This course examines the various pieties of the Black Power Era. We chart the explicit and implicit utopian visions of the politics of the period that, at once, criticized established Black religious institutions and articulated alternative ways of imagining salvation. We also explore the attempt by Black theologians to translate the prophetic Black church tradition into the idiom of Black power. We aim to keep in view the significance of the Black Power era for understanding the changing role and place of Black religion in Black public life.

This course aims to explore the relationship between republican political culture in ancient Rome and the traditional religious system, up to the death of Julius Caesar (44 BC). Traditional Roman religion is often said to be "embedded" in ancient culture in general and in the political system in a more specific way. We will examine to what extent this is the case and what it might mean for us in our interpretations. The seminar will explore religion and politics, both as separate phenomena (at least in our own terms), and as closely interconnected spheres in the network of cultural practices that shaped the Roman community.

A broad-ranging introduction to pre-modern, modern, and contemporary Islam in light of how Muslims have approached their foundational religious text, the Qur'an. Topics include: Muhammad and the emergence of Islam; theology, law and ethics; war and peace; mysticism; women and gender; and modern debates on Islamic reform. We shall examine the varied contexts in which Muslims have interpreted their sacred text, their agreements and disagreements on what it means and, more broadly, their often competing understandings of Islam and of what it is to be a Muslim.

The decline of marriage in recent decades is often tied to the decline of religion. But why should marriage, a contractual relationship centered on sex and property, be seen as a religious practice? This seminar considers the varied and surprising ways in which the great monotheistic traditions of the Near East came to connect certain forms of human marriage - or their rejection- to divine devotion, and considers how marriage worked in societies shaped by these traditions. Spanning biblical Israel to the medieval Islamic world, this course will introduce you to the historical study of Near Eastern religions and to the field of family history.

An introduction to medieval Near Eastern legal cultures that focuses on the intertwined development of Jewish and Islamic law from late antiquity until the twelfth century. We consider both legal writings such as codes and responsa and evidence for practices in state and communal courts. Geared both to students interested in legal history and to students interested in using legal texts and documents for general historical research.

The choice of a kind of life involves both fundamental commitments and day-to-day decisions. This course is interested in zooming out and zooming in: how should we adopt commitments, and how do we realize them in ordinary life? What is the purpose of life, and how can you fulfill it? Should you live by an overall narrative, or is your life just the sum of what you actually do? Are commitments chosen or given to you? Are the decisions we think of as high stakes important at all? When should you relinquish what you thought were your deepest commitments? What should you do when commitments clash?

This course surveys the development of Buddhism from its beginnings in India through some of its later forms in East Asia, Tibet, and the West. Attention will be given to continuity and diversity within Buddhism, its modes of self-definition as a religious tradition, the interplay of its practical and trans-worldly concerns, and its transformations in specific historical and cultural settings.

This course introduces the Hebrew Bible (Christian "Old Testament"), a complex anthology written by many people over nearly a thousand years. In this class, we will ask questions about the Hebrew Bible's historical context and ancient meaning, as well as its literary profile and early reception. Who wrote the Bible? When and how was it written? What sources did its authors draw on to write these stories? And to what circumstances were they responding? Students will develop the skills to critically analyze written sources, and to understand, contextualize, and critique the assumptions inherent in modern treatments of the Bible.

This course is a survey of Islamic civilization and culture in both historical and in contemporary times. We cover major themes of Islamic religious thought including the Quran and its interpretation, the intellectual history of Islam, Sufism, Islamic law, and Muslim reform. Through the utilization of both secondary and primary sources (religious and literary texts, films), we examine Islam as an ongoing discursive tradition. In addition to gaining an understanding of the problems associated with the study of Islam, this course should equip you with the tools required to analyze broader theoretical issues pertinent to the study of religion.

This course will trace the history of American Evangelicalism from its roots in the early nineteenth century to the Religious Right in the 1980s and the birth of "right wing politics" and the rise of Donald Trump in the twenty-first century. We will note key figures, events, and institutional expressions of evangelicalism, as well as its large impact on American politics and popular culture, including marriage, sexuality, and sports.

This course explores the history of Black religions from the colonial times to the present. We study African American religions within and in relation to the African Diaspora and how various forces of modernity have shaped Black religions and the resilience and ingenuity of Black people across the centuries. Students will come away with an enhanced sense of the complexities of Black religious life through explorations of race and religion, religion and resistance, and the emergence of New Religious Movements like the Black Hebrews, Buddhists and Hip Hop.

This course explores how the religious is depicted and engaged, even implicitly, in feature films. Movies selected are considered significant with respect to director, script, music, cinematography, impact in film history, influence in wider culture, etc., aside from any religious dimensions but then also because of how, why, and in what ways something is conveyed about religion - critically or affirmatively (or both). The first portion of the course will examine the presentation of specific religions. The second portion will explore religious concepts such as love, evil, fate, justice, heroes, [extraordinary] power, freedom, etc.

The most penetrating critiques of Christianity have the power to unsettle our sense of self and disrupt our most natural ways of being - for Christians and non-Christians alike. For these critiques don't focus on attacking religious beliefs alone; rather, they target many of the deepest values, attitudes, and tendencies at the core of Christianity and Christian-molded cultures, and perhaps even at the core of our humanity. This course explores some of the key 19th and 20th century critiques of Christianity. It will involve opening ourselves up to the self-reckoning demanded by the likes of Kierkegaard, Emerson, Nietzsche, Baldwin, and Butler.

