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BTI Consortium | Last Updated November 14 - 9:00AM
Boston University
Graduate Program in Religion
School
Boston University Graduate Program in Religion
GRS RN 626
Jewish Mysticism
BTI Category
Semester
Judaic Studies
SP24
This course explores the rich world of Jewish Mysticism from its earliest roots to its contemporary expressions in the 21st century. We look at the interaction between Jewish mystics and major western schools of thought such as Gnosticism, Neoplatonism, Aristotelianism, and Sufism. The course also introduces students to the Kabbalistic tradition and its various historical manifestations. No prior knowledge of Hebrew or other themes in Jewish studies required. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Aesthetic Exploration, Teamwork/Collaboration.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Yair Lior
MWF
12:20-1:10pm
Grading Option
Letter/PF/Audit
Credits
4
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
Grad/Undergrad Split
School
Boston University Graduate Program in Religion
GRS RN 656
Digital Religion
BTI Category
Semester
Sociology/Ethnography/Research Methods
SP24
How has technology impacted religion? This hands-on course explores how digital technologies like the Internet, social media, gaming, and artificial intelligence have changed the way that people think about religion. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Writing-Intensive Course, Creativity/Innovation.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Margarita Guillory
TR
9:30-10:45am
Grading Option
Letter/PF/Audit
Credits
4
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites?
Y
Notes
Pre-req:First-Year Writing Seminar
School
Boston University Graduate Program in Religion
GRS RN 675
Culture, Society, and Religion in South Asia
BTI Category
Semester
Sociology/Ethnography/Research Methods
SP24
Ethnographic and historical introduction to the Indian subcontinent with a focus on the impact of religion on cultural practices and social institutions. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Frank Korom
TR
2:00-3:15pm
Grading Option
Letter/PF/Audit
Credits
4
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston University Graduate Program in Religion
GRS RN 687
Anthropology of Religion
BTI Category
Semester
Sociology/Ethnography/Research Methods
SP24
Myth, ritual, and religious experience across cultures. Special attention to the problem of religious symbolism and meaning, religious conversion and revitalization, contrasts between traditional and world religions, and the relation of religious knowledge to science, magic, and ideology. Also offered as CAS AN 384. This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Thornton
TR
11:00-12:15pm
Grading Option
Letter/PF/Audit
Credits
4
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston University Graduate Program in Religion
GRS RN 727
Topics in American Religion - Black religion and Black politics
BTI Category
Semester
Sociology/Ethnography/Research Methods
SP24
Topic for Spring 2024: "Black Religion and Black Politics" delves into the intricate and interconnected relationship between politics and religion within the Black experience. This course challenges the conventional notions of "politics," "religion," and "blackness," and instead encourages students to critically engage with these concepts through a diverse range of multimedia sources, including literature, film, performances, and modes of discourse. By exploring the complexities, controversies, and nuances of the relationship between religion and politics, this seminar invites students to grapple with the indeterminate and contested nature of this connection in the modern world. By examining historical and contemporary examples, students will gain insights into the challenges, conflicts, and possibilities that arise from the interplay between religion and politics within Black populations throughout the African diaspora. This critical examination will shed light on how blackness disrupts and reshapes traditional academic approaches, creating new avenues for understanding and engaging with the complexities of religion and politics.
Professor
Class Day & Time
James Hill
M
2:30-5:15pm
Grading Option
Letter/PF/Audit
Credits
4
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston University Graduate Program in Religion
GRS RN 752
Topics in Religious Thought - Happiness
BTI Category
Semester
Sociology/Ethnography/Research Methods
SP24
Topic for Fall Spring 2024: What is happiness? How can we achieve a balanced, healthy, fulfilling life? Classical thinkers such as Aristotle, Plato, Chuang Tzu; Stoic, Epicurean, Confucian, Buddhist paths; comparison with contemporary studies on happiness and mindfulness. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: WritingIntensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Diana Lobel
TR
2:00-3:15pm
Grading Option
Letter/PF/Audit
Credits
4
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites?
Y
Notes
Pre-req: CAS WR 120 or equivalent and one course from among the following: Religion, Philosophy, Core Curriculum (CC 101 and/or CC 102).
