Santa Clara University

Course Information

The Religious Studies Department offers courses in three distinct content areas: 1) Scripture and Tradition [SCTR], 2) Theology, Ethics and Spirituality [TESP], and 3) Religion and Society [RSOC].

For course descriptions please click here.
For a schedule of seminars please click here.

 

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Area 1.

Scripture & Tradition (SCTR)

Courses in Area 1 focus on the sacred scriptures of the Jewish, Christian and Muslim traditions. The courses examine the historical and cultural backgrounds of these texts and gauge the way that beliefs developed in ancient times. They also look at the ways ideas about these ancient texts have changed over time and impact people's lives today. Below is a list of courses offered in this area.

11	Origins of Western Religion		119	Law in Judaism, Christianity & Islam
19	Religions of the Book		128	Human Suffering
22	The Synoptic Gospels		130	Sacred Politics
23	Christ in the Four Gospels		134	Bondage and Freedom
24	Christian Origins: Luke/Acts		139	Bible in Contemporary Fiction & Film
26	Gender in Early Christianity		141	Advanced Hebrew I
27	Historical Jesus		142	Advanced Hebrew II
30	New Testament		143	Advanced Hebrew III
33	NT Narratives & Cinema		144	Aramaic Grammar
35	Science vs the Bible: The Genesis Debates		152	Christian Origins: Paul
39	Biblical Women and Power		157	The Bible & Empire
41	Biblical Hebrew I		158	Postcolonial Perspectives on the New Testament
42	Biblical Hebrew II		162	Violence & Non Violence in Scripture
43	Biblical Hebrew III		165	Gender & Sex: Biblical Interpretations
48	Jesus the Jew		170	Darwin & God
65	Early Christianity		198	Practicum
100	Biblical Poetry and Ancient Myth		199	Directed Readings and Reseach
106	Person of Christ in the New Testament
110	Gods, Heroes and Monsters: Myth & Bible

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Area 2.

Theology, Ethics & Spirituality (TESP)

Courses in Area 2 deal with three dimensions of "faith seeking understanding," a phrase that has classically described theology as a discipline. Theology seeks to articulate the truth of faith; ethics, the implications of faith in human life and activity; and spirituality, the practice and understanding of the experience of faith. All three dimensions are pursued in dialogue with culture in its various forms of discourse, and all three aim specifically to situate the Jewish or Christian faith tradition within contemporary approaches to the study of religion. A list of courses offered in this area follows.

4	The Christian Tradition		131	Feminist Theologies
8	Intro to Catholic Spirituality		132	Telling Your Story as Vocational Discernment
31	Christ: Mystery & Meaning		133	Trinitarian Theology: East & West
40	Exploring Judaism		134	Popes, Peasants & Prophetesses
43	Catholic Social Thought		136	Architects of Solidarity
45	Christian Ethics		137	Theology of Death
46	Faith, Justice, and Poverty		138	Contemporary Theology of Paul Tillich
50	Catholic Theology: Foundations		139	Catholic Theology & Human Sexuality
51	Catholic Theology: Spirituality		143	Theology and Ethics of Thomas Aquinas
53	Religious Imagination		147	Religious Autobiographies
54	Meditation		150	St. John of the Cross
60	Hispanic Popular Religion		151	Religion & Science: Friends or Foes?
64	Environmental Justice in Catholic Imagination		152	Faith, Ethics, Biodiversity
65	U.S. Hispanic Theology		153	Catholic Themes in Literature
71	Mysticism in Catholicism		156	Christian Ethics & HIV/AIDS
72	Comparative Mysticism in World Religions		157	Ethics in the Health Profession
77	Encounters of Religion and Globalization		158	Immigration & Ethics
79	Women in Christian Tradition		159	Ethics of War & Peace
82	Witches, Saints, and Heretics: Religious Outsiders		160	Religion, Ethics & Genetics
83	Dialogues Between Science & Religion		163	Christianity and Politics
84	Spirituality and Sustainability		165	Romero & Salvadoran Martyrs
86	Spirituality & Engineering		170	Homosexuality & Catholic Theology
88	Hope and Prophetic Politics		171	Mysticism in Action
103	Religious Disillusionment		174	Orthodoxy & Mysticism
106	Christian Symbol & Ritual		175	Women's Theologies from the Margins
109	Hispanic Spirituality: Guadalupe		176	Finding Your Own Spirituality
111	Latin American Liberation Theology		181	Christian Sexual Ethics
117	God in Contemporary Thought		183	Ignatian Spirituality
118	Clare of Assisi and Ignatius Loyola		184	Jesus Across Cultures
119	Theology, Sex & Relationships		185	Foundations of Faith
121	The Church and the Future		187	Christ & Catholic Theology
124	Theology of Marriage		193	Rise & Meaning of Modern Atheism
125	Belief and Unbelief		198	Practicum
127	Theology of Family		199	Directed Readings and Research

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Area 3.

Religion & Society (RSOC)

Religion can be studied from the inside, in terms of its scriptures, beliefs, and practices, but religion also can be studied as a phenomenon that is related to and constructive of whole communities and societies. Area 3 courses approach religious studies this way, asking not whether a religious idea, experience or practice is true, but rather how and why people construct truth in this way, or how they perform their beliefs in ritual, or how ideas shape and are shaped by societies. What these courses have in common is the study of religion as a system in society, whether past or present. A list of courses in this content area follows.

7	South Asian Religious Traditions		123	Religions @ Silicon Valley
9	Ways of Understanding Religions
10	Asian Religious Traditions		127	Christianity with an African Face
12	Latinos and Lived Religion		130	East Asian Buddhism
18	Religion & Culture: Africa		131	Tantra in Theory and Practice
19	Egyptian Religious Traditions		134	Religion & Secularization
			136	Religion in Latin America
			139	Mexican Popular Catholicism & Gender
33	Maya Spirituality		140	Animals, Environment, and World Religion
36	Critique of Religion: Modern Era		148	Religion & Presidency
38	Religion & Culture: Africa
41	Women's Spiritualities
44	African Christianity
46	African Religions		154	Islamic Jesus
49	Religion, Philosophy and Politics		156	Buddhism and Globalization
51	Religion in America		157	Religious Tradition and Contemporary Moral Issues
54	Comparative Religion & Social Theory		159	Longings for Immortality
67	Film & Judaism
			168	Gender & Judaism
			170	Religion, Gender & Globalization
81	Islam
			174	Jewish Philosophy: Athens & Jerusalem
85	Hinduism
86	Buddhism		179	Research Methods: Religious Studies
87	Buddhism in Film		180	Religious Studies Research Seminar
88	Chinese Religions		182	Shia Islam in Contemp. World
			184	Race and Religion in U.S.
			185	Gender in Asian Religions
91	Native Spiritual Traditions		188	Religion & Violence
99	Sociology of Religion		190	Islam: Reformation & Modernity
			191	Religions of Colonized Peoples
106	Zen in Theory and Practice		194	Modern Religious Thought
108	Buddhist Spiritual Practices Today		198	Practicum
110	Film and Religion		199	Directed Readings and Research
111	Inventing Religion in America
113	Buddhism in America
115	Tibetan Buddhism: A Cultural History
119	Media & Religion
121	Rep Relig in World Cinema
122	Religion & Psychology

Study Abroad

The policy of the new Core is that students studying abroad may only fulfill the RTC 2 Core course while abroad. To learn more click here.