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 1110.
Introduction to World Religions.
(3)
This course introduces major world religions and the scholarly methods of the academic study of religion. Religions covered may include Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam and/or New Religious Movements.
Meets New Mexico General Education Curriculum Area 5: Humanities.
RELG 1120.
Introduction to the Bible.
(3)
An introductory study of the structure and content of the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures. This class provides the context and reading skills for study and investigation of the Bible and its influence upon western culture and religion.
RELG 1123.
Hebrew Bible.
(3)
An introduction to the history, beliefs, practices, and development of the Hebrew and later Jewish religion as reflected in the Hebrew Biblical Scriptures, using a historical and critical approach, with attention given to understanding its socio-cultural and political environment.
{Fall}
RELG 1126.
New Testament.
(3)
An introduction to the history, beliefs, practices, and development of the early Christian religion as reflected in the New Testament, using a historical and critical approach, with attention given to understanding its socio-cultural and political environment.
RELG 1550.
Religion, Health and Medicine.
(3)
Introduces students to how people’s religious beliefs and practices influence their perspectives on health and their approaches to medical care and treatment. In units arranged by religion or region (North American indigenous religion, African religion, Hinduism, Chinese religion, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), students will learn how religious beliefs and practices relate to rites of passage, sexuality, women’s health, diet, mental health, trauma, and end of life issues. In addition to assessing students’ knowledge of the relationship between religion and perspectives on health and medical care and treatment, course assignments will raise students awareness of how people with different worldviews interact. Course requirements or activities also will teach them how to evaluate their own biases and how to assess the biases and credibility of various sources of information about religion, health, and medicine found on the Internet and elsewhere.
RELG 1996.
Topics.
(1-6, no limit Δ)
RELG 2110.
Eastern Religions.
(3)
Provides an academic overview of the major religious traditions of Asia, which may include the religions of India (Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, China (Daoism and Confucianism, Chan Buddhism), and Japan (Shinto and Zen Buddhism). Students will be assigned both primary and secondary texts.
Meets New Mexico General Education Curriculum Area 5: Humanities.
{Fall}
RELG 2120.
Western Religions.
(3)
This is a survey course that will cover major religious traditions of the West, including the three Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) and other religious systems. The course will focus on how each tradition has developed historically and how it exists in the world today.
Meets New Mexico General Education Curriculum Area 5: Humanities.
{Spring}
RELG 2996.
Topics.
(1-6, no limit Δ)
RELG 303.
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 319.
Sex and Gender in Ancient Religion.
(3)
(Also offered as CLST 319)
This course examines issues pertaining to gender and sexuality in ancient Mediterranean religions and cultures, with special attention paid to Greco-Roman religion, Judaism, and Christianity.
RELG 320.
Magic in Ancient Religion.
(3)
(Also offered as CLST 320)
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)
(Also offered as CLST 321)
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 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, may be repeated six times 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)
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 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)
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 three 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, may be repeated once 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 twice 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, may be repeated six times Δ)
RELG 551.
M.A. Problems.
(1-6 to a maximum of 12 Δ)
Tutorial arrangement with a member of the graduate faculty.
