RELI 090 A-Z - (HP) Special Topics in Religion

Semester Hours: 1-3

Current Special Topics

RELI 090G - Love, Rumi, Sufism, and Society

Have you heard of Rumi, the poet of love? Where do his powerful words come from? Have you heard of the “whirling dervishes”? What does the whirling mean? In this class, you will find out about a tradition that produced countless thinkers, artists, and activists in the East and the West. Students will learn about the social and historical conditions that gave rise to Rumi and the Sufi orders by reading key excerpts from poems and other texts. We will follow the culture and evolution of Sufism’s extraordinary mystics of the eighth century to the full-fledged Sufi institutions of today. 

Crosslisted as ANTH 188N  

RELI 090P - Conspiracy Theories

Conspiracies seem to be everywhere … but are they? For some, they explain what is hidden in the world, and for others, they are a misguided interpretation of this same world. Discrimination, persecution, attacks against political systems, and even murders have followed these theories. This course will explore what is behind this phenomenon. We will explore everything from the histories, politics, media, and social media discourses, to the  possibilities and problems behind conspiracy theories.  We will ask why some religious, racial, and gender collectives seem to be usual targets. Students will be able to understand not only how conspiracy theories came to be and changed through time, but also to discern between them and sound social critique. 

RELI 090Q - US: Christian Nation?

The United States can claim to be the first nation founded on a secular basis: political power and authority derive not from Divine Right or a Heavenly Mandate but from “We the People.” However, there are many Americans today who claim that the U.S. is, was, and ought to be, a Christian nation; that its laws and founding documents are grounded in Christian values and biblical teaching. This is the position known as Christian Nationalism, and while it is not new (there have been manifestations of it throughout American history), it is a potent force in contemporary American politics, and at the highest levels of government. This course will explore the tension between this vision of a “Christian America” and a vision of the nation in which both the “establishment of a religion” and interference with the “free exercise of religion” are prohibited. This experiment in creating a secular nation was not a rejection or exclusion of religion, and we will examine the influence of religion in the earliest periods of American history, as well as the diversity of American religious and non-religious thought prevalent at that time. We will trace how this tension between these different visions of America has played out during pivotal events in American history and take a close look at the nature and influence of Christian Nationalism as we approach the 250th Anniversary of the American experiment. Are we witnessing a second American Revolution–or confronting a Counter-Revolution that seeks to undo that experiment?

RELI 090R - Religion and Revolution

This course introduces students to the relationship between religion and revolutionary movements across the world. Starting in the Americas we will explore the transnational movements and their dialogues across the world. We will critically explore social, artistic, and intellectual networks that found inspiration in religious sources for their struggle for political change. Topics include struggles for social, sexual, racial and ecological justice.

Prerequisites: LACS 016G  and JWST 090R  

 

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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Fall 2025

January 2026

Spring 2026