Religious Studies (RELST)Arts and Sciences

Showing 35 results.

Course descriptions provided by the Courses of Study 2022-2023.

Last Updated

  • Schedule of Classes - April 4, 2023 12:09PM EDT
  • Course Catalog - April 3, 2023 12:59PM EDT

RELST 1710
The Jewish Atlantic: 1492-Present

Who were the Jews that first settled in the Americas and around the Atlantic? How did their experiences intersect with processes of colonization, empire-building, racialization, and the formation of an ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Choose one lecture. Discussion optional. Combined with: HIST 1710, JWST 1710

  • 4 Credits Graded

  • 17087 RELST 1710   LEC 001

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

  • 17088 RELST 1710   DIS 201

  •  
    • W Sibley Hall 208
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Staff

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

  • 17089 RELST 1710   DIS 202

  •  
    • W Sibley Hall B10
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Staff

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

RELST 2204
Introduction to Quranic Arabic

This course is designed for students who are interested in reading the language of the Qur'an with accuracy and understanding. The first week (4 classes) will be devoted to an introduction of the history ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: ARAB 2204, ASRC 2204, NES 2204

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  6443 RELST 2204   SEM 101

  •  
    • MTWR White Hall 114
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Younes, M

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    This course is designed for students who are interested in reading the language of the Qur'an with accuracy and understanding. The first week (4 classes) will be devoted to an introduction of the history of the Qur'an: the revelation, collection, variant readings, and establishment of an authoritative edition. The last week will be devoted to a general overview of "revisionist" literature on the Qur'an. In the remaining 12 weeks, we will cover all of Part 30 (Juz' 'Amma, suuras 78-114) and three suuras of varying length (36, 19, and 12).

RELST 2250
Introduction to Asian Religions

This course will explore religious traditions in South Asia (Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka) and East Asia (China, Japan, and Korea) including Hinduism, Buddhism (South Asian and East Asian), Sikhism, ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Choose one lecture and one discussion. Combined with: ASIAN 2250

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  6079 RELST 2250   LEC 001

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

    Instructor Consent Required (Add)

  •  6080 RELST 2250   DIS 201

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

    Instructor Consent Required (Add)

  •  6081 RELST 2250   DIS 202

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

    Instructor Consent Required (Add)

  •  6082 RELST 2250   DIS 203

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

    Instructor Consent Required (Add)

  •  6083 RELST 2250   DIS 204

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

    Instructor Consent Required (Add)

RELST 2523
Judeophobia, Islamophobia, Racism

Islamophobia and Judeophobia are ideas and like all ideas they have a history of their own. Although today many might think of Islamophobia or Judeophobia as unchangeable---fear of and hatred for Islam ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Choose one lecture and one discussion. Combined with: COML 2523, GOVT 2523, JWST 2523, NES 2523

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 17036 RELST 2523   LEC 001

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

  • 17226 RELST 2523   DIS 201

  •  
    • F White Hall B14
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Staff

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

  • 17227 RELST 2523   DIS 202

  •  
    • F White Hall B14
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Staff

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

  • 17228 RELST 2523   DIS 203

  •  
    • F White Hall B14
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Staff

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

  • 17229 RELST 2523   DIS 204

  •  
    • F White Hall B14
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Staff

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

RELST 2599
Medicine, Magic and Science in the Ancient Near East

This course explores the history of medicine and other sciences in the ancient Near East, broadly defined. In addition to medicine, the other scientific disciplines covered in this course include mathematics, ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: BSOC 2599, JWST 2599, NES 2599

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 17258 RELST 2599   LEC 001

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

RELST 2644
Introduction to Judaism

This course is an introduction to Jewish identities, values, and practices from the ancient to modern era. Organized thematically, it examines Judaism as a religious phenomenon, with a particular emphasis ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: JWST 2644, NES 2644

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  6055 RELST 2644   LEC 001

  •  
    • MW White Hall 110
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Monroe, L

