The Religious Studies Program is an interdisciplinary unit within the College of Arts and Sciences, with participation from faculty and students from across the entire University. The undergraduate program provides both an introduction to the scholarly study of religion and broad training in the liberal arts. Religion is studied in its own right and as a lens through which to view the human condition, contemporary human societies, intellectual and social history, spirituality, and ethics. Students major or minor in religious studies in order to pursue careers as educators or scholars of religion, to work toward becoming clerical or lay ministers in a variety of traditions, to prepare for professional school, to pursue graduate education in allied humanities or social science disciplines and/or to explore their own deepest interests.
Courses
RELG 103.
Introduction to the Bible.
(3)
Survey of Bible in historical context.
RELG 107.
Living World Religions.
(3)
Introduction to major living world religions, such as Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism.
Meets New Mexico Lower-Division General Education Common Core Curriculum Area V: Humanities and Fine Arts (NMCCN 1113).
RELG 230.
Hebrew Scriptures.
(3)
Pentateuch and the historical books of the Old Testament.
{Fall}
RELG 232.
Christian Scriptures.
(3)
New Testament and early Christian history.
RELG 247.
Studies in Religions.
(3 to a maximum of 12 Δ)
Elementary topics in the study of world religions. Course may be repeated up to three times provided the topics vary.
RELG 263.
Eastern Religions.
(3)
A study of major Asian traditions, such as Taoism, Hinduism and Buddhism.
Meets New Mexico Lower-Division General Education Common Core Curriculum Area V: Humanities and Fine Arts (NMCCN 1213).
{Fall}
RELG 264.
Western Religions.
(3)
A study of major Western traditions, such as Christianity, Islam and Judaism.
Meets New Mexico Lower-Division General Education Common Core Curriculum Area V: Humanities and Fine Arts (NMCCN 1223).
{Spring}
RELG 303.
Black Liberation and Religion [Introduction to Black Liberation and Religion].
(3)
(Also offered as AFST 303)
Students will be introduced to the Black experience, which necessitates the redefinition of God and Jesus Christ in the lives of Black people as the struggle for transcendental and political freedom.
RELG 310.
Introduction to Jewish Thought.
(3)
An introduction to Jewish religion and thought that explores the worldview of rabbinic Judaism, including law, philosophy, and mysticism from the 1st to the 20th centuries.
RELG 312.
Introduction to Islam.
(3)
This course examines the life and role of the Prophet Muhammad, the message of the Qur'an, and the history of the theological, philosophical, legal, and mystical dimensions of Islam to the present.
RELG 313.
Islamic Fundamentalism.
(3)
An examination of the social, political, and cultural aspects of fundamentalism in the contemporary Muslim world.
RELG 314.
Islamic Mysticism.
(3)
An introduction to the origin and development of mystical aspects of Islam, commonly known as Sufism. The course examines themes such as Sufism vis-à-vis Islamic orthodoxy, mystical experience, the literary heritage of Sufism, Sufi organizations.
RELG 320.
Magic in Ancient Religion.
(3)
This course examines the perception and reality of magic in the ancient Mediterranean world by examining relevant texts, spells, and relics to situate it within the practice of ancient religion.
RELG 321.
Apocalypse in the Ancient World.
(3)
This course examines the development of the genre of apocalypse by reading several early Jewish apocalypses before examining the lasting influence of apocalypticism in one particular Jewish sect, Christianity.
RELG 322.
Sexuality and the Bible.
(3)
This course engages in the close study of biblical texts that address sexual behavior and sexuality, considering how these texts were likely understood in their original context and the different ways they are interpreted today.
RELG 326.
History of Christianity to 1517.
(3)
(Also offered as HIST 326 / 526)
The history of Christianity from its beginnings in Palestine to the eve of the Protestant Reformation. Primary focus will be on the rich variety of forms–doctrinal, liturgical and institutional–that Christianity assumed through the Medieval centuries. Also of concern will be its contributions and significance as a civilizing force.
{Fall}
RELG 327.
History of Christianity, 1517 to Present.
(3)
(Also offered as HIST 327 / 527)
The development of Christianity from the Protestant Reformation to the modern day, with focus on the variety of forms Christianity assumed throughout this period as it moved outward from Europe and became a world religion.
RELG 335.
Goddesses and Gods of India.
(3)
This course examines Hindu scriptures and practices to understand how deities and their relationships with men and women, high and low castes, and the natural and social worlds have changed over time.
RELG 343.
Catholic Saints in North America.
