Why is “Nonviolence” central to many of the religious traditions of South Asia? What has nonviolence looked like historically and how has its meaning and practice changed in the modern world? In traditions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, the practice of nonviolence relates to ethics through concepts of “karma”—our actions. This course investigates the theories of karma and the role they play in these traditions’ ideas about the self, the other, and the world. We will take a focused look at the way each tradition regards the idea and practice of ahimsa, nonviolence, as both an ethical and personal good. That is, how does each tradition consider proper social action and how do they relate it to the attainment of salvation (i.e. moksha, nirvana)? We will examine Gandhi’s philosophy and practice of nonviolent action in the anti-colonial struggle for independence, as well as how the more recent turn to religious and ethno-nationalism in South Asia has changed Indian perspectives on the value of nonviolence. The course puts these traditions in conversation with western traditions such as virtue ethics, consequentialism, and duty-based ethics to develop a vocabulary for the comparative study of ethics and examines recent philosophical takes on nonviolence as well as critiques of nonviolence from American activists of color.

Religion has been central to the project of modern colonialism. Everywhere European conquerors went, they justified colonial rule in the name of Christianity, sponsored missionary projects of conversion, and regulated the traditions and practices of the colonized. Indeed, some scholars have argued that modern conceptions of religion (and its cognate, world religions) only emerged out of these colonial conquests. This course explores the constitutive relationship between colonialism and religion. Two broad questions will inform our inquiry: How did the colonial encounter shape modern knowledge of religion? How did colonial technologies of rule (law, education, the census, surveillance, welfare) effect transformations in the religious beliefs, traditions, and practices of both the colonizer and the colonized? Our readings will include materials from various modern empires in the Americas, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. We will explore how religion was constitutive of modern empires and how religion relates to other sites of social power including race, gender, and nation. Themes will include religious conversion and freedom of religion, religious institutions and reforms, textuality and interpretation, ritual and material cultures, and legal reforms and regulation.

The first thing many travelers to South Asia notice is that religious sites and images are everywhere—from massive temples at the heart of major cities to roadside shrines, from caves high in the Himalayas to seaside pilgrimage sites, and from storefront signs to “God rooms” in people’s homes. This course will explore what devotees see in the religious images and spaces in South Asia. Beginning with images of the divine in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, we will examine the formal iconographic elements that allow devotees to recognize each deity, explore the theological idea of mutual seeing, called darshan, and analyze the varying meanings expressed through the performance of devotional rituals (pūjā). The second half of the course examines sacred architecture and the built environment both historically and symbolically. We will investigate the classical meanings of the forms of temples, stūpas, and gurdwars and trace their regional variations to see how they developed and crystallized into the forms we recognize today. We will also examine pilgrimages to sacred sites, natural and constructed, as expressions of both devotion and political power. We then turn to the uniquely South Asian features of mosques and Sufi shrines to understand the complex history of religious communities’ interactions in South Asia. Finally, we will focus on contested and shared sacred places as sites of identity formation and political power in South Asia today.

How do people use sound and music to access alternate states of consciousness and otherworldly realms? This course explores the connection between music, sacred soundscapes, and spiritual perception across a range of musical practices and belief systems. Through a number of different case studies from around the world, we will investigate the essential role of sound and melody in conjuring mystical and extrasensory states of being across social and regional contexts. Our study will include environmentally-based sound explorations, where we explore techniques involving deep listening and sound painting. We will contextualize sacred and spiritual soundscapes within religious and cultural frameworks: exploring trance, possession, and intoxication from a musical perspective. Various sensorial exercises will heighten our awareness of sound and space – including breath, silence, and movement. By illuminating how sound moves within and across human bodies, we will explore how music enables transcendent experiences of ecstatic and otherworldly realms. 1 unit -- Carrizo

This course examines the apparently universal human phenomenon of religion and its place in the modern world. Scholars have generally assumed that the spread of modernity would entail the gradual retreat of religion as an active political force in the world. However, today one hears of a global “resurgence of religion”—the Pentecostalization of sub-Saharan Africa, the rise of Hindu majoritarianism in South Asia, “politicized” Islam in the Middle East and Southeast Asia and the Christian right in the United States are but a few examples. This course asks: What is religion? What is the source of its apparent power? Are the various phenomena we group under the name/sign religion indeed of a piece? Is there some common essence, in other words, justifying the assumption that the diverse beliefs and practices termed “religious” are but different expressions of the same thing? And if not, why is such an assumption so widespread? The course begins by examining some of the most influential attempts to define and explain religion comparatively, both within the discipline of anthropology and in the works that have influenced it. Thus, we will engage the writings of Freud, Weber, Durkheim, as well as anthropologists such as E.B. Tylor, Bronislaw Malinowski, Mary Douglas, and Clifford Geertz. These texts are included not simply for historical value, but as lucid expressions of ideas that are sedimented as matters of common sense and as ideas that permeate academic as well as popular accounts. In the second part of the course, we will focus on ethnographic attempts to account for the power of religion in specific social and cultural contexts, including in the modern West. These ethnographic readings will enable us to explore the important issues, approaches and debates in the anthropology of religion and to address the question of religion in the modern world in relation to its constitutive other: secularism.

