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2018-2019 Academic Catalog 
    
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2018-2019 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Course Descriptions

Course Numbering System

The following lists include all courses normally offered at Albion College. However, not all courses are offered every year. When possible, courses offered in alternate years are designated. For details, students should consult the Class Schedule for each semester, available online at: www.albion.edu/registrar. The College reserves the right to add or withdraw courses without prior announcement, as conditions may require.

Unless otherwise stated, 100 level courses are intended for freshmen, 200 level for sophomores, 300 and 400 level for juniors and seniors.

A list of courses which meet the core and category requirements, organized by departments, is available online at www.albion.edu/registrar.

Further information may be obtained at the Registrar’s Office in the Ferguson Student, Technology, and Administrative Services Building.
 

Religious Studies

Note: Courses in religious studies carry no prerequisites unless specified under the course listing. The 101 and 102 courses do, however, provide useful background for other courses in the department and thus are recommended for students who may elect more than one course in the department.
  

  • RS 101: Introduction to Western Religions

    (1 Unit)
    An introduction to major Western religions as represented by Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Topics include the nature of religion and religious experience in the West; origins and development of each major religion; sacred literature, formative myths, symbols and fundamental tenets; forms of religious expression, spirituality and worship; and the relationship to the world as seen in ethical orientations and institutions. McWhirter, Mourad.
  

  • RS 102: Introduction to Eastern Religions

    (1 Unit)
    An introduction to major Eastern religions as represented by Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and Shinto. Topics include the nature of religion and religious experience in the East; origins and development of each major religion; sacred literature, formative myths, symbols and fundamental tenets; forms of religious expression, spirituality and worship; and the relationship to the world as seen in ethical orientations and institutions. Valdina.
  

  • RS 104: Introduction to Islam

    (1 Unit)
    An introduction to the beliefs and practices of Islam in its various manifestations, with additional emphasis on the history, politics and gender issues that have both influenced and been influenced by Islam. Analyzes the information, and misinformation, on Islam as presented in the news media and on the Internet. Valdina.
  

  • RS 121: History, Literature and Religion of the Old Testament

    (1 Unit)
    A developmental study of the major events, individuals and central religious and ethical ideas of ancient Israel, based on the literature of the Hebrew Bible and relevant data from the archaeology and history of the ancient Near East. McWhirter.
  

  • RS 122: History, Literature and Religion of the New Testament

    (1 Unit)
    The New Testament and other writings of the early Christian period studied as literary, historical and ethical-religious sources for an understanding of Jesus, Paul and the emerging Christian movement. McWhirter.
  

  • RS 131: Introduction to Christian Thought

    (1 Unit)
    Classical themes and modern variations: emotion and reason, world and God, death and self-transcendence, guilt and forgiveness, meaninglessness and the sense of the holy. Mourad.
  

  • RS 187: Selected Topics

    (1/4 Unit)
    An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. Staff.
  

  • RS 188: Selected Topics

    (1/2 Unit)
    An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. Staff.
  

  • RS 189: Selected Topics

    (1 Unit)
    An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. Staff.
  

  • RS 204: Islam and the Modern World

    (1 Unit)
    An examination of ideas and movements related to Islam’s interaction with the West in the modern period, including Muslim intellectual responses to issues like colonialism, modernism, secularism, nationalism, democracy, science and women’s rights. Also includes political developments in certain Islamic countries. Valdina.
  

  • RS 205: Islamic Mysticism

    (1 Unit)
    An introduction to Islamic mysticism. Looks at the historical development of Sufism, its contributions to Islamic civilization and to the spread of Islam, its literature, key themes such as love and drunkenness, distinctive practices including music and dance, and the ways it has adapted to the modern world, including in the West. Valdina.
  

  • RS 206: Women, Gender, Islam

    (1 Unit)
    Examines the role of gender, and the construction of gender, in the history of Islam. Begins with the historical roots of the topic and examines presentations of gender in the Qur’an and the early sources of Islam. Explores case studies in the contemporary world, including the contexts in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. Valdina.
  

  • RS 211: Hinduism

    (1 Unit)
    Indian philosophical world views, ritual expressions and moral orientations: Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Vedanta. Offered occasionally. Valdina.
  

  • RS 212: Buddhism

    (1 Unit)
    Spring Indian, Chinese and Japanese philosophical world views, ritual expressions and moral orientations. Theravada, Mahayana, Ch’an, Zen. Offered occasionally. Valdina.
  

  • RS 215: Jewish Life and Thought

    (1 Unit)
    The world of Jewish life and thought as reflected in both ancient and modern Jewish writings. An analysis of selected biblical, rabbinic and medieval classics, as well as modern Jewish literature. McWhirter.
  

  • RS 220: Legend, Wisdom, and Apocalypse

    (1 Unit)
    Historical and literary analysis of Jewish literature in the Second Temple Period, including the legends of Esther and Judith, the wisdom of Ben Sirach, the apocalyptic visions of Daniel and Enoch, and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Looks at how this body of work constitutes important background for Jewish and Christian origins. McWhirter.
  

