Apr 19, 2024  
2018-2019 Undergraduate Bulletin 
    
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2018-2019 Undergraduate Bulletin [ARCHIVED BULLETIN]

Course Descriptions

 

Radio, Television, Film (RTVF)
  

  • RTVF 134 - The Television Industry

    Semester Hours: 3
    Once a Year
    This course focuses on the contemporary television industry, including broadcast, cable, satellite, and online. It examines management structures, ownership patterns, and multiple media platforms, while exploring current industry trends; programming and audience research; syndication; promotions; and legal, ethical, and social issues faced by media organizations in today’s media saturated environment.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    RTVF 001  and RTVF 015 . Admission to class by permission of department. No liberal arts credit.
  

  • RTVF 137A - Film History

    Semester Hours: 3
    Every Other Year
    The development of the motion picture from its origins in the 1890s to the present. The courses confront the issues of world cinema and the historiography of film as seen in the aesthetic, social, economic, and technological forces that influence the development of movies. This course deals with approximately the first half of film history.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    RTVF 010 .
  

  • RTVF 137B - Film History

    Semester Hours: 3
    Every Other Year
    The development of the motion picture from its origins in the 1890s to the present. The courses confront the issues of world cinema and the historiography of film as seen in the aesthetic, social, economic, and technological forces that influence the development of movies. This course deals with approximately the second half of film history.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    RTVF 010 .
  
  

  • RTVF 139 - Film Theory

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically
    Study of the various theoretical approaches of how cinema relates to society and the individual. In addition to the classic film theories of Arnheim and Eisenstein, among others, and Bazin’s and Kracauer’s concepts of film realism, the course confronts issues such as Marxism, feminism, and structuralism and introduces new theoretical concepts as they develop.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    RTVF 010 .
  

  • RTVF 144 - Television Production: The Sitcom

    Semester Hours: 3
    Fall
    The art and style of the television situation comedy and the processes involved in producing and directing television programming in various comedic genres.  Emphasis on creativity, leadership, and execution essential to the making of television comedy. Students are required to be available beyond scheduled class time.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    RTVF 024  and 084 . No liberal arts credit. Lab fees additional. (Formerly Television Directing.)
  

  • RTVF 145 - Television Production: Media Action Projects (MAP)

    Semester Hours: 3
    Spring
    Design and development of communication systems for non-broadcast purposes. This course focuses on writing, researching, planning, and producing programs for nonprofit and community-based organizations with specific needs and audiences. Working with clients, students develop an understanding of how media productions can assist in community outreach and action.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    RTVF 064 . No liberal arts credit. Admission to class by permission of department. Lab fees additional. [Formerly Advanced Television: Media Action Projects Hofstra (MAP Hofstra).]
  

  • RTVF 147 - Directing for the Screen

    Semester Hours: 3

    Periodically
    The film director’s creative vision provides the unifying principle in the process of making a film while he or she collaborates with the many creative talents involved in production. Directors need to know what story they want to tell and must understand the aesthetics and techniques that can be used to best convey that story to an audience. Students will perform exercises and create projects that focus on script analysis, cinematography, production design, working with actors, casting and editing. Students will also analyze the work of several directors through clips screened in class and through an assigned research paper.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    RTVF 010 , 027  and 047 . Admission to class by permission of department. May not be taken on a Pass/D+/D/Fail basis. Lab fees additional.

     
  

  • RTVF 148 - Producing the Motion Picture

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically
    This course is an examination of the methods and procedures for producing a professional motion picture. It focuses on all phases of the process, including financing, development, pre-production, production, post production, distribution and marketing. Students learn the principles and methods involved in screenplay evaluation, budgeting, creation of standard deal memos, negotiating union and non-union contracts, producing standard industry paperwork and accounting procedures. Students also explore strategies and parameters for negotiating foreign and domestic theatrical distribution, cable, Internet, music, DVD and auxiliary rights.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    RTVF 010 . No liberal arts credit. Lab fees additional.
  

  • RTVF 149 - The Art of Film Editing

    Semester Hours: 3
    Fall, Spring
    This course aims to instruct students in the advanced concepts, theories and aesthetics of editing through readings, writing and practical editing assignments. Since the film editor, along with the director, is a principal collaborator in the authoring of a film, the first part of this course will explore the way in which early filmmakers of the silent period developed a language and syntax for film primarily through the art of editing. In the second half of the course, students will learn how film language and syntax have a primary focus in the process of filmmaking, as the editor reconstructs the cinematic time and space that was fragmented by the method by which films are shot. Students will learn to use narrative editing strategies including rhythm, pacing, point-of-view, screen direction, matching cuts, script analysis and communication with collaborators. The course emphasizes filmic storytelling and the use of editing for narrative and expressive purposes. 

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    RTVF 010 , 027  and 047 . Lab fees additional. May not be taken on a Pass/D+/D/Fail basis. May not be repeated for credit.
  

  • RTVF 150 - Independent Studies/Readings

    Semester Hours: 1-3
    Fall, Spring, Summer
    Individualized courses designed to fill gaps in the student’s knowledge of radio, television, and/or film. Subjects should be significantly different from and/or build on course work covered in other RTVF courses taken.   

