Academics Curriculum 2008-09

Religious Studies

Religious studies courses challenge students to examine the religious dimension of human life by addressing fundamental questions of meaning and purpose, identity and community, ethics and destiny. Introductory studies (Humanities I and II) recognize that such questions are often best pursued from a cross-disciplinary perspective and encourage growth through encounter and dialogue.

In Humanities I: Environmental Perspectives (with English), ninth graders explore a sense of place in the natural world in relation to their home communities, the Northfield Mount Hermon neighborhood, and the Connecticut River watershed. Sophomores in Humanities II: International Perspectives (with history) expand their horizons to world history, global cultures, and the great religious traditions of the world. These core courses focus upon the meaning and mystery of human experience manifest in diverse worldviews and lifestyles; symbols, myths, and rituals; sacred texts, religious creeds, and moral codes.

Upper-level courses in religious studies offer a broad range of inquiry including biblical studies, philosophy, comparative religions, women’s spirituality, and moral issues (e.g., bioethics, violence and nonviolence, environmental ethics). Throughout the curriculum students are expected to gain an informed understanding of the role and range of religious expression in human experience; to explore new levels of self-awareness and possible patterns of meaning for their own lives; and to display an attitude of openness toward the rich diversity of the human community. They are encouraged to risk “passing over”—seeing the world from another’s point of view—in their ongoing journey toward personal growth and the universal quest for truth. Click here for graduation requirements.

Core Courses for Ninth Graders and Sophomores
These courses, which address issues, concepts, and methods of religious studies, are an integral part of the required Humanities I: Environmental Perspectives and Humanities II: International Perspectives programs for ninth graders and sophomores.
REL 111  Humanities I: Introduction to Religious Studies read more
REL 211  Humanities II: Religions of the World read more
REL 211BR  Humanities II: Religions of the World: Brazil read more
These courses, which address issues, concepts, and methods of religious studies, are an integral part of the required Humanities I: Environmental Perspectives and Humanities II: International Perspectives programs for ninth graders and sophomores. See Humanities.

Elective Courses for Juniors, Seniors, and Postgraduates
REL 312  Ethics
Half credit. Prerequisite: None.
What is a good person? What is the difference between right and wrong? How can we negotiate and resolve the moral dilemmas we encounter, large and small, public and private? This introductory inquiry into the fundamental questions of ethics combines the academic study of moral philosophy with writing and reflection about personal moral experience, with particular emphasis on the pressing moral issues of the day.

BIO/REL 1  Genetics and Ethics
One credit. Open to juniors and seniors. Prerequisite: Biology. Students receive a half credit in religious studies and a half credit in science.
Taught jointly by a science teacher and a religious studies teacher, this course combines the study of genetics with an investigation of the ethical issues raised by recent scientific advances. Mendel’s laws of inheritance, analysis of the human karyotype, and DNA structure form the foundation of this study. Genetic abnormalities, genetic disease, DNA databases, reproductive technologies, stem-cell research, genetic engineering, and genetically modified organisms provide the issues for ethical analysis. An overview of ethical theories and a range of case studies offer opportunities for discussion and writing about bioethics. Students will do research and writing on topics of their choice.

REL 413  Eastern Religions
Half credit. Prerequisite: None.
This course studies the religions that have shaped the cultures of the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and the Far East. The primary focus is on Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism, and their influence upon one another, from historical roots to modern forms.

REL 414  Introduction to Philosophy
Half credit. Prerequisite: None.
This study of some of the great figures of Western philosophy, from Socrates to the existentialists, explores basic philosophical questions such as “What is real?” and “How can we know?”

REL 417  Violence and Nonviolence 
Half credit. Prerequisite: None.
The study of ethics provides the framework for examining the nature of the violence that is prevalent in our personal lives and in society at large. The nonviolent strategies of M. K. Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. begin the search for alternatives to such violence. Other responses to violence for student examination include Suu Kyi of Myanmar, the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, Oscar Arias, Mother Teresa, and Malcolm X.

REL 423  Biblical Interpretation
One credit. Prerequisite: None.
“No man can call himself educated if he doesn’t know the stories
of the Bible and no man can call himself illiterate if he does.”  
                  —D. L. Moody
This course examines the Bible through several lenses: literary, historical-critical, and theological. A wide range of texts from both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, including a variety of literary genres, will be explored. Emphasis will be upon developing sophisticated skills of biblical interpretation—seeking to understand the meaning of stories in their original context, their relevance for both faith communities and the wider culture, and their ongoing influence in today’s world.

REL 424  Identity and Transformation: Models of Spiritual Adulthood read more
This is a half-credit senior seminar in religious studies.

Interdisciplinary Courses
REL/HIS 2  The Islamic Middle East read more
REL/HIS 3  Women’s Voices: Echoes and Evolution read more
REL/HIS 6  Global Futures: Global Warming read more
ENG/REL 2  Turtle Island Transformed: Literary, Historical, and Ethical Perspectives on the North American Landscape  (Not offered 2008–09) read more