DVSC 30200

Introduction to Historical Studies

Mendes-Flohr

M/W

10:00-11:20

S106

PQ: Open only to M.A./AMRS students.

DVSC 42000

Divinity School German Reading Exam

Staff

ARR

ARR

ARR

PQ: Open only to Divinity School students.

DVSC 45100

Reading Course: Special Topic

Staff

ARR

ARR

ARR

PQ: Petition with bibliography signed by instructor; enter section from faculty list.

DVSC 49900

Exam Preparation

Staff

ARR

ARR

ARR

PQ:Open only to Ph.D. students in quarter of qualifying exams. Department consent. Registration will be handled by the Dean of Students office. Petition signed by Advisor.

DVSC 50200

Research Divinity

Staff

ARR

ARR

ARR

PQ: Petition signed by instructor; enter section from faculty list.

DVSC 59900

Thesis Work: Divinity

Staff

ARR

ARR

ARR

PQ: Petition signed by instructor; enter section from faculty list.

BIBL 30901

Jewish Thought and Literature:
Philosophy, Sufism, Kabbalah

Robinson

M/W

1:30-2:50

CL 113

An introduction to the major trends of medieval Jewish thought from the ninth through the fifteenth century. The focus will be on central themes and problems—such as divine attributes, cosmology, prophecy, the existence of evil, providence, the nature of human existence, the soul and fate of the soul—but literary form, cultural context, and ritual praxis will also be considered. Thinkers will be studied in relation to their sources and parallel developments in Christianity and Islam.
Ident. HIJD 30901/JWSG 30005/JWSC 20005/NEHC 20405/RLST 20602

BIBL 32500

Introduction to the New Testament:
Texts and Contexts

Mitchell

T/Th

10:30-11:50

S106

An immersion in the texts of the New Testament with the following goals: (1) through careful reading to come to know well some representative pieces of this literature; (2) to gain useful knowledge of the historical, geographical, social, religious, cultural and political contexts of these texts and the events they relate; (3) to learn the major literary genres represented in the canon (“gospels,” “acts,” “letters,” and “apocalypses”) and strategies for reading them; (4) to comprehend the various theological visions to which these texts give expression; (5) to situate oneself and one’s prevailing questions about this material in the history of research, and to reflect on the goals and methods of interpretation; (6) to raise questions for further study.
PQ: Discussions groups will meet on Fridays, 12:00-1:00 in S106, S208, S201.
Ident. NTEC 21000/32500/RLST 12000/FNDL 28200

BIBL 34100

Intermediate Biblical Hebrew

Knafl

M/W/F

8:00-8:50

S200

BIBL 35400

Intermediate Koine Greek III

Thompson

M/W/F

8:00-8:50

S208

PQ: BIBL 35300

BIBL 47400

Clement of Alexandria

Martinez

T/TH

10:30-11:50

Cl 026

A careful reading of the Greek text of parts of Clement’s Protrepticus (Exhortation to the Greeks) with some forays into his fragmentary Stromateis. We will focus on Clement as a Greek stylist, his debt to the Greek Literary and Middle Platonic traditions, and his place within the development of Alexandrian Christian thought (especially with regard to what is called the “Catechetical School”). We will also give close consideration to his doctrine of the logos, his apologetic method, and his theory and usage of allegory.
PQ: At least 3 years of Greek.
Ident. NTEC 47400/GREK 23700/33700

BIBL 53500

Early Christian Biblical Interpretation

Mitchell

M

1:30-4:20

S403

This year the early Christian Biblical Interpretation seminar will focus on the topic: “In Search of the Literal Sense.” Recent theoretical treatments of patristic exegesis problematizing the dichotomy between Alexandrine allegory and Antiochene literalism have done so mostly from the side of the allegorical. In this seminar we shall turn the tables and study how appeals to the “literal” sense of biblical statements are rhetorically constructed and defended, and to what functions they are put, in writings of Tertullian, Origen, Eustathius, John Chrysostom, and others. We may also make some comparative forays into the sensus litteralis in contemporary Christianity in America.
PQ: Greek, Intro to New Testament or equivalent
Ident. HCHR 53500/NTEC 53500

