2009-10 Undergraduate Catalog
Course Descriptions
REL 2000 Introduction to Religion
Credits: 3.
Introduces the historical underpinnings, geographical movement, development and current expression of a variety of religious traditions. (H)
REL 2104 Environmental Ethics
Credits: 3.
Exploration of competing secular and religious views regarding human impacts on and moral responsibilities toward nature and of the key thinkers and social movements in contention over them. (H)
REL 2109 American Religious Diversity
Credits: 3.
A look at the major groupings of religion in the United States, how they differ, what they have in common, the various dimensions of each in their interaction, and their roles in the society of the American people. (H, D)
REL 2121 American Religious History
Credits: 3.
An historical inquiry into the ideological origins and social context of American religious life. (H, D)
REL 2164 Religion and Science
Credits: 3.
Introduces important issues involved in the relations between religion and the natural and physical sciences. Major themes include religious dimensions of science, creation and evolution, ecology, ethics, views of human nature, and scientific analyses of religious practice. (H)
REL 2174 Social Ethics
Credits: 3.
This course will guide the students to reflect on how ethical decisions are made, drawing on resources from Antiquity, the Bible, and texts and thinkers from several traditions across time and space. (H) (WR)
REL 2210 Hebrew Scriptures
Credits: 3.
The history, literature and beliefs of the Israelites from the Biblical text, in the light of modern scholarship. (H)
REL 2240 New Testament
Credits: 3.
An introduction to the various literary, social and religious contexts of the books of the New Testament. (H)
REL 2300 Introduction to World Religions
Credits: 3.
This course examines the origin, historical development, and key figures, concepts, symbols practices, and institutions of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, as well as East Asian traditions, inclluding Taoism, Shinto, and Confucianism.
REL 2302 Introduction to Hindu Culture
Credits: 3.
This course examines the history, performing arts and cultural expressions of the Hindu traditions of India and in the diaspora.
REL 2315 Religion in Asia (changed from REL 2317 eff. Fall 09)
Credits: 3.
A study of the religious dimensions of human culture, focusing on Asia (Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Shinto). (H, N)
REL 2341 Introduction to Buddhism
Credits: 3.
The course is an introduction to the doctrines, practices, and institutions that shaped the essential identity of Buddhism as a pan-Asian religion that transcended ethic, cultural, and linguistic boundaries. (H)
REL 2362 Introduction to Islam
Credits: 3.
An historical introduction to Islamic tradition. The course will explore foundational elements of the tradition, based on the life of Prophet Muhammad and the text of the Qur'an, and on an examination of subsequent Islamic expressions. (H, N)
REL 2388 Native American Religions
Credits: 3.
This course focuses on the religious values, attitudes and norms of Native American peoples within the United States. (H, WR)
REL 2600 Introduction to Judaism
Credits: 3.
A multidisciplinary approach to the Jewish experience from its Biblical origins to modern times. (H, N)
REL 2930 Topics in Religion
Credits: 3.
Variable topics in religion at an introductory level. May be repeated with a change in content up to a maximum of 6 credits. (H)
REL 3021 The Individual and Religious Experience
Credits: 3.
An investigation of religious ideas and practices and their meaning for the individual. (H)
REL 3022 Myth and Ritual
Credits: 3.
Theory and method in the anthropological and religious studies of myths, rituals, religious specialists and religious movements using examples from cultures throughout the world.
REL 3103 Religion and Nature in North America
Credits: 3.
Investigation of the ways that religion and nature have evolved and influenced one another during the cultural, political and environmental history of North America since European contact. (H)
REL 3120 Religion and the American Immigrant Experience
Credits: 3.
Offers a survey of the roles that religion has played in some significant movements of people into and out of the U.S. from the pre-Colonial period to the present.
REL 3128 Latinos(as) in the U.S.
Credits: 3.
This course is a survey of the history of Latino(a) presence in the U.S. and examines the roles religion has played.
REL 3131 Cults and New Religious Movements
Credits: 3.
