2017-2018 Catalog 
    
    May 21, 2024  
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2017-2018 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Courses

Browse the entire list of course offerings below, or use the course filter search to view a course or selection of courses.
 

Psychology
  

  • PSYC135 CM - Controversies in Cognitive Neuroscience

    Cognitive neuroscience serves as an interface between cognitive psychology (the study of information processing) and neuroscience (the study of the physical brain). In this course, we will discuss “hot” controversies in the field regarding how our brain gives rise to important cognitive activity such as visual perception, attention, executive function, memory, motor control, language, and consciousness. Questions include: Is the recognition of faces special? Do we need our cortex to see? How does the brain make moral judgments? Do we have special brain mechanisms to “hear” music? We will consider evidence from patients with localized brain damage, mind-brain relationships in normal individuals, and functional neuroimaging (e.g. PET, fMRI, EEG/ERP).

    Prerequisite: One lower-division psychology or neuroscience course

    Offered: Occasionally

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: PSYC135 CM
  

  • PSYC140 CM - Leadership

    Examines the broad range of theoretical and empirical literature on effective leadership in organizations. Theories are related to leadership in business, politics, and social movements. Topics include contingency, transactional, transformational, cognitive, gender, and cultural influences on leadership processes; ethical considerations; and integrative approaches.

    Prerequisites: PSYC 037 CM  or permission of instructor

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: PSYC140 CM
  

  • PSYC141 CM - Leading Entrepreneurial Ventures

    The purpose of this course is to explore the leadership challenges that entrepreneurs face as they build their venture. The course will examine the following topics: 1) sourcing entrepreneurial venture ideas; 2) developing and refining venture ideas; 3) translating ideas into business plans; 4) obtaining financial resources; 5) assembling non-financial resources; 6) leading the psychological dynamics of the entrepreneurial team; 7) managing risk; 8) leading during critical transitions as the enterprise grows and matures; and 9) building an enduring organization and culture. These topics will be presented in a venture life-stage framework. The learning experience includes readings, case studies, and presentations by entrepreneurs and venture capitalists.

    Prerequisite: One lower-division psychology course or permission of instructor

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: PSYC141 CM
  

  • PSYC142 CM - Becoming a Leader: Seminar on Leadership Development

    Developing leadership skills, competencies, and potential is thought to traverse the entire lifespan. It is no longer state-of-the-art to take people away from their work to develop as leaders. Rather, state-of-the-science approaches focus on using ongoing experiences as a way to foster and accelerate leadership development. This unit explores various evidence- and experience-based approaches to developing leaders and leadership. Attention is given to understanding psychological theories and models of change, how to enhance development of human and social capital, conceptualizing and leveraging network perspectives on developing shared leadership capacity, and leading development of self and others at individual and collective levels.

    Prerequisite: One lower level psychology course.

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: PSYC142 CM
  

  • PSYC145 CM - Psychology of Morality

    This class will use current psychological research to explore how and why moral thought influences our judgments and actions. We will survey the history and evolution of the field as well as consider the function of moral thought in shaping decision-making across a variety of applied domains (e.g. economics, law, politics, religion).
     

    Prerequisite: One lower-division psychology course.

    Offered: Every other year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: PSYC145 CM
  

  • PSYC150 AF - Psychology of the Black Experience

    See Pomona College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: PSYC150 AF
  

  • PSYC150 CM - Child Psychopathology

    The study of various disorders of childhood ranging from mild behavior problems through autism and childhood schizophrenia. The course will review the description, diagnosis, etiology, and treatment of each disorder and will examine the implications of research findings for education, placement, institutionalization, and public policy.

    Prerequisite: One lower-division psychology course.

    Offered: Occasionally

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: PSYC150 CM
  

  • PSYC153 CM - Asian American Psychology

    Introduces students to the salient psychological issues of Asian Americans. Taking into account the social, cultural, and historical context of the Asian American experience, this course addresses values and cultural conflict development, acculturation, marriage and gender roles, vocational development, psychopathology, and delivery of mental health services.

    Prerequisite: One lower-division psychology course

    Offered: Occasionally

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: PSYC153 CM
  

  • PSYC154 CM - Seminar in Meditiation, Mindfulness, and Well-Being

    The practice of meditation and mindfulness is deeply rooted in many Eastern healing traditions. Mindfulness and meditation have been shown to be beneficial for reducing stress, improving mental and physical well-being, and increasing focus and performance outcomes. In addition, the practice of mindfulness has been integrated into Western psychotherapy and evidence-based practices. This course is designed to provide a multifaceted understanding of mindfulness and meditation. We will examine historical and contemporary issues, review and practice different types of mindfulness, examine the physiological underpinnings of mindfulness, and research how mindfulness can be beneficial across a variety of domains. Prerequisite - one previous course in psychology.

