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Boston University
Graduate Program in Religion 

School

Boston University Graduate Program in Religion

CAS RN 626

Jewish Mysticism

BTI Category

Semester

Judaic Studies

SP25

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.

Professor

Class Day & Time

Lior

MWF

12:20 PM-1:10 PM

Grading Option

Letter, P/F, Audit

Credits

4

Online?

N

Professor Approval Req'd?

N

Prerequisites?

N

Notes

GRAD/UGRAD SPLIT

School

Boston University Graduate Program in Religion

GRS RN 656

Digital Religion

BTI Category

Semester

Sociology/Ethnography/Research Methods

SP25

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.

Professor

Class Day & Time

Guillory

TR

11:00 AM-12:15 PM

Grading Option

Letter, P/F, Audit

Credits

4

Online?

N

Professor Approval Req'd?

N

Prerequisites?

N

Notes

GRAD/UGRAD SPLIT

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

SP25

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.

Professor

Class Day & Time

Thornton

MWF

1:25PM-2:15PM

Grading Option

Letter, P/F, Audit

Credits

4

Online?

N

Professor Approval Req'd?

N

Prerequisites?

N

Notes

GRAD/UGRAD SPLIT

School

Boston University Graduate Program in Religion

CAS RN 720

Maimonides

BTI Category

Semester

Judaic Studies

SP25

A study of major aspects of the thought of Maimonides. Primary focus on the Guide of the Perplexed, with attention to its modern reception in works by Baruch Spinoza, Hermann Cohen, Leo Strauss, and others.

Professor

Class Day & Time

Zank

M

6:30 PM-9:15 PM

Grading Option

Letter, P/F, Audit

Credits

4

Online?

N

Professor Approval Req'd?

N

Prerequisites?

N

Notes

GRAD/UGRAD SPLIT

School

Boston University Graduate Program in Religion

CAS RN 750

Topics in Religion, Science, and Medicine

BTI Category

Semester

Interreligious Learning

SP25

Topic for Spring 2025: Healing and the Body in East Asian Religions. From Ayurveda to Zen, this course explores diverse healing practices and understandings of the human body across various East Asian religious traditions. Covering topics such as Buddhist medicine, Daoist remedies, Mongolian shamanism, and Shinto purification rituals, we discuss how different East Asian religions interpret the body within their philosophical and cosmological frameworks, as well as how practical healing applications were developed and performed.

Professor

Class Day & Time

Duoer

M

2:30-5:15 PM

Grading Option

Letter, P/F, Audit

Credits

4

Online?

N

Professor Approval Req'd?

Y

Prerequisites?

N

Notes

GRAD/UGRAD SPLIT

School

Boston University Graduate Program in Religion

CAS RN 753

Topics in Religion and Sexuality

BTI Category

Semester

Ethics (all traditions)

SP25

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 vary according to instructor. Topic for Spring 2025: Queer and Trans Religion. Religious language figures prominently in both attacks on and affirmations of queer and trans existence. We use religious studies and queer and trans studies to analyze fiction, film, and poetry that explores the relationships between gender, sexuality, and religion.

Professor

Class Day & Time

Kelly

T

3:30 PM-6:15 PM

Grading Option

Letter, P/F, Audit

Credits

4

Online?

N

Professor Approval Req'd?

Y

Prerequisites?

N

Notes

GRAD/UGRAD SPLIT

School

Boston University Graduate Program in Religion

CAS RN 770

Topics in Medieval Religious Culture

BTI Category

Semester

Church History/History of Religions

SP25

TBD

Professor

Class Day & Time

Hunt

W

2:30-5:15

Grading Option

Letter, P/F, Audit

Credits

4

Online?

N

Professor Approval Req'd?

Y

Prerequisites?

N

Notes

GRAD/UGRAD SPLIT

School

Boston University Graduate Program in Religion

CAS RN 645

Shariah Law

BTI Category

Semester

Islamic Studies

SP25

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.

Professor

Class Day & Time

Ali

TR

9:30AM-10:45AM

Grading Option

Letter, P/F, Audit

Credits

4

Online?

N

Professor Approval Req'd?

N

Prerequisites?

