Courses

Judaism, Christianity and Islam:The Heirs of Abraham - Fall and Spring

This course explores the scriptures, histories, beliefs and practices of those whom the Qur’an calls “The People of the Book”: Jews, Christians and Muslims. What assurances, hopes and fears bind these faiths together? What has divided them, often to the point of bloodshed? The answers to these questions are multi-faceted and require careful study and appreciation of the contending scriptural claims, the merging and diverging histories, and the diverse forms of worship and practice that have developed in these three faiths over the millennia. In this course, students will dramatically improve their scriptural literacy, their understanding of the religious impulse, and their confidence in bringing their own thoughts and experiences to bear on some of the most analytically elusive and yet deeply meaningful questions in human history. They will also have the opportunity to experience the contemporary manifestations of these three religions, visiting local places of worship—a Jewish Temple, a Christian Church, and a Muslim Mosque--to cap their study of each religion.  (Open to Form IV.  All students are required to take Judaism, Christianity and Islam as part of fulfilling their Religion requirement.)

Judaism, Christianity and Islam:The Abrahamic Traditions-Fall & Spring

Please see the course description above. (Open to Forms V and VI.)

Eastern Religious Thought - Spring

Eastern religious thought differs radically, in many ways, from the monotheistic religions that originated in the Ancient Near East. Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism are Western designations for several distinct but related ways of “seeing and being” that offer enduring answers to perennial human questions about ultimate reality, and satisfy the universal human desire for self-transcendence. As speculative as it may sometimes appear to many Westerners, Eastern religious thought is immensely practical and is meant to be practiced. This course will survey several of the great Eastern ways of seeing and being, focusing on the mythology, philosophy, imagery and devotional practices of both ancient and contemporary practitioners. It will be conducted as a seminar, so students will, in consultation with the teacher, engage in special projects of their own design around personal interests. Besides periodic tests and other assignments, students will also keep a journal of written responses to focused questions arising from their reading and class discussions.  (Open to Forms IV, V and VI.)

Modern Genocide and the Holocaust: The Eclipse of Humanity - Fall

Rooted in centuries of Christian anti-Judaism, and fuelled by a confluence of German populism, nationalism, militarism, and racism following World War I, the “messianic anti-Semitism” of the fascist Nazi regime resulted in the murder of six-million Jews between 1933 and 1945. This racist effort to annihilate European Jewry, known as the Sho’ah, was absolutely unparalleled in human history and became the signal event of the twentieth century, the bloodiest in human history. The Sho’ah was nothing less than the industrialization of mass murder and the near total eclipse of humanity. And despite the cries of “Never Again!” in its aftermath, it has been followed by several major genocides in both this new century and the last.

This course will focus on the causes and the history of the Sho'ah, especially its religious roots and its racist fervor.  Because all reflections on such matters as the existence and justice of God, the nature of good and evil, and interfaith relations- especially among the Abrahamic faiths- occur in its long shadow, we, too, will grapple with these theological issues in light of this unprecedented and unique human tragedy.  Students will work in groups throughout the course to research, for contrast and comparison, subsequent genocides such as those in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur and will make a presentation of their findings to the class at the end of the semester.  The course will feature films, novels, poems, art, and memoirs- along with a history- drawn from the vast store of material available on the Sho'ah, with links to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum in Jerusalem and its archives.  (Open to Forms IV, V, and VI).

The Death of God in Modern Thought - Fall and Spring

There was a time in the Western world when the existence of God was assumed by all “rational” people, leaving atheists with a lot of explaining to do. Over the last four centuries, however, secularism and atheism have posed increasingly resonant challenges to the notion of a “God,” leading Nietzsche to assert, at the end of the 19th century, that God was effectively “dead.”

What mortal challenges has modernity posed to theism in the last four centuries, and what challenges does it still pose today?  When and how did belief in the existence of God come to be considered a laughable- even a dangerous- proposition?  And how have believers chosen to respond?  We will trace the ascendance of atheism, together with the theistic reaction it has provoked, from the time of René Descartes to 9/11, with help from philosophers and theologians such as Hume, Kant, Freud, Hitchens, Kushner, C.S. Lewis, Tillich and Khaled Abou el-Fadl.  Contemporary fiction that explores issues of faith and doubt, such as Salzman's Lying Awake, Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany, Martel's Life of Pi, and the poetry of Philip Larkin and others, will help inform our study, as will contemporary films such as The Truman Show and The Matrix.  (Open to Forms V and VI).

Ethics and Morality - Spring

What does it mean to be a good person, or to live a good life?  How should an individual or a society decide what is right and wrong; which actions are obligatory, optional, or prohibited? Are there universal and eternal moral truths, or is everyone’s opinion on moral questions equally valid? These are some of the questions that humans have asked throughout all times and places, and that philosophers and theologians alike have struggled to answer. In this course, students will study a sampling of the great western philosophical and theological ethical traditions. They will also be encouraged by class projects, discussions, and formal debates to think for themselves, to engage controversy intelligently, and to form their own reasoned and defensible positions on important and challenging issues facing society today, such as sexual ethics, environmental sustainability, economic justice, capital punishment, war, and the challenging range of bio-ethical issues including genetic engineering, euthanasia, and the uses and implications of reproductive technologies. Film, literature and current events will be used as resources alongside the text, and lively but reasoned and respectful debate will be a primary mode of learning.  (Open to Forms IV, V and VI.)

The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict:Politics,Passions,& Religions- Spring

This course explores the vital nexus of politics and religions in this embattled region of our world, especially regarding its most intractable conflict between the modern State of Israel and the indigenous Palestinian population of the area. We begin with a brief overview of the region now known as the “Middle East” from antiquity to the present. Then, we examine the rise of the Zionist movement—both Jewish and Christian—in the late-nineteenth century within the larger framework of Western colonialism, imperialism, orientalism, and the several Arab nationalist movements forming within the collapsing Ottoman Empire. Because it is at the heart of every other conflict in the region, we then focus on a complete history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from the first wave of Jewish immigration to the region through the current frozen peace talks between the State of Israel and the Palestinian Authority. At every turn, we give special attention and consideration to the competing narratives of the struggle and to the religious passions and beliefs informing every aspect of this tragic and dangerous conflict for both the region and the world. By the end of the course, students will gain a thorough understanding of the conflict itself, its role in the politics of the greater Middle East, and the special role of religion in every aspect of life and politics in the region. The course culminates in a class debate, based upon individual research, on the feasibility of one, “bi-national state” versus the “two-state” resolution of the conflict, especially in light of the politics, passions, and religions motivating the two peoples and the three religions of the region.  (Open to Forms IV, V and VI.  Prerequisite:  Judaism, Christianity and Islam.)

Contemplative Tradition: Buddhist Mediation & Christian Contemplation

Both Buddhism and Christianity have long and deep traditions of contemplation and meditation. For both of these great world religions, meditation and contemplation are essential aspects of a deepening spiritual journey and preparation for union in the here and now with Ultimate Reality. This course will explore the contemplative tradition of both of these great world religions, together with the meditative practices rooted in them. We will read some of the great writers and practitioners of these meditative disciplines, both ancient and modern, and we will investigate Buddhist and Christian monasteries where these disciplines are still being practiced and adapted to the conditions of modern life. Students will also receive the instruction necessary to develop their own meditative practice as an integral part of the spiritual journey.  The course is conducted as a seminar in which each student will make frequent class presentations and be responsible for initiating class discussions. Students will also keep an extensive, focused journal of responses to questions posed by the teacher and based upon the readings and the class discussions.  (Open to Forms V and VI.  Prerequisite: Completion of the Religion requirement.)