    One previous course in Psychology

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: PSYC154 CM
  

  • PSYC155 CM - Seminar in Ethnic Minority Psychology and Mental Health

    This course examines the roles and influences of ethnicity, race, and culture on psychology and mental health. Students will learn about intergroup dynamics, racism and White privilege, ethnic identity development, acculturation and immigration, ethnic differences in the expression of distress, differential patterns and barriers to help-seeking, mental health disparities, and ethnocultural issues that influence treatment processes.

    Prerequisite: One lower-division psychology course or permission of instructor

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: PSYC155 CM
  

  • PSYC158 CM - Seminar in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

    This seminar is designed to teach the basics of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Students will learn about the theory underlying CBT and acquire practical skills and clinical techniques. Students will also develop an in-depth understanding of CBT-related research, empirically-supported treatments, and clinical-trial methodology.

    Prerequisite: One lower-division psychology course

    Offered: Occasionally

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: PSYC158 CM
  

  • PSYC159 CM - Psychosocial Determinants of Health

    The idea that the mind and associated psychological states, may have consequences on health goes back as far as Hippocrates, the father of clinical medicine, who linked emotion and disease by arguing that they have similar antecedents. Currently both psychotherapists and practicing physicians similarly have recognized the co-morbidity of psychological and physical disorders. Moreover, increasingly a large body of epidemiological and sociological work demonstrates that social-cultural factors such as socioeconomic status, sex, and race/ethnicity are pivotal in understanding health. The current course explores the complex relationship among biological, psychological and social-cultural factors that influence a wide range of physical and mental health outcomes.

    Prerequisite: One lower level psychology course

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: PSYC159 CM
  

  • PSYC161 CM - Seminar in Decision Making and Memory

    Although we live in an uncertain world, our decisions are influenced in predictable ways. This course is an analysis of the human decision-making process with a unique emphasis on how memory influences that process in both conscious and unconscious ways. Students will learn to understand decision making by appealing to classical theories of decision making as well as theories explaining how our memories and experiences influence our decisions. We will also investigate everyday decision making related to happiness, stress, emotional arousal, social influence, rationality, and legal issues.

    Prerequisites: One lower-division psychology course

    Offered: Every other year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: PSYC161 CM
  

  • PSYC162 CM - Seminar in Remembering and Forgetting

    This course explores the functionality of human memory by critically evaluating both the exceptional powers and peculiar limitations of everyday memory that allow us to reminisce, survive, create, and interact in socially acceptable ways. Important findings and conceptual frameworks in both contemporary and classical theories are discussed. The primary focus is on memory experiences in real-world contexts.

    Prerequisite: One lower-division psychology course or permission of instructor

    Offered: Every other year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: PSYC162 CM
  
  

  • PSYC163 SC - Social Psychology and the Legal System

    See Scripps College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: PSYC163 SC
  

  • PSYC164 CM - Autobiographical Memory

    Autobiographical memory encompasses everything we know about our personal past, from general semantic knowledge about ourselves (e.g., one’s birth date) to the most transformative moments of our lives. This course is an in-depth analysis of these  self-referential memories. We will tackle the challenges of studying autobiographical memory from a scientific perspective, examining both behavioral and neuroimaging techniques. We will also discuss different research areas within the domain of autobiographical memory such as false memories, functions of personal memories, prospection (imagining the future), flashbulb memories, involuntary memories, collective memory, cultural influences on what we remember, and autobiographical memory across the lifespan.

    Prerequisite: One lower-division psychology course

    Offered: Every other year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: PSYC164 CM
  

  • PSYC165 CM - Critical Thinking

    Students will learn to recognize and apply critical thinking skills which include evaluating arguments, distinguishing fact from opinion, identifying common fallacies (such as the either-or, slippery slope, and straw arguments), using the principles of reasoning and evidence, and understanding how cause is determined. Class materials will be drawn from a wide variety of sources.

    Prerequisite: One lower-division psychology course

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: PSYC165 CM
  

  • PSYC170 CM - Emotion

    What are emotions and how can we study them scientifically? This class will use current psychological theory and research to address these questions. We’ll begin with an introduction to some of the central controversies in emotion theory (e.g. What is an emotion? How does emotion relate to cognition? Can we see emotions in the face and body? Are emotions universal or culturally specific?) The course will then focus on particular positive and negative states (e.g. love, anger, jealousy, awe, empathy), exploring the causes and consequences of each, as well as the conditions under which these emotions can help us to, or hinder us from, achieving our goals.

