UCCS Courses

An introduction to philosophy through religious topics such as sacredness, faith, reason, revelation, creation, immortality, and God's existence.

An introduction to the study of religious phenomena such as myth, symbols and rituals as they relate to religious beliefs. The concepts of sacred narratives, sacred histories, and religious experiences will be discussed along with different approaches (e.g., psychological, sociological, anthropological) to the study of religion.

Explores the place of faith in modern society by focusing on the role that consumer culture plays in its interaction with people's faith and practice in the West.

Examines the way(s) in which women have been, and continue to be, viewed in various religions through comparing sacred and other texts with actual religious practices and beliefs. This course engenders an appreciation of the tension between the ideal expectations for and the real possibilities available to women in religious traditions.

Covers classic and recent representatives of the major philosophical and religious traditions of Asia, including Hindu, Buddhist, Confucian, Daoist and Shinto thought.

A reading-discussion course which explores the major world religions and the nature of their appeal to the spiritual aspirations of members of the human family.

General survey of key Buddhist philosophical concepts of both the Theravada and Mahayana traditions, such as dukha, nirvana, anatman and voidness. The relationship between Pali Sutta's and the Theravada tradition will be discussed as well as the relationship between Mahayana and the Prajna Paramita Suttas. Key schools of Mahayana, such as Cittamattra and Madhyamaka will also be introduced.

Detailed analysis of religious experience from Eastern and Western traditions, including mysticism, mythology, cosmology, knowledge of God and the divine attributes, salvation, immortality, and the influence of secularism.

The formation of the Old Testament; manuscript traditions and canonization; an investigation of the major genres within the Old Testament (history, poetry, prophecy); the historical developments of the ancient Near East as they refl ect upon the Old Testament and the history of biblical interpretation.

An investigation of the development of the New Testament, incorporating the history of the individual books and the Hellenistic and Jewish background to the New Testament itself. The course focuses on the historical problem of the emergence of various theological perspectives within the New Testament writings, especially the contrast between the teachings of Jesus and those of Paul.

Course examines the presence(s), result(s), and interpretation(s) of gender and race in biblical literature and the issues and problems those categories present to the reader.

An examination of the meaning of human nature from various perspectives, including Greek thinking, religious explanations, naturalist, existentialist and pragmatist theories.

An examination of the world's religious structures; i.e. Jewish, Christian, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, Meso-American and Animist Traditions, along with an examination of religious traditions.

Historical analysis using primary and secondary texts of the religious culture of America from pre-Columbian era to the present.

Examines how the history of contacts produced and affected contemporary understanding of Islam and the West. Considers cultural, trade, and diplomatic contact in different historical periods, and the way that contact is negotiated through gender, race, class, and religion. Approved for Global Awareness Requirement. Meets with WEST 3680.

An exploration of primitive Christianity through its immediate Judaic and Hellenistic roots, to include extended historical and literary discussion of the literature of the New Testament and an analysis of the historical Jesus.

A history of the Christian church in the West from its acceptance as a legal religion in the 4th century to the eve of its breakup at the Reformation. The focus is especially on theological, organizational, and heretical developments.

A survey of Europe from the early 16th century through the mid-17th century from Martin Luther through the Thirty Years War. Emphasis will be given to religious themes and their relation to politics, economics and society.

Intensive research seminar focusing on primary texts of recent American religions from Cold War Protestantism to New Age Buddhism.

Graduate seminar emphasizing intensive and extensive scholarly readings on religion and culture in America, preparing students for the graduate research seminar paper. Prerequisite to HIST 7460.

Graduate research seminar emphasizing an individualized research project on any approved topic in religion and culture in American history. Prer., HIST 6460.

Examination of religion as a social and cultural institution; impacts for communities and for society; shaping of religious identities, values, and practices; the role of religion in social control, social conflicts, and social change. Prer., 6 hours of Sociology or consent of instructor.

Examines the ways women have been and continue to be viewed in various religions through comparing sacred and other texts with actual religious practices and beliefs. Engenders an appreciation of the tension between the ideal expectation for and the real possibilities available to women in religious traditions. Meets with PHIL 3110.