An investigation of significant new religious movements such as the People's Temple and the Branch Davidians. The course seeks to uncover the origins, internal structure, popularity and functioning of these movements while attending to claims of manipulation and discrimination. (S)
REL 3139 African American Religion
Credits: 3.
An interdisciplinary study of African American religious experience from its beginnings in the 17th century to the present. (H)
REL 3140 Religion and Society
Credits: 3.
The interaction of religion and social institutions, concerning the ways religious groups influence and are influenced by the socio-cultural environment. (S) (WR)
REL 3154 Gender and Nature
Credits: 3.
This class will examine the relationship between gender and nature as it is constructed in different religious traditions.
REL 3170 Ethics in Religious Perspective
Credits: 3.
An exploration of ethical concepts in Western religions, and of religious dimensions of current moral issues.(H, S) (WR)
REL 3179 Race, Religion and Rebellion
Credits: 3.
An examination of the interplay of religion, race and rebellion in the various revelots, insurrections and social movements of African Americans in the United States.
REL 3213 Hebrew Bible as Literature
Credits: 3.
An intensive introduction to the literary study of the Hebrew Bible within the context of ancient Near Eastern literature and history.
REL 3249 The Christian Gospels
Credits: 3; Prereq: REL 2210 or REL 2240, or instructor permission.
A redaction-critical study of selected portions of the canonical gospels with particular attention to the development of traditions about Jesus in the earliest church. (H) (WR)
REL 3231 The Book of Job
Credits: 3; Prereq: instructor permission.
This course examines the biblical book of Job and the ongoing tradition of its interpretation.
REL 3234 Wisdom in the Hebrew Bible
Credits: 3.
This course examines ancient Israelite and early Jewish wisdom literature alongside similar literature from ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt.
REL 3252 Acts, Paul and Early Christianity
Credits: 3; Prereq: REL 2210 or REL 2240, or instructor permission.
An examination of the narrative of the beginning of Christianity according to the Book of Acts, especially as it describes the career of Paul. The second half of the course focuses on the letters of Paul as an alternative source for understanding the earliest forms of Christianity. (H) (WR)
REL 3291 Gender and the Hebrew Bible
Credits: 3.
A critical examination of the litrary representation and historical realities of gender and sexuality in ancient Israel through close readings of selected texts from the Hebrew Bible.
REL 3315 Religions of Iran
Credits: 3.
REL 3318 Chinese Religions
Credits: 3.
The course is a comprehensive historical survey of the main religious traditions in China, with focus on Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism.
REL 3321 Early Judaism and Christianity
Credits: 3.
An examination of the Jewish-Christian encounter. The historical interaction between Judaism and Christianity including how each group symbolized the other, and the practical implications of the representations. (H, N) (WR)
REL 3330 Religions of India
Credits: 3.
An historical look at the major religious traditions of the Indian subcontinent. (H, N) (WR)
REL 3333 Gods, Sages and Kings: Mythology
Credits: 3.
A survey and analysis of important narrative genres and myth cycles of premodern India, featuring selections from the Vedas, Puranas and the Indian epics, read in translation. (H)
REL 3335 Hindu Sacred Text/Social- Ritual Context
Credits: 3; Prereq: any course in Asian Religion, Asian Scripture or REL 4024.
An investigation of the development, use, authority and performance of sacred texts in ritual, drama, festival and music within the Hindu tradition. (H, N)
REL 3336 Religion in Modern India
Credits: 3.
A study of the religious traditions of India and their interpretation in relation to conditions of the modern world. (H, N) (WR)
REL 3344 Chinese Buddhism
Credits: 3.
Comprehensive historical survey of Chinese Buddhism. Explores the growth and transformation of the beliefs, doctrines, practices and institutions that shaped the historical trajectory of Chinese Buddhism.
REL 3370 Religions of Africa
Credits: 3.
The course will focus on religion and culture in Africa, the encounter of Islam and Christianity with indigenous religions, and diasporic reformulations. (H, N) (WR)
REL 3371 Islam in Africa
Credits: 3.