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    Permission of department chairperson. May not be taken on a Pass/D+/D/Fail basis. Ordinarily open to seniors in the Department of Radio, Television, Film  who are exceptionally capable of independent work.  Before registering for this course, the prospective student must find a member of the department who will agree, in writing, to serve as instructor. A proposal, including a detailed description of the subject matter and outcomes, must be developed in advance of registration, ideally in the semester before the course is taken.
  

  • RTVF 151 - Independent Studies/Readings

    Semester Hours: 1-3
    Fall, Spring, Summer
    Individualized courses designed to fill gaps in the student’s knowledge of audio, video, or film.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    Permission of department chairperson. May not be taken on a Pass/D+/D/Fail basis. Ordinarily open to seniors in the Department of Radio, Television, Film  who are exceptionally capable of independent work. Students majoring in the BA in Media Arts program should incorporate two or three areas studied within the discipline and should demonstrate the student’s ability to relate one discipline to another. Before registering for this course, the prospective student must find a member of the department who will agree, in writing, to serve as instructor.
  

  • RTVF 152 - The Radio Industry in the Digital Age

    Semester Hours: 3
    Spring
    The course highlights organizational, technological, and ethical issues facing the radio industry today in our modern digital media world. The study also includes current principles and practices of radio programming, marketing and sales, promotions, radio management for commercial and public radio, and current digital audio platforms such as Internet radio.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    RTVF 001  or permission of department. Not for liberal arts credit. May not be taken on a Pass/D+/D/Fail basis. (Formerly The Radio Industry.)
  

  • RTVF 154 A-Z - Television Shows & Showrunners

    Semester Hours: 3

    Periodically

    Through lectures, readings, screenings, and critical, historical, and aesthetic analyses, students will study innovative and influential television programming and their showrunners. The term “showrunner” has recently come into usage to describe the individual who is most responsible for the creative style and content of a television show. In each offering, the course will choose from an aggregate body of noteworthy television shows and series, and a large collection of primary creative producers/showrunners. Through this singular focus, students will gain a heightened understanding and appreciation of the creative aspects of television storytelling methods. Students are expected to have access to streaming content sources in order to view and analyze pertinent programming outside of the classroom.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    RTVF 016 . May be repeated for credit when subject matter varies.
  
  

  • RTVF 158 - Film Authorship

    Semester Hours: 3
    Once a Year
    Studies of the concepts of film authorship and the auteur theory as applied to the work of particular directors and other filmmaking personnel. Possible topics include the films of Hitchcock, Truffaut, Bergman, or Kubrick, among others; the star as auteur; and the producer or studio as auteur.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    RTVF 010 . May be repeated for credit when subject matter varies.
  

  • RTVF 161 - Advanced Digital Audio Production

    Semester Hours: 3
    Spring
    Theories and practices of advanced digital audio production techniques. Course includes conceptualizing, producing, directing, recording, editing and mixing multi-track digital audio projects. Students are required to be available for production and laboratory time beyond scheduled class time.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    RTVF 041  or permission of instructor. No liberal arts credit. Lab fees additional. (Formerly Advanced Audio Production.)
  
  
  

  • RTVF 167 - Advanced Film Production

    Semester Hours: 3
    Fall, Spring
    Students participate in a group production of an original student-scripted film. In this course, every phase from story conference through final-edited print will be covered. Emphasis on making aesthetic decisions in the creation of short narrative film. Each student will learn all functions of the film production process including cinematography, sound, and editing, but masters one during production and post-production. Equipment is provided, but students will be expected to cover expenses for all other aspects of production.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    RTVF 047 . Admission to class by permission of department. No liberal arts credit. Lab fees additional. May not be taken on a Pass/D+/D/Fail basis.
  

  • RTVF 168A - Senior Film Projects I

    Semester Hours: 3
    Fall
    Approaching film as a unique means of aesthetic expression, students will begin the process of creating a short narrative film.  They will write an original screenplay and develop pre-production materials including a director’s statement, schedule and budget.  In addition, each student will be expected to achieve proficiency in key areas of film production including cinematography, sound recording and editing. 

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    RTVF 047 , 110 .  Admission to class by permission of department. Lab fees additional. No liberal arts credit.  May not be taken on a Pass/D+/D/Fail basis. Note:  This course is the first half of a one-year sequence that continues with RTVF 168B  in the spring.  Credit for this course is only awarded upon completion of RTVF 168B .
  

  • RTVF 168B - Senior Film Projects II

    Semester Hours: 3

    Spring
    Students will continue the process of creating a short film, which began in RTVF 168A . In this course, students will direct, edit, and exhibit their film. In addition, they will be required to participate as part of the production crew for other class films. Equipment is provided but students will be expected to cover additional expenses for all other aspects of production.

     

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    RTVF 168A . Admission to class by permission of department. Lab fees additional. No liberal arts credit. May not be taken on a Pass/D+/D/Fail basis. Note: This course may only be taken as the second half of a one-year sequence that begins with RTVF 168A  in the fall. Credit for RTVF 168A  is awarded upon successful completion of this course. (Formerly 168, Senior Film Projects.)
  

