Religion Offerings
Spring 2003
640:024 Religions of the World
Professor S. Hill
Section 1 9:00 MWF
What does it take to work well in our global culture? As workplaces become increasingly diverse and many businesses enter in to the global marketplace, it is more important than ever that we understand the ways that religion helps to shape and reflect business practices and attitudes. This course explores the world's religions by attempting to understand how various religious traditions think about issues such as private gain and public benefit, greed, and making an honest living. For example, how are Christianity and capitalism related? What does reincarnation have to do with work in Hinduism? Would a Buddhist want to accumulate great wealth? Why is charity or zakat a religious duty in Islam? How does the creation of the world influence Jewish ideas of work? Exploring the answers to these kinds of questions can not only teach us about the world's religions, it can help us become more astute and creative participants in the world of work. This course is especially geared to business majors and satisfies the general education requirement from Category 2B.
Text: Elizabeth Breuilly, et al, Religions of the World; Jacob Neusner, ed. Making an Honest Living; T.R. Reid, Confucious Lives Next Door.
Professor
Reineke
Section 2 11:00 - 12:15 TTh
Section 6 3:30 - 4:45 TTh
Family Life Emphasis
This Religions of the World course will focus on the dynamics of family life in the world religions and the obligations of family members to each other. Questions to be considered include: What roles are prescribed by the world religions for husbands and wives? How does each of the world religions describe the "good parent?" What does each world religion teach children about how they should treat their parents? What rituals are associated with family life? What happens when the family breaks down? What unconventional families are described by each world religion (e.g., orders of monks and nuns)? The course format includes videos, discussion, and small group work.
Text: Breuilly, Religions of the World; Neusner, Comparing Religious Traditions: Ethics of Family Life
Professor Stephens
Section 3 12:30 - 1:45
Section 4 2:00 - 3:15
Living religions of humankind with emphasis on their relevance to interpretations of existence, the problem of meaning and values, and human destiny.
Professor Robinson
Section 5 2:00 - 3:15
The world and history are filled with many religions but just what is religion about? It is about ethics, it is about community, it is about tradition, and it is about finding meaning. But above all, it is about living in a reality that pervades the human condition and yet stands above and beyond it. This reality is expressed in symbols and images which give meaning, direction and commitment to life. Different peoples think of this transcendent reality in different ways and use very different symbols and images. Different religions have reached a variety of answers to the basic questions of life. We may not find answers that satisfy everyone but we can at least learn to appreciate the many ways of being religious.
This particular section of Religions of the World emphasizes religions as different ways of understanding reality and living in that understanding. Attention is paid to beliefs, practices and forms of community but will primarily focus on the symbols and images that express what is above and beyond the ordinary human life. Our textbook emphasizes the contemporary practice of religion in cultural and historical context.
Bruilly et al, Religions of the World, Facts on File
Section 7 5:30 - 8:20 T eve (Allen Hospital)
Since the dawn of humanity, religion has been intimately connected with health and healing. Every religion has evolved certain beliefs, rituals and practices associated with the human body and its maintenance. Our modern pluralistic society must learn to deal with this diversity of beliefs and practices. This section of Religions of the World emphasizes healing and religion/spirituality and religious reflections on life after death. While open to everyone, it is a section of Religions of the World particularly appropriate to those studying to be medical professionals or healthy specialists
Bruilly et al, Religions of the World; Multi-faith Resources,
640:110 Angels Across Cultures
9:30 – 10:45 TTh
Professor Robinson
From ancient times to the present, religions have suggested that, between our human realm and ultimate reality, there lies an Aintermediate realm@ of spiritual beings who interact with mortals for good or ill. A familiar example in our culture is the angels who are said to watch over us or to help us in our hour of need. But other cultures have testified to similar Adwellers in the invisible realm@ who function in similar manner B the devas of India, the bodhisattvas of Buddhism, the kami of Japan, the gods and goddesses of Voodoo, each with their distinctive hierarchies and particular relations with individuals and communities.
This course is essentially an exercise in the history of religions. We will begin with a study of angels, the different beliefs about them, their theology and their history. From that base, we will study other examples of non-ultimate divine beings. Our task is to understand an important but neglected component of religious history. Our methods will be both critical and empathetic.
Robert Kirven, Angels in Action, Chrysalis Books and others to be determined.
649:117g Religion in America
2:00 - 3:15 TTH
Professor DeBerg
Investigation of religious movements and beliefs from colonial times to the present. Recommended to precede this course, one of the following: 640:024; 650:021. Prerequisite: junior standing or consent of instructor. (Same as 960:145g.)
640:130
Great Living Religions: Judaism & Islam
12:30 - 1:45 TTh
Professor Atkinson
This course is an introduction to the history and ideas of Judaism and Islam. In this class, we will study the doctrines, texts, and religious practices of Judaism and Islam in their cultural context with attention to their historical development and current situation. The historical portion of this class will explore Jewish and Islamic history by reading major selections from the Old Testament and the Koran. We will also read other texts from later Jewish and Islamic history to examine the historical and religious development of both religions. No prior knowledge of either Judaism or Islam is required. This course will be of particular relevance to students interested in religion, philosophy, history, international studies and business, political science, and literature.