THEO 30200

History of Christian Thought II

Otten

T/Th

9:00-10:20

S106

This second class in the HCT sequence deals with the period from Late Antiquity until the end of the Early Middle Ages; it stretches roughly from 450 through 1250. The following authors and themes will be analyzed and discussed: (1) the transition from Roman antiquity to the medieval period: Boethius and Cassiodorus; (2) the rise of asceticism in th West: Benedictur (Rule) and Gregory the Great; (3) intellectual solitaries: Dionysius the Areopagite and John Scottus Eriugena; (4) monastic and scholastic paragons: Anselm of Canterbury, Peter Abelard; (5) 12th century monastic diversity: Cistercians (Bernard of Clairvaux) and Victorines (Hugh and Richard of St. Victor); (6) the scholastic synthesis and the odd woman out: Thomas Aquinas and Julian of Norwich.
Ident. HCHR 30200

THEO 30300

History of Christian Thought III

Schreiner

W

3:00-5:50

S106

This course covers the early modern era from the 14th through the 16th century. The emphasis is on intellectual history, particularly that of the Reformation and the Council of Trent. The course includes readings from 14th century mystics, late-medieval dissidents such as John Hus, Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin, as well as Ignatius of Loyola and the Council of Trent.
Requirement of the course is a take-home examination based on the readings of these original sources.
Ident. HCHR 30300

THEO 31100

History of Theological Ethics I

Schweiker

T/TH

1:30-2:50

S106

This is the first part of a two-part history. It is conducted through the study of basic, classical texts. The course moves from the philosophical ethics of the Greek and Roman worlds through strands of Hebrew scripture, the origins of the Christian movement, the end of the Roman age to the emergence of Islam, and, finally, Christian and Jewish scholastic and mystical thought in the Western middle ages. While the golden thread of the history is the origin and differentiation of Christian moral thinking, this is set within and compared with the complexity of traditions (Hellenistic philosophical, Jewish, Islamic) that intersect and often collide throughout these formative centuries in Western thought. In this way, the exploration of one tradition opens onto rich comparative thinking. The course proceeds by lectures and discussion. Most readings are in translation. There will be a final examination. This is a basic course and thus no previous work in theology, philosophy or ethics is required.
Ident. RETH 31100

THEO 31800

Before and After Augustine:
Echoes of a Church Father

Otten

T

1:00-3:50

S201

In his recent biography of Augustine (Augustine. A New Biography, New York, 2005) James J. O’Donnell has called Augustine the ‘inventor of Christianity’, since Christianity as we know it has supposedly derived more from Augustine than from Jesus Christ. This makes the question how to pinpoint Augustine’s influence a pressing one. This course will try to do so by comparing Augustine’s ideas on the church in history and society with the tradition before him as well as with the way in which they were subsequently received. The course will be divided into three parts. It will begin by sketching Christianity before Augustine, focusing especially on Ambrose and Gregory of Nyssa’s view of church and society as representing the pre-Augustinian generation. The second part will profile central Augustinian themes such as infant baptism and predestination (anti-Pelagian), and sacramental genealogy and ecclesiology (anti-Donatist) through a reading of Augustinian texts. In the third part the impact of the Augustinian makeover of Christianity will be discussed, with special attention paid to infant baptism and the sacraments as well as to medieval / reformed theories of grace and free will.
Ident. HCHR 31800

THEO 40500

Black Theology: lst Generation

Hopkins

W

1:30-4:20

S201

Using primary texts, a critical look at the major theological and methodological paradigms among the founding generation of black theologians. What are their sources and norms, social contexts, and sharp points of theoretical differences?

THEO 41100

James H. Cone:
Self, Identity and Freedom

Hopkins

W

9:00-11:20

S201

This course will pursue a close and in depth read of several of James H. Cone’s seminal works in order to discern both his theological method and this heological system.