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

RELST 2770
Islam and Gender

This course explores the role of gender and sexuality in shaping the lives of Muslims past and present. Through a close examination of ethnographies, intellectual histories, and religious treatises, we ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  • 17067 RELST 2770   LEC 001

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

RELST 3309
Temple in the World: Buddhism in Contemporary South and Southeast Asia

How do Buddhists live out their philosophies and ethics? What are the spaces of ritual, devotion, meditation, education, and politics? How do Buddhist practices and affiliations satisfy aesthetic and emotional ... view course details

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: ASIAN 3309, ASIAN 5509, RELST 5509

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 17541 RELST 3309   LEC 001

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

RELST 3331
Opt Out, Tune In: Hermits, Pilgrims and Dharma Bums, from East Asia to Ithaca

This course explores the intentional removal of oneself from society as expressed in East Asian Buddhist literature, through the acts of hermits and pilgrims. We read the diaries, essays, autobiographies, ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: ASIAN 3331

  • 3 Credits Graded

  • 18486 RELST 3331   LEC 001

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

    Instructor Consent Required (Add)

RELST 3416
Zen Buddhism: Ecology, Sustainability and Daily Life

This course explores the Zen's central religious, historical and aesthetic developments. We read primary sources in translation and secondary sources. We examine the rise of the Ch'an tradition in China ... view course details

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none

  •  6679 RELST 3416   LEC 001

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    One course in Asian religions or Religious Studies.

    Instructor Consent Required (Add)

RELST 3420
Myth, Ritual, and Symbol

This course approaches the study of religion, symbols, and myth from an anthropological perspective. The centrality and universality of religion and myth-making in social and symbolic life has been fundamental ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: ANTHR 3420

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 17262 RELST 3420   LEC 001

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

RELST 3588
Archaeology and the Bible

The purpose of the course is to place the Bible within the context of a larger ancient world that can be explored by systematic excavation of physical remains. Students will become familiar with archaeological ... view course details

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none

  • 17095 RELST 3588   SEM 101

  •  
    • MW White Hall 106
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Monroe, L

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

RELST 3734
Jewish Law, State Law

The concept of law plays a central role in Judaism. We often use the word 'law' to describe obligatory Jewish religious practices. But is that 'law,' as compared with state law? Legal systems in the U.S. ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: JWST 3732, NES 3732

  • 3 Credits Graded

  • 17091 RELST 3734   SEM 101

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

RELST 3888
Jews, Christians, and Others in Late Antiquity

This course explores the interactions between Jews, Christians, and other religious groups in late antiquity, especially in Sasanian Persia circa the first through seventh century C.E. Students pay particular ... view course details

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none

  •  7111 RELST 3888   SEM 101

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

RELST 4100
Latin Philosophical Texts

Reading and translation of Latin philosophical texts. view course details

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none

  •  4695 RELST 4100   SEM 101

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

    Instructor Consent Required (Add)

RELST 4351
Problems in Byzantine Art

Topic Spring 23: Portraiture. view course details

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none

  • Topic: Portraiture

  •  6933 RELST 4351   SEM 101

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

RELST 4407
Hasidism: History, Community, Thought

The modern Jewish religious movement known as Hasidism began in Eastern Europe in the eighteenth century and thrives today. We will approach Hasidism primarily through three avenues: recent critical social ... view course details

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none

  • 18021 RELST 4407   SEM 101

  •  
    • T McGraw Hall B65
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Boyarin, J

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

RELST 4449
History, Theory, and Methods in the Academic Study of Religion

This seminar will explore the development of and variety in the academic discipline of Religious Studies. We will consider the emergence of secular approaches to the study of religion arising out of the ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: ASIAN 4449

  • 4 Credits Graded

  • 17648 RELST 4449   SEM 101

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    One course in religious studies or permission of instructor.