640:142 New Testament and Early Christian Writings
3:30 - 4:45 TTh
Professor Atkinson
This course is an introduction to the history and ideas of the New Testament and other early Christian writings. The class will examine how the books of the New Testament came into being, who produced them, what they mean, and how they came to be collected into a canon of Scripture. In this course students will not only examine the New Testament, but will also read a variety of other early Christian writings that illumine the development of Christianity? Classes will also include presentations of recent unpublished archaeological and textual discoveries, from the instructor=s archaeological excavations and research on the Dead Sea Scrolls that help us to understand the world of the New Testament and early Christianity
640:159 Karma, Rebirth & Human Destiny
11:00-12:15 TTh
Professor Stephens
This course provides an examination of the development of the doctrines of karma and rebirth in the history of Indian religions as a basis for understanding modern attempts to formulate ideas of human destiny and meaning. To achieve this end, the course will begin by examining early references to karma in selected Indian texts. A comparative work by a leading scholar will serve as the reference point for understanding karma theory and theories of rebirth as taught in the classical Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist traditions. This will be followed by examining the ways in which certain modern Indian thinkers have sought to reinterpret “classical karma theory.” The course concludes with an analysis of two important ways in which karma theory has been received in the modern West–in the work of Ian Stevenson and in the New Age movement. At the conclusion of the semester, students will have a better understanding of the place of karma and rebirth theories within the history of world religious thought. Requirements include a midterm, a final, and a 8-10 page term paper.
Text: Gananath Obeyesekere, Imagining Karma: Ethical Transformation in Amerindian, Buddhist, and Greek Rebirth. University of California Press, 2002; Sri Aurobindo, Rebirth and Karma, edited by Sa Ashram. Lotus Press, 1998; Ian Stevenson, 20 Cases Suggestive of Reincarnation, second edition. University Press of Virginia, 1974; Christopher Bache, Lifecycles: Reincarnation and the Web of Life. Paragon House, 1994.
640:165 Religion & Society
2:00- 3:15 MW
Professor Reineke
Religion has been and remains a vital cultural force in Iowa. Waves of immigration to Iowa have produced a rich landscape, characterized by a multiethnic cultural and religious life. This course speaks to a conviction that civic life is enhanced when we know our diverse religious histories and are acquainted with the religious practices of our neighbors. Course activities aim to 1) enhance communication and understanding among persons of varied religious and cultural traditions and 2) contribute to an appreciation for and understanding of the role religion has played and continues to play in American individual, cultural, and community life. In particular, students in the course will document the role of religion in every-day Iowa life. Students will undertake learning activities and projects in the local community.
640/650:173g Bio-Medical Ethics
6:00-7:15 MW eve
Professor Morgan
We can now keep people alive longer - although not always with a high quality of life. Our newer genetic technologies raise the possibility of eliminating tendencies to be stricken with cancer and other diseases, but also the prospect of enhancing certain traits so as to create “designer babies.”
We can transplant organs with increasing degrees of success. We can cure many fertility problems - including extending the age when women can get pregnant. These and other new health care techniques pose vexing ethical questions concerning their use. Also, many of them are extremely expensive while millions are unable to afford even basic care.
In this course we will apply the principles and methods of ethical theory to examining a number of issues in health care and related fields. A significant part of our procedure will involve case studies of actual situations along with discussions of problems from students' own experiences. Topics to be discussed include: patient autonomy; abortion and reproductive rights; confidentiality and privacy; professional rights and responsibilities; provider/patient relationships; euthanasia; experimentation on humans and animals; genetic experimentation and other exotic technologies; conflicting value systems, and the allocation of health care resources.
This course is open without pre-requisite to all students and should be special interest to students interested in ethics, philosophy, religion, medicine, nursing, social work and other health care professions. It is available for either Study of Religion (640) or Philosophy (650) credit.
Texts: Munson, Intervention and Reflection. 6th ed.
640/650:174g Ethics in Business
Section 1 8:00 - 9:15 TTh Professor Wood
Section 2 9:30 - 10:45 TTh Professor Wood
Long topics of controversy, American business practices and the values they reflect face intense scrutiny and criticism today. In this course we will apply the principles and methods of philosophical ethics to pressing business issues both at home and abroad. Our discussions will range over general topics regarding profits, products, and services; corporations, government, and society; tensions and accommodations between employees and employers. We will also address specific issues concerning work and the workplace; the corporation and its various stakeholders; and ethics in the global marketplace. Our readings will be drawn from sources in philosophy, economics, business, and law. While we will study ethical principles, our emphasis will always be on the light principles thrown upon three take-home essays, joint presentation of a case study, and class participation.
640/650:197 Ethics Practicum
ARR
Professor Morgan
The Ethics Practicum affords students an opportunity to combine a service-learning experience with the study of theoretical and applied ethics. It is available for credit either in Philosophy or in the Study of Religion. Students enrolled in the Practicum will contribute 4-6 hours of service each week during the term to a community agency, working under a facilitator of that agency. The instructor will serve as their on-campus advisor. The purpose of the service is to acquaint students with the work of the agency and with the various issues - including ethical issues - that are confronted in such work. Students will keep a journal of their activities and of their observations and reflections regarding them. Participants will meet with the instructor to share and discuss experiences and issues encountered.
At the end of the semester each student will submit a written narrative of and reflection on the experience plus a separate paper investigating an ethical issue related to their work. Students interested in enrolling in the Ethics Practicum must consult with the instructor prior to enrolling and must submit a written proposal concerning the type of service to be undertaken. At least one previous course in ethics is required.