THEO 41300

Calvin’s Institutes

Schreiner

M/W

10:00-11:20

S400

This course examines the key concepts of Calvin’s theology through his major work; namely, the definitive 1559 edition of the Institutes of the Christian Religion. Requirements include an exegetical paper and either a take-home examination or a research paper.
IDENT. HCHR 41700

THEO 43700

Theology and Philosophy

Gamwell

T/Th

3:00-4:20

S200

What is the role of philosophy in the task of Christian theology? Attention will be given to some alternative answers (for instance, Anselm, Aquinas, Tillich, Ogden. Frei). Students will be asked to develop a critical reading of a recent or contemporary theologian or philosopher, with the intention to move thereby toward a constructive statement.
Ident. DVPR 43700

THEO 49300

Christianity and Social Power

Tanner

Th

1:00-3:50

S208

An examination of the intersections between Christian theology and issues of social equality through the study of historical cases. Cases include Christian justifications of hierarchical rule in the early church, medieval arguments over the status of women in church and society, controversies over “New World” colonization, leveling movements in the English civil war, arguments for and against slavery in the U.S., and 19th century reactions to democratic reform movements on the continent. General questions to be raised: What is the relation between Christian belief and action? When is Christian belief being used ideologically, to serve independent interests in gaining and maintaining power? On what basis can one judge between conflicting uses of the same beliefs?

DVPR 42800

Madhyamaka

Arnold

F

1:00-3:50

S200

This seminar, which presupposes a basic knowledge of Indian and/or Tibetan Buddhist philosophy, will consider some of the foundational texts of the Madhyamaka tradition of thought, with particular reference to the works of Nagarjuna and Candrakirti. In addition to close readings of assorted primary sources, we will consider contemporary scholarly debates regarding the interpretation of Madhyamaka (e.g., concerning the significance of the “Svatantrika- Prasangika” distinction, or the appropriateness of modern philosophical categories such as “skepticism” and “metaphysics” for characterizing Madhyamaka thought).
PQ: Some knowledge of Sanskrit or Tibetan is preferred.
Ident. SALC 42800

DVPR 43700

Theology and Philosophy

Gamwell

T/Th

3:00-4:20

S200

What is the role of philosophy in the task of Christian theology? Attention will be given to some alternative answers (for instance, Anselm, Aquinas, Tillich, Ogden, Frei). Students will be asked to develop a critical reading of a recent or contemporary theologian or philosopher, with the intention to move thereby toward a constructive statement.
Ident.THEO 43700

CHRM 30300

The Public Church and Its Ministry:
Practical

Culp

T/Th

3:00-4:20

S400

Theology as an art and practice for the public church and its ministry. Using U.S American theologians and texts from the mid-twentieth century forward, this course explores theological symbols and their interrelation, various approaches to thinking theologically, and theology’s inter- dependence with other methods and disciplines. It considers theology’s work of depicting and diagnosing human life in relation to God. It also examines theology’s constructive work in directing shared life toward hope and flourishing in God.
Open to first year M.Div. students

CHRM 30600

Introduction to the Study of Ministry:
Colloquium

Musselman

F

1:00-2:20

S400

Open to first year M.DIV. students. No credit. DO NOT REGISTER FOR THIS COURSE

CHRM 35500

Arts of Ministry: Worship

Tanner

F

9:00-11:50

S400

This course has four main aims. The first is to equip students with a nuanced and critical vocabulary with which to think and talk about ritual, worship and liturgy. The second aim is to enable students to see the connections among liturgical practice, theology and the Christian life. The third is to encourage students to develop an understanding of the historical traditions that inform their respective community’s liturgical practices and of how these practices reflect and form this community’s pursuit of a Christian way of life. The fourth aim is to help students think through what is involved in leading worship services.
Open to Second yar M.DIV. students.

