110 Judaism, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism in America (4) The three primary religions of America; emphasis on major beliefs and the relation of religious institutions to other American cultural, political, and social institutions.
115 Religion in American Public Life (4) Examination of the role of religious beliefs and institutions in the public life and discourse of the United States, focusing on questions of religion and politics.
120xg Introduction to the Study of Religion (4) Psychological and sociological approaches to the study of religious experience and religious institutions. Not available for major credit.
131g Religions of the East (4, FaSp) Survey of the religious life of India, China, Tibet, Japan, and southeast Asia, including doctrine and practice of Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Shinto.
132g Religions of the West (4) The religious life of the Western world; emphasis on Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, including interaction with selected native religions.
140g Religion and Ethical Issues (4) How various religious orientations affect decision-making on issues such as abortion, euthanasia, civil disobedience, and sexual fidelity.
210g Human Values (4) Value-orientations of significant religious and philosophic leaders of the past and present as they impinge on contemporary value conflict.
230g Women, Religion, and Sexuality (4) Examination of western religious traditional thought on women and sexuality; its continued impact on contemporary intellectual, cultural, and social life.
235x Ethical Issues in American Political Life (4) Moral responsibilities in politics, public office, and citizenship; the role of conscience in the system of government ordered by the United States Constitution. Not available for major credit.
240g Introduction to Western Religious Thought (4) Major contemporary options in Western religious thought, with attention to origins in both super-naturalism and naturalism.
260g Ethical Issues in the New Medical Revolution (4) Multimedia-oriented analysis of issues; definition of life and death; research on human subjects, health care delivery, euthanasia, abortion, genetic counseling, behavior control.
265 South Africa: Religion and Ethical Issues (4) How religious convictions shape the divergent moral arguments within South Africa and the repercussions of the South African crisis for Western ethical theory in general.
270g Conflict and Change and the Ethics of Business (4) Impact of recent events and developments on the ethics of business, such as civil rights, affirmative action, professionalism, consumerism, ecology, changing life styles, and government regulation.
302 Religious Vision and American Women Writers (4) Theological and poetic expression of the religious vision of selected contemporary women writers.
310g Old Testament Literature and History (4, FaSp) The life, thought and beliefs of ancient Israel as understood through historical, literary, archaeological, and comparative culture analysis. Implications for modern times.
311g The Bible in Western Literature (4) Comparative analysis of biblical works and how they were employed by various writers in major works of Western literature.
312 Biblical Wisdom Literature (4) Survey of and inquiry into the biblical wisdom literature; emphasis on the Book of Job.
315 Thought and Life of Islam (4) History, thought, institutions, and religious practices of Islam.
317g Ancient Myth and Modern Life (4) Ways in which myth, ritual, and religious concepts from Mesopotamia, Egypt, and ancient Israel continue to affect modern concepts, belief systems, and ways of living.
319g Religious and Ethical Issues in Death and Dying (4) Analysis of religious and ethical approaches to death and dying, including refusal of treatment for competent and incompetent patients, voluntary and involuntary euthanasia, and resuscitation.
320g New Testament Literature and History (4, FaSp) Patterns of religious thought and organization, political and cultural influences reflected in the literature of the early Christian movement.
325g Religious Experience in the Greco-Roman World (4) Varieties of religious experience as reflected in the literature, art, and cultic practices of the Hellenistic world.
330g Religions of India (4) History, teaching, and practice of Hinduism, Buddhism, and other religious traditions of India and Southeast Asia.
331g Religions of East Asia (4) History, teaching, and practice of the religions of China, Tibet, and Japan.
341g Ethics in a Technological Society (4) Value questions arising from the impact of technology on individuals, social institutions, and culture.
364g Judeo-Christian Ethics (4) Ways of conceptualizing the moral life through key doctrines and metaphors from the early Church fathers to the 19th century.
366 Religion and Social Change (4) Empirical and theoretical analysis of social change and its effect on religious institutions as well as the impact of religious movements on society.
367g Contemporary Theology and Morality (4) Current, diverse, theological justifications for moral action, especially in the areas of sexuality, social justice, violence and war, and economics and politics.
370 Liberation Theology (4) Examination of contemporary liberation theologies from Black, Latin American, and feminist perspectives.
371 Moral Perspectives on War and Peace (4) Approaches to justice in political conflict, including pacifism, deterrence, and conscientious objection in the Western traditions.
384 Life Style Options and Their Religious Ethical Implications (4) Survey of contemporary life style alternatives with attention to their historical roots, religious dimensions, and underlying value assumptions.
390 Special Problems (1-4) Supervised, individual studies. No more than one registration permitted. Enrollment by petition only.
394 Near Eastern and Mediterranean Archaeology (4) Study of archaeology and excavated artifacts from the ancient Near East with reference to Biblical studies.
399 Seminar in Religious Studies (4) Survey of methods and selected issues in the field of religious studies; required of all majors during their junior or senior year. Prerequisite: departmental approval.
420 Zen Buddhism (4) The literature, practice, and cultural influence of Zen in China, Japan, and the West.
430 New Religious Movements (4) Cross-cultural examination of "New Religions" and new religious movements: their origins, characteristics, and development. Field research will be emphasized.
440 Patterns of Contemporary Religious Thought (4) Examination of the principal figures, schools of thought, and current trends in 20th century theology.
441 Origins of Modern Theology (4) 19th century liberal, rationalist, and historical theology.
455 Philosophy of Religion: Bases of Belief and Disbelief (4) Rational and empirical foundations for religious faith and for skepticism.
460 Senior Seminar: Medical Ethics (4, Fa) Analysis of ethical problems related to new developments in medical science. Graded CR/NC.
461 Business and Society (4) Theories of corporate social responsibility from contrasting points of view and the relation of social responsibility to theories of management ethics, utilizing case studies.
465 Contemporary Religious Ethics (4) New directions in Judeo-Christian thought about the relation of religious belief to problems of individual behavior and social order.
467 Soul and Psyche: Psychology, Therapy, and Religion (4) Interpretations of the personal dimensions of religion from the perspectives of empirical research and of therapeutic depth psychology; special attention to James, Freud, and Jung.
468 Sociology of Religion (4) The role of religion in modern society from the standpoint of sociological theory and research.
469 Black Religion in America (4) Historical, sociological, and theological analysis of the nature and role of black religion in the American setting.
471 Jesus (4) A study of major interpretations of the figure of Jesus, with focus on the interaction between religious traditions and culture.
473 Advanced Old Testament Studies (4) Consideration of specific topics in Old Testament studies; particular topics determined each semester. Prerequisite: REL 310.
474 Advanced New Testament Studies (4) Consideration of specific topics in New Testament studies. Particular topics determined each semester. Prerequisite: REL 320.
480g History of Christianity (4) Intellectual, institutional, and social history of the Christian movement from its beginnings to modern times.
481 History of Religion in America (4) Intellectual, institutional, and social history of religion in America from colonial times to the present.
490x Directed Research (2-8, max 8) Individual research and readings. Not available for graduate credit. Prerequisite: departmental approval.
494 Advanced Near Eastern and Mediterranean Archaeology (4, max 8, Irregular) Laboratory work in special Near Eastern archaeological problems; emphasis on ceramic analysis, conservation techniques, dating processes, and excavation report evaluation.
499 Special Topics in Religion (2-4, max 8) Selected topics in religious studies.
Produced by the USC Division of Student Affairs, Office of University Publications, May 1, 1995