Religious Studies
Faculty
Alice Keefe specializes in the areas of
women and religion, Hebrew Bible (Old
Testament), mysticism and discernment.
Shanny Luft specializes in the areas of
Religion in America, conservative
Protestantism, and religion and popular
culture.
Luke Whitmore specializes in South Asian
religions and Judaism with particular
attention to the interrelationships of place,
narrative, practice, and visual culture.
DID YOU KNOW THAT
UWSP OFFERS:
 a MAJOR in Philosophy with a
CONCENTRATION IN RELIGIOUS
STUDIES (requirements: 39 credits
distributed among courses in
Religious Studies, Philosophy, and
other disciplines; see catalogue for
details)
Religious
Studies
at
UWSP
 a MINOR in Religious Studies
(requirements: 18 credits in Religious
Studies; see catalogue for details)
NOTE: Many of our 300 level offerings
fill quickly. Students who are considering
a major or minor in Religious Studies
may preregister for these courses with
permission from a Religious Studies
professor.
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Department of Philosophy
(Anthropology, Philosophy,
Religious Studies)
Collins Classroom Center
Room 489
715-346-3340
www.uwsp.edu/philosophy
Spring 2015
RELIGIOUS STUDIES COURSES
Spring 2015
Rel 101 Judaism, Christianity, Islam
(GEP: HU; GDR: HU3)
Sec 1 M/W 9:35–10:50
Keefe, A.
Sec 2 T/R
9:35–10:50
Keefe, A.
This course introduces the religions of
Judaism, Christianity and Islam, with
attention to the origins, historical
development, and diverse responses to
modernity within each tradition.
Rel 311 American Religious History
(GEP: HU; USD; GDR: HU3; MNS)
Sec 1 M/W
14:00–15:15
Luft, S.
This course examines beliefs, practices, and
interactions of diverse religious traditions
represented in the United States (e.g. Native
American, Hispanic, Protestant, African,
American, Catholic, Jewish, Asian, Muslim).
Rel 317 New Religious Movements
(GEP: IS)
Sec 1 T/R
11:00–12:15
Luft. S.
Sec 2 T/R
14:00–15:15
Luft, S.
A study of new religious movements,
primarily in America, applying the
methodologies of history, sociology, and
religious studies. Topics may include cult
formation, church and state questions,
religious violence, gender, the anti-cult
movement, and the role of popular media in
shaping public perceptions.
Rel 330 Women and Religion
(GEP: HU GDR: HU3)
Sec 1 T/R
12:35–13:50 Keefe, A.
Explore intersections of religion and sexism,
including historical development of attitudes
toward women and human sexuality in
Western religious traditions.
RS 363 Religion & Society in
Ancient Israel (GEP: IS)
Sec 1 M/W 14:00–15:15 Keefe, A.
What can we know about the social and
religious worlds of ancient Israel? And how
does this knowledge shape the way we
interpret biblical texts? These questions will
be pursued through the application of
multiple disciplinary approaches from the
Social Sciences and the Humanities to the
analysis of both textual and non-textual
evidence from ancient Israel and
neighboring cultures.
Rel 450 Senior Seminar
Subtitle: Religion and Monsters
Sec 1 M/W 12:35–1:50
Luft, S.
(GDR: WE)
We might not think of vampires,
werewolves, and zombies as having much to
do with religion, but horror is an essential
category of religion. Monsters raise
questions about life and the afterlife, the
problem of evil, justice, and purity. The
monstrous helps us recognize the sacred and
define our enemies. This capstone course for
RS majors requires students to integrate the
knowledge developed in the program and
demonstrate skills of research, writing, oral
communication, and critical thinking.
COLLATERAL COURSES
These courses count towards the
RS major and may count for the
minor (upon request).
Anth 110 Cultural Anthropology
(GEP: SS; GA GDR: SS, NW)
Sec 1 T/R
9:35–10:50
Jennings, T
Sec 2 M/W 12:35–13:50 Jennings, T.
This course introduces students to the basic
concepts, debates, and methods of cultural
anthropology. (3 cr.)
Phil 105 Philosophy and Religion of
India and China
(GEP:HU;GA GDR:HU3;NW)
Sec 1 M/W 17:00–18:15 Srivastava, S.
Sec 2 M/W 18:35–19:50 Srivastava, S.
This course discusses the major Chinese and
Indian philosophers. These philosophers
include Confucius, Lao Tzu, Han Fei,
Mencius, Mahavira, Buddha, and Aurobindo.
(3 cr.)
Phil 121 Critical Thinking
(counts for majors only)
(GEP:HU GDR:HU3)
Sec 1 M/W 14:00–15:15 Warren, D.
Sec 2 M/W 15:35–16:50 Warren, D.
This course helps students to deepen their
ability to recognize, analyze, evaluate, and
construct arguments. (3 cr.)
Anth 380: Medical Anthropology
(GEP: SS; GA GDR: SS1; NW)
Sec 1 M/W
11:00–12:15 Jennings, T.
Anthropological approaches to the
knowledge and understanding of health and
disease in various cultures. (3 cr.)