CHRM 42500

Senior Ministry Thesis Seminar

Staff

ARR

ARR

ARR

HIJD 30901

Jewish Thought and Literature:
Philosophy, Sufism, Kabbalah

Robinson

M/W

1:30-2:50

CL 113

An introduction to the major trends of medieval Jewish thought from the ninth through the fifteenth century. The focus will be on central themes and problems—such as divine attributes, cosmology, prophecy, the existence of evil, providence, the nature of human existence, the soul and fate of the soul—but literary form, cultural context, and ritual praxis will also be considered. Thinkers will be studied in relation to their sources and parallel developments in Christianity and Islam.
Ident. BIBL 30901/JWSG 30005/JWSC 20005/NEHC 20405/RLST 20602

HIJD 39600

The Arab-Israeli Conflict and Regional Realities

Zelnicker

M

9:00-11:50

S208

The course will offer a critical survey of the Arab-Israeli conflict, religious-cultural, historical as well as geo-political dimensions. The course will focus on the Israeli and Palestinian national structures, their internal dynamics and political realities (such as, the tension between competing secular and religious ideological visions) and will examine the impact of the changing international order on the evolution of the conflict.
Ident. JWSG 39600/HIST 35600/NEHC 20400/304/

HIJD 39800

Israeli Politics and Society

Zelnicker

T

9:00-11:50

S201

The course is an introduction to Israeli politics and civil society since the formation of the State to date. The course will focus on the cultural background and history of the founding of the State of Israel and its political culture. It will pay special attention to the structure of Israeli civil society as a complex dialectical configuration of secular and religious communities; attention will also be paid to the challenge of integrating the Muslim and Christian minorities into Israeli civil society. The course will also examine the political institutions ranging from political parties, elections and the structure of government. It will also explore the changes in the political culture of the country and the rise of post-Zionism as a potent force in recent years.
Ident. JWSG 39800/HIST 35805/NEHC 20900/30900

HIJD 44200

Messianism and Modernity

Mendes-Flohr/Santner

W

1:30-4:20

Wieboldt 206

Ident. GRMN 36800

HIJD 49700

Readings in Abraham Ibn Ezra

Robinson

Th

1:30-3:50

S403

Close readings of select texts from the diverse corpus of Abraham Ibn Ezra: medieval poet, linguist, biblical exegets, neoplatonic philosopher, and astrologer. The emphasis will be on his biblical commentaries, but the commentaries will be read together with his philosophical, linguistic and astrological writings. There is no language requirement. However, there will be an extra session for students with knowledge of Hebrew.
Ident. JWSG 48700

HCHR 30200

History of Christian Thought II

Otten

T/Th

9:00-10:20

S106

This second class in the HCT sequence deals with the period from Late Antiquity until the end of the Early Middle Ages; it stretches roughly from 450 through 1250. The following authors and themes will be analyzed and discussed: (1) the transition from Roman antiquity to the medieval period: Boethius and Cassiodorus; (2) the rise of asceticism in th West: Benedictur (Rule) and Gregory the Great; (3) intellectual solitaries: Dionysius the Areopagite and John Scottus Eriugena; (4) monastic and scholastic paragons: Anselm of Canterbury, Peter Abelard; (5) 12th century monastic diversity: Cistercians (Bernard of Clairvaux) and Victorines (Hugh and Richard of St. Victor); (6) the scholastic synthesis and the odd woman out: Thomas Aquinas and Julian of Norwich.
Ident. THEO 30200

HCHR 30300

History of Christian Thought III

Schreiner

W

3:00-5:50

S106

This course covers the early modern era from the 14th through the 16th century. The emphasis is on intellectual history, particularly that of the Reformation and the Council of Trent. The course includes readings from 14th century mystics, late-medieval dissidents such as John Hus, Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin, as well as Ignatius of Loyola and the Council of Trent.
Requirement of the course is a take-home examination based on the readings of these original sources.
Ident. THEO 30300

HCHR 31800

Before and After Augustine:
Echoes of a Church Father

Otten

T

1:00-3:50

S201

In his recent biography of Augustine (Augustine. A New Biography, New York, 2005) James J. O’Donnell has called Augustine the ‘inventor of Christianity’, since Christianity as we know it has supposedly derived more from Augustine than from Jesus Christ. This makes the question how to pinpoint Augustine’s influence a pressing one. This course will try to do so by comparing Augustine’s ideas on the church in history and society with the tradition before him as well as with the way in which they were subsequently received. The course will be divided into three parts. It will begin by sketching Christianity before Augustine, focusing especially on Ambrose and Gregory of Nyssa’s view of church and society as representing the pre-Augustinian generation. The second part will profile central Augustinian themes such as infant baptism and predestination (anti-Pelagian), and sacramental genealogy and ecclesiology (anti-Donatist) through a reading of Augustinian texts. In the third part the impact of the Augustinian makeover of Christianity will be discussed, with special attention paid to infant baptism and the sacraments as well as to medieval / reformed theories of grace and free will.
Ident. THEO 31800

