Religious Studies

• RELI 103: Introduction to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Literature (summer)
• RELI 104: Introduction to New Testament Literature (summer and fall)
• RELI 122: Introduction to Philosophical Approaches to Religion (summer and fall)
• RELI 140: Religion in America (summer and fall)
• RELI 207: Jesus in Myth, Tradition, and History (fall)

RELI 103: Introduction to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Literature

Offered summer, 2012

By providing guidance in the historical, geographical, and faith contexts, as well as the literary art involved in the production and crafting of this great literature, the course helps students understand the Hebrew scriptures, which have been a source of enjoyment, inspiration, and spiritual direction for centuries.

Required Textbooks

• Coogan, A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament: The Hebrew Bible in Its Context, 2nd edition (2011), ISBN 978-0199830114 
• Coogan (ed.),The New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha, New Revised Standard Edition, College Edition, 4th edition (2010), ISBN 978-0195289602

You may purchase the textbooks at Friday Center Books & Gifts in person, online, or by mailing or faxing in the book order form. Refer to the online ordering site for current book prices. Please see Textbooks for textbook purchase dates.

Course Details

• Instructor: Jason Staples, MA
• Department: Religious Studies
• Credit hours: 3
• View a sample course syllabus.

How to Enroll

RELI 104: Introduction to New Testament Literature

Offered summer and Fall, 2012

This course introduces students to the literature of the New Testament and to the faith of the early Christian communities. The study focuses on Jewish and Greco-Roman background, the proclamation of the early church, the development of the gospel traditions, the life and ministry of Jesus, the ministry and theology of Paul, developments during the post-Pauline era, and the literature of the Johannine circle.

Required Textbooks

• Ehrman, The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings, 5th edition, ISBN 978-0199757534
• Ehrman, The New Testament and Other Early Christian Writings: A Reader, 2nd edition (2003), ISBN 978-0195154641

You may purchase the textbooks at Friday Center Books & Gifts in person, online, or by mailing or faxing in the book order form. Refer to the online ordering site for current book prices. Please see Textbooks for textbook purchase dates.

Course Details

• Summer instructor: Jason Combs, MAR, MA
• Fall Instructor: Pamela Reaves, PhD
• Department: Religious Studies
• Credit hours: 3
• View a sample course syllabus.

How to Enroll

RELI 122: Introduction to Philosophical Approaches to Religion

Offered summer and fall, 2012

This course provides an introduction to philosophical approaches to the study of religion, exploring such topics as religious language and experience, the problem of evil, the relation between religious belief and practice, and issues of religious diversity.

Required Textbooks

• Peterson, et al., Philosophy of Religion: Selected Readings, 4th edition (2009), ISBN 978-0195393590. (Make sure you purchase the correct edition of this textbook; the selections have changed since previous editions.)
• Dillard, For the Time Being (1999) ISBN 978-0375703478

You may purchase the textbooks at Friday Center Books & Gifts in person, online, or by mailing or faxing in the book order form. Refer to the online ordering site for current book prices. Please see Textbooks for textbook purchase dates.

Course Details

• Summer instructor: Shenan Nieuwsma, MA
• Fall instructor: Megan Goodwin, MA
• Department: Religious Studies
• Credit hours: 3
• View a sample course syllabus.

How to Enroll

RELI 140: Religion in America

Offered summer and fall, 2012

This is an introduction to the history, themes, and issues in American religion from the precolonial period to the present.

Required Textbook

• Albanese, America: Religions and Religion, 4th edition (2007), ISBN 978-0534627393

You may purchase the textbook at Friday Center Books & Gifts in person, online, or by mailing or faxing in the book order form. Refer to the online ordering site for current book prices. Please see Textbooks for textbook purchase dates.

Course Details

• Summer instructor: Leif Tornquist, MA
• Fall instructor: Jenna Tiltsman, MA
• Department: Religious Studies
• Credit hours: 3
• View a sample course syllabus.

How to Enroll

RELI 207: Jesus in Myth, Tradition, and History

This course is an analysis of the variety of traditions used in the first two centuries to portray Jesus, focusing on the reasons for this variety and the historical and literary problems it presents.

Required Textbooks

• Cameron, The Other Gospels: Non-Canonical Gospel Texts (1982)
• Ehrman, Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium (1999)
• Pagels, The Gnostic Gospels (1979)
• The New Testament—a modern translation of the New Testament is required. The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) is recommended for this course. The RSV and NIV are also acceptable. Most other versions, however, are not appropriate for academic study (including the KJV, Good News Bible, and Living Bible). Please e-mail the instructor at the start of the course if you have questions about a particular version.

You may purchase the textbook at Friday Center Books & Gifts in person, online, or by mailing or faxing in the book order form. Refer to the online ordering site for current book prices. Please see Textbooks for textbook purchase dates.

Course Details

• Instructor: Pamela Reaves, PhD
• Department: Religious Studies
• Credit hours: 3
• View a sample course syllabus.