    Prerequisite: One previous course in psychology

    Offered: Occasionally

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: PSYC170 CM
  

  • PSYC177 CM - Organizational Communication and Leadership

    This course examines the role of communication in the development and perpetuation of organizational culture. The course focuses on the relationship between the organization’s external environment and internal processes, e.g. strategic planning, decision-making, functional specialization, and leadership.

    Prerequisites: PSYC 037 CM  or permission of instructor 

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: PSYC177 CM
  

  • PSYC180 CM - Forensic Psychology

    Examines the interaction of clinical psychology and law. Explores topics such as psychological testimony about insanity, competency to stand trial, child custody decision-making, guardianship, future dangerousness, and civil commitment. Legal standards regarding psychology expert testimony, and policy implications of these legal standards will be discussed.

    Prerequisite: One lower-division psychology course

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: PSYC180 CM
  

  • PSYC180M CH - Chicano/Latino Cultural Psychology

    See Pomona College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: PSYC180M CH
  

  • PSYC185 CM - Health Psychology

    The relationship of behavior to such variables as diet, exercise, sleep, stress, and smoking will be studied as factors involved in health and illness. Current psychological techniques for stress and anxiety management; coping with chronic pain; treating addictions; and dealing with medical compliance, surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and dying may be included.

    Prerequisite: One lower-division psychology course

    Offered: Occasionally

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: PSYC185 CM
  

  • PSYC187 CM - Practicum in Organizational Intervention

    This course offers field experience in the assessment of organizational problems and the design of organizational interventions. Over the course of the semester students will work with an outside client to diagnose organizational problems and their associated causes, and to recommend organizational interventions to address these problems. The final product of the course will involve a major written report and a formal presentation of findings to the client organization. Students will have the opportunity to use various software packages including statistical analysis, graphics, presentation, and project management software.

    Prerequisites: PSYC 037 CM  or permission of the instructor

    Offered: Occasionally

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: PSYC187 CM
  

  • PSYC188 AF - Seminar in African American Psychology

    See Pitzer College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: PSYC188 AF
  

  • PSYC188 CM - Psychology and Law

    Examines psychological assumptions and interpersonal processes in the American legal system. Issues such as police interrogation, plea bargains, jury selection, eyewitness identification, attorney persuasion tactics, jury decision-making, lie detection, the insanity defense, the effectiveness of prisons, and the death penalty are analyzed from a social-psychological perspective.

    Prerequisite: One lower-division psychology course

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: PSYC188 CM
  

  • PSYC189 CM - Seminar in Clinical Psychology with Practicum

    This seminar and practicum course will investigate diagnosis, assessment, and treatment in clinical psychology. It will explore the scientific knowledge that clinical psychologists have developed in these areas as well as critically examine existing weaknesses. Additionally, areas of concern in clinical psychology will be discussed, including: the use of the DSM-IVTR, how to effectively differentially diagnose, issues with psychological testing, the problems inherent in the assessment and treatment of individuals for diverse backgrounds, and the validity of psychotherapy outcome research. The course is designed for upper level psychology majors who are contemplating a career in clinical psychology. The course includes a practicum component where the student will work in a clinical setting 10 hours a week over the course of the semester.

    Prerequistite: PSYC 070 CM 

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: PSYC189 CM
  

  • PSYC194 PZ - Seminar in Social Psychology

    See Pitzer College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: PSYC194 PZ
  

  • PSYC197A CM - Directed Research in Psychology

    This course is for a research practicum with a Psychology faculty member focusing on different aspects of scientific psychological research such as experiment design, data collection, literature review, data analysis, and conference presentation or manuscript preparation. This class differs from PSYC 199 CM - Independent Study in Psychology  in that the research must be part of the faculty member’s continuous line of inquiry in that faculty member’s research lab. Students may register in the class for either 0.25 credit (at least 5 hours of directed research per week; 8-10 page paper or equivalent academic work) or 0.5 credit (at least 10 hours per week; 15-20 page paper or equivalent). Students may register more than once in Directed Research. A maximum of 1 credit may accumulate to apply toward graduation (not major) requirements. Students may also enroll in PSYC 197B CM  for a non-credit option, in which case they do not complete the academic work required for academic credit. CR/NC grading only.

    Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor

    Offered: Every semester

    Credit: 0.25 to 0.50

    Course Number: PSYC197A CM
  

  • PSYC197B CM - Directed Research in Psychology

    This course is for a research practicum with a Psychology faculty member focusing on different aspects of scientific psychological research such as experiment design, data collection, literature review, data analysis, and conference presentation or manuscript preparation. This class differs from PSYC 199 CM - Independent Study in Psychology  in that the research must be part of the faculty member’s continuous line of inquiry in that faculty member’s research lab. Students may also enroll in PSYC 197A CM  with the option for credit. CR/NC grading only. May not be applied toward major requirements.

    Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor

    Offered: Every semester

    Credit: 0

    Course Number: PSYC197B CM
  

  • PSYC198 CM - Psychology Senior Research Seminar

    This course is required of all students conducting year-long empirical senior theses in psychology. Key topics include research planning, literature searches, goal setting, thesis writing, and oral reporting. Students may earn a maximum of 2 credits for a senior thesis project including this course.

    Prerequisite: Permission of instructor

    Offered: Every fall

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: PSYC198 CM
  

  • PSYC199 CM - Independent Study in Psychology

    Students who have the necessary qualifications and who wish to investigate an area of study not covered in regularly scheduled courses may arrange for independent study under the direction of a faculty reader.

    Offered: Every semester

    Credit: 0.5 or 1

    Course Number: PSYC199 CM

Religious Studies
  

  • RLST010 CM - Introduction to South Asian Religious Traditions

    A historical study of major South Asian religious traditions, including Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Islam. Comparative methodology used to examine a significant number of specific themes in each religious tradition.

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST010 CM
  

  • RLST012 CM - Devotional Worlds of South Asia

    This course introduces three major South Asian religious traditions - Hinduism, Islam, and Sikhism - focusing on devotional movements and practices within each. We will consider medieval-to-modern South Asia as a site of rich literary and religious dialogue and exchange, and devotional expressions and practices (poetic, musical, visual, performative, meditative) as products of both the distinct traditions that claim them and the diverse religious landscapes in which they take place. Topics include the esoteric or “mystical”; place and community; saints and gurus; and reform, debate and dissent.

    Offered: Every other year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST012 CM
  

  • RLST015 CM - Myth and Religion

    This course examines myth in the context of religious thought and how it has been interpreted in ancient and contemporary societies. The course surveys various types of myth and the theoretical understandings of them. Students apply these models of understanding to myths from ancient Babylonian, Greek, Australian, Indian, and Native American traditions.

    Offered: Every other year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST015 CM
  

  • RLST016 PO - Life-Story of the Buddha

    See Pomona College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST016 PO
  

  • RLST020 PO - Introduction to the Hebrew Bible: Text and Interpretation

    See Pomona College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST020 PO
  

  • RLST021 CM - Jewish Civilization

    Through readings from classical Jewish texts (e.g. Bible, Talmud, Midrash, philosophy, mysticism), popular literature (e.g. memoirs, short stories), and contemporary scholarship, the course explores the history of Jews and Jewish communities, major textual and intellectual traditions that have defined Jewish life, and the various constructions of Jewish identity articulated through its texts, beliefs, and practices.

    Offered: Every other year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST021 CM
  

  • RLST022 CM - Introduction to Western Religious Traditions

    Drawing on historical and contemporary sources, this course is a study of major Western religious traditions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Comparative methodology used to examine significant themes and issues in each religious tradition.

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST022 CM
  

  • RLST037 CM - History of World Christianity

    Explores the history of Christianity from Jesus to the present in the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Focus on key debates and conflicts over the canon of Scripture, orthodoxy versus heresy, the papacy, church-state conflicts, the crusades, Christian-Muslim-Jewish debates, the Protestant Reformation, Protestant feminism, liberalism, fundamentalism, evangelicalism and Pentecostalism, liberation theology, and key struggles over missions, colonialism, and indigenization.

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST037 CM
  
  

  • RLST042 PO - The Art of Living

    See Pomona College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST042 PO
  

  • RLST043 CM - Introduction to Religious Thought

    A study of such concepts as creation, evil, and the nature of God in recent and contemporary monotheistic traditions.

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST043 CM
  

  • RLST045 CM - Sikhism

    Sikhism arose in North India in the 15th century, and has since become a global religion with approximately 30 million adherents. This course will consider the historical context of Sikhism’s emergence and development in the Punjabi homeland; Sikh theology, ritual, and practice; and the Sikh diaspora in the U.S. and elsewhere. Within these areas of inquiry we will also engage with key themes from the tradition, including scripture and authority; martyrdom and violence; identity (from gender and sexuality to caste, class, and the turban); and politics (including Partition, the Khalistan movement, 1984, and Sikhs in post-9/11 America). We will watch several films and will visit a local Gurudwara (a Sikh place of worship).