HCHR 41700

Calvin’s Institutes

Schreiner

M/W

10:00-11:20

S400

This course examines the key concepts of Calvin’s theology through his major work; namely, the definitive 1559 edition of the Institutes of the Christian Religion. Requirements include an exegetical paper and either a take-home examination or a research paper.
IDENT. THEO 41300

HCHR 44300

Religion and Emotion in American Culture

Gilpin

W

1:30-4:20

S200

An historical analysis of the relation between religion and the passions, affections and emotions from the Puritans to William James.

HCHR 51800

Seminar: US Social History 2

Conzen

W

3:00-5:50

ARR

The Winter quarter seminar is open only to students who have taken “US Social History 1” in the Autumn quarter. Students write the seminar paper in the Winter quarter.
Ident. HIST 83102

HCHR 53500

Early Christian Biblical Interpretation

Mitchell

M

1:30-4:20

S403

This year the early Christian Biblical Interpretation seminar will focus on the topic: “In Search of the Literal Sense.” Recent theoretical treatments of patristic exegesis problematizing the dichotomy between Alexandrine allegory and Antiochene literalism have done so mostly from the side of the allegorical. In this seminar we shall turn the tables and study how appeals to the “literal” sense of biblical statements are rhetorically constructed and defended, and to what functions they are put, in writings of Tertullian, Origen, Eustathius, John Chrysostom, and others. We may also make some comparative forays into the sensus litteralis in contemporary Christianity in America.
PQ: Greek, Intro to New Testament or equivalent
Ident. BIBL 53500/NTEC 53500

ISLM 30624

Muslim-Christian Polemic and Apologetic
in the Classical Era

Reynolds

ARR

ARR

ARR

Our seminar is focused on the classical Arabic literature of Muslim-Christian interaction. We will begin with the Qur'an itself, examining its conversation with Christianity and Christians. Thereafter, we will turn to the tradition of Muslim anti-Christian polemic, including those authors who argue on a theological level and those who focus on particular historical and scriptural controversies. We will also consider the Christian Arabic responses to this literature, which present themselves as records of historical Muslim/Christian debates. Ultimately, we will seek to develop a profound knowledge of the themes and techniques of Muslim Christian controversial literature. At the same time, we will seek to understand both the motivation for this literature and its influence on Muslim-Christian relations.
PQ: A reading knowledge of Arabic is necessary; a reading knowledge of French and/or German is an asset.
Ident. NEHC 30624

ISLM 40400

Arabic Poetry of Shustari and Ibn al-‘Arabi

Sells

T

1:30-4:20

MEM Library

PQ: Arabic
Ident. RLIT40700/NEHC 40603

ISLM 40444

The Classical Sources II

Kadi

M

1:30-4:20

Or 210

A continuation of the Autumn course.

PQ: At least three years of Arabic.
Ident. ARAB 40444

ISLM 40500

Readings in the Text of the Qur’an

Sells

M

1:30-4:20

MEM Library

PQ: Arabic
Ident. NEHC 40601

ISLM 40700

Monarchies in the Modern Arab World:
Family, Religion and Power

Zeghal

W

1:30-4:20

S403

This class examines the history and the sociology of Arab monarchies in the 19th and 20th century Arab world. Why did some Arab monarchies disappear in the 20th century to be replaced by republics? How do monarchies function in the Arab Middle East? On what types of ideas is their legitimacy founded and contested? What is the role played by economic resources shared, distributed and confiscated? How are these political systems evolving today, and are they so different from models established by the Arab republics? Four current cases will be examined: Jordan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
PQ: Undergraduates 3rd/4th year standing
Ident. AASR 40500/RLST 28001

