Religion and Culture Program
Program Coordinator: Michael Plekon
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Program Faculty:
- Michael Plekon - Program Coordinator (Sociology and Anthropology) \
- Carla Bellamy - (Sociology and Anthropology)
- Kenneth Guest - (Sociology and Anthropology)
- Meir Lubetski - (Modern Languages and Comparative Literature)
- Thomas Desch-Obi - (History)
- Murray Rubinstein - (History)
- Tansen Sen - (History)
- Clarence Taylor - (History)
- Randolph Trumbach - (History)
Religion and Culture courses are taught by additional faculty from a number of disciplines and departments, including History,Modern Languages and Comparative Literature, Philosophy, Psychology, and Sociology and Anthropology.
Religion is one of the most powerful and complex forces in human history. To study the religions of man from the earliest times to the present and how they have shaped and been shaped by the forces of history (among them, nationalism, war, the challenge of secularism, and technology), Baruch’s Religion and Culture Program presents an interdisciplinary approach to the study of religious and cultural histories, doctrines, concepts, and practices.
Arts And Sciences Ad Hoc Major In Religion And Culture
When a student’s educational objectives cannot be fully attained solely by study within an existing department, program, or School, he or she is given the option of devising an ad hoc pattern of courses in an area of concentration of his or her own choosing. A student may embark upon an ad hoc major following preparation and acceptance of a proposal outlining the area of study, the desired outcomes, and the educational values of the program. The program must be approved by the chairpersons of the appropriate departments and the Office of the Dean of the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences.
To fulfill the College-wide requirement for the Tier III minor with a concentration in Religion and Culture, students are required to take two courses numbered 3000 and higher, and REL 4900, the capstone course.
| REL 3001 | Comparative World Religious Traditions |
| REL 3002 | The Traditions of Judaism |
| REL 3003 | The Christian Traditions |
| REL 3004 | Introduction to Buddhism |
| REL 3005 | History of African Religions |
| REL 3100 | Jesus: An Historical and Critical Approach (HIS 3100) |
| REL 3320 | Contemporary Christianity |
| REL 3520 | The Hebrew Bible |
| REL 3530 | The Christian New Testament |
| REL 3540 | The Culture and Religion of Islam |
| REL 3820 | History of Chinese Religion (HIS 3820) |
| REL 5000-5004 | Independent Study in Religion and Culture |
| REL 3094 | Mysticism |
| SOC 3141 | Religion in American History and Society |
| HIS 3380 | The Contemporary Islamic World |
| HIS 3560 | History of the Jewish People in America |
| HIS 2538 | The Holocaust |
| HIS 3084 | The Prophet Muhammad |
| HIS 3086 | Modern Middle East and North Africa |
| ANT 3165 | Magic, Witchcraft and Religion |
| ANT 4000 | ANT 4000 Religion in NYC |
| HEB 3321 | Ancient History of the Jewish People Reflected in Literature |
| HEB 4315 | Biblical Prose |
| HEB 4316 | Biblical Poetry |
| HEB 5301 | Talmud I |
| HEB 5302 | Talmud II |
| HEB 5320 | Hebrew Philosophical Literature |
| POL 3008 | Religion and Politics in the US |
| PHI 2130 | Christian, Islamic and Jewish Philosophy in he Middle Ages |
| PHI 3210 | Philosophy of Religion & Religious Ethics |
| MSC 3023 | Music and religion |
| PSY 3057 | Psychology of Religion |
| ART 3220 | Islamic Art |
| SOC 3113 | Culture & Peoples of India (ANT 3113) |
Backlist |
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| REL 3075 | Atheism and Agnosticism |
| REL 3210 | Medieval Jewish Thought |
| REL 3220 | Modern Jewish Thought |
| REL 3230 | Hasidism |
| REL 3310 | Christian Thought |
Capstone Course |
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| REL 4900 | Issues in Religion and Culture |
Rationale
The fundamental rationale is the need to understand religious traditions in a diverse world, city and college, in a time where ignorance, fear, threat and intolerance continually loom. Further, no undergraduate education would be well rounded if it did not include the study of human cultures and peoples, civilizations of the past and present. In the study of the humanities, the religious traditions and their communities are an important focus, not only for the problems that have arisen due to religious conflict but for the contributions religious traditions have made and continue to make to our understanding of the world and of ourselves.
Students interested in including courses in religion and culture as part of an arts and sciences ad hoc major or minor should contact:
Professor Michael Plekon, Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Phone: (646) 312-4472
Email: MJPlekon@aol.com
Office: room 04-266, Newman Vertical Campus
The program information above is from the Undergraduate Bulletin 2004 - 2006
View the entire Bulletin or previous Bulletins
