Department of Religious Studies

RST 101. Religion in the Contemporary World.  A consideration of human religious e xperience in the contemporary world with a particular focus on Christianity, Islam, and at least one other religious tradition. 3 credits. FS

RST 203. Introduction to the Study of Religion.  An introduction to the phenomenon of religion as it manifests itself in the full range and diversity of human cultures.  The course will study religion as an academic discipline, acquainting students with the conceptual analysis of religon, including the theological, psychological and sociological expressions and functions of religious traditions. 3 credits. FS

RST 204. Catholicism in the Contemporary World: Christian Scriptures.  This course will familiarize students with the Scriptural bases – both Old and New Testaments of Catholicism. Special attention will be paid to the original context and meaning of the Scriptures, as well as their relevance and application in contemporary settings. Prerequisite: RST 101. 3 credits. FS

RST 205. Buddhist Wisdom for Christian Living. Grounded in the Second Vatican Council’s “Declaration on the Relationship of the Church to Non-Christian Religion”, the course will introduce the heart of the Buddhist tradition by reflecting on the experience, life and teachings of Siddhartha Gotama, The Buddha. Examining the religious and cultural context within which he lived and taught, the course will explore the insight and wisdom of the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. Attention will be given to the development of Mahayana Buddhism though a consideration of primary texts from within that tradition. Prerequisite: RST 101. 3 credits. FS

RST 206. Catholicism in the Contemporary World: Spirituality. An exploration of contemporary Christian spirituality as the lived experience of faith – the ongoing life–project of person integration and self-transcendence – offering theological, historical, cultural, psychological and interfaith contexts for understanding its manifold expressions. The course will survey select trends and issues in contemporary Catholic spirituality signaled by Vatican Council II such as the post-modern quest for meaning; the impact on personal self-understanding of contemporary psychology and cosmology; the challenge of social and ecological commitment; the variety of contemplative resources available for the development of the inner self; the way of Gospel conversion and sacramentality; and the relevance of the Catholic vocation – its vision, values, and practice virtues – for the life of the self and of the world. Prerequisite: RST 101. 3 credits. FS

RST 207. Catholicism in the Contemporary World: Theological Renewals .  The Second Vatican Council (1962-65) revolutionized the relationship of the Roman Catholic Church to the modern world. Within a few short years, a church that had been characterized as clerical, juridical, and triumphal assumed a different, more humble posture characterized by dialogical engagement with contemporary society. The Council renewed the Church’s self-understanding and consequently all areas of Catholic theology experienced radical rethinking. The sixteen document of the Council will frame a study of the renewed meaning and practice of Catholicism in a post-conciliar age. The renewal of theological categories such as revelation and scripture, God, Christ, ecclesiology, and Christian praxis will be examined. Prerequisite: RST 101. 3 credits. FS

RST 208. Catholicism in the Contemporary World: Ethics and Morality .  An exploration of the history of Christian ethics – its language, norms, sources – with particular consideration given to Roman Catholic teaching on morality. Contemporary issues such as war, sexuality, poverty, biomedicine and ecology will be examined to determine how a Christian ethical perspective informs a particular response to the questions raised within these areas. Prerequisite: RST 101. 3 credits. FS

RST 209. Catholicism in the Contemporary World: Peace and Social Justice .  A consideration of Catholic ethical thought, as an expression of Christian ethics in history, regarding movements for peace and social justice in the contemporary world, with a particular focus on the Christian foundations of economic, racial and political movements for justice. Prerequisite: RST 101. 3 credits. FS

RST 301. Church History: Patterns and Paradigms of the Christian Tradition.  The life and thought of the Christian church from the apostolic period to the present, providing an introduction and orientation to the Christian tradition in its various social, ethnic and period settings.  3 credits. N

RST 310. Religious Traditions of China. This course will examine the insights, contributions and development of the three major traditions that have largely defined Chinese religious culture: Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. Emphasis will focus on the study of those primary textual sources (available in English translation) that most effectively illustrate the seminal concepts and subsequent elaborations within each of those traditions and their overall signficance to Chinese religious sensibility. 3 credits. N

RST 313. Religious Dimensions of Death and Dying.  An exploration of the phenomenon of death from sociological, psychological and theological perspectives.  Special topics include medical ethics and legal issues relating to death and the process of dying.  3 credits. FS

RST 314. Christian Spirituality II.  A survey of influential voices and movements in Christian spirituality from the high Middle Ages to the present.  3 credits. N

RST 315. The Sacred Universe.  An exploration of the significance of the universe, the emergence of the earth and the evolution of life as creative, sacred events, considering those aspects of human religious traditions that sustain a comprehensive valuation of the cosmos and the role of human consciousness within its unfolding processes. 3 credits. N

RST 317. The American Religious Experience.  A study of the mutual interaction of religion and American culture, which has given rise to a unique variety of religious leasders and expressions. Topics to be considered include the Puritan ethos in American history and literature, the concerns and conflicts of various immigrant groups, civic religion, pluralism and American culture, church-state relations.  3 credits. N

