literature. The emphasis is on discerning what principles of interpretation are used in giving contemporary expression to specific themes. The specific themes vary. Prerequisite: Rhetoric 102.
RELIGION 324. (3) THE CROSS OF CHRIST: HISTORY AND INTERPRETATION. The death of Jesus has been a significant event for the faith of Christians since the time of the New Testament, believed by many to constitute the definitive act of God on behalf of humanity’s salvation. Despite this, the collective witness varies widely on just what this death means for humanity, with some critics arguing that it should not be a central focus of the faith at all. This course considers the history of this event--insofar as it can be obtained from the earliest testimonies- -and the many interpretations it has received by Christians and non-Christians alike. Key thinkers may include Athanasius, Anselm, Abelard, Luther, Nietzsche, Simone Weil, Rene Girard, Leonardo Boff and Jurgen Moltmann. Prerequisite: Rhetoric 102.
RELIGION 325. (3) THE DARKNESS OF GOD: MYSTICISM AND PRAYER IN THE CHRISTIAN TRADITION. This course explores some of the key thinkers, texts, and ideas within the Christian mystical tradition. Though the thinkers who fall into the category of “mystic” do not usually describe themselves in this way, their writings are characterized by common emphases on the pursuit of union with the divine, techniques of asceticism and prayer, and the limits of human reason and language. This class is designed, first and foremost, to familiarize students with a handful of these writings, as well as several works within the lively, ongoing secondary literature. The primary objective is to facilitate close reading of some of the foundational writers within this tradition (Gregory of Nyssa, Pseudo-Dionysius, Julian of Norwich, Meister Eckhart, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, etc.), paying particular attention to the cultures out of which they come, as well as their diverse terminology, imagery, and theological claims. As with every religion class at Hampden- Sydney, the ultimate goal is to hone students’ ability to engage with others’ ideas critically, creatively and charitably, and to reason adequately in a religious context. Prerequisite: Rhetoric 102.
RELIGION 327. (3) STUDIES IN CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY. Intensive study of selected issues in contemporary Christian theology or Biblical studies. Prerequisite: Rhetoric 102.
RELIGION 328. (3) WEALTH AND POVERTY IN THE CHRISTIAN TRADITION. This course explores questions of wealth, consumption, stewardship, poverty and work, using various traditions within Christianity. It further aims to use the resources of these traditions to examine current issues in this area, such as hunger and disease, international debt, the prosperity gospel and lending practices. It considers evidence from the Bible, as well as stances taken by the church and its critics throughout history. Typical authors include Clement of Alexandria, Chrysostom, Calvin, Weber, Rauschenbusch, John Schneider, Rand, Paul VI and Wendell Berry. Prerequisite: Rhetoric 102.
RELIGION 329. (3) CHRISTIAN ETHICS AND TECHNOLOGY. The extraordinary technological innovations of the last fifty years have affected nearly every aspect of daily life. As heavily discussed as these new technologies are, there has been little fundamental reflection on the ethical questions raised by the sweeping changes brought on by the technological revolution. This course explores and critiques the technological revolution from the broad standpoint of Christian ethics in order better to understand the social effects, both positive and negative, of the new technologies, and strives to begin to work out constructive ethical responses to those effects. Prerequisite: Rhetoric 102.
RELIGION 425. (3) SEMINAR IN THEOLOGY AND ETHICS. A seminar on a focused topic in theology or ethics that prepares students for a significant exercise in research. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
COURSES IN AMERICAN AND HISTORICAL STUDIES
RELIGION 231. (3) RELIGION IN AMERICAN LIFE I. An historical survey of religion in American life and thought to 1870. The course will look at major religious developments in what is now the United States, particularly highlighting religious interaction and diffusion among First Nations, Europeans, and Africans and their descendants. Prerequisite: none.
RELIGION 232. (3) RELIGION IN AMERICAN LIFE II. An historical survey of religion in American life and thought since 1870. Topics include American religious pluralism, immigrant religion, religious responses to social issues, and the character of modern American religious experience. Prerequisite: none.
RELIGION 238. (3) RELIGIOUS AUTOBIOGRAPHY. In this course students consider the nature of religion and the human religious quest as expressed in autobiographical texts from a variety of religious traditions, as well as versions that express the “loss of faith” or the “problem of belief.” They will also write their own autobiographical texts, which explore their own experience of religion and others’ expressions of religious life. Students also examine critically the nature, social uses, and ethics of memory, as well as consider the reliability of autobiographical reconstruction. Finally, students examine how autobiography is intended to persuade readers for particular ends, such as conversion, social justice, political/cultural reform, religious purity or identity, or religious reflection. Prerequisite: none.
RELIGION 245. (3) PERSPECTIVES IN THE STUDY OF RELIGION. This course is a survey of the development of the discipline of religion from the 19th century to the present. By reading classical and current theorists, students are introduced to the methodology, theoretical debates, and approaches within the discipline of religion as they have historically developed. Students also consider how (and whether) one can academically define and investigate the phenomenon of “religion.” Emphasis is on seminal figures in the discipline, including James Frazer, Emile Durkheim, Mary Douglas, Mircea Eliade, and Clifford Geertz, as well as their contemporary critics. Prerequisite: none.
RELIGION 321. (3) REFORMATION THOUGHT. A study of the disintegration of medieval Catholicism, the rise of Protestant Christianity, and the development of Catholic reform in the sixteenth century. This course emphasizes the interaction between religious, theological, social, and political forces. Prerequisite: Rhetoric 102.
RELIGION 334. (3) RELIGION AND ETHNICITY IN AMERICA. An examination of the relationship between religious and ethnic identity in the context of American culture. Topics include theoretical approaches to religion and ethnicity, debates over the designation of “American,” and consideration of how race, class, and gender affect ethno-religious identity. Prerequisite: Rhetoric 102.
RELIGION 336. (3) ALTERNATIVE RELIGIONS IN AMERICA. An historical study of new religious movements in the United States. Topics include theoretical approaches about the nature of religious movements, the difference between “alternative” and “mainstream” religion, and the contours of religious success and failure. Prerequisite: Rhetoric 102.
RELIGION 435. (3) SEMINAR IN RELIGIOUS HISTORY. A seminar on a focused topic in American religion or religious history that prepares students for a significant exercise in research. Prerequisite: junior or senior status, or permission of the instructor.
PRE-THESIS SEMINAR AND COLLOQUIUM
RELIGION 444. (1) PRE-THESIS SEMINAR. This course is a seminar for majors and minors aimed at developing a research proposal for Religion 445. The seminar concentrates on development of a working research proposal for the departmental Colloquium, including a topic of study, guiding questions, a statement of methodology to be used, significant working and annotated bibliography, and a general plan for project completion. Students also present research in progress to their peers and consider the art and practice of scholarship. Students take this course the semester before Religion 445. Offered: every fall semester.
RELIGION 445. (3) COLLOQUIUM. Under the direction of the Religion faculty, students propose and write a major research project. All senior Religion majors are expected to participate in this course in which all faculty members of the department play a role. Limited to Religion majors and to other qualified students with the permission of the instructor. Prerequisite: Religion 444.
updated 7/10/2026