Provides an overview of the development of Muslim societies in Africa from the 7th to the early 20th century with a focus on the religious dynamics that led to the formation of a multitude of African Muslim cultures.
REL 3381 Religion in Latin America
Credits: 3.
This course provides a survey of the main religious traditions in Latin America: native religions, Catholicism in its various forms, Protestantism and African-based religions. (H, N)
REL 3390 Apocalypticism
Credits: 3.
Exploration of Jewish and Christian apocalypticism through a survey of apocalyptic texts from the Hebrew Bible, Second Temple Jewish literature (including the Dead Sea Scrolls), and the New Testament. (H)
REL 3392 Jewish Mysticism
Credits: 3; Prereq: refer to the department.
Mysticism in Judaism in Biblical, Rabbinic, Medieval and Modern periods. (H) (WR)
REL 3395 Religion and Violence
Credits: 3.
This course explores the problem of violence that springs from religious roots in Western, Asian, African and Native American traditions. (H, N) (WR)
REL 3440 Religion and the Modern Mind
Credits: 3.
An examination of the modern outlook, focusing upon conceptual commitments associated with present cultural styles, with attention to certain critical issues for religion. (H) (WR)
REL 3463 God: Beliefs, Concepts, Issues
Credits: 3.
An investigation of central issues connected with the concept of God in Western religious traditions. Topics include arguments for the existence of God, the problem of evil, theodicy, faith and reason. (H)
REL 3492 Religion Ethics and Nature
Credits: 3.
Religious perspectives on nature and the environment, focusing on different theological understandings of the natural world, approaches to using natural resources and efforts to understand human responsibility for the realm of nature. (H)
REL 3563 American Catholicism
Credits: 3.
An introductory overview of the American Catholic experience from an historical and sociological perspective. (H) (WR)
REL 3607 Judaism and Nature
Credits: 3.
A survey of Jewish traditions about nature, the environment, and ecology.
REL 3608 Modern Judaism
Credits: 3.
This course investigates the development of religious and political understandings of Jews, Judaism and Jewish identity in the modern and contemporary periods.
REL 3626 Rewritten Bible: Midrash
Credits: 3.
Introduces students to Jewish biblical interpretation, or midrash, from antiquity to today.
REL 3931 Junior Seminar
Credits: 3.
An intensive introduction to approaches to the study of religion. Required of all religion majors during their junior year.
REL 3938 Special Topics in Religion
Credits: 3; can be repeated with change in content up to 12 credits. (H) (WR)
REL 4092 Ethics, Utopias and Dystopias
Credits: 3; Prereq: instructor permission.
Relationships between ethics and utopias in literature, religious communities and millenarian movements. (H) (WR)
REL 4134 Religion in Southern Culture
Credits: 3.
Development of religious life in the South through its history, with particular reference to its interaction with regional culture. (H) (WR)
REL 4141 Religion and Social Change
Credits: 3.
An investigation of the diverse relations between religion and processes of social change. The course uses both theoretical and ethnographic case studies to explore issues raised by religion's social role in the U.S., Britain, Asia, Latin America and Africa. (S) (WR)
REL 4145 Women in Religion and Society
Credits: 3; Prereq: instructor permission.
Provides an understanding of both the oppressive and liberatory aspects of the three monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) for women.
REL 4173 Religion, Ethics and Sustainable Agriculture
Credits: 3; Prereq: instructor permission.
Examines the role of agriculture within religious thought and practice.
REL 4177 Special Topics in Religion and Ethics
Credits: 3; can be repeated with change in content up to 9 credits. (WR)
REL 4188 Special Topics in Religion and Ethics
Credits: 3.
Examines the ethical, religious and political dimensions of the relationship between ethical ideas and practices, including the divergence between expressed values and actual practices and some possible reasons for this divergence.
REL 4198 Religion Modern Postmodern
Credits: 3; Prereq: one previous course in religion or philosophy, or instructor permission.
This course examines the key themes that have characterized modernity-postmodernity debate and the impact of this debate for the study of religion. (H)
REL 4209 Dead Sea Scrolls and Early Jewish Literature
Credits: 3; Prereq: refer to the department.