    Department Consent Required (Add)

RELST 4480
Projects of Modernity in Asia

Idea(l)s of modernity across the Global South have been largely rooted in Euro-American projections of "civilization", and "civilizational" projects. The colonial worldview in which only Western(ized) ... view course details

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none

  • 17574 RELST 4480   SEM 101

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    One 3000-level course in the humanities; some knowledge of Asian history.

RELST 4540
Moses Maimonides

Moses Maimonides who was born in Cordoba (1138), moved to Fez as a youth and died in Cairo (1204) is regarded by Jewish, Islamic, and Christian tradition alike as the most important Jewish religious ... view course details

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none

  • 17196 RELST 4540   SEM 101

  •  
    • W Sibley Hall 318
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Brann, R

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

RELST 4557
Desert Monasticism

How and why do landscapes come to inspire the religious imagination? And why do religious practices, rituals, traditions, and beliefs take place in particular landscapes? This seminar treats these questions ... view course details

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none

  • 17124 RELST 4557   SEM 101

  •  
    • M White Hall B14
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Haines-Eitzen, K

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

RELST 4665
Augustine

Topics for this course vary. view course details

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none

  • 17986 RELST 4665   SEM 101

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

RELST 4991
Directed Study

For undergraduates who wish to obtain research experience or do extensive reading on a special topic. Students select a topic in consultation with the faculty member who has agreed to supervise ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 2-4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  4177 RELST 4991   IND 601

    • TBA
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Formichi, C

  • Instruction Mode: Independent Studies
    To apply for independent study, please complete the on-line form at https://data.arts.cornell.edu/as-stus/indep_study_intro.cfm.

    Instructor Consent Required (Add)

  • 20133 RELST 4991   IND 605

    • TBA
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Monroe, L

  • Instruction Mode: Independent Studies
    To apply for independent study, please complete the on-line form at https://data.arts.cornell.edu/as-stus/indep_study_intro.cfm.

    Instructor Consent Required (Add)

Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 2-4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  5031 RELST 4991   IND 602

    • TBA
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Boucher, D

  • Instruction Mode: Independent Studies
    To apply for independent study, please complete the on-line form at https://data.arts.cornell.edu/as-stus/indep_study_intro.cfm.

    Instructor Consent Required (Add)

Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 2-4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  5032 RELST 4991   IND 603

    • TBA
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Brann, R

  • Instruction Mode: Independent Studies
    To apply for independent study, please complete the on-line form at https://data.arts.cornell.edu/as-stus/indep_study_intro.cfm.

    Instructor Consent Required (Add)

Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 2-4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  5437 RELST 4991   IND 604

    • TBA
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Law, J

  • Instruction Mode: Independent Studies
    To apply for independent study, please complete the on-line form at https://data.arts.cornell.edu/as-stus/indep_study_intro.cfm.

    Instructor Consent Required (Add)

RELST 4995
Senior Honors Essay I

RELST 4995 is the first course in the Honors two-part sequence. The Honors Program is open to Religious Studies majors who have done superior work and who wish to devote a substantial part of their senior ... view course details

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 4 Credits Multi-Term

  •  5481 RELST 4995   IND 601

    • TBA
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Staff

  • Instruction Mode: Independent Studies
    RELST 4995 is the FIRST course in the Honors two-part sequence. To enroll in Honors, please email akc52@cornell.edu to request a permission number.

    Instructor Consent Required (Add)

RELST 4996
Senior Honors Essay II

RELST 4996 is the second course in the Honors two-part sequence. The Honors Program is open to Religious Studies majors who have done superior work and who wish to devote a substantial part of their senior ... view course details

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 4 Credits Graded

  •  4168 RELST 4996   IND 601

    • TBA
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Haines-Eitzen, K

  • Instruction Mode: Independent Studies
    RELST 4996 is the SECOND course in the Honors two-part sequence. To enroll in Honors, please email akc52@cornell.edu to request a permission number.