  • RS 222: Jesus and the Gospels

    (1 Unit)
    An investigation of five Gospels: the canonical Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, along with the Gospel of Thomas. Historical and literary analysis, leading to an evaluation of their usefulness as sources for reconstructing the life and death of Jesus. McWhirter.
  

  • RS 232: Faith and Reason

    (1 Unit)
    Explores epistemology, or the theory of knowledge, as it applies to religious belief. Focuses on the nature of faith and asks whether faith is irrational according to thinkers such as Blaise Pascal, John Locke, Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud. Mourad.
  

  • RS 234: Philosophy of Religion

    (1 Unit)
    Philosophical examination of several classic religious problems, including the nature of God, the proofs of God’s existence, the justification for evil and suffering, the rationality of belief in miracles and the nature of the afterlife. Offered occasionally. Same as PHIL 234 . Mourad.
  

  • RS 242: Christian Ethics

    (1 Unit)
    An introduction to the foundations and applications of Christian theological ethics. Investigates Christian perspectives on moral issues such as sex and marriage, medical ethics and social justice. Mourad.
  

  • RS 250: Mysticism and Ecstasy

    (1 Unit)
    A study of mystical and ecstatic experiences focused primarily on the Christian tradition. Includes discussion of the limits and puzzles of mystical language and the value of religious experiences as evidence. Are mystics reasonable if they base their beliefs on religious experiences? Do their experiences provide any support for other people’s religious beliefs? Offered occasionally. Mourad.
  

  • RS 251: Yogis and Ascetics

    (1 Unit)
    What does it mean to want to renounce the world? When do the conditions of society cause us to want to transcend everyday life in a radical way? Explores the historical development of concepts of yoga and renunciation in South Asia as they extend into Hindu, Jain and Buddhist practices. Themes include the relation between dissent and social responsibility, the difference between negation and affirmation, and the roles of wandering and control of the body in ascetic practices. Valdina.
  

  • RS 261: Death and Dying

    (1 Unit)
    Human longing for a meaningful explanation of the mystery of death and dying is deep and universal. This comparative course examines a wide array of beliefs and rituals related to death and dying in a select number of world religions. In addition to gaining intellectual familiarity with cross-cultural beliefs and practices, students will be encouraged to analyze familiar religious and cultural practices surrounding death and dying. Valdina.
  

  • RS 270: Liberation Theology

    (1 Unit)
    Examines Christian theological responses to poverty and social injustice emphasizing the theme of liberation. Includes analysis of liberation theology in 1960s Latin America and its influence on African American and feminist theologies in the U.S. Offered occasionally. Mourad.
  

  • RS 287: Selected Topics

    (1/4 Unit)
    An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. May be taken more than once for credit. Staff.
  

  • RS 288: Selected Topics

    (1/2 Unit)
    An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. May be taken more than once for credit. Staff.
  

  • RS 289: Selected Topics

    (1 Unit)
    An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. May be taken more than once for credit. Staff.
  

  • RS 320: Gender and Biblical Interpretation

    (1 Unit)
    Methods of biblical interpretation and their relation to gender construct in society and biblical authority. Offered in alternate years. McWhirter.
  

  • RS 387: Selected Topics

    (1/4 Unit)
    An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. Staff.
  

  • RS 388: Selected Topics

    (1/2 Unit)
    An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. Staff.
  

  • RS 389: Selected Topics

    (1 Unit)
    An examination of subjects or areas not included in other courses. Staff.
  

  • RS 391: Internship

    (1/2 Unit)
    Offered on a credit/no credit basis. Offered on demand. Staff.
  

  • RS 392: Internship

    (1 Unit)
    Offered on a credit/no credit basis. Offered on demand. Staff.
  

  • RS 401: Seminar

    (1/2 Unit)
    Topics of special interest. Past seminars have included “C.G. Jung and Individuation,” “Religion and Existentialism,” “Theology of Sex and Marriage” and “Seminar on Ministry.” Offered occasionally. Staff.
  

  • RS 402: Seminar

    (1 Unit)
    Topics of special interest. Past seminars have included “C.G. Jung and Individuation,” “Religion and Existentialism,” “Theology of Sex and Marriage” and “Seminar on Ministry.” Offered occasionally. Staff.
  

  • RS 411: Directed Study

    (1/2 Unit)
    Prerequisite: Upperclass standing.
    Recent directed study topics have included “The Image of Mary Magdalene in Tradition”; “Yoga and Integration”; “Religious Perspectives on Marriage”; C.S. Lewis; Niebuhr’s Social Ethic; Philosophical Theology of Hans Kung; and “The Theology of Paul Tillich.” Hebrew and Greek are also taught regularly as directed studies. Staff.
  

  • RS 412: Directed Study

    (1 Unit)
    Prerequisite: Upperclass standing.
    Recent directed study topics have included “The Image of Mary Magdalene in Tradition”; “Yoga and Integration”; “Religious Perspectives on Marriage”; C.S. Lewis; Niebuhr’s Social Ethic; Philosophical Theology of Hans Kung; and “The Theology of Paul Tillich.” Hebrew and Greek are also taught regularly as directed studies. Staff.