This course will explore the varieties of literature which arose within Judaism from 250 BCE to 220 CE, including selections from the Dead Sea Scrolls, the OT Pseudepigrapha, Philo and Josephus. (H)
REL 4219 Gender and Genesis
Credits: 3.
An exploration of what the first book of the Bible says about God, gender, power, sexuality and family values, through close readings of primary biblical sources and contemporary (feminist and queer) scholarship. (H) (WR)
REL 4221 The Pentateuch
Credits: 3; can be repeated with change in content up to 6 credits; Prereq: instructor permission.
An in-depth study of the Pentateuch (Genesis - Deuteronomy) in light of modern biblical scholarship.
REL 4293 Special Topics in Biblical Studies
Credits: 3; can be repeated with change in content up to 9 credits.
Advanced study of special topics for students with previous courses in biblical studies. (WR)
REL 4337 Women in Hindu Tradition
Credits: 3; Prereq: one course in Hinduism.
A study of women in Hindu traditions focusing on their participation in temple practices, religious scholarship and practices of piety and austerity. Special attention is given to women poets, scholars, ascetics and patrons in Hindu religions and society. (H, N) (WR)
REL 4343 Buddhism Across Boundaries: Transmission and Transformation of Buddhist Traditions
Credits: 3.
A cross-cultural history of Buddhism is studied from the perspective of selected primary and secondary sources. (H,N)
REL 4345 Chan/Zen Buddhism
Credits: 3; Prereq: Introduction to Buddhism, Chinese Religions, or instructor permission.
The course is a comprehensive inquiry of the history, doctrines and practices of the Chan/Zen tradition of East Asian Buddhism.
REL 4349 Buddhist Meditation
Credits: 3; Prereq: Introduction to Buddhism, or instructor permission.
The course explores the theory and practice of Buddhist meditation, with focus on the systems of meditation practice developed by the Theravada school in Sri Lanka and the main traditions of Chinese Buddhism.
REL 4361 Women and Islam
Credits: 3; Prereq: instructor permission.
Provides an interdisciplinary understanding of the history and role of women in Islam.
REL 4364 Classical Islamic Thought
Credits: 3; Prereq: one prior course in Islam.
The rise, development and articulation of diverse modes of rational inquiry during the first three formative centuries of Islam, including law, theology, philosophy, Qur'anic exegesis, hadith, historiography, and science.
REL 4367 The History of Islam in the Modern World
Credits: 3; Prereq: REL 2362.
The history of Muslims from the eighteenth century to the present with particular attention to certain critical issues and interpretations in relation to conditions of the modern world. (H, N) (WR)
REL 4382 Religion and Politics in Latin America
Credits: 3.
This seminar focuses on the relationship between religion and politics in Latin America, from a variety of perspectives and approaches. It addresses millenarian movements, gender, ethnicity, and class, as well as church-state dynamics. (S, N)
REL 4393 Islam in the Americas
Credits: 3; Prereq: instructor permission.
Provides knowledge of Islam in the Americas from the 15th century to the present. (H) (WR)
REL 4433 Religion and Existentialism
Credits: 3; Prereq: instructor permission.
An in-depth exploration of the main works of various existentialist thinkers with a particular emphasis on their views of religion.
REL 4490 Special Topics in Religious Thought
Credits: 3; can be repeated with change in content up to 9 credits. (WR)
REL 4491 Sacred Geographies: Place, Space and Pilgrimage In South Asia
Credits: 3; Prereq: REL 2317, REL 2341 OR REL 3022.
With a focus on reading primary texts in translation, supplemented with recent ethnographies, this weekly seminar will explore various conceptions of sacred space and place - and movement to, from and between them - in the indic imagination.
REL 4611 Israelite Religion
Credits: 3; Prereq: instructor permission.
A comparative survey of literatry, historical, ritual and material aspects of ancient Israelite religion with evidence from Canaan, Mesopotamia, Greece and Rome.
