Autumn 2025 Courses | Center for the Study of Religion

**Updated 3/8/2025. Listings are subject to change. Students, confirm meeting arrangements in BuckeyeLink when enrolling. All courses are full-term, 3 credit hour offerings unless otherwise noted.**

Introduces comparative studies majors to theoretical tools, methods of investigation, and key concepts in comparative studies research and scholarship.

Prerep: English 1110 (110) or equiv. CompStd major, or permission of instructor. Not open to students with credit for 398.

Introduction to religious views of the universe, the supernatural, social organization, ethics, etc., through sacred texts (oral and written) of diverse cultures and historical periods.

Prereq: English 1110.xx, or GE foundation writing and info literacy course, or equivalent. Not open to students with credit for CompStd 2102.02. GE lit and diversity global studies course. GE foundation lit, vis and performing arts course.

REC| F 10:20AM-11:15AM | Mendenhall Lab 185 | TBA | Class #26708

REC| F 11:30AM-12:25AM | Mendenhall Lab 185 | TBA | Class #26709

REC | F 11:30AM-12:25AM | Kottman Hall 116 | TBA | Class #27410

REC | F 12:40PM-01:35PM | Kottman Hall 116 | TBA | Class #27411

Introduction to the academic study of religion through comparison among major traditions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc.) and smaller communities.

Prereq: English 1110 or equiv. Not open to students with credit for 2370H or CompStd 2370H or 2370. GE cultures and ideas and diversity global studies course. GE foundation historical and cultural studies and race, ethnicity and gender div course.

The Bible in English translation, with special attention to its literary qualities, conceptual content, and development within history.

Prerep: 1110.01 (110.01) or equiv. Not open to students with credit for 2280H (280H) or 280. GE lit course. GE foundation lit, vis and performing arts course.

Introduction to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament is taught from a historical perspective. The HB/OT is a collection of texts designed to create and fortify the ethnic identify of a single group within imperial contexts, while focusing on the formation of gender, identity and race. The student will study the cultural dimensions of the ancient societies in which the HB/OT was written.

Prereq: English 1110.xd, or GE foundation writing and info literacy course. Not open to students with credit for 2700H, JewshSt 2700, or 2700H. GE lit and diversity global studies course. GE foundation lit, vis and performing arts and race, ethnicity and gender div course. Cross listed to JewshSt.

Introductory survey of the New Testament writings in translation, including non-canonical sources of the early Christian movement.

Prereq or concur: English 1110.xx, GE foundation writing and info literacy course, or permission of instructor. Not open to students with credit for 2221E, Clas 2221, 2221E, 2401, or 2401E. GE lit and historical study course. GE foundation lit, vis and performing arts and historical and cultural studies course. Cross listed in Clas.

Survey of the life and through of the apostle Paul in translation, and his influence on the formation of Christianity.

Prereq or concur: English 1110.xx, GE foundation writing and info literacy course, or permission of instructor. Not open to students with credit for Clas 3407. GE lit course and historical study course. GE foundation lit, vis and performing arts and historical and cultural studies course.

The history of the Protestant, Catholic, and Radical Reformations of 16^th and early 17^th century Europe.

Prereq or conur: English 1110.xx, or GE foundation writing and info literacy course, or permission of instructor. GE historical study course. GE theme citizenship for div and just world and traditions, cultures, and transformations course.

An examination of social, legal, and religious positions of women as they appear in the Hebrew Bible and the ways in which they have been represented and interpreted in later textual, visual, and audio sources.

Prereq: English 1110. Not open to students with credit for 2704, JewshSt 2704, or 3704. GE lit and diversity global studies course. GE foundation lit, vis and performing arts and race, ethnicity and gender div course. Cross listed in JewshSt.

An introduction to the historical, ideological, and cultural growth of Judaism examined from a variety of methodological perspectives.
Prereq: Not open to students with credit for 201. GE cultures and ideas and diversity global studies course. GE foundation historical and cultural studies course.

A study of the history of witchcraft and magic from 400 to 1700 C.E. within sociological, religious and intellectual contexts.
Prereq: Not open to students with credit for Medieval 240. GE culture and ideas and diversity global studies course. GE foundation historical and cultural studies course.