This course explores the growing field of queer studies in religion. Borrowing from the five common approaches to queer religious studies offered by Melissa M. Wilcox in her work, Queer Religiosities, this class seeks to—examine the lives of queer religious practitioners and the relevance of their faith for the field of religious studies, excavate how queerness is obscured and yet still shows up in religious rituals and sacred texts, explore the ways in which queer ways of being in the world might be understood as “religious,” discover how queerness serves to disrupt normative religious and theological claims, and study the ways that the fields of religious and queer studies inform each other. In addition, this course acquaints students with a few key figures (both historically and contemporarily) in the discourse, including but not limited to the work of Marcella Althaus-Reid, Elias Farajaje Jones, Melissa Wilcox, Robert Goss, Horace Griffin, Linn Tonstad, and others.

South Asian society, it is generally thought, is organized around the ideology of “caste,” which has parallels with the ideology of “race.” As a set of practices and discourses that order social hierarchy, “purity” is a central concept that reinforces caste distinctions, which play out, partly, in the ways that gender is constructed, performed, and policed. This course takes a critical approach to understanding how and by whom caste is articulated, how it functions in practice in South Asian communities, and how the concept of caste is linked to gender in religious texts and practices. Focusing first on the early articulations of the fourfold caste hierarchy (varṇa) in the Vedas and its link to gender discourses in texts like The Laws of Manu, the course problematizes our understanding of these idealized categories by examining caste discourses in epic literature and in the ways that Buddhist and Jain literatures deal with caste through their articulation to concepts of “virtue” (śīla) in modeling masculinity and womanhood in medieval didactic story literature. The course then looks at everyday practices and performance of caste through modern biographies and ethnographic studies. The course then examines the work of B.R. Ambedkar and recent works from Dalit writers. We will also read Isabel Wilkerson’s book, Caste, as well as intersectional and Dalit feminist responses to it.

Why is “Nonviolence” central to many of the religious traditions of South Asia? What has nonviolence looked like historically and how has its meaning and practice changed in the modern world? In traditions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, the practice of nonviolence relates to ethics through concepts of “karma”—our actions. This course investigates the theories of karma and the role they play in these traditions’ ideas about the self, the other, and the world. We will take a focused look at the way each tradition regards the idea and practice of ahimsa, nonviolence, as both an ethical and personal good. That is, how does each tradition consider proper social action and how do they relate it to the attainment of salvation (i.e. moksha, nirvana)? We will examine Gandhi’s philosophy and practice of nonviolent action in the anti-colonial struggle for independence, as well as how the more recent turn to religious and ethno-nationalism in South Asia has changed Indian perspectives on the value of nonviolence. The course puts these traditions in conversation with western traditions such as virtue ethics, consequentialism, and duty-based ethics to develop a vocabulary for the comparative study of ethics and examines recent philosophical takes on nonviolence as well as critiques of nonviolence from American activists of color.

In this course, we will explore the intersection of race and religion in the modern world, alongside a brief examination of the possibility of identifying racialization in the medieval period. Contemporary theorists of race and religion have demonstrated how religion serves as a means of racializing various human groupings, producing understandings of “peoplehood” with the goal of categorizing particular communities for differential treatment within the social body. This course will expose students to competing definitions of race and the ways in which race and religion serve to co-constitute one another both historically and contemporarily. Diverse historical and cultural moments will be examined, including but not limited to, European colonial expansion, transatlantic slavery, 19thCentury U.S. American understandings of race in relation to the Bible, and the racialization of Islam in contemporary U.S. culture and politics.

This course is a survey of the religious concepts, practices, and traditions in South Asia with emphasis on the ways that traditions are experienced in lived practice. Beginning with a consideration of the Indus Valley Civilization and the formation of the Vedas, the course traces the development of Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Islam, and Sikhism through debates and dialogues. The course will compare concepts of the self, salvation, ethics, devotion, ritual practice, and visual culture across traditions from the earliest writings and material objects to modern times. We will explore religious issues facing modern India, beginning with colonialism and Indian “reformers” such as Gandhi and Ambedkar, and culminating with an examination of Hindu nationalism and the status of minority groups in India today. We will examine both continuity and change over time and space, demonstrating how contact and debates among peoples from multiple geographic centers have given traditions their current shape. Students engage in debates on hotly contested topics, have workshops to study texts and objects closely, and collaborate on projects that engage empathetically with religious literatures and practices.

This course serves as an introduction to James Baldwin’s literature and his robust engagement of religious themes throughout his literary corpus. Students will explore the autobiographically inspired religious and theological questions which often serve as the foundation for Baldwin’s complex understanding/critique of the socio-political realities of race, sexuality, and gender in the United States. In addition, this course will show the ways in which Baldwin “queers” Christian theological language and symbols in putting forth his own unique post-Christian religious vision.