RST 320. Spiritual Masters Series.  An exploration of the sacred wisdom of the great masters of the spiritual life drawn from a variety of traditions, cultures and periods of history.  Each semester the spiritual path of one such Great Teacher will be selected as subject for inquiry and experimentation (e.g., Jesus, the Buddha, Julian of Norwich, Hildegard of Bingen, Thich Nhat Hanh, Therese of Lisieux, Thomas Merton, Rabbi Heschel, Mother Ann Lee and the American Shakers, Dorothy Day, Thomas Berry, Bernard of Clairvaux, Teresa of Avila, Bede Griffiths, John of the Cross, Rumi, Martin Luther King, Mohammad and Black Elk). 3 credits. N

RST 324. Christian Sexual Ethics.  An exploration of the history of Roman Catholic and Protestant teaching on the meaning of human sexuality with particular attention to the sexual ethics that have developed in the Christian tradition.  3 credits. N

RST 326. Theology of Christian Service (Service Learning Course). A critical exploration through academic analysis and community engagement into the theological meanings of Christian service, the particular interconnections of service and justice in the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, contemporary understandings of service as informed by Christian thoelogy, Catholic social teachings, and modern day icons of faith. 3 credits. S

RST 330. Women and Religion.  A study of the spiritual life of women from a variety of perspectives and in various religious traditions, particularly the Christian tradition, exploring a wide range of issues and concerns which have particular relevance to the religious experience of women.  Same course as WST 330. 3 credits. N

RST 332. Spiritual Legacy of Thomas Merton.  A study of the themes and issues that comprise the spiritual teaching of Thomas Merton, American monk, mystic, and prophet. The desire for Christian contemplation, a passion for justice, and an appetite for interreligious dialogue marked Merton's spirituality as explicitly contemporary and Catholic. A uniquely modern spiritual master, Merton has sounded the keynotes for Christian life in the new millennium. By following Merton along his spiritual path, students may explore the legacy of this exceptional teacher and draw upon his wisdom and insight for their own lives.   3 credits. N

RST 336. The Catholic Church: Issues and Challenges.  An exposition of the historical and theological foundations necessary for an examination of the nature and function of the church; an analysis of selected issues and challenges facing the contemporary church, with a view to the imaginative responses made by the Catholic church.  3 credits. N

RST 338 Gospels. A detailed examination of the four canonical gospels, the process whereby they were formed, the form and function of their individual parts, and the final literary and theological effect they now have as complete works. 3 credits. N

RST 370. Contemporary Peacemakers.  An exploration of critical issues of peace and justice through the faith and philosophies of several modern peacemakers, highlighting the causes of human violence and injustice and the conditions for social justice and peace.  3 credits. N

RST 375. Wisdom Literature. A study of the Wisdom books of the Old Testament in detail, their similarity to extra-biblical traditions, and their influence on the New Testament writings. Analysis will be primarily literary, though there will be some historical and comparative considerations. 3 credits. N.

RST 401. Images of Jesus Throughout History.  A study of the mystery of Jesus as experienced and expressed by Christians throughout the tradition, including the biblical, patristic, medieval and contemporary periods.  3 credits. N

RST 402. Christian Sacramental Theology.  An analysis of the Christian sacramental worldview, the Church's ritual activity, and the challenges that sacramental theology poses to, and receives from, the practice of Christianity.  3 credits. N

RST 406.  Biomedical Ethics and the Christian Tradition.  An investigation of the Christian ethical tradition and its resources for an analysis of the ever-increasing challenges posed by developments in biomedicine and in the life sciences. 3 credits. N

RST 409.  Jesus and Judaism. This course examines the life of Jesus in its Jewish context in an effort to uncover more accurate trajectories of continuity and discontinuity between Judaism and Christianity. The period of 2nd Temple Judaism will be explored. An examination of key texts in the development of Jewish-Catholic relations since 1965 provides a contemporary perspective on the theological developments of the first century CE.    3 credits. N

RST 410.  Religion and the Constitution.  An examination of the concept of religious freedom as protected and defined by the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, considering the historical purpose and original intent of the First Amendment's separation of church and state, the judicial construction of the religion clauses of the First Amendment, and contemporary controversies regarding religious freedom and practice in American society.  3 credits. N

RST 411.  Prayer: Theology and Practice.  An exploration of the human quest to develop the spiritual life through a study of diverse religious sources and traditions in a variety of formats and experiments with some techniques for the cultivation of spirituality through meditation practice, art, writing, music, dance, attention to nature, and commitment to service.  3 credits. N

RST 422-429.  Special Topics in Religious Studies.  These courses are designed to offer an opportunity to explore selected topics in religious studies which are either not covered in the religious studies curriculum or which will be covered in greater depth.  Prerequisite: Approval of department chair.  3 credits. N

RST 435.  Christian Marriage in Contemporary Society.  An historical, sacramental and humanistic approach to marriage in the twentieth century, including an understanding of the modern problems of interfaith and intercultural marriages and the moral issues pertinent to married life.  3 credits. N

RST 448 Oxford University Theology

RST 450.  Senior Seminar.  Directed research, readings and discussions for all religious studies majors and for the purpose of coordinating the various branches of religious studies and researching topics of special interest to majors.  Capstone course. 3 credits. N

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