Registration for summer courses is open as of Friday, February 14. The courses listed below all occur over 6 weeks, in session 1 (May 13 - June 22). Most courses meet online.
Some courses fulfill Gen Ed requirements outside of the Dietrich school - check with your advisor!
MYTHOLOGY IN THE ANCIENT WORLD
RELGST 0083/CLASS 0030
Andrew Korzeniewski
Meets requirements for: Geographic Region, Medieval & Renaissance Studies, Global & Cross Cultural Studies, West European Studies
Did you watch Disney's Hercules as a kid? Read Percy Jackson? (Who didn't, right!) This summer come read about Zeus, Poseidon, and the Olympians in a relaxed yet informative & thought-provoking course. Even if you've read myth before, Professor Andrew Korzeniewski guarantees you'll learn some new interpretations!
This course offers both in-person and remote learning - students may decide.
RELIGIONS OF THE WEST
RELGST 0105/HIST 0125
Joel Brady
Meets requirements for: Global Issues, Historical analysis
This course is a historical introduction to the religious traditions that developed in ancient Near East and the Mediterranean. Our major emphasis is on the history of the religious traditions that emerged in late antiquity in this area and which continue to be major world religions: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Zoroastrianism. We focus on key concepts, historical developments, and contemporary issues. Throughout the course, we also examine interactions among these religious traditions. In the last part of the course we examine the issue of globalization and the spread of these religions around the world as well as the presence of "non-Western" religion in the "West." The course also serves as an introduction to the academic study of religion and provides a foundation for further coursework in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. No prior knowledge of any of the religions studied is expected or assumed.
RELIGION IN ASIA
RELGST 0505/HIST 0755
Margarita Delgado Creamer
Meets requirements for: DSAS Cross-Cultural Awareness, SCI Polymathic Contexts: Global and Cross-Cultural, Asian Studies certificate
This course serves as an introduction to the major religious traditions that have emerged in India, China, and Japan. Over the term, we will explore Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, and Shintō, examining their core teachings and practices, historical development, and cultural impact. As we study each tradition, we will analyze how they interpret human existence, the nature of the world, and the divine, as well as how they have evolved and diversified.
This is an Online Asynchronous course
SOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION
RELGST 0710/SOC 0339/JS 0710
Jonathan Zisook
Meets requirements for: Social Science, Global Studies Certificate, Jewish Studies Certificate
This asynchronous course provides an introduction to the sociology of religion, in which we will engage both classical and contemporary approaches to the place of religion in social life. We will survey major theoretical debates in the sociology of religion, as well as explore how religious institutions operate in the United States and more locally in Pittsburgh. Additionally, we will examine many other contemporary topics, such as religion and gender, conflict, ethnicity, and more. While our emphasis will be on the role of religion in society, you will also be introduced to the study of the “world religions,” including their tenants, beliefs, and practices.
This is an Online Asynchronous course
PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION
RELGST 0715/PHIL 0473
Brock Bahler
Meets requirements for: Philosophical Thinking or Ethics
Are there good reasons for thinking that God exists? Are there good reasons for thinking that he doesn't? In this course we examine the chief arguments for and against the existence of God, as well as other topics central to philosophy of religion: the nature of religious language and attempts at describing God, the problem of evil, and religious experience. Members of the class develop a working knowledge of the issues by reading and discussing traditional and contemporary authors from a variety of faith traditions. Lectures are used to initiate and focus discussions.
GRECO-ROMAN RELIGIONS
RELGST 1145/CLASS 1402
Marcie Persyn
This course is offered as part of the Classical Mediterranean Study Abroad Program
What was/is a "pagan?" And what does "paganism" have to do with Christianity? This course introduces students to religious texts and traditions in a formative era of Western civilization and culture. Our focus is on the variety of religious expressions in Greco-Roman culture, which flourished in the geographical area of the Mediterranean basin during the first five centuries of the Common Era. By considering such topics as debates about the nature of the gods and access to them (through oracles, ritual, and magic), the emergence of the idea of the holy person, and a variety of religious traditions as expressed in prayer, ritual, and art, students encounter a rich religious imagination that is truly different from contemporary understandings of religion and yet strangely familiar. We also explore the integration of religion and politics in the ancient world.