  • RTVF 170 - Internship Program

    Semester Hours: 1-3
    Fall, January, Spring, Summer
    An internship program provides an opportunity for students to apply their classroom experience to an appropriate professional work setting. Students work with an assigned faculty sponsor and an on-site supervisor. They work a requisite number of hours, keep a daily journal, and write midterm and final papers.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    Junior class standing or permission of department; GPA of 2.5 or better overall, the successful completion of 12 s.h. in the major, of which 6 s.h. must be in-residence; and an intermediate level course in the major. Pass/D+/D/Fail grade only. Students must be approved for admission into the program before registering. Applications to the program, with information about deadlines, are available in the Radio, Television, Film  Department. May be repeated for a total of 6 s.h. RTVF 170 and RTVF 174  can be taken in combination for no more than 6 credits. If enrolled in RTVF 144 , 145 , and/or 164 , this course can only be enrolled in for a maximum of one credit.
  

  • RTVF 174 - RTVF Career Development

    Semester Hours: 1
    A course in which RTVF majors learn to apply the liberal arts outcomes (e.g., communication skills, critical thinking, problem solving) to career transforming habits.  Students will develop connections between tenets of communications practice and liberal arts knowledge, skills and abilities.  Students will expand their professionalism, relationship-building, self-assessment and career development skills and manage their career with techniques for lifelong growth and learning, while enhancing more immediate needs such as internships and first-employment.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    RTVF Majors Only . No liberal arts credit.  
  
  

  • RTVF 178 - Film Studies Thesis

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically
    In this course, students will be introduced to advanced concepts in film studies, including academic research methods and historiography applicable to the study of film. Students will be expected to demonstrate a thorough understanding of the various paradigms and approaches to film study culminating in the production of a thesis paper, which must be presented for defense.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    RTVF 137A , 137B , 139 , 157 , 158 . May not be taken on a Pass/D+/D/Fail basis.



  

  • RTVF 180 to 189A-Z - Special Topics

    Semester Hours: 1-3
    Periodically
    Designed to meet the needs of individual and specific groups of students interested in special topics not covered by other course offerings. As individual subjects are selected, each is assigned a letter (A-Z) and added to the course number. Any course may be taken a number of times as long as there is a different letter designation each time it is taken.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    Specific titles and course descriptions for special topics courses are available in the online class schedule.
  

  • RTVF 199 - Departmental Honors Candidacy: Essay/Project

    Semester Hours: 3
    Fall, Spring
    Individual research project in student’s major area, under tutorial supervision.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    Permission of chairperson, prior to registration, is required. Open only to majors in the Department of Radio, Television, Film who are eligible according to the General Information and Definitions , and who desire to graduate with departmental honors. Students should normally start work with their faculty adviser in the semester preceding their registration for this course.

Reading (READ)
  

Rehabilitation Counseling (REHB)
  

  • REHB 175 - Introduction to Rehabilitative Services

    Semester Hours: 3
    Fall, Spring
    This course provides an overview of rehabilitation services including the philosophy, principles, and structure of the rehabilitation process. Students will learn about the impact of disability from a psychological, social, and vocational point of view. Students will also learn about the similarities and differences among allied health and human service professionals, as well as how rehabilitation professionals work as part of an interdisciplinary team. Traditional academic study will be augmented by community-based activities in the Long Island and Metro NYC area, as well as experiential learning activities and guest lecturers.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    (Formerly Rehabilitative Services: An Introduction.)
  

  • REHB 180 to 189 A-Z - Special Topics

    Semester Hours: 1-3
    Periodically
    Specific courses designed to explore emerging topics in rehabilitation counseling.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    As individual subjects are selected, each is assigned a letter (A-Z) and added to the course number. Any course may be taken a number of times so long as there is a different letter designation each time it is taken. Specific titles and course descriptions for special topics courses are available in the online class schedule.

Religion (RELI)
  

  • RELI 010 - (HP) What Is Religion?

    Semester Hours: 3
    Fall, Spring, Summer
    This course is designed to introduce students to the academic study of religion. Students will be introduced to some of the methodological tools scholars use to think critically and constructively about religious traditions. It also provides an opportunity to learn about the historical, scriptural, ritual and theological claims of at least two distinct religious traditions. In this way students gain concrete information about the way religious beliefs and practices shape the world. Students are introduced to how scholars study religious traditions in a pluralistic context and are afforded opportunities to practice their own skills at orally communicating academic approaches to the study of religion in a pluralistic world. 
  
  
  
  

  • RELI 013 - (HP) From Flesh to Faith: Community and Conflict in the New Testament

    Semester Hours: 3
    Fall, Spring
    This course examines ways that early Christian faith(s) developed in the first century (including views of Jesus’ humanity and divinity, portrayals of the Virgin Mary, the relationship of Judaism to Christianity, and the roles of women in the church). Students will read the New Testament alongside non-canonical early Christian writings to develop an appreciation for the diversity of early Christian belief and practice. Students will come to know the content and themes of each of the New Testament writings, to identify different literary portrayals of Jesus, to work with establishing criteria for establishing the historical Jesus, to recognize important differences in early Christian belief, and to be familiar with the development of Christian orthodoxy. 
  

  • RELI 014F - (CC, HP) First-Year Seminar

    Semester Hours: 3-4
    Fall

    This course gives first-year students the opportunity to work in a seminar format with a member of the faculty in an area of the faculty member’s research interests.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:

    The course is open to first-year students only. Topics vary by semester. This course is offered for distribution credit; consult the Semester Planning Guide for proper category listing. Students may take only one 14F or 12F seminar and only one 14S or 12S seminar.