HREL 35401

Hinduism: An Alternative Narrative

Doniger

W/F

1:30-2:50

S208

A survey of the history of Hinduism, setting texts in historical contexts. Hinduism is usually taught as a cluster of timeless concepts: karma, dharma, reincarnation, renunciation, and so forth, contained within Sanskrit texts produced by dead Brahmin males. But like all religions, Hinduism is grounded in history, and in a broader social imagination. This course will take the relatively novel approach of situating each major idea in the context of the historical events to which it responded: the Rig Veda in the Indo-European migrations, the Upanishads in the social crisis of the first great cities on the Ganges, and so forth, up to the present day BJP revisionist tactics. And it will emphasize the alternative traditions of women and the lower classes. The reading will begin with two good survey texts and then focus closely on a few texts, some Sanskrit and some from vernacular literatures, from several different historical periods.
Reading list: John Keay, India, A History. New York: Grove Press, 2000; David M. Knipe, Hinduism. San Fransico: Harper, 1991; Axel Michaels, Hinduism, Past and Present. Princeton University Press, 2004; Gavin Flood, An Introduction to Hinduism. Cambridge University Press, 1996; Wendy Doniger O’Flaherty, Textural Sources for the Study of Hinduism. University of Chicago Press.
Ident. RLST 27402/SALC 30302

HREL 42501

Many Ramayanas

Doniger

W/F

10:00-11:20

S200

A close reading of the great Hindu Epic, the story of Rama's recovery of his wife, Sita, from the demon Ravana on the island of Lanka, with special attention to changes in the telling of the story throughout Indian history, up to its present use as a political weapon against Muslims and a rallying point for Hindu fundamentalists. Readings in in English translations of several Ramayanas, including Valmiki (from the Sanskrit); Tulsi (from the Hindi); Kampan (Tamil); and Aubrey Menen (British Raj); in Paula Richman, Many Ramayanas and Questioning Ramayanas; as well as the Ramajataka, the Yogavasistha-Maharamayana, and contemporary comic books and films. Undergraduates welcome.
Ident. SALC 42501/SCTH 40701

HREL 46300

The Ethnography of Lived Religion:
Animism, Polytheism, Humanity

Collins

M/Th

1:30-2:50

Swift 201

Ident. SALC 46100

HREL 48400

Liminal Beings: Vampires and Others

Lincoln

T/TH

10:30-11:50

S208

Ident. ANTH 42410

HREL 52500

Readings in Tibetan Religious Literature

Wedemeyer

M/W

10:00-11:20

S403

Guided readings in Tibetan religious literature of various periods and genres.
PQ: 2nd year Tibetan (TBTN 20300)
Ident. SALC 50500

RLIT 40700

Arabic Poetry of Shustari and Ibn al-‘Arabi

Sells

T

1:30-4:2

MEM Library

PQ: Arabic
Ident. ISLM 40400/NEHC 40603

RLIT 51900

Proseminar in Religion and Literature

Rosengarten

F

9:00-11:50

S101

A seminar for Ph.D. students only in religion and literature.

RETH 31100

History of Theological Ethics I

Schweiker

T/TH

1:30-2:50

S106

This is the first part of a two-part history. It is conducted through the study of basic, classical texts. The course moves from the philosophical ethics of the Greek and Roman worlds through strands of Hebrew scripture, the origins of the Christian movement, the end of the Roman age to the emergence of Islam, and, finally, Christian and Jewish scholastic and mystical thought in the Western middle ages. While the golden thread of the history is the origin and differentiation of Christian moral thinking, this is set within and compared with the complexity of traditions (Hellenistic philosophical, Jewish, Islamic) that intersect and often collide throughout these formative centuries in Western thought. In this way, the exploration of one tradition opens onto rich comparative thinking. The course proceeds by lectures and discussion. Most readings are in translation. There will be a final examination. This is a basic course and thus no previous work in theology, philosophy or ethics is required.
Ident. THEO 31100