This course is an exploration of Ancient Greek, Jewish, Christian, and Islamic mysticism through the lives and writings of mystics associated with each tradition. In addition to reading classical mystical texts in translation, students will attempt to make sense of mystical phenomena by attending to how they are portrayed through film, historical, and scholarly reflection. Counts towards all-college requirements, Religion major, minor, and the Arabic, Islamic, and Middle East Studies thematic minor.

This course focuses on websites and social media as platforms for religious expression, representation, and interaction. It traces the growth of their popularity as spaces for building religious communities in South Asia and the diaspora. It examines social media as commercial space arising in the context of globalization and in light of India’s recent economic growth. Following the development of several Hindu, Jain, and other religious organizations through their use of social media to reach Indian and diasporic audiences, the course traces how religious traditions are re-shaped on these platforms in response to global discourses about “spirituality” and enduring Orientalist representations of South Asian traditions. It then examines how religion is linked to national identity through the creation of a new kinds of “virtual publics” that refigure the ways that South Asian traditions are articulated, taking a genealogical approach to understanding their formation from the colonial period to the present and intersecting with issues of class, caste, and gender. Students will create their own websites to understand better how online media function as communicative platforms with specific capabilities and constraints. Bio: Prof. Steven M. Vose joins Colorado College after eight years as an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Florida International University in Miami. His research focuses on how religious communities interacted with each other and with the state in late medieval India, focusing specifically on how Jain religious communities forged ties with the first Islamic empire in South Asia, the Delhi Sultanate. His current work focuses on how caste and gender are articulated in religious literature as well as how current religious movements in South Asia have utilized the Internet and social media to form globalized devotional communities.

This course centers on student participation in archaeological excavations at Shikhin, an ancient Jewish village in the Galilee region of Israel. Through this field experience, students will gain training in essential methods and theories of archaeology as well as insights into the history, culture, politics and economics of the region during the Hellenistic and Roman periods. With an understanding of these contexts, students will examine the related histories of early Judaism, the ministry of Jesus, and Christian origins. In addition to their experience in the field, students will learn through assigned readings, regular evening lectures, excursions to other significant historical sites in the region, and a final weekend exploring Jerusalem. The course will be especially attentive to the benefits and challenges of correlating ancient literary sources, including biblical narratives, with the archaeological record.

This course is an exploration of Ancient Greek, Jewish, Christian, and Islamic mysticism through the lives and writings of mystics associated with each tradition. In addition to reading classical mystical texts in translation, students will attempt to make sense of mystical phenomena by attending to how they are portrayed through film, historical, and scholarly reflection. Counts towards all-college requirements, Religion major, minor, and the Arabic, Islamic, and Middle East Studies thematic minor.

This course serves as an introduction to James Baldwin’s literature and his robust engagement of religious themes throughout his literary corpus. Students will explore the autobiographically inspired religious and theological questions which often serve as the foundation for Baldwin’s complex understanding/critique of the socio-political realities of race, sexuality, and gender in the United States. In addition, this course will show the ways in which Baldwin “queers” Christian theological language and symbols in putting forth his own unique post-Christian religious vision.

How do people use sound and music to access alternate states of consciousness and otherworldly realms? This course explores the connection between music, sacred soundscapes, and spiritual perception across a range of musical practices and belief systems. Through a number of different case studies from around the world, we will investigate the essential role of sound and melody in conjuring mystical and extrasensory states of being across social and regional contexts. Our study will include environmentally-based sound explorations, where we explore techniques involving deep listening and sound painting. We will contextualize sacred and spiritual soundscapes within religious and cultural frameworks: exploring trance, possession, and intoxication from a musical perspective. Various sensorial exercises will heighten our awareness of sound and space – including breath, silence, and movement. By illuminating how sound moves within and across human bodies, we will explore how music enables transcendent experiences of ecstatic and otherworldly realms. 1 unit – Carrizo

This course explores the growing field of queer studies in religion. Borrowing from the five common approaches to queer religious studies offered by Melissa M. Wilcox in her work, Queer Religiosities, this class seeks to—examine the lives of queer religious practitioners and the relevance of their faith for the field of religious studies, excavate how queerness is obscured and yet still shows up in religious rituals and sacred texts, explore the ways in which queer ways of being in the world might be understood as “religious,” discover how queerness serves to disrupt normative religious and theological claims, and study the ways that the fields of religious and queer studies inform each other. In addition, this course acquaints students with a few key figures (both historically and contemporarily) in the discourse, including but not limited to the work of Marcella Althaus-Reid, Elias Farajaje Jones, Melissa Wilcox, Robert Goss, Horace Griffin, Linn Tonstad, and others.

Encounter the history of Christian martyrdom and sainthood in Rome, Italy. Examines the beginnings of martyrdom in the early church, particularly in the context of the Roman Empire, and the legacies of the apostles Peter and Paul as well as the emergence of later saints, especially in the Catholic tradition. Historical study is attentive to ways in which Christian communities construct and memorialize—through literature, art, and space—martyrs and saints. In Rome, explore imperial spaces, ancient catacombs, and the Vatican, with excursions to Assisi and Florence.