  

  • RELI 014S - First-Year Seminar

    Semester Hours: 3-4
    Spring

    This course gives first-year students the opportunity to work in a seminar format with a member of the faculty in an area of the faculty member’s research interests.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:

    The course is open to first-year students only. Topics vary by semester. This course is offered for distribution credit; consult the Semester Planning Guide for proper category listing. Students may take only one 14F or 12F seminar and only one 14S or 12S seminar.



  
  
  

  • RELI 017 - (HP) Lost Christianities

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically
    This course explores the varieties of Christianity that co-existed from Jesus’ death in the middle of the first century through the end of the second century.  Included in these are Jewish-Christians, Marcionites, Montanists, and Gnostics.  Students will read a variety of primary texts in translation to understand better the struggle between forms of early Christianity and the way that one form became dominant and, thus, “orthodox.”
  

  • RELI 018 - (HP) What Is Catholicism?

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically
    There are many versions of the branch of Christianity called “Catholicism,” and many ways people throughout history have practiced it. This class asks what various Catholic communities have meant by the word “Catholic,” explorers its major global varieties and common contested characteristics, and studies aspects from theology and ethics to history and popular culture.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    (Formerly (HP) Sacraments, Sex and the City: An Introduction to Catholicism.)
  

  • RELI 019 - (CC) Introduction to Buddhism

    Semester Hours: 3
    Once a Year
    This course is an introduction to the wide range of Buddhist ideas and practices that have developed within the diverse regions of Asia, with focus on southern Asia. This course will also introduce students to the various Buddhist literary and artistic expressions. The course covers a wide range of Buddhist traditions (Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana), as well as a discussion of Buddhism’s transfer from Asia to the West.
  

  • RELI 020 - (HP) Magic, Miracle, and Medicine in the Greco-Roman World

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically
    The interrelated concepts of magic, miracle (religion), and medicine in antiquity have long been topics of great interest and debate among scholars of antiquity. Magical incantations, for example, may appear to be similar to prayers, and physicians in antiquity might act like magicians. This course explores these – and many other related – issues in an attempt to identify, where possible, social constructions of the categories of magic, miracle, and medicine, and the prejudices that accompanied them.
  

  • RELI 021 - (HP) Gods and Sages - Religious Wisdom in the Ancient World

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically
    This course will examine ancient approaches to questions about the human condition and attempts to come to know the good, the true and the beautiful. Religious and philosophic thought provided distinct, often conflicting, but at times overlapping answers to such issues. A study of these various theories, as addressed by thinkers from the Greco-Roman traditions, will not only introduce some of the most profound meditations on these central human concerns, but will also provide the conceptual background necessary to understand the development of Western religious traditions (particularly Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism).
     
  

  • RELI 026 - (IS) Mindful America

    Semester Hours: 3
    Once a Year
    This course will introduce students to the diverse forms in which Buddhism has emerged in America. It will explore how American Buddhism is lived by immigrants as well as by American converts and will integrate insider and outsider accounts with historical and ethnographic approaches.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    (Formerly Buddhism in America.)
  
  
  

  • RELI 035 - (CC, HP) Living Buddhism

    Semester Hours: 3
    Once a Year
    This introductory course examines Buddhism’s application to the lives of ordinary people, demystifying the seemingly esoteric elements of the Buddha’s teachings in order to explore their relevance to daily existence. The course applies central Buddhist concepts in the realms of the mind, body, and environment, including the global environment.
  

  • RELI 036 - (CC, HP) Modern Gurus: Yoga and Selling Spirituality

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically
    This course explores the contemporary relevance of “spiritual masters,” and asks whether they are merely a means to consume spirituality or are actually revolutionary and transformative. We will attempt to situate the term “spirituality” within specific socio-political and cultural contexts that grew out of European colonialism, modernity and science, secularity, and religion. The course will encourage students to think critically and creatively by applying analytical reasoning across the writings and talks of both Eastern and Western “spiritual masters.” It will also engage students in written and oral assessments in order to develop an awareness about, and knowledge of, cultural productions from Asia and Europe through a comparative, evaluative frame.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    (Formerly Modern Spiritual Masters)
  

  • RELI 040 - (CC, HP) Yoga, Psychology and Health

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically
    How did we come to link yoga, psychology and health? This course will explore the Indian roots of yoga in key texts (Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, The Upanishads, and The Bhagavad-Gita); the reception of yoga in Western psychology (Freud and Jung); and the mystical dimensions of yoga. The course will consider these three topics as they specifically relate to the concepts of language, memory, and meditation.
  

  • RELI 045 - (HP) Cults: Law, Media, Memory

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically
    This course will explore those controversial religions that we call “cults.”  How and why do such alternative religious groups emerge? Why do people join – and stay? What role does the media play in stigmatizing emergent religions? What are the implications of these groups for law and public policy? Possible topics include: Scientology, Jonestown, New Age religions, the occult, Rastafarianism, Hindu gurus, Heaven’s Gate, utopian communes, Waco and the Oklahoma City bombing, and the sacramental use of peyote in the Native American Church.
  

  • RELI 049 - (HP) Post-Holocaust Jewish Thought

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically
    This course introduces students to the post-1945 engagement of Jewish thought with religion, politics, race, and sexuality.  It will survey major trends and open the space for in-depth readings of Jewish thinkers who write in the shadow of – but are not limited by – Holocaustic historical memory. Topics will include discussions on the ethics of survival, the role of political empowerment, the heritage of those defeated by genocide, changing conceptions of race and gender, and the space for a global justice project. 