RETH 34200

Cicero’s De Finibus and Hellenistic Ethics

Nussbaum/Lear

T

3:00-5:45

LBQ

Cicero’s dialogue De Finibus (On Ends) is his attempt to sort out the major arguments for and against the ethical thories characteristic of Epicureanism, Stoicism and the “New Academy.” It thus provides us with some or our best information about the views of these schools, as well as with critical arguments of great interest. We will read extracts from the dialogue in Latin, focusing on Epicureanism (Books 1 and II) and Stoicism (Books III and IV), and we will study the entire work in translation, along with relevant primary sources for the views of the schools (the surviving letters of Epicurus, central texts of Greek and Roman Stoicism). The course will thus aim to provide a solid introduction to the major ethical theories of the Hellenistic period. This course is open to all who have had 5 quarters of Latin, or equivalent preparation. Translation will always take place during the first hour, and students without Latin are invited to take the course for an R or audit, arriving after that time and doing all the readings in translation.
Ident. GREK 36607/LAWS 52401

RETH 44000

Methods and Theories in Comparative Religious Ethics

Schweiker

T/TH

10:30-11:50

S200

This course engages important works in the developing field of comparative religious ethics. The main concern will be with texts that tackle the difficult problem of the “method” of comparison and also develop theories for comparative ethics. Attention will also be given to the actual comparison of the moral thought of various traditions. The main purpose of the course is familiarity with the main options and lines of debate in comparative religious ethics. Previous doctoral level work in religious ethics or approval of instructor required.
PQ: Previous graduate work in ethics.

RETH 45800

Politics, Ethics and Terror

Elshtain

M

1:30-4:20

S106

An examination of three responses to 20th century totalitarianism: Arendt, Bonhoeffer and Camus. What ethical wellsprings were drawn upon to confront Nazism and Stalinism? What sorts of arguments about the function of ideology, the loss of limits, the transgression of “orders of being,” metaphors of plague or other ravages got deployed and to what ends? What is the connection between explanation, understanding and action in the “dark times” through which our thinkers lived or in which they died?
Ident. PLSC 45800

RETH 50200

Political Realism

Elshtain

T

1:30-4:20

S208

An exploration of the realist tradition in politics and its ethical implications. Readings include Thucydides, Hobbes, Machiavelli, Waltz, Arendt and R. Niebuhr.
Ident. PLSC 50200

RETH 51302

Law-Philosophy Seminar

Nussbaum/Anderson

M

4:00-6:00

ARR

This is the second part of the seminar-workshop which began in the Autumn quarter.
PQ: Students who were admitted to the Autumn seminar may register
Ident. LAW/PHIL/GNDS/PLSC 51200

AASR 36000

Fieldwork Methodology in the Social Sciences

Zeghal

Th

10:30-1:20

S403

This course introduces fieldwork methodology and analysis: from the choice of a “site” to the preparation of a questionnaire, to the ethics and method of getting into contact, and to interviewing and interacting with human subjects. How do we relate the preparation of a fieldwork to researching theoretical questions? How do we exploit the data collected? What are the politics and the aesthetics of an ethnographic enterprise?

We will examine parts of the vast literature on the ethnographic enterprise and its history. We will also develop our own ethnographic enquiry around the following theme: “Political life on campus.” Starting from this large and temporary definition of our “object” of research, we will collectively prepare the fieldwork, choose the sites of ethnography and assign to each of us one (or more) particular method(s), from observation to open or more structured interviews. The last phase of this work will be to collect our field notes and interviews, the building of a –-limited— corpus, the possible redefining of our theoretical questions, and the inter- pretation of our findings.

AASR 40500

Monarchies in the Modern Arab World:
Family, Religion and Power

Zeghal

W

1:30-4:20

S403

This class examines the history and the sociology of Arab monarchies in the 19th and 20th century Arab world. Why did some Arab monarchies disappear in the 20th century to be replaced by republics? How do monarchies function in the Arab Middle East? On what types of ideas is their legitimacy founded and contested? What is the role played by economic resources shared, distributed and confiscated? How are these political systems evolving today, and are they so different from models established by the Arab republics? Four current cases will be examined: Jordan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
PQ: Undergraduates 3rd/4th year standing
Ident. ISLM 40700/RLST 28001