    Offered: Occasionally

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST045 CM
  

  • RLST055 CM - Jewish Art and Identity

    The course examines Jewish history and constructions of identity through the art work produced by Jews from antiquity to the present. Jews have used a variety of visual artistic media (e.g., mosaics, paintings, architecture) to express their central beliefs, create spaces of holiness, articulate notions of Jewish identity, and formulate collective memories, an important process in the creation and maintenance of Jewish identity. Some of the topics covered are ancient synagogue art, Medieval illuminated manuscripts, Holocaust art, and modern European, American, and Israeli art, including the work of Oppenheim, Chagall, Shahn, Soyer, Rothko, Lilien, Rubin, Zaritsky, Ardon, and Nes.

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST055 CM
  

  • RLST057 CM - Islamic Empire and Political Philosophy

    This course is an introduction to Islamic political thought, with special attention paid to the contributions of the Fatimid Empire (909-1171). The Fatimids, who controlled a large portion of the Mediterranean, brought about a number of remarkable achievements under their rule: the founding of Cairo; unprecedented ritual pageantry surrounding the leader, the caliph-imam; and major advancements in theology, arts, and sciences. In this course we will think through major issues in the way political philosophy helped to guide the empire-issues such as the role of apocalypticism as a revolutionary theology; the place of secrecy in governing; and how religious symbolism could explain declines in political power. As the Fatimids were Shia, we will also cover various similarities and differences between Sunni and Shia political philosophies.

    Offered: Every other year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST057 CM
  

  • RLST058 CM - The End of the World As We Know It

    Apocalypticism remains one of the most potent and enduring dimensions of human religiosity. Apocalyptic symbolism has been implicated in the rise and renewal of major religious traditions, revolutions (of both “secular” and “religious” varieties), and major historical events. The events of the apocalypse have also provided material for some of the most creative expressions of artistic, literary, and cultural phenomena throughout human history. This course explores some of the ways in which the apocalyptic is expressed across Judaism, Christianity, and Islam and beyond while also addressing key theoretical concerns in apocalyptic studies.

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST058 CM
  

  • RLST059 CM - Dreams, Visions, and the Afterworld in Islamic Tradition

    Belief in the unseen and belief in the afterworld became accepted widely as two major tenets of Islamic theology. How Muslims envisioned and continue to envision the hidden is the subject of this course. We will examine a broad range of materials from a wide range of geographic areas and time periods-from artistic depictions to Sufi manuals, from messianic movements to Egyptian interpretations of Freud-to address paradigms of “seeing” in these traditions. In our explorations, we will, too, trace how these visions relate to events on the plane of history. 

    Offered: Every other year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST059 CM
  

  • RLST060 SC - Feminist Interpretations of the Bible

    See Scripps College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST060 SC
  

  • RLST061 SC - New Testament and Christian Origins

    See Scripps College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST061 SC
  

  • RLST065 CM - Contemporary Issues in the Study of Islam

    Many contemporary scholars of Islamic Studies lament that the study of Islam is hampered by both religious and political forces. Through a focused examination of the history of the study of Islam in European and North American academies-including Orientalism and its critiques-this course will assess the merit of this claim while isolating what those forces might be. We will examine three specific areas of contemporary scholarship-violence, gender, and modernity-to situate scholarly arguments, ascertain how scholars are making their arguments, and think through what they might be arguing against. We will also examine materials advocating for reform of Islamic Studies, envisioning what a shift in disciplinary boundaries might look like. 

    Offered: Every other year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST065 CM
  

  • RLST076 CM - History and Anthropology of Witchcraft

    A cross-cultural and trans-historical exploration of the phenomenon of witchcraft (the use of magical means to harm or help others) with a special focus on indigenous religions, folk religions, and contemporary Wicca. Topics covered will include theories of how magic works and fits into larger religions and cultural systems; the role that witchcraft accusations have played historically, especially in 16th and 17th century Europe; and why some contemporary practitioners of magic identify themselves as “witches.”

    Offered: Occasionally

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST076 CM
  

  • RLST078 CM - Matriarchal Societies

    An exploration of matriarchal, woman-centered, and/or goddess-worshiping societies historically and cross-culturally, both real and imagined, and an extended discussion of what is at stake in exploring, studying, or inventing such societies. This course will include readings from historians, philosophers, theologians, novelists, economists, archaeologists, anthropologists, and historians of religion, among others.