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    Credit given for this course or JWST 049 , not both.
  

  • RELI 050 - (CC) Islam

    Semester Hours: 3
    Fall, Spring
    A study of the rise of Islam within the context of the cultural social and religious conditions of pre-Islamic Arabia, Muhammad’s religious message and the Koran, development of theology, law, and consolidation of Sunnism. Attention given to the concept of nonseparation of state and religion in Muslim thought, to the experience of women, and to themes in comparative art, architecture and ritual.
  

  • RELI 051 - (CC, HP) Sex and Diversity in American Islam

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically
    This course investigates the plurality of Muslim experiences in North America.  It is structured around three main topics: (1) the history and heritage of the Muslim slaves brought to the continent, (2) the emergence of an indigenous African-American Islam, and (3) the immigration of Muslims from the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent.  Studying these extremely different North American Muslim experiences (both socially and culturally), we will discuss questions of identity, and quests for authenticity.  We will raise the question of whether a distinctively “American Islam” is emerging.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    (Formerly Islam in North America.)
  

  • RELI 055 - Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and Racisms: Global Perspectives

    Semester Hours: 3

    Periodically 

    This course explores the discourses, politics and history that led to the racialization of Jews, Muslims, Natives and Africans throughout modernity. Topics will include colonialism and imperialism, the role of music, film, philosophy and the internet in the construction of otherness, the Olympics of suffering, and the responses different groups have had against their racialization. This class will be of interest to students exploring religion, anthropology, philosophy, Latin American and Caribbean studies, European studies, Middle Eastern studies, history, and comparative literature. 

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    Same as JWST 050 . Credit for this course or JWST 050 , not both. May not be taken on a Pass/D+/D/Fail basis. (Formerly JWST 101E (HP) Special Topics in Jewish Studies: Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Racisms)
  

  • RELI 060 - (HP) Heretics, Skeptics and Freethinkers

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically
    This course will look at religion from the perspective of the outsider: those who have challenged more traditional or institutionalized religious expressions; who have questioned the nature and/or existence of God(s); who have offered alternatives to a religious world view. This approach will allow us to appreciate the vital role dissent has played in the history of religious thought.
  

  • RELI 065 - (HP) Sex and Death: Sacrifice and Martyrdom

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically
    This course examines the role of sacrifice and martyrdom in world religions, both as a real phenomenon and as a symbol. What roles do discourses and practices of sacrifice and martyrdom play in different cultural contexts? How did they arise as an ideal, and why are these ideals so often connected to eroticism? The course may also consider why the religious discourse of sacrifice and martyrdom remains a motivating force in secular societies.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    (Formerly Sex and Death: Perspectives on Martyrdom in the Ancient World.)
  

  • RELI 066 - (HP) Demonology: Religion and the Dark Side

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically
    This course investigates demons, the dark side and underworlds, and the various ways they are conceptualized and personified in religious traditions. We will begin with historical origins and theoretical groundings, move on to explore contemporary demon traditions, and end with a case study of Satan. The course will make use of primary sources in literature, liturgy and material culture.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    [Formerly (HP) Satan and Hell.]
  

  • RELI 067 - (HP) Evil: Religious, Philosophic and Scientific Perspectives

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically
    If God is good, then why is the world filled with such evil? Is the reality of evil an argument against the existence of God? And if God is not responsible for evil, then who is? What leads humans to do such horrible things to one another? The “problem of evil” is central to both theology and the philosophy of religion, and has been so for thousands of years. However, evil is not simply a problem for the religious but is one of the deepest challenges in creating just and stable human communities. In this course we will examine how both religious thinkers and secular philosophers have come to terms with evil. We will also look at contemporary scientific research on empathy and cruelty and consider what insight this may provide into the dark side of human nature.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    Credit given for this course or PHI 067 , not both.
  

  • RELI 068 - (HP) Apocalypse: Now and Then

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically
    What is it about our time that makes it ripe for an apocalypse? From video games to movies, we return again and again to envisioning the end of the world. This course will look at the history of the apocalypse in mythology and religion, and will also analyze the particular currency of apocalyptic thinking in our present day. Our studies will take us from the popular interest in Mayan calendars and zombies, to contemporary philosophers, independent filmmakers, economists, environmentalists, novelists, poets and painters.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    Credit given for this course, RELI 014F  or 014S  [when it was offered as First Year Seminar: Apocalypse Now and Then (fall 2013)]. (Formerly RELI 014S, when it was offered as Special Topics: Apocalypse Now and Then.)
  
  

  • RELI 072 A-Z - (HP) Living With Major Thinkers in the Study of Religion

    Semester Hours: 3
    Once a Year
    This course is designed to introduce students to some of the major thinkers who have pondered well and deeply about religion through close readings of one particular theorist each year. One year, students will read Nietzsche, another year Foucault, etc. Students will learn to read theory in general by learning how to read the work of a major thinker.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    May be repeated for credit as topics vary. Specific titles and course descriptions for special topics courses are available in the online class schedule.
  

  • RELI 075 - (CC) Mysticism and the Spiritual Quest

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically
    Mysticism is traditionally defined as the yearning for direct connection to a transcendent reality and is referred to as the esoteric dimension of religious search. Though evident as a global phenomenon, mystical traditions most notably developed in the monotheistic faiths of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, as well as in the many religious traditions of India, China, Japan and ancient Greece. A cross-cultural exploration of the meanings, definitions, practices and common themes of mysticism via a study of original texts (in translation) from different parts of the world.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    Credit given for this course or PHI 102 , not both.
  

