Practices like veiling, female circumcision, and honor killings that are central to Western representations of Muslim women are also contested issues throughout the Muslim world. This course examines various debates about Islam and women, and explores the interplay of religious, historical, cultural, political, legal, and economic factors in shaping Muslim women’s lives across the globe. Topics of focus may vary each semester, but often include European colonialism and the politics of studying Muslim women; changing ideological and political trends about women and society; the Islamic legal heritage and problems in reforming Islamic law; gender jihad and activism; women and revolutions; and dilemmas faced by Muslim women in asserting themselves as legitimate voices in the contemporary global world. Prerequisite: one course in RELG, WGSX, or consent of the instructor. Cross-listed as RELG355.
Islamic Empires in the Medieval and Early Modern Eras
This class is a general survey that introduces Islamic political thought as manifested by the Islamic states of medieval and early-modern times. It examines Islamic notions of law, state and authority that emerged as a response to current political developments such as the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates, the extinction of the caliphate by the Mongols in 1258 and the political fragmentation that followed, and finally the rise of the so-called Gunpowder Empires. The survey will focus mainly on the Ottoman Empire, but also explore the interactions between the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal Empires. Prerequisite: One course in HIST or one course in RELG, or consent of the instructor. Cross-listed as RELG314.
Genomics
This course will survey recent advances in genomics including: transmission of genetic information, the structure of the genome and its components (genes, regulatory elements, microRNAs, etc), the evolution of genomes, the relationship between genomes and phenotypes including molecular population genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics. The lab will focus on the use of state-of-the-art sequencing data to understand genomes and their architecture. The course will be laboratory-intensive with many lecture periods being used as laboratory periods. Pre-requisite: BIOL271 and BIOL270L, or CHEM420 or permission of instructor.
Computing For Biologists
Biological data is getting more expansive with every passing year, making it necessary to develop new computational approaches to gather, sort, analyze, and visualize data. This course will survey a variety of computational approaches used in the analysis of biological data. Specifically designed for students with little-to-no experience writing computer code, this course will introduce students to working in a UNIX-like environment, to a variety of scripting languages (Python, R, bash), and to the creation and use of databases. This course will be laboratory intensive with many lecture periods being used as laboratory periods and will also survey recent primary literature that applies computational approaches to fundamental questions in ecology, genetics, and evolutionary biology. Pre-requisite: BIOL270, or permission of instructor.
Meditation and the Mind
This course will explore the practice of meditation, with special attention being paid to its effects on cognition, affectivity, neurobiology, etc., and what these changes ultimately tell us about the mind. We will investigate meditation from the standpoints of first-hand practice, classical Asian and East Asian religio-philosophical texts, phenomenology, and via relevant contemporary empirical research in the brain sciences. Topics will include: focused awareness vs. open presence vs. affective meditational approaches; the cognitive, emotional, moral, and existential effects of meditative experience; contemplative education; the use of meditation in prison, and the metaphysical issues associate with questions of consciousness. Each seminar meeting will begin with a 20-30 min. meditation practice, for which a meditation pillow, or zafu, is required. Pre-requisite: one course in philosophy or consent of instructor.
Happiness and Meaning
In this course, students will examine some philosophical views of the notions of happiness and of meaning with a view to formulating their own such views. Sources both classical and contemporary will be used, as will materials from such disciplines as economics, psychology, and religion. Pre-requisite: one course in philosophy or consent of instructor.
Topics in South Asian Traditions
An exploration of a particular aspect of South Asian religion, such as a religious movement, body of literature, religious figure, or practice. Sample topics include: “Yoga and Asceticism,” “Gods, Goddesses, and God: Hindu Devotionalism,” “Tibetan Buddhism in India,” “Ecstasy and Divine Madness in the South Asian Traditions,” and “Hindus in America.” This course may be repeated for credit where the topic is not repetitive. Prerequisite: one course in RELG or consent of instructor.
Religion and Ecology
This course examines the intersection of religion and ecology and traces contemporary discussions of world religions’ teachings about “creation,” “nature,” “earth,” and the “body” in light of the current global environmental crisis. Which religious belief and value systems contribute to exploitation and contempt for the natural world? Which religious principles and practices enhance protection and reverence for creation and the material world? How have thinkers and activists from various religious traditions responded to the paradigm shifts mandated by ecological thinking? This course exposes students to the fields of comparative religions, theology, ethics, and ecology as we probe how religious world views impact social practices, and how changing environmental, political, and economic practices impact religious belief systems.
Speaking of God: Introduction to Theology
Introduces students to major twentieth-century theological and religious thinkers as they wrestle with some or all of the following questions: Who or what is God? Why do good people suffer? How are salvation, redemption, liberation envisioned in the modern world? What constitutes a religious community? How do different religious faiths relate to each other, the secular world and the natural environment? This course satisfies the Core Curriculum requirement in Humanistic Foundations.
London Study Tour
An on-site study tour in London and Stratford-upon-Avon of contemporary British theater, including tours of museums, theaters, and historical sites whose relevance to British culture and arts will help broaden students’ understanding and appreciation of theater practice. Coursework includes four pre-departure seminars, attendance while in London of five theater performances, and completion of a journal. Additionally, students enrolled in the course will be required to submit one pre-departure essay as well as their choice from the following while abroad: 1) response papers on four of the five theater productions in London; or, 2) response papers on three of the London productions plus one independently viewed theater piece, one historic site, or one museum attended. One of the response papers will consist of a mini-research project. This course satisfies the Core Curriculum requirement of Experiencing the Liberal Arts in the World (ELAW) provided that the student enrolls concurrently in both the study tour (TFMS 281) for four credit hours and in CORE 350 for zero credit hours. Prerequisite for ELAW: GPA of 2.5 or higher. Please note: This course may be used to satisfy the Core Curriculum requirement in Arts if not being taken to satisfy ELAW.
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