    Offered: Occasionally

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST078 CM
  

  • RLST080 PO - The Holy Fool: the Comic, the Ugly, and Divine Madness

    See Pomona College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST080 PO
  

  • RLST082 CM - African-American Religions

    This course offers an introduction to African American religions. The course moves chronologically, examining African religions in the Americas, cultural continuities between African and African American religions, slave religion, and the development of independent African American churches. We will examine the rise of African-American new religious movements such as Father Divine and the Nation of Islam, and the religious dimensions of the Civil Rights Movement. Moving through African-American religious history, we will consider topics such as slave resistance, gender and race, and emigration to Africa.

    Offered: Occasionally

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST082 CM
  

  • RLST084 CM - Religion, Race, and the Civil Rights Movement

    The course examines the influence of religion on white supremacy and the civil rights movement in the United States from the 1950’s through the 1970’s. In particular, it explores how religious ideologies, symbols, texts, and narratives were incorporated and employed as strategies and mechanisms for social change in the African American, Mexican American/Chicano, and American Indian (AIM) civil rights struggles. It will focus on how key leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, César Chávez, Ralph Abernathy, Reies López Tijerina, Dolores Huerta, Dennis Banks, and others drew on their religious ideologies, symbols, texts, and counter-narratives in their struggles against white supremacy, segregation, political disenfranchisement, and for civil rights and social justice.

    Offered: Every other year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST084 CM
  

  • RLST087 CM - Israel - Zionism and the Jewish State

    The course surveys the history of the state of Israel, from its ideological beginnings in Jewish tradition and the modern Zionist movement to contemporary religious, political, and social issues. Two areas receive focused attention. The first examines the contrasting and sometimes conflicting Zionist ideologies and the legacy of these ideas as they express themselves in Israel from 1948 to the present. The second focus comes in understanding the ways in which Israel has defined itself as a Jewish state, the role of religion in Israeli politics, law, and society, and the challenges to this identity, including the multiple forms of Jewish identity represented in Israel (e.g., secular, Haredi, Mizrahi), and the presence of large numbers of non-Jewish, Arab/Palestinian, citizens.

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST087 CM
  

  • RLST090 SC - Early Christian Bodies

    See Scripps College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST090 SC
  

  • RLST091 SC - Heretics, Deviants, and “Others” in Early Christianity

    See Scripps College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST091 SC
  

  • RLST092 SC - Varieties of Early Christianity

    See Scripps College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST092 SC
  

  • RLST093 SC - Early Christianity and/as Theory

    See Scripps College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST093 SC
  

  • RLST100 PO - Worlds of Buddhism

    See Pomona College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST100 PO
  

  • RLST101A CM - Sanskrit and the Indian Epics I – The Mahabharata

    The course will introduce the basics of Sanskrit grammar that will allow for translation of the classical language and an understanding the importance of Sanskrit as a sacred sound system. Students will apply their study of the language to a reading of the Māhabhārata, including extended sections of the Bhagavad Gita, and Rāmāyana.

    Offered: Every other year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST101A CM
  

  • RLST101B CM - Sanskrit and the Indian Epics II – The Ramayana

    A continuation of RLST101A, the course will introduce the basics of Sanskrit grammar that will allow for translation of the classical language and an understanding the importance of Sanskrit as a sacred sound system. Students will apply their study of the language to a reading of the Māhabhārata, including extended sections of the Bhagavad Gita, and Rāmāyana.

    Prerequisite: RLST 101A CM .

    Offered: Every other year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST101B CM
  

  • RLST102 CM - Hinduism and South Asian Culture

    Explores the main ideas, practices, and cultural facets of Hinduism and Indian culture. Emphasis on the historical development of the major strands of Hinduism, from the Vedas to the modern era.

    Offered: Every other year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST102 CM
  

  • RLST103 PO - Religious Traditions of China

    See Pomona College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST103 PO
  

  • RLST105 HM - Religions in American Culture

    See Harvey Mudd Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST105 HM
  
  

  • RLST107 PO - Tradition and Innovation in the Making of Modern Chinese Buddhism

    See the Pomona College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST107 PO
  

  • RLST109 CM - Readings in the Hindu Tradition

    This is an advanced, seminar-style course designed for students who already have a background in the Hindu Tradition. Reading and discussion topics are changeable and selected in line with the students’ interests. The course aims to develop the students’ ability to read both primary Hindu texts and academic interpretations of such texts. Emphasis is also placed on writing critical essays.