  • RELI 076 - (HP) History of Irish Spirituality

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically
    This course explores the history of Irish mysticism and spirituality and relates them to other important topics in Irish history and literature. By reading a wide variety of texts (both pre-dating Christianity in Ireland and composed during the 1,500 years of Christianity in Ireland), and by focusing on the competing claims of various traditions and traditional practices, students will come to a richer understanding of Irish spirituality.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    Same as IRE 076 . Credit given for this course or IRE 76, not both.
  
  

  • RELI 080 - (CC) Life, Death and Immortality

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically
    “Life,” “death,” and “immortality” are perhaps the ultimate “big questions” confronting human beings. Humans are aware of their mortality; they are able to reflect on the fragility and the value of life and to ponder the possibilities of an afterlife. This class will explore multiple approaches to these questions. We begin with a consideration of the religious, literary and philosophic answers set out in antiquity. Then we turn to the modern era and consider these issues from both philosophical and scientific perspectives.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    Credit given for this course or PHI 103 , not both.
  

  • RELI 085 - (CC) Comparative Religious Ethics

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically
    Religions and cultures often have different values. Even when they share the same value, they often mean something quite different by it. This course is designed to introduce students to different religious frames of value and to involve them in wrestling with how to compare and adjudicate different religious ethics with sensitivity and fairness. Ultimately the course seeks to enable students to cultivate the skills necessary to negotiate the different ways of valuing that co-exist in a global world. Major themes explored in a comparative context include: action and agency, obligation and intention, moral authority and diversity. 
  

  • RELI 086 - (CC, IS) Religion and Medicine

    Semester Hours: 3
    Once a Year
    This course will introduce students to the overlap between medicine and religion, and teach the skills needed for negotiating issues that arise in health care due to religious diversity. A key element of the course will focus on developing an interdisciplinary perspective; readings will come from multiple disciplines, and discussion will focus on evaluating the usefulness, quality, and integrity of different disciplinary approaches. Ultimately the goal is to craft an integrated and critical perspective on major areas of overlap between religion and medicine.
  
  

  • RELI 089 - (CC, HP) Dying Across Cultures: Asia and Beyond

    Semester Hours: 3

    Periodically

    This course will explore practices of dying in diverse religious cultures.  When loved ones die, what individual and communal rituals do different traditions prescribe?  How do they think about ancestors, memories, and the afterlife?  In addition to studying cultural practices regarding what happens after death, we will also consider how different religions think one should live when approaching death.  The course will focus on perspectives from Asia; other religious cultures may be covered.  Special attention will be paid to learning to dialogue across cultural differences.
  

  • RELI 100 - (HP) Modern Religious Thought

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically
    The advent of the Modern Age (post-14th century) ushered in a period of religious creativity and individual exploration that challenged not only orthodoxy but religion itself. Faith, scripture, and God were no longer simply objects of devotion; they were now open to moral critique and scientific examination. This course considers the historical impact of these new approaches to religion, and the provocative questions it raised: What if religion is more about feeling than thought? What if belief is about what works rather than what is true? Is the truth of religion even significant for belief?

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    Any undergraduate RELI, JWST , or PHI  course.
  

  • RELI 101 - (HP) Jesus in Myth, Tradition and History

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically
    This course examines literary and historical records of Jesus’ life. Students will examine canonical and non-canonical accounts of Jesus’ life in order to identify individual authors’ theological emphases. In addition, students will learn the history of the quests for the historical Jesus from the Enlightenment to modernity, and they will work with the established methods and criteria for establishing the historical Jesus.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    Any RELI or JWST course .
  

  • RELI 102 - (HP) Birth of Christianity

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically
    This course will introduce students to the literature and history of Christianity from the New Testament to Constantine, roughly the first four centuries of Christian history. Students will encounter theories about the spread of Christianity from Jerusalem through the Roman Empire; discuss scholarly arguments relating to the persecution of Christians and their responses; recognize a variety of forms of early Christianity; understand the social and political issues surrounding the canonization of the New Testament; and understand the complex issues surrounding early Jewish-Christian relations.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    Any RELI or JWST course  or permission of the instructor.
  

  • RELI 103 - (CC) Warrior Saints: An Introduction to the Sikh Religion

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically
    This course will introduce students to the phenomena, beliefs, practices and central teachings of Sikhism. Its main focus will be the often misunderstood alliance between mysticism and politics in the Sikh religion exemplified by the figure of the Warrior-Saint (or Saint-Sipahi). Other topics for discussion include the role of gender, construction of memory, and Sikh responses to modernity.  
  

  • RELI 104 - (CC, HP) Buddhist Thought

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically
    This course will explore and examine core Buddhist ideas and their interpretation and development within and across major schools of Buddhism - which may include Theravada (Southern), Mayahana (Eastern), Vajrayana (Northern), and Western Buddhism. An outline of the key ideas and concepts will be critically explored, with an emphasis on assessing their relevance for today. Students will be encouraged to reflect critically upon these ideas in light of their own experience and its multiple modern contexts.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    RELI 015 , 016 , 019 , 026 , 035 , 075 , 080 , 103 , 118 , 125 ; PHI 017 , 060 , 102 , 103 ; GEOG 114 , or permission of instructor.
  