N

Notes

GRAD/UGRAD SPLIT

School

Boston University Graduate Program in Religion

CAS RN 665

Art, Media, and Buddhism

BTI Category

Semester

Buddhist Studies

SP25

Examines how textual, visual, and material forms of religious expressions have been conceptualized by Buddhists as well as how Buddhist objects are understood and re- contextualized in the West. Topics include: self- immolation; museums; war propaganda, and pop culture.

Professor

Class Day & Time

Hughes

TR

2:00 PM-3:15 PM

Grading Option

Letter, P/F, Audit

Credits

4

Online?

N

Professor Approval Req'd?

N

Prerequisites?

N

Notes

GRAD/UGRAD SPLIT

School

Boston University Graduate Program in Religion

CAS RN 710

Religion, Community, and Culture in Medieval Spain

BTI Category

Semester

Interreligious Learning

SP25

Interactions between Muslims, Christians, and Jews in medieval Europe’s most religiously diverse region — from the establishment of an Islamic al-Andalus in 711 CE to the final Christian “reconquest” of the peninsula and expulsion of the Jews in 1492 CE.

Professor

Class Day & Time

Klepper

R

3:30 PM-6:15 PM

Grading Option

Letter, P/F, Audit

Credits

4

Online?

N

Professor Approval Req'd?

N

Prerequisites?

N

Notes

GRAD/UGRAD SPLIT

School

Boston University Graduate Program in Religion

CAS RN 732

Gender, Sexuality, and Buddhism

BTI Category

Semester

Buddhist Studies

SP25

Examines gender and sexuality in various Buddhist cultures from a broad range of time periods such as ancient India, medieval China, and modern America. Topics include: family, the body, lust, abortion, and menstruation.

Professor

Class Day & Time

Hughes

TR

11:00-12:15 PM

Grading Option

Letter, P/F, Audit

Credits

4

Online?

N

Professor Approval Req'd?

Y

Prerequisites?

N

Notes

GRAD/UGRAD SPLIT

School

Boston University Graduate Program in Religion

CAS RN 752

Topics in Religious Thought

BTI Category

Semester

Interreligious Learning

SP25

Topic for Fall Spring 2025: 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 units in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing- Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Philosophical Inquiry and Life’s Meanings.

Professor

Class Day & Time

Lobel

TR

2:00PM-3:15PM

Grading Option

Letter, P/F, Audit

Credits

4

Online?

N

Professor Approval Req'd?

Y

Prerequisites?

N

Notes

GRAD/UGRAD SPLIT

School

Boston University Graduate Program in Religion

CAS RN 760

Seminar on the Holocaust

BTI Category

Semester

Judaic Studies

SP25

This course will examine historical, ethical and religious issues arising from the Holocaust. We will discuss antisemitism and ideology; what communities were considered “other”; human motivation regarding collaborators, perpetrators and bystanders; the role of individuals, organizations and governments; the treatment of women; the ethics of resistance; the behavior of the Jewish Councils; and attitudes to the existence of God during and after the Holocaust. We will also compare the Holocaust to contemporary crises now occurring around the world.

Professor

Class Day & Time

Katz

TR

3:30 PM-4:45 PM

Grading Option

Letter, P/F, Audit

Credits

4

Online?

N

Professor Approval Req'd?

Y

Prerequisites?

N

Notes

GRAD/UGRAD SPLIT

School

Boston University Graduate Program in Religion

CAS RN 622

History of Judaism

BTI Category

Semester

Judaic Studies

SP25

This class surveys Jewish history from the classical period to modern times. It covers: the destruction of the 1st Temple; the encounter with Hellenism; the Roman period; the destruction of the 2nd Temple; the rise and influence of rabbinic Judaism; the medieval era under Muslim and Christian rule; medieval antisemitism; Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah); and philosophy (Maimonides). For the modern era we will discuss: the Renaissance; the Reformation; the complex issue of Emancipation; coming to America; the growth of American Judaism; religious reform; modern antisemitism; and Zionism.

Professor

Class Day & Time

Katz

TR

12:30 PM-1:45 PM

Grading Option

Letter, P/F, Audit

Credits

4

Online?

N

Professor Approval Req'd?

N

Prerequisites?

N

Notes

GRAD/UGRAD SPLIT

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