School
Boston University Graduate Program in Religion
GRS RN 753 1
Topics in Religion and Sexuality - HIV/AIDS
BTI Category
Semester
Ethics (all traditions)
SP24
Exploration of key topics and themes in the study of religion and sexuality, especially as they intersect with gender, race, and politics. Historical periods and religious contexts will vary according to instructor. Topic for Spring 2024: HIV/AIDS, Art, and Religion. Examines the history of the AIDS crisis in the US, including religious, racial, and moral constructions. Special attention to feminist/queer activists and artists who have fostered alternative moral and political visions of health, sexuality, and citizenship through film and video. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Anthony Petro
T
3:30-6:15pm
Grading Option
Letter/PF/Audit
Credits
4
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston University Graduate Program in Religion
GRS RN 645
Shariah Law
BTI Category
Semester
Islamic Studies
SP24
Shariah Law looks behind the stereotypes and headlines--despotic rulers, barbaric punishments, women's oppression--to understand the origins, history, and structure of Islamic law. Explores its implementation in various times and places, modern transformations, and contemporary debates over legal reform. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Ethical Reasoning, Research and Information Literacy.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Kecia Ali
TR
12:30-1:45pm
Grading Option
Letter/PF/Audit
Credits
4
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston University Graduate Program in Religion
GRS RN 665
Art, Media, and Buddhism
BTI Category
Semester
Buddhist Studies
SP24
Examines how textual, visual, and material forms of religious expressions have been conceptualized by Buddhists as well as how Buddhist objects are understood and recontextualized in the West. Topics include: self- immolation; museums; war propaganda, and pop culture. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration.
Professor
Class Day & Time
April Hughes
TR
12:30-1:45pm
Grading Option
Letter/PF/Audit
Credits
4
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston University Graduate Program in Religion
GRS RN 682
History of Religion in Pre-Colonial Africa
BTI Category
Semester
Church History/History of Religions
SP24
The study of the development of religious traditions in Africa during the period prior to European colonialism. An emphasis on both indigenous religions and the growth and spread of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in the continent as a whole. Also offered as CAS AA 382 and CAS HI 349. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Thornton
TR
9:30-10:45am
Grading Option
Letter/PF/Audit
Credits
4
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
School
Boston University Graduate Program in Religion
GRS RN 709
Cults and Charisma
BTI Category
Semester
Sociology/Ethnography/Research Methods
SP24
Examines religious sects, new religions, and charismatic leadership using case- studies from history and the contemporary world, as well as analytical principles from religious studies and anthropology. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I
Professor
Class Day & Time
David Frankfurter
M
2:30-5:15pm
Grading Option
Letter/PF/Audit
Credits
4
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites?
Y
Notes
Pre-req: undergraduates who have taken RN 200 and/or RN 355, and with consent of instructor.
School
Boston University Graduate Program in Religion
GRS RN 735
Women, Gender, and Islam
BTI Category
Semester
Islamic Studies
SP24
Investigates the way Muslim religious discourse, norms, and practices create and sustain gender and hierarchy in religious, social, and familial life. Looks at historical and contemporary challenges posed to these structures. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, The Individual in Community, Research and Information Literacy.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Kecia Ali
T
3:30-6:15pm
Grading Option
Letter/PF/Audit
Credits
4
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites?
Y
Notes
Pre-req: First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CAS WR 100 or 120).
School
Boston University Graduate Program in Religion
GRS RN 753
Topics in Religion and Sexuality - Muslim Movements in the US
BTI Category
Semester
Islamic Studies
SP24
Exploration of key topics and themes in the study of religion and sexuality, especially as they intersect with gender, race, and politics. Historical periods and religious contexts will vary according to instructor. Topic for Spring 2024: "Muslim Movements in the US: Race, Gender, and American Islam." In this seminar, we analyze race, gender, and sexuality as instrumental sites of religious politics, focusing on Muslim historical experiences and social movements in the United States. We take a two-part approach to "Muslim movements:" First, we historicize the migratory movements of Muslims and Islam in the Americas - from enslaved Black Muslims to multiracial Muslim immigrants and refugees as well as anti-Muslim exclusions - placing migration scholarship on lived Islam, race, gender, and sexuality in conversation. Topics include slavery, labor, empire, displacement, policing, law, and family. Second, we take intersectional and transnational approaches to Muslim American social and cultural movements. We explore how Muslims and Islamic ethics have influenced US-based anticolonial, Civil Rights, Afro-Asian, antiwar, feminist, queer, and prison/police abolition movements. This interdisciplinary course bridges scholarship on Muslims from Islamic Studies, Ethnic Studies, Gender and Sexuality Studies, and Anthropology alongside the work of Muslim activists, cultural producers, and artists. Hub Units: Historical Consciousness, Ethical Reasoning, Creativity/Innovation.
Professor
Class Day & Time
Najwa Meyer
W
2:30-5:15pm
Grading Option
Letter/PF/Audit
Credits
4
Online?
N
Professor Approval Req'd?
N
Prerequisites?
N
Notes
N
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