  • RELI 106 - (HP) African-American Religion

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically
    This course explores African-American religious practice, a practice which has played a central role in the world views and social contexts of black people in the United States, and thus in American history as well. The course explores the traditional religions of enslaved Africans, 20th-century nationalist faiths, and contemporary black religious diversity. African-American peoples’ religious journeys have led through Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Rastafarianism (and other religions), but have almost always involved the realities and rhetorics of “black,” “white,” and “race.” The course emphasizes three intertwined approaches: critical analysis of the history and hermeneutics of race; close reading of primary sources; and first-hand field trips and “race experiments.”

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    RELI 012 , 013 , 015 , 016 , 018 , or 050 .
  

  • RELI 107 - (IS) The Stuff of Religion: Art, Artifact and Immanence

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically
    This course will study lived religion in relation to, and through, architecture, fashion, music, food, souvenirs, art and ritual artifacts. While the study of religion has long been dominated by abstract concerns (such as beliefs in the afterlife), this course will focus on how religion is embodied in everyday life, making use of local areas – NYC, Long Island, etc. – as our classroom.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    Any RELI or JWST course , or permission of instructor.
  

  • RELI 109 - (HP) Sex and the Body in Religious Studies

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically
    This course is designed to introduce the major contemporary theoretical moves scholars use to help them think about the force of sexuality and the body in religion (which we often think is only about the soul, spirit, belief). The bulk of the class involves close readings of selected contemporary theorists and issues. In the last two weeks of class, we will practice using these theorists as lenses for bringing into focus the role of the body, sexuality, and gender in a sampling of texts that record Daoist meditation practices.
  

  • RELI 121 - (HP) The Religious Mind

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically
    This course will introduce students to the cognitive study of religion. The methods of evolutionary studies, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience are now being used to investigate religious belief, behavior and traditions. This approach offers fresh perspective into a number of issues within the study of religion, opens up new ways of understanding the power of religion to shape our lives, and raises important questions about the nature of religious beliefs.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    Any RELI, JWST , PHI , or PSY  course, or permission of the instructor.
  

  • RELI 125 - (CC, HP) Buddhism and Psychology

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically
    This course explores Buddhism as a non-scientific kind of psychology. Students read key Buddhist texts and explore their contemporary application by studying recent changes in the diagnosis of depression in different countries in Asia where Buddhism plays a cultural role. This course considers the pros and cons of medical globalization and of the universalization of biomedical disease categories, as well as the ways in which emotions and desires are experienced and approached in different cultures. Students will also explore whether religion is able to provide cultural protectors against certain forms of mental disease and examine the consequences of the interaction of Buddhist cultural forms with Western biomedical technologies and truths.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    Any one of the following courses: RELI 010 , 015 , 016 , 019 , 026 , 035 , 040 , 075 , 077 , 086 , 104 , 118 ; ANTH 117 ; or ASST 021 , 011 .
  

  • RELI 130 - (HP) Thinking Mysticism: Sex and Power

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically
    Due to the private nature and the ineffability of mystical experience, this course begins by questioning the very possibility of thinking about mysticism. It explores the works of major theorists in the academic study of mysticism and charts the most important debates where mystical writings are set within broader sociopolitical and religious contexts. Many of these critiques view mystical knowledge through the lens of gender and power to reveal in discussions of mysticism a male-dominated and Eurocentric discourse.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    RELI 010 , 012 , 015 , 016  or 075 . [Formerly (HP) Thinking Mysticism in the Academy: Gender and Power.]
  
  
  

  • RELI 150 - (IS) Approaches to the Study of Religion

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically
    Examination of basic methodological issues and problems in the modern study of religion. Discussion of theories of religion from several points of view, e.g., sociological, psychological, anthropological and philosophical. Attention to such problems as the relativity of knowledge and belief, the nature of interpretation, the status of functional explanation, and the explanation of human behavior. Course is designed to promote the development of students’ critical analysis and the oral communication of critical approaches to the study of religion.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    Any RELI or JWST course  or permission of instructor.
  

  • RELI 151 - Violence and Religion in South Asia

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically
    Do religions justify and cause violence or are they better seen as forces for peace and tolerance? This course examines the relationship between violence and religion in South Asia. Themes discussed include but are not limited to: the rise of communal and separatist movements; inter-religious conflicts; religious nationalism; role of colonialism and Western models of modernity in framing contemporary debates about religious violence.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    RELI 015  or 016 .
  

  • RELI 152 - (HP) Women in Early Christianity

    Semester Hours: 3

    Periodically
    This course will examine the representations of women in early Christianity, focusing primarily on the first four centuries of Christian history. Students will be introduced to constructions of sex and gender in ancient Greek and Roman philosophy and medical literature and the role of women in contemporaneous pagan and Jewish cultures. From there the course will focus on intra-Christian conflicts involving the role of women, in particular, martyrdom, orthodoxy and heresy, and asceticism. Throughout the course, students will wrestle with the problem of using ancient sources to determine social practice.





  

  • RELI 153 - (CC) Political Islam

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically
    This course examines the political dimensions of Islam. We will trace back the roots of Islam centered political ideologies, situating them within their historical and social contexts. We will investigate social, political, economic, and religious agendas of traditionalist, modernist, as well as fundamentalist Muslim movements. Focusing on a set of chosen Muslim countries, we will explore what motivates individuals to join political movements, drawing on Islam as a main reference system. Students will get acquainted with basic political concepts of the Islamic tradition, and the way these concepts are negotiated vis-à-vis modern institutions and values such as the nation state, secularism, democracy and human rights.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    Same as PSC 109 .
  