    Prerequisite: RLST 010 CM  or RLST 101A CM  or RLST 101B CM  or permission of the instructor.

    Offered: Occasionally

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST109 CM
  

  • RLST111 CM - Rebels, Radicals and Religions on the Margins

    Students will learn about religions on the margins and how religion served to differentiate some communities from the dominant culture. By examining religious radicals, this course demonstrates various responses from narrating a critical stance against the mainstream to more subtle ways of elevating radical elements as exemplary and positive contributions to larger society. This course will select several case studies from a variety of radicals in the early modern to the modern periods, such as the Anabaptists, Mormons, Davidians, Amish, Al-Qaeda, Sufis, Hasidic Jews, Aum Shinrikyo, Moonies and Hare Krishna.

    Offered: Every other year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST111 CM
  
  

  • RLST113 HM - God, Darwin, Design in America: A Historical Survey of Religion and Science

    See the Harvey Mudd College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST113 HM
  
  

  • RLST115 CM - Asian American Religions

    This course explores the role that religion has played in shaping Asian American identity and community through processes of immigration, discrimination, settlement, and generational change. It will analyze how Asian Americans make sense of their Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, Protestant, and Catholic identities, and how their faith communities have been sites of unity and division in the struggle for social change. This interdisciplinary course will draw from historical, sociological, cultural studies, and religious studies sources and examine how race and religion shape discussions of gender, sexuality, violence, trans-nationalism, and popular culture in Asian America.

    Offered: Occasionally

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST115 CM
  

  • RLST118 CM - Hindu Goddess Worship

    This upper division course is a historical and comparative treatment of devotion to Hindu goddesses from prehistory to the modern era. Topics will include: concepts of gender in the divine, continuations and divergences between textual and popular goddess worship, Shaktism, Tantra, spirit possession, female saints and renunciants, and the relation of human men and women to Hindu goddesses.

    Prerequisite: Permission of instructor

    Offered: Every third year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST118 CM
  

  • RLST119 PZ - Religion in Medieval East Asia

    See Pitzer College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST119 PZ
  

  • RLST120 CM - The Life of Jesus

    A survey of the issues surrounding scholarly study of the life of Jesus. Readings from the gospels, and from ancient, modern, and contemporary constructions of the life of Jesus. The gospels will be studied with emphasis on understanding the historical Jesus in his religious and cultural context.

    Offered: Occasionally

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST120 CM
  

  • RLST128 CM - Religion of Islam

    Introduction to the Islamic tradition; its scripture, beliefs, and practices and the development of Islamic law, theology, philosophy, and mysticism. Special attention will be paid to the emergence of Sunnism, Shi’sm, and Sufism as three diverse expressions of Muslim interpretation and practice, as well as to gender issues and Islam in the modern world.

    Offered: Every other year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST128 CM
  

  • RLST129 CM - Ancient Jewish Experience

    A survey of Jewish history, literature, thought, and practice from the Second Temple period to the early Middle Ages. Particular attention will be given to the formation of classical Jewish ideas and institutions, such as modes of biblical interpretation, the role and authority of rabbis, halakha (Jewish law), synagogue, philosophy, and mysticism.

    Offered: Every other year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST129 CM
  

  • RLST135 CM - Jerusalem, the Holy City

    Survey of the religious, political, and cultural history of Jerusalem over three millennia as a symbolic focus of three faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Focus on the transformation of sacred space as reflected by literary and archaeological evidence by examining the testimony of artifacts, architecture, and iconography in relation to the written word. Study of the creation of mythic Jerusalem through the event and experience, and discussion of the implications of this history on Jerusalem’s current political situation.

    Offered: Every other year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST135 CM
  

  • RLST136 CM - Religion in Contemporary America

    This course explores the religious, spiritual, and sociological trends and developments in American religions since the 1960s with particular attention to race, ethnicity, gender, church-state debates, moral issues, and politics.

    Offered: Every third year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST136 CM
  

  • RLST137 CM - Jewish-Christian Relations

    The course will examine the relations between Jews and Christians from antiquity to the present. It will trace the origins of Christian and anti-Judaism, and explore the ways in which Jews and Christians have thought about the other. We shall attempt to understand what issues divided the two communities, how theological, social, political, and racial concepts contributed to the development of anti-Semitism, how Jews have understood Christians and responded to Christian religious and social claims about Jews, and what attempts have been made throughout history, but particularly since the Holocaust, to establish more constructive relations.

