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ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
Birmingham-Southern College Catalog 2017-2018
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RE 353 Nonviolence (1)
A study of the concept of nonviolence in spiritual, ethical, and political perspective. This
course examines the virtue of nonviolence within religious traditions, particularly within
the pacifist religion of Jainism, and seeks to understand how personal commitment to
nonviolence operates within greater spiritual and ethical dispositions. It also examines the
evolution of nonviolence as a political strategy for the resolution of conflict from the
interpersonal to the national. Emphasis is placed on the 1963 civil rights campaign in
Birmingham and the study of the strategy and tactics of nonviolent direct action. A
Leadership Studies designated course.
RE 360 Understanding Religion: History, Theory, and Method (1)
An investigation of the concept of religion as well as the theory and methods that define
the academic study of religion. This course is a critical inquiry into the origins and
evolution of the concept of religion and its use as category in the study of the human
experience. This inquiry is carried out by examining the work of the major theorists of
religion from Marx and Freud to Eliade and Geertz. Examination of these theorists
highlights the various methodological approaches to the study of religion. Emphasis will
be placed on the evolution of new approaches to the study of religion under the
conditions of postmodernity.
RE 375 Gender and the Hebrew Bible (1)
An exploration of the Hebrew Bible through the lens of gender theory. On a theoretical
level, students develop the skills to read and critique primary and secondary readings
according to their presuppositions and ideological commitments concerning gender.
Additionally, the course equips students with a more developed understanding of the
complexity of this sacred text that frequently informs modern conceptions of gender
roles. A Leadership Studies designated course. Prerequisite: at least one unit in RE.
RE 390 Violence and the Bible (1)
An exploration of the violent narratives, imagery, symbolism, and rhetoric of the Bible.
In addition to examining the way biblical texts have been used to legitimate and authorize
violent acts in the world, a significant focus of this course is how violence functions
within the textual world of the Bible. Attention is given to possible models of
interpretation of and ethical responses to the violent texts of the Bible. Prerequisite: at
least one unit in RE.
RE 450 Religion and Politics in America (1)
An exploration of the relationship between religion and politics in America. Emphasis is
placed on the role of religion in American culture and how religion affects politics. (Also
listed as HON 450 and PS 450.)
RE 470 Senior Seminar in Religion (1)
The senior capstone seminar in which senior religion majors write a significant research
paper. The topic for the paper is decided by the student in consultation with the
instructor. This course is required for all religion majors during the second term of