Hinduism is often regarded as one of the world's most ancient living religions, and its oldest scriptures were composed more than 3000 years ago. It may therefore come as a surprise that people did not start calling themselves Hindus until the 15th century. How should we understand the late appearance of this term as a self-referential category, and what does it tell us about religion in South Asia? In this course, we will trace Hinduism's roots from the earliest period up to the 15th century, examining not only continuity in religious thought and practice but also diversity in the traditions that came to form a single Hindu community.

This course explores the lives and representations of Muslim women from Medieval times to the present. We use scripture, documents, novels, poetry, films, and scholarly studies from different fields. The topics include women's piety, sexuality, marriage, family, slavery, learning, feminisms, war, and the gendering of the "war on terror." A trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art included.

Medieval Muslims lived in an era of empires, plagues, crusades, famines, and war. How did the beliefs and daily ritual practices of ordinary Muslims provide meaning to their lives, even in troubled times? How did "lived Islam" shape everyday life, from birth to death? How was piety embodied and enacted? We use primary sources in translation, as well as archaeological evidence, artefacts, and coins. The class will visit Rare Books and Special Collections in Firestone. A field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art is included in the course.

First semester junior majors participate in a colloquium with a member or members of the faculty. In addition to assignments throughout the term that prepare majors to research and write a junior paper (JP), students are expected to produce a five to seven-page JP proposal.

The senior thesis (498-499) is a year-long project in which students complete a substantial piece of research and scholarship under the supervision and advisement of a Princeton faculty member. While the thesis is due in the student's final semester of study, the work requires sustained investment and attention throughout the academic year. REL 498 provides mentoring and structured assignments to ensure that students are on pace to complete their theses. All of the following components must be completed satisfactorily to pass; failing to complete one component could result in a "D" and failing to complete more than one will result in an "F."

A critical introduction to developments in social theory that have influenced the academic study of religion, including the classic contributions of Marx, Durkheim, and Weber as well as more recent debates in anthropology and cultural theory. Required of, and designed for, first- and second-year graduate students in religion; others must receive the instructor's permission to enroll.

In this course we engage questions of approach, method, periodization, and scope in the study of religion in America through the Civil War. Texts consist of secondary literature with both classic and contemporary importance to the field, along with brief primary sources selected and presented by students.

How has movement shaped the formation and development of religions in the Americas from the 17th century to the present? What role do institutions play in fostering movement through missionaries, organizations, and networks of support? How has movement shaped the expansion and expression of religious culture and ideas? What technological forces and shifts have transformed religious practice and community making in the Americas? This course explores these themes through reading of primary and secondary sources and guest participation.

This course examines literary sources and archaeological evidence from the 9th - 1st centuries BCE related to issues of ritual, cult, temple, priests, and sacrifice. We consider each text as a literary work in its own right, and discuss the relevant archaeological and comparative ancient Near Eastern sources. This approach points to diverse and divergent cultic ideologies across Judea and the Diaspora. Some of the texts we may study are: the pentateuchal priestly source, Ezekiel, Kings, Chronicles, Elephantine papyri, the Temple Scroll, the Letter of Aristeas, the Aramaic Levi Document, and the Qumran New Jerusalem text.

Presentation and critical discussion of research in progress by participants, dealing with the study of religion in any field within the humanities and social sciences. Note: REL 517 (fall) and REL 517 (spring) constitute this year-long workshop. In order to receive credit, students must take the course both semesters.

A weekly, year-long workshop focused on current student and faculty research in religion and critical thought, designed primarily for graduate students working on dissertations and general examination essays on the philosophy of religion, religious ethics, and the role of religion in politics. Note: REL 518 (fall) and REL 519 (spring) constitute this year-long workshop. In order to receive credit and/or a grade, students must take the course both semesters.

A weekly, year-long workshop focused on the current research of visiting presenters, current students, and faculty in American religious history. The workshop is designed primarily for Ph.D. students in the field, but is open as well to undergraduate concentrators with a strong background in the study of American religion and culture. Note: REL 523 (fall) and REL 524 (spring) constitute this year-long workshop. In order to receive credit and/or a grade, students must take the course both semesters.

A weekly, year-long workshop providing students in the Religions of Late Antiquity with the opportunity to present their current research for discussion. Note: REL 525 (fall) and REL 526 (spring) constitute this year-long workshop. In order to receive credit and/or a grade, students must take the course both semesters.

A weekly year-long Religion workshop focusing on the research and writing of graduate students, faculty, and visitors in Islamic Studies. This workshop provides a forum for presentation of works in progress: drafts of dissertation chapters, dissertation proposals, seminar papers, conference papers, articles and book chapters. All Islamic Studies graduate students are encouraged to participate as presenters and as commentators. The workshop fosters collegiality and professional development. Note: REL 529 (fall) and REL 530 (spring) constitute this year-long workshop.

Critical examination of enduring and recent scholarship on popular religion, ethnography, modern (20th century) religion, and modernity in China. Designed for graduate students preparing for general examinations or research in Chinese religion.

In this course, students read pre-selected chapters from the Samadhirajasutra across the primary source languages of Sanskrit/Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit, Chinese, and Tibetan. The SRS is a Mahayana Buddhist text. The Mahayana (or "Great Vehicle") was a significant movement within Indian Buddhism that began in approximately the first century BCE, persisted throughout Buddhism's demise in India in approximately the twelfth century CE, and exerted an enormous influence upon the further development of Buddhism as it spread throughout East Asia (China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam) and Tibet and the Himalayan region.

This seminar has two concerns. First, we examine facets of Islamic thought on matters relating to conceptualizations of history, religion, law, mysticism, politics, authority, and power between the fourteenth and the eighteenth centuries. Second, we pay close attention throughout to questions of approach and method as they relate to these topics.