(3)
This course takes saints as an entry point for exploring North American Catholic history. We focus on the practices by which ordinary Catholics make men and women into saints after their deaths.
RELG 344.
Growing up Catholic in America.
(3)
(Also offered as AMST 344)
This course examines Catholic children and adolescents in the United States over two centuries, considering how Catholic children experience the world, and how the Church and society imagine Catholic children.
RELG 345.
Religion(s) in the American West.
(3)
(Also offered as AMST 345)
This course considers religious communities inhabiting the present-day American West, from the eighteenth century onward, and critically examines interpretations of the West that tie it to a national religious destiny.
RELG 346.
Religion in New Mexico.
(3)
(Also offered as AMST 346)
This course examines New Mexican religion from the seventeenth century onward, considering how life here shapes religious practice, and how religion factors in how visitors imagine and represent inhabitants.
RELG 347.
Topics in Religious Studies.
(3 to a maximum of 21 Δ)
Studies in major religious figures or movements. Topic varies.
RELG 350.
Religion and Literature.
(3)
An introduction exploring relationships between the literary and religious traditions.
{Fall}
RELG 351.
Catholicism in America.
(3)
(Also offered as AMST 347)
This course introduces students to the history of Roman Catholicism in the United States, emphasizing the interaction of Catholicism with politics and culture, and the religious lives of ordinary Catholics.
RELG 355.
Atheism: Trends and Critiques.
(3)
This class surveys classical and contemporary currents in atheism. We will consider different definitions and types of Atheism, current demographic and psychological profiles of atheists, and key atheistic critiques of arguments for the existence of God.
Prerequisite: 107 or 264.
RELG 357.
Religion and Gender.
(3)
This course examines the impact of gender on religious beliefs and practices and the influence of feminism and gender studies in religious studies and within Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Native American belief systems.
RELG 361.
Modern Christian Thought.
(3)
(Also offered as PHIL 361)
Background of the intellectual issues facing Roman Catholic and Protestant traditions today.
Prerequisite: one course in Religious Studies or Philosophy.
RELG 365.
Philosophy of Religion.
(3)
(Also offered as PHIL 365)
Philosophic analysis of some major concepts and problems in religion.
Prerequisite: one course in Religious Studies or Philosophy.
RELG *434.
South Asian Mystical Traditions.
(3)
(Also offered as PHIL *434)
This course will examine a wide range of mystical thought and experience in South Asia from the first millennium BCE through the medieval period in Hindu and Buddhist traditions.
Prerequisite: one course in Religious Studies or Philosophy.
RELG *438.
Indian Buddhist Philosophy.
(3)
(Also offered as PHIL *438)
A survey of Hinayana and Mahayana philosophical thought as it developed in South Asia, together with its religious, historical and social context.
Prerequisite: one course in Religious Studies or Philosophy.
RELG 441.
Religion in American History.
(3)
(Also offered as HIST 441)
Szasz.
This class will cover the rise and development of the nation’s religious groups, from first contact to the present day. The focus will be on the social impact of the groups and how they influenced the development of American life.
RELG *447.
Seminar in Religious Studies.
(1-3, may be repeated 3 times Δ)
Major religious figures or movements. Topic varies.
Prerequisite: one RELG course.
RELG 452.
Theories of Religion.
(3)
An examination and critique of influential 19th-, 20th-, and 21st-century scientific attempts to explain religion in contrast to supernaturalist theories. Also considered are some postmodernist and evolutionary psychology perspectives on religion.
Prerequisite: one upper-division course in Religious Studies.
RELG 453.
Asian Studies Thesis.
(3)
(Also offered as COMP, HIST, PHIL, POLS 453)
Supervised research in one or more disciplines leading to an undergraduate thesis for the major in Asian Studies.
RELG *463.
Seminar in Biblical Studies.
(3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)
Topics in the literary and historical analysis of Biblical texts.
Prerequisite: 230 or 231 or 232.
RELG *475.
Dante in Translation.
(3)
(Also offered as ITAL *475)
Principally the Vita Nuova and the Divine Comedy.
RELG 497.
Independent Studies.
(1-3, may be repeated 2 times Δ)
Restriction: permission of program chairperson.
RELG 507.
Teaching World Religions.
(3)
Preparation for teaching courses about living world religions. Includes teaching experience in 107.
RELG 547.
Advanced Seminar in Religious Studies.
(3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)
RELG 551.
M.A. Problems.
(1-6 to a maximum of 12 Δ)
Tutorial arrangement with a member of the graduate faculty.
