There are no prerequisites for the course. The class offers a survey (not a deep analysis) of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, with three weeks on each religion. Week ten is given to atheism as part of the theistic story. For each religion, we’ll cover key historical events, major figures, basic ideas, essential practices, significant texts, material culture, and important trends in scholarship. The course approach is academic, not devotional; themes are religious, not political. Attendance at lectures is not taken. But attendance is highly recommended since test performance will come down to students’ note-taking skills, inasmuch as the professor is not publishing his lecture notes. Attendance  WILL  be taken for the once-a-week small-group discussion sections (meeting even in week one), and an absence from any discussion sections will detract points from your grade. Classwork entails reading from the textbook; and writing brief essays based on weekly ‘thought questions’ that help facilitate discussion sections (even in week one); and taking four in-class essay tests—one on Judaism, one on Christianity, one on Islam, one on atheism. A few test questions for each test will be take-home questions (answers to be written in the test booklets you bring to the in-class tests).  For the in-class essay test questions (not the take-home questions), you’ll be permitted to use a ‘cheat sheet’ during the in-class test. For the 4 tests, you’ll need to purchase 4  ‘Large’   Blue or Green test booklets at a campus Zot shop, the UCI bookstore, or Albertsons. There is one required textbook for the class, available in the campus bookstore and elsewhere.
(IV  and  VIII )
Same as History 16A
Days: TU TH  02:00-03:20 PM

A survey and investigation of the major thinkers, theories, and methodologies in the study of religions. Designed to develop the student's ability to analyze and articulate theoretical arguments in writing; includes a paper on relevant Religious Studies topics.
Emphasis/Category: (Category 1)
Days: MO WE  05:00-06:20 PM

No description is currently available.
Days: Mo We  10:00-10:50 AM

This course will explore the art and archaeology of the eastern Iranian world, Central Asia and northern India before from the Achaemenid Perian Empire through the coming of Islam (ca. 550 BCE to 700 CE). It will focus, however, on the period between Alexander the Great and the Sasanian Empire, and thus on the Seleucid, Mauryan, Greco-Bactrian, Indo-Greek, Arsacid, and Kushan kingdoms and empires of Iran and South Asia. The course will thus study the impact of Persian, Hellenistic, Indian and Central Asian steppe nomadic visual and material cultures on these regions. One of its focal points will be on the development of Buddhist art in Afghanistan and Northern India (Gandhara), which selectively integrated aspects of Hellenistic visual culture to craft a visual message in a prestigious and globally intelligible idiom. 
Days: MO WE  12:00-01:20 PM

Emphasis/Category: World Religious Traditions (Category 1)

Zoroastrianism is one of the world’s oldest religions and has been the religion of the Persian Empire throughout antiquity. It has influenced immensely the development of other religions attested in Asia and the Mediterranean in the pre-modern period. Unlike other faiths professed in the ancient world, Zoroastrianism has survived to this day, and Zoroastrian communities exist in India and Iran, as well as in Europe and North-America. In fact, many believers in the Best Religion now live in Southern California. Zoroastrian religious tenets developed in constant dialogue with other traditions, during our classes we will see how this happened in the various historical periods.

The aim of the course is to introduce the history of the Zoroastrian community from beginnings to the present day while discussing its religious beliefs seen from an historical point of view. The main text that will be used is Mary Boyce’s Zoroastrians. Their Religious Beliefs and Practices. Other points of view will be introduced in class.
Days: TU TH  11:00-12:20 PM

This course focuses on the experiences of women and men from roughly the end of the Heian period (794-1185) to the end of the 16th century. How did the roles and positions of women and men change in this time period, what were their problems, and how did they interact with each other and with the institutions and traditions that changed so markedly in the tradition from imperial to warrior rule? We will study women's and men's economic, social, political, and cultural roles, looking particularly at changes in women’s status, the spread of Buddhism, political movements and upheavals, warfare, entertainment, art, literature, and poetry. 

Same as EAS 155 (23030); and History (26840)
Days: TU  05:00-07:50 PM

Emphasis/Category: Thematic Approaches to Religion (Category 2) 

Narratives featuring dragons and heroic champions appear across diverse ancient and medieval traditions spanning from India to Europe, suggesting deep cultural connections within Indo-European societies. This seminar examines recurring mythic patterns: cosmic serpents guarding primordial waters as sources of life, only to be vanquished by divine or heroic figures. These narratives persisted throughout antiquity and the Middle Ages, continually adapting to new cultural and historical contexts.
By comparatively analyzing mythologies from Indian, Iranian, Greek, Roman, and Germanic traditions, we will explore how similar narrative structures and archetypal figures emerged across geographically distant cultures. We will investigate how these myths were transmitted, transformed, and reinterpreted as civilizations encountered and influenced one another. Special attention will be given to how ancient mythic themes resurface in later medieval literature and continue to shape modern cultural imagination.
Through close examination of primary texts and scholarly interpretations, students will develop critical skills in comparative mythology while tracing the intellectual and cultural legacies that bind our shared Indo-European heritage. The course emphasizes both historical specificity and the universal patterns that reveal common ways of thinking about cosmic order, heroism, and human meaning.
Days: TU TH  12:30-01:50 PM

No description is currently available.

Emphasis/Category: Thematic Approaches to Religion (Category 1)
Throughout history, Jewish law has been central to Jewish life, shaping religious practice, philosophy, and community governance. Even when unenforceable, it remained a powerful vehicle for Jewish thinkers to explore political, ethical, and intellectual ideas.
This course traces the evolution of Jewish law from the Bible and the Babylonian Talmud to debates about the centrality of law within the medieval Jewish philosophic tradition, to modern Israel, examining how it has adapted to changing times. Through case studies of legal debates and dilemmas, we will also explore broader themes that resonate across legal, religious, and political traditions today.

Some scholars claim that there is a fundamental difference in the cultural ethos of Muslims and the Western world and that the two clash as seemingly incompatible civilizations. Others suggest that such stereotypical contrasts between Muslims and Westerners wrongly view both sides as monolithic and overlook important ways in which Islam and the West overlap. The course explores this scholarly debate.

Same as SOC SCI 188A, POL SCI 158D.
Emphasis/Category: Thematic Approaches to Religion (Category 2)