REL 4625 Early Rabbinic Judaism
Credits: 3; Prereq: refer to the department.
A critical and historicized introduction to the Rabbinic texts of Mishnah, Midrash and Talmud. Emphasis is placed on the growth and development of the Rabbinic movement, and upon reading practices. (H, N)
REL 4671 Gender and Judaism
Credits: 3; Prereq: refer to the department.
An examination of the notions of male and female in Jewish religion, how they have been formed, and how they are changing.
REL 4905 Individual Work
Credits: 1 to 5; can be repeated with change in content up to 9 credits. Prereq: 9 hours in religion, or department permission.
Majors or other advanced undergraduates who wish to supplement regular course work by individual studies under guidance may apply to a member of the faculty for individual work.
REL 4930 Special Topics Religious Thought
Credits: 3.
May be repeated with a change of content up to a maximum of 6 credits.
REL 4932 Thesis Seminar in Religion
Credits: 3.
Honors level students' option for thesis preparation.
REL 4933 The Comparative Study of Religion
Credits: 3; Prereq: junior or senior standing and department permission.
A study of the history and major methods that have contributed to the modern study of religion. (H) (WR)
REL 4936 Special Topics in Religious Studies
Credits: 3; can be repeated with change in content up to 9 credits.
Advanced study for students with proper preparation of selected topics involving one or more religious traditions. (WR)
REL 4956 Overseas Studies
Credits: 1 to 18; can be repeated with change in topic up to 18 credits. Prereq: Permission of undergraduate adviser.
This revolving topics course provides a mechanism by which course work taken abroad as part of an approved student program can be recorded on the transcript and counted toward UF graduation.
SRK 1120 Beginning Sanskrit 1
Credits: 4.
SRK 1121 Beginning Sanskrit 2
Credits: 4.
This is the second semester of a two-semester course that introduces the Sanskrit language through the Devanagari Script emphasizing reading, writing, grammar and oral recitation.
SRK 2200 Intermediate Sanskrit 1
Credits: 3; Prereq: SRK 1121 with a grade of C or better, or equivalent.
Intermediate study of Sanskrit to increase knowledge of vocabulary by developing reading and translation skills.
SRK 2201 Intermediate Sanskrit 2
Credits: 3; Prereq: SRK 2200 with a grade of C or better, or equivalent.
Continuation of intermediate Sanskrit to increase knowledge of vocabulary by developing reading and translation skills.
SRK 3410 Advanced Sanskrit 1
Credits: 3; Prereq: SRK 2201 with a grade of C or better, or equivalent.
Advanced study of Sanskrit to further develop skills in reading and understanding texts.
SRK 3411 Advanced Sanskrit 2
Credits: 3; Prereq: SKR 3410 with a grade of C or better, or equivalent.
Continuation of advanced Sanskrit to further develop skills in reading and understanding texts.
>The following religion courses are offered by other departments:
ANT 3241 Anthropology of Religion
(S, N)
ANT 3375 Islamic Civilization
(H, N) (WR)
CLT 3371 Religions of the Graeco-Roman World
(H, N)
LIT 3173 Jewish Literature
Credits: 3. (H, N)
POS 4291 Religion and Politics in the United States
(WR)
SYO 4200 Sociology of Religion
(S, N) (WR)
General Education Categories
Consult Schedule of Courses for specific information.
- Biological Sciences (B)
- Composition (C)
- Diversity (D)*
- Humanities (H)
- International (N)*
- Mathematics (M)
- Physical Sciences (P)
- Social and Behavioral Sciences (S)
* Students who entered UF prior to Summer B 2007 and/or whose catalog year is not 2007-08: Current students who have not already completed six hours of "I" - international/diversity credits can do so now by taking "D" and "N" courses.
Symbols Used in Course Descriptions
- (WR) indicates the course satisfies the writing requirement.
- (MR) indicates the course satisfies the math requirement.
- (S-U) indicates the course may be taken on a satisfactory-unsatisfactory basis.
- Refer to the Schedule of Courses for specific information.