A survey including at least three of the following philosophies system of Asia: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Taoism, and Confucianism.

GE lit and diversity global studies course. GE foundation lit, vis and performing arts and historical and cultural studies course.

A survey including at least three of the following philosophies system of Asia: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Taoism, and Confucianism.

GE lit and diversity global studies course. GE foundation lit, vis and performing arts and historical and cultural studies course.

History and structure of Buddhism from founding to present in South, Southeast, and East Asia; emphasis on rituals, beliefs, and local and regional variations. 2370 (270) recommended.

Prereq: Not open to students with credit for CompStd 3673 (323), EALL 3223 (323), or RelStds 323. Cross-listed in EALL 3223.

Prereq: Not open to students with credit for RelStds 4342. GE cultures and ideas and diversity global studies course. GE theme traditions, cultures, and transformations course. Cross-listed in RelStds.

Prereq: Not open to students with credit for RelStds 3680. GE historical study and diversity global studies course. GE theme citizenship for div and just world course. Cross listed in RelStds.

The representation of religion in visual culture, in the United States and around the world; the ways that religious traditions are represented or misrepresented; the ways religious traditions appropriate popular culture for their own purposes; new forms of religious practice and community that grow directly out of popular culture.

Prereq: English 1110. GE VPA course. GE foundation lit, vis and performing arts course.

Comparative, interdisciplinary approach to studying religion and law. Drawing on concrete cases, historical studies, and theoretical literature, the course explores how the relationship between religion and law has been configured differently in different liberal democracies, such as the U.S., France, and Israel, and what this might mean for contemporary debates.
Prereq: Not open to students with credit for History 3680. GE historical study and diversity global studies course. GE theme citizenship for div and just wrld course. Cross-listed in History.

While the practice of religion in Africa is as diverse as its people, three major belief systems define the practice: African Traditional Religion, Islam, and Christianity. This course will examine classical and contemporary definitions of African Traditional Religion/s and the introduction and adaptations of Islam and Christianity in Africa, as well as religious practices in the African Diaspora.
Prereq: Not open to students with credit for AfAmASt 4342. Cross-listed in AfAmASt.
GE cultures and ideas and diversity global studies course. GE theme traditions, cultures, and transformations course.

***Please note that the following courses are NOT currently listed for major/minor credit, but may be of interest to our students anyway. If you would like to inquire about substituting one of the courses listed here for major/minor credit, please email Dr. Melissa Curley at curley.32@osu.edu.

Graduate research seminar on Greek and/or Roman religion and mythology. Reading knowledge of Greek and/or Latin preferred; special arrangements can be made for exceptional students without reading knowledge.
Prereq: Not open to students with credit for Classics 870. Repeatable to a maximum of 9 cr hrs.

Paul is the most powerful human personality in the history of the Church. His letters are the foundations on which later Christian theology is built. This course introduces the critical study of Paul's literary work as primary sources for reconstructing the development of the Christian movement. We explore how the figure changed over time. We look at the significance of Paul's life and the competing ways its story was retold, appropriated, or resisted. The student will study the Pauline literature closely and will read important secondary treatments of Paul, including areas of controversy in the interpretation of his life and thought. The course presupposes no prior coursework on the Bible or in the academic study of religion.

Koyaanisqatsi” is a Hopi Native American word meaning “life out of balance” and is also the title of a 1982 movie contrasting calming scenes of nature with the driven pace of technological environments. Since that time various new technologies have emerged, and their impact on our quality of life has been very mixed. In an international comparison, the 2025 State of the Nation report placed the U.S. very high in terms of worker productivity. However, the U.S. was ranked lower than many other countries on various measures of quality of life. A 2023 report by the U.S. Surgeon General declared a mental health crisis for American youth and was particularly concerned about the effects of social media. These reports suggest that we should evaluate the effects of various technologies on our way of life to see what can be improved. In a world full of technological distractions, can we learn to distribute our attention in ways that will make us calmer, kinder, happier, and more creative? Can we become more sensitive to how technologies shape these important aspects of our lives? This course will consider these issues from behavioral, cultural, and technological perspectives.

For additional information contact Professor Richard Jagacinski (jagacinski.1@osu.edu)