RELI 090 A-Z - (HP) Special Topics in ReligionSemester Hours: 1-3
Studies in such special topics as the psychology of religion; religion in America; new religious movements; religion, media and American culture; and religion and the liberal arts. For additional information on these courses, visit the Department of Religion website.
Current Special Topics
RELI 090M - Myth, Meaning: Indian Epics
Students at Hofstra may be very familiar with Homer’s Odyssey and Iliad, often cited as the foundation of Western literature, and yet may never even have heard of the two ancient epics that are similarly foundational within Asian cultures. This course seeks to correct this by introducing students to the Mahabharata and Ramayana and their complex stories of intrigue, double-crossing, vengeance, devotion, love, honour and virtue. These epics are peopled by valiant-yet-inevitably-flawed warriors, shapeshifting demons, strong-willed princesses, cunning queens, wily sages and fickle gods. Yet despite the narrative twists and turns of these epics, it can be argued that at their core they are primarily interested in one timeless question: how to be a good person in a world characterized by strife and uncertainty. Despite their age (dated to around 4th century BCE) both the Mahabharata and Ramayana are still very much living texts and new versions are continually being made across different media (novels, poetry, film, tv, plays, comics and video games). In this class we will read together both a summary and a contemporary reworking of each epic, with short lectures to identify key themes and points of comparison.
RELI 090U - Sacred Drugs
This course traverses the story and science of “sacred drugs” from immemorial practice to contemporary politics. In popular parlance, “the sacred” and “drugs” would not seem to have much to do with each other; one might be more likely to think of them as polar opposites. But ganja, peyote, mushrooms, and ayahuasca are only a partial list of plant-based substances used for centuries in religious rituals. Practitioners call them “medicine” and religious studies scholars call them “entheogens”– things that “bring god in,” alter consciousness, and change lives. Immediately this raises the question of how we define words like “religion” and “drugs” in the first place. Historically and anthropologically, we will investigate traditions and terms.
Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
As individual subjects are selected, each is assigned a letter (A-Z) which is affixed to the course number. May be repeated three times for a maximum of 9 semester hours when topics vary.
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