  • RELI 154 - (HP) American Catholicism Now

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically
    Explorations of varieties of Catholicism in the United States: 1) as a common spiritual impulse across different times and contexts; 2) as a highly differentiated religion whose members both shared and contested its meanings; and 3) as a prism for understanding historical developments for America and Americans in general. The course begins by trying to define Catholicism, including close reading of primary sources, and concludes with reflection upon a semester-long reading of Thomas Merton’s The Seven Storey Mountain. Each offering will include specific emphases, from expressions of sacramentality to social justice to sexuality issues.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    RELI 010 , 012 , 013 , 014F , 014S , 015 , 016 , 017 , 018 , 050 , 070 , 075 , 080  or 085 . (Formerly (HP) Varieties of American Catholic Experience.)
  

  • RELI 157 - (CC) Sikh Mysticism

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically
    This course examines the nature, role and meanings of Sikh thought, religion and culture by looking at what mysticism is, and what it contributes to modern Sikh consciousness and culture. Expressions of Sikh mysticism as found in the writings of the Sikh Gurus will be presented in comparative context. One of the aims of this course is to show how Sikh mysticism draws attention to the way in which we construct ourselves and notions of reality.
  

  • RELI 158 - (HP) Religion in Everyday Life

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically
    This class goes behind the headlines of general perceptions of religion to see faiths close up. It tests the idea that understanding religion starts with understanding the people that live it — and the person who’s studying it. Using methods from anthropology, literary studies, and cultural studies, each student chooses a local religious community as his or her site for semester-long field work, including self-analysis, participant-observation, interviews, and readings of bodies, literature, and material culture. At the same time, students read some of the best ethnographic studies of religion from the past decade.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    RELI 010 , 012 , 013 , 014F , 014S , 015 , 016 , 017 , 018 , 050 , 070 , 075 , 080  or 085 . (Formerly (HP) Studying American Religion From the Ground Up.)
  

  • RELI 160 - (HP) Religion, Secularism & Conflict Resolution

    Semester Hours: 3

    Fall, Spring

    An essential tenet of Religion and Interfaith Studies is not tolerance but involves seeing the very dignity of different secular-religious cultures. Furthermore, peace building efforts world-wide aim to operationalize the resources religions possess for conflict resolution. However, recent works in the field of Peace Studies go beyond treating religion as either a force for violence or peace, by drawing a wider geo-political frame. This course will therefore broach Conflict Resolution by drawing a broader theoretical context that includes questioning both religious revelation and secular reason – and in so doing chart a history of secular liberal peace-building to explore its limits and possible alternatives.
  

  • RELI 191 - Undergraduate Research in Religious Studies

    Semester Hours: 1-3
    Fall, Spring
    Individualized plan of study developed by student in consultation with, and with the approval of a member of the faculty, approved by Religious Studies Adviser who will serve as tutor for the course.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    Approval of instructor and Religious Studies Adviser. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.
  

  • RELI 192 - Internship in Religious Studies

    Semester Hours: 1-6
    Fall, Spring, Summer
    This internship provides students with an opportunity to apply the academic study of religion to practical situations.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    RELI 010 , minimum GPA of 2.5 and screening interview with instructor or department chairperson. For each semester hour, students will work a minimum of 28 hours on site in addition to completing a minimum of 10 hours of academic work that will include reading, research, and a final paper or project that situates the internship experience within the broader framework of the academic study of religion. Also required, but not counted as part of the 10 hours of academic work are a minimum of three meetings with a faculty adviser – one at the beginning, another at mid-term, and the final at the end of the work experience. Grades will be based on both on-site evaluation and academic work. An on-site evaluation of “poor” will result in a grade no higher than a C. May not be taken on a Pass/D+/D/Fail basis.
  

  • RELI 193 - Departmental Honors Candidacy: Essay

    Semester Hours: 3
    Fall, Spring
    Research for and writing of a substantial essay in religion.  Open only to religion majors who are eligible and desire to graduate with departmental honors.  Interested students must secure, before registration, written permission of the instructor who will supervise the essay.  The Honors Essay will be evaluated by the department.  

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    May be repeated for credit once if taken in consecutive semesters.

Research (RES)
  
  

Rhetoric (RHET) (*Formerly SPCM*)
  

  • RHET 001 - (CP) Oral Communication

    Semester Hours: 3
    Fall, Spring
    Develop effective communication skills through a variety of communicative experiences including intrapersonal, interpersonal, interviewing, nonverbal, small group communication, and public speaking. Theories of communication are explored.

    Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
    Recommended for all students. Students may take an alternative course designated by individual programs.
  
  

  • RHET 005 - History of Rhetoric

    Semester Hours: 3
    Periodically

    This course introduces students to the study of oral public discourse, the development of classical rhetoric, narrative, and the performance of classical texts, as well as the distinction between orality and literacy in the construction of narrative. The course explores the impact of the development of the printing press, publishing, and journalism on the construction, dissemination, and reception of messages by audiences. Comparisons are made between the various communication contexts and their role in shaping spoken or written rhetorical “texts.”
 

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