    Offered: Every other year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST137 CM
  

  • RLST138 CM - American Religious History

    This seminar examines the role that religion has played in the history of the United States, and asks students to critically explore how peoples and communities in various places and times have drawn upon religion to give meaning to self, group, and nation. The course will cover a wide range of traditions, including Protestant Christianity, Roman Catholicism, and Judaism, was well as regional, denominational, and racial-ethnic dimensions within these groups. Readings will consist of history monographs, fiction, biography, and scholarly articles.

    Offered: Every other year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST138 CM
  

  • RLST139 PO - Benjamin, Blanchot, Levinas, Derrida: Contemporary Continental Jewish Philosophy

    See Pomona College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST139 PO
  
  

  • RLST141 PO - The Experience of God: Contemporary Theologies of Transformation

    See Pomona College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST141 PO
  

  • RLST142 AF - The Problem of Evil: African American Engagements with(in) Western Thought

    See Pomona College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST142 AF
  

  • RLST143 CM - Philosophy of Religion

    An examination of questions such as: (1) Can God’s existence be proved? (2) Is religious faith ever rationally warranted? (3) Are religious propositions cognitively meaningful? (4) Can one believe in a good, omnipotent God in a world containing evil? Readings from historical and contemporary sources. Also listed as PHIL 036 CM .

    Offered: Every year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST143 CM
  

  • RLST144 CM - Life, Death, and Survival of Death

    A study of philosophical and theological answers to questions about death, the possibility of life after death, and the meaning of life. Also listed as PHIL 185 CM .

    Offered: Every other year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST144 CM
  
  

  • RLST149 CM - Islamic Thought

    This course is an overview of selected elements of Islamic thought from its inception to the present. In our explorations, we will touch on some of the major theological and philosophical questions that scholars have debated for centuries. Some of these questions include those related to the nature of God’s speech, the extent of divine involvement in worldly affairs, how to lead an ethical life, and the boundaries of true belief. We will then spend significant time addressing questions related to modernity, reform, and Islamism. 

    Offered: Every other year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST149 CM
  

  • RLST152 PO - Ritual and Magic in Children’s Literature



    See Pomona College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST152 PO
  

  • RLST153 CM - Religion and American Politics

    This seminar will explore major debates and controversies in American religions and politics from the colonial period to the present. Special attention will be paid to debates about the impact of religion on the Constitution; the Bill of Rights; the Declaration of Independence; African American and Latino Civil Rights movements; the Christian Right; Church-State debates; Supreme Court decisions; presidential elections; religion and political party affiliation and voting patterns; women, religion, and politics; and Black, Latino, Jewish, and Muslim faith-based politics and activism.

    Offered: Occasionally

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST153 CM
  

  • RLST155 PO - Religion, Ethics, and Social Practice

    See Pomona College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST155 PO
  

  • RLST156 CM - European Reformations

    This course examines the origin and development of various reform movements in early modern Europe, including Protestant (Lutheran, Calvinist, Swiss Reformed, Anglican) and Radical groups (Hussites, Swiss Anabaptist, Mennonite, Socinian, Anti-Trinitarian, Spiritualist), as well as Catholic (Capuchin, Carmelites, Jesuit, and Spanish vs. Italian movements) and Humanist groups (Italian Renaissance and northern European versions). It will analyze key religious figures, major political events, and social controversies in order to understand the ways in which the religious reform prompted, supported or resisted social change in early modern Europe.

    Offered: Every other year

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST156 CM
  

  • RLST157 PO - Philosophical Response to the Holocaust

    See Pomona College Catalog for course description.

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST157 PO
  
  

  • RLST159 CM - History of Christianity in Asia

    This course analyzes the history of Christianity in Asia from the ancient to the modern periods in India, the Philippines, China, Japan, and Korea. It analyzes the religious and social factors that contributed to its growth along with its reception, rejection, and indigenization. It also explores Hindu, Buddhist, Confucian, Marxist, Post-Colonial, and Orientalist critiques of Christianity, interfaith-dialogue, and the challenges it faces today in Asia.

    Offered: Occasionally

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST159 CM
  

  • RLST161 CM - Gurus, Swamis, and Others: Hindu Wisdom Beyond South Asia

    Examination of variously understood Hindu teachers such as gurus, rishis, maharishis, babas, matas, swamis, and mahatmas, who have had profound influence in the West. We will explore indigenous categorization of these special personalities and modern historical developments and trends, as well as how their messages have been variously received and reshaped as their popularity spread throughout, and eventually beyond, South Asia.

    Offered: Occasionally

    Credit: 1

    Course Number: RLST161 CM
 

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