    Instructor Consent Required (Add)

Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 4 Credits Graded

  • 16794 RELST 4996   IND 602

    • TBA
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Monroe, L

  • Instruction Mode: Independent Studies
    RELST 4996 is the SECOND course in the Honors two-part sequence. To enroll in Honors, please email akc52@cornell.edu to request a permission number.

    Instructor Consent Required (Add)

RELST 5509
Temple in the World: Buddhism in Contemporary South and Southeast Asia

How do Buddhists live out their philosophies and ethics? What are the spaces of ritual, devotion, meditation, education, and politics? How do Buddhist practices and affiliations satisfy aesthetic and emotional ... view course details

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: ASIAN 3309, ASIAN 5509, RELST 3309

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 17543 RELST 5509   LEC 001

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

RELST 6020
Latin Philosophical Texts

Reading and translation of Latin philosophical texts. view course details

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none

  •  4690 RELST 6020   SEM 101

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

RELST 6210
Topics in Medieval Philosophy

Graduate seminar covering a topic in medieval philosophy. view course details

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none

  • Topic: Augustine's "Confessions"

  •  7207 RELST 6210   SEM 101

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    FOR SPRING 2023: No thinker has done more to shape the Western intellectual tradition than Augustine (354-430 CE), and no book displays Augustine's dynamic vision of reality more compellingly than the Confessions. Its probing and intimate reflections on the meaning of human life, the nature of God and mind, time and eternity, will and world, good and evil, love and sexuality have challenged every generation since Augustine's own. The course will be structured around a close, critically engaged reading of the Confessions (in English translation); special attention will be given to its philosophical and theological ideas, its place in Augustine's oeuvre, and its historical context and significance.

RELST 6351
Problems in Byzantine Art

Seminar topics rotate each semester. Topic for Spring 2023: Portraiture. view course details

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none

  • Topic: Portraiture

  •  6947 RELST 6351   SEM 101

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

RELST 6557
Desert Monasticism

How and why do landscapes come to inspire the religious imagination? And why do religious practices, rituals, traditions, and beliefs take place in particular landscapes? This seminar treats these questions ... view course details

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none

  • 19518 RELST 6557   SEM 101

  •  
    • M White Hall B14
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Haines-Eitzen, K

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

RELST 6588
Archaeology and the Bible

The purpose of the course is to place the Bible within the context of a larger ancient world that can be explored by systematic excavation of physical remains. Students will become familiar with archaeological ... view course details

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none

  • 17099 RELST 6588   SEM 101

  •  
    • MW White Hall 106
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Monroe, L

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

RELST 6616
Zen Buddhism: Ecology, Sustainability and Daily Life

This course explores the Zen's central religious, historical and aesthetic developments. We read primary sources in translation and secondary sources. We examine the rise of the Ch'an tradition in China ... view course details

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none

  •  6681 RELST 6616   LEC 001

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    One course in Asian religions or Religious Studies.

    Instructor Consent Required (Add)

RELST 6678
Projects of Modernity in Asia

Idea(l)s of modernity across the Global South have been largely rooted in Euro-American projections of "civilization", and "civilizational" projects. The colonial worldview in which only Western(ized) ... view course details

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none

  • 17578 RELST 6678   SEM 101

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person
    One 3000 level course in the humanities; some knowledge of Asian history.

RELST 6888
Jews, Christians, and Others in Late Antiquity

This course explores the interactions between Jews, Christians, and other religious groups in late antiquity, especially in Sasanian Persia circa the first through seventh century C.E. Students pay particular ... view course details

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none

  •  7119 RELST 6888   SEM 101

  •  

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

RELST 7404
Hasidism: History, Community, Thought

The modern Jewish religious movement known as Hasidism began in Eastern Europe in the eighteenth century and thrives today. We will approach Hasidism primarily through three avenues: recent critical social ... view course details

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none

  • 18024 RELST 7404   SEM 101

  •  
    • T McGraw Hall B65
    • Jan 23 - May 9, 2023

    • Boyarin, J

  • Instruction Mode: In Person