University of Missouri - Kansas City : Religious Studies (RELIG-ST)

An introduction to the major religious traditions of the world and small group or tribal religions. Emphasis on the comparative study of selected myths, rituals, types of religious specialists, and types of religious communities.

3 hrs

RELIG-ST 306 History of Christianity to the Middle Ages

This course examines the historical and theological development of Christianity from its orgins to the High Middle Ages. The main themes follow the mechanisms and conditions shaping Christianity's expansion into a major social, institutional, and intellectual force with a focus on patterns of crisis and reform. This course is based on the study of primary sources (both texts and objects) and modern scholarship. cross-listed as HISTORY 306A

3 hrs

RELIG-ST 307 History of Christianity from Middle Ages to Present

This course examines the historical and theological development of Christianity from the High Middle Ages to the present. The main themes follow the mechanisms and conditions shaping Christianity's expansion into a major social, institutional, and intellectual force with a focus on patterns of crisis and reform. This course is based on the study of primary sources (both texts and objects) and modern scholarship. cross-listed as HISTORY 307A

3 hrs

RELIG-ST 400 Special Topics In Religious Studies

Special topics in religious studies which are not offered regularly. The focus of the course varies by semester and instructor.

1-3 hrs

RELIG-ST 400 A Special Topics In Religious Studies

1-3 hrs

RELIG-ST 400 B Special Topics In Religious Studies

1-3 hrs

RELIG-ST 400 C Special Topics In Religious Studies

1-3 hrs

RELIG-ST 400 D Special Topics In Religious Studies

1-3 hrs

RELIG-ST 400 Special Topics In Religious Studies

1-3 hrs

RELIG-ST 400 F Special Topics in Religious Studies

1-3 hrs

RELIG-ST 401 Religion in America

An in-depth examination of selected aspects of the history of religions in America from the colonial periods to the present. Special emphasis will be given to methodological issues in the study of American religious history.Offered: On Demand

3 hrs

RELIG-ST 402 Religion and Colonialism in Latin America

The study of selected aspects of the history of religions in the Americas. Primary focus is on the complex ways that European, Native American African religions helped to structure and negotiate the experiences and the significance of cultural contact and colonialism through lived worlds of meaning.

3 hrs

RELIG-ST 403 Vision, Dreams and Prophesies as Religious Phenomena

This course explores the ways visions, dreams, and prophesies have acquired religious significance in Western and non-Western contexts from the ancient period to the present.

3 hrs

RELIG-ST 404 Gender and Religion

Cross-cultural and comparative study of how religious groups create and transmit gender roles and expectations.

3 hrs

RELIG-ST 467 Myth And Ritual

"Myth" and "ritual" have long been fundamental categories in the study of religion. This course will briefly survey some of the major theories and approaches to the study of myth and ritual from the Enlightenment to the present. The course will not only trace the shifting meanings of "myth" and "ritual", but will critically evaluate the utility of diverse approaches to the study of religious phenomena designated by these terms. Reading will include theoretical works, as well as selected case studies.

3 hrs

RELIG-ST 487 Contemporary Approaches to the Study of Religion

This course which is the second installment in a two course series, charts the historical development of religious studies as an academic discipline, paying particular attention to the models, methods and assumptions that have informed it past and present. In this course, particular emphasis will be placed upon the ways the objects and aims of religious studies have shifted from the Second World War to the present.

3 hrs

RELIG-ST 493 Sex & Religion: The Erotic & The Anti-Erotic In Comparative Persp

This course is designed to highlight issues related to the various ways in which religions of the world have integrated, embraced, or repressed one of the most basic human experiences sexual expression. NOTE: This course will be offered with RELIG-ST 5593; requirements for undergraduates will be less than for graduate students in terms of length and sophistication of the research paper. Offered: On demand

3 hrs

RELIG-ST 494 RS Death In The History Of Religions

As a biological "fact," death would appear to be a human universal. Yet, human beings have imagined--and, thus experienced--the meaning of death in many diverse ways in different cultures and over time. This course explores the conceptualization and representation of death and dying, as well as the ritual activities surrounding death, found in selected religious communities. The goal is to gain insight into how people have sought to (re) create a world of meaning in the face of death and to gain a critical perspective on our own contemporary situation.

3 hrs

RELIG-ST 495 RS Time And Space In The History Of Religions

Time and space are essential components of the lived worlds of human beings, yet the cultural and historical constructions of these are remarkably diverse and, moreover, are subject to change. This course is a cross-cultural, interdisciplinary, and comparative exploration of the constructions and experiences of time and space found in selected religious communities and historical periods. In addition, it investigates the pivotal role the categories of "sacred and profane time and space" have played in theorizing religion and in the study of religious myths and rituals in the modern period.

3 hrs

RELIG-ST 496 RS The Body In The History Of Religions

The human body is the site of extensive imaginal and ritual activities in all religious traditions. This course explores some of the diverse ways religious communities have imagined and experienced the human body, as well as how the body had been manipulated and worked on in an effort to transform the human situation in the world.

3 hrs

RELIG-ST 497 RS Special Topics And Readings

Intensive reading and/or research in an area selected by the student in consultation with the instructor. By permission only. May be repeated for credit when the topic varies. Permission of Faculty Member. Offered: On demand.

1-6 hrs

RELIG-ST H100 Introduction To Comparative Religion

3 hrs