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Classical/Near Eastern Rel/Cul (CNRC) Courses

Academic Unit: Classica/Near Eastern Rel/Cul

CNRC 1002 - World of Greece [HIS]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Every Fall & Spring)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 1002 until 18-JAN-22, was CLAS 1008 until 07-SEP-04
Ancient Greek civilization, from second millenium BCE to Roman period. Art/archaeology, philosophy, science, literature, social/political institutions. Focuses on connections with contemporary cultures corresponding to Ancient Near East.
CNRC 1003 - World of Rome [HIS]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Every Spring)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 1003 until 18-JAN-22, was CLAS 1007 until 07-SEP-04
In this course we will ask ourselves: why does ancient Rome refuse to go away? What is it about ancient Rome that has captured the imaginations of Shakespeare and the framers of the U.S. Constitution as well as HBO, Hollywood, and the video game industry? The course examines the world of ancient Rome from early Etruscan and eastern origins to the emergent Christian Rome of later antiquity. We will study the diverse mix of cultures in this vast multi-ethnic empire that spanned from the Near East and Africa to Europe. As we chart the rise of this ancient superpower, we will examine Roman imperialism, colonialism, and the dynamics of cultural identity. Through art, literature, and archeology we will explore politics, religions, slavery and social structures, gender and sexuality, sports and entertainment, economics and trade, as well as the rhythms of daily life.
CNRC 1042 - Greek and Roman Mythology [AH]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Every Fall, Spring & Summer)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 1042 until 18-JAN-22, was CLAS 1042 until 07-SEP-04, CNRC 1042H
Adapted and embraced across different societies through the ages, myths from ancient Greece and Rome have transcended time, shaping and reshaping themselves to express identities in select ancient and modern settings. In this course, we'll go beyond mere narratives, blending lectures with archaeological and art-historical evidence and cutting-edge scholarship?embarking on a new kind of odyssey, connecting the dots between mythology, literature, and the essence of human expression.
CNRC 1042H - Honors Course: Greek and Roman Mythology [AH]
(3 cr; A-F only; offered Every Fall & Spring)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 1042H until 18-JAN-22, was CLAS 1042H until 07-SEP-04, was CLAS 1142 until 05-SEP-00, CNRC 1042
Adapted and embraced across different societies through the ages, myths from ancient Greece and Rome have transcended time, shaping and reshaping themselves to express identities in select ancient and modern settings. In this course, we'll go beyond mere narratives, blending lectures with archaeological and art-historical evidence and cutting-edge scholarship?embarking on a new kind of odyssey, connecting the dots between mythology, literature, and the essence of human expression.
CNRC 1082 - Jesus in History, Art & Culture [HIS]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Every Spring)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 1082 until 18-JAN-22, was RELA 1082 until 07-SEP-04, was CLAS 1082 until 07-SEP-04, was RELA 1082 until 21-JAN-03, was CLAS 1082 until 21-JAN-03, was RELA 1082 until 03-SEP-02, was CLAS 1082 until 03-SEP-02, was RELA 1082 until 07-SEP-99, CNRC 3092, RELS 1082 (starting 20-JAN-15, ending 02-SEP-08, starting 27-MAY-08, ending 06-SEP-05, was RELA 1082 until 02-SEP-08), RELS 3092, CNES 1082H (inactive, ending 17-JAN-17, starting 20-JAN-15, was RELA 1082H until 07-SEP-04, was CLAS 1082H until 07-SEP-04, was RELA 1082H until 05-SEP-00, was CLAS 1182 until 05-SEP-00, was RELA 1182 until 07-SEP-99), HIST 3092, RELS 1082H (inactive, starting 20-JAN-15, was RELA 1082H until 02-SEP-08), HIST 1082
Does time, place, and culture affect our picture of Jesus? We'll start by constructing our own Jesus story and then go backwards in time to examine modern times (film, music, and modern art), pre-Civil War America (views of Jesus from enslaved people and their enslavers), Renaissance and Medieval Europe and North Africa (art and architecture), and finally end with the ancient world (art and writings about Jesus, including the biblical gospels). No background in religious studies required, and students of any, all, or no religious background are welcome.
CNRC 1201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible. [LITR]
(3 cr; Prereq-Knowledge of Hebrew not required; Student Option; offered Every Fall)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 1201 until 18-JAN-22, CNRC 3201 (starting 18-JAN-22, was CNES 3201 until 18-JAN-22), RELS 3201 (starting 04-SEP-18, was RELA 3201 until 02-SEP-08, was CNES 1201 until 06-SEP-05, was CNES 3201 until 07-SEP-04, was RELA 3201 until 07-SEP-04, was ANE 1001 until 07-SEP-04, was ANE 3001 until 07-SEP-99, was RELA 3201 until 07-SEP-99), JWST 1201 (starting 04-SEP-18), JWST 3201 (starting 04-SEP-18), RELS 1201 (starting 04-SEP-18)
The Hebrew Bible and Old Testament are literary collections that modern Jewish and Christian traditions maintain as important, but these collections were initially produced by ancient Israelite scribes who composed and/or compiled the biblical texts at particular time periods in the ancient Near East. This course will introduce the academic study of biblical texts, which demands critical analysis of the literature and an openness to reading the literature from the perspective of ancient Israelite writers (who lived in a world far different from today). The course will spend considerable time on the literary (and scribal) composition of biblical prose texts; time will also be spent on the historical circumstances of biblical prophets and other writers of the biblical texts. This course will only address the ancient setting of the biblical texts and not re-interpretations in Jewish or Christian traditions. Given the scope of the course, modern interpretations of the biblical literature will not be discussed; we will only focus on this literature in its ancient setting.
CNRC 1203 - The Bible: Context & Interpretation, World of the New Testament [AH]
(3 cr; A-F or Audit; offered Every Spring)
Equivalent courses: RELS 3213, RELS 1203, CNRC 3213
Religious or not, Christian or not, hundreds of millions of people around the world utilize the New Testament for everything from personal belief (?Jesus is my personal Lord and Savior?) to mass entertainment (documentaries, art house films, and blockbusters); from religious gatherings (most forms of Christianity) to ?secular? spiritual teachings (?Turn the other cheek?); from fine art (Salvador Dali?s ?Christ of Saint John of the Cross?) to matters of law (Good Samaritan laws); and from politics (Christian nationalism) to literature (the quotes Harry Potter finds on the gravestones in Godric?s Hollow). The New Testament deeply influences modern cultural contexts all around the world, but especially in the Western world. This course will explore the New Testament from a different context, that of its first century birthplace. We will build students? understanding of the writings of the New Testament in the Roman Empire of the first century by gaining basic cultural knowledge of first century Greece, Rome, and Israel/Palestine and then reading the Gospels, the letters of Paul, and the Book of Revelation from the perspective of these intersecting worlds. The New Testament is grounded in this context, and deeper exploration of New Testament writings from a first-century perspective will help students enrich their understanding of modern references like the ones mentioned above.
CNRC 1205 - The Bible and Film: The Holy Book Meets the Silver Screen [AH]
(3 cr; A-F or Audit; offered Every Spring)
Equivalent courses: RELS 1205, JWST 1205
The Bible has been a star of Hollywood and the silver screen since the birth of cinema. This course tells that story. The Bible has deep roots in American society?in communities of faith, in politics, in art and literature, and in popular culture. It is no surprise, then, that filmmakers have frequently drawn on the Bible as source text and as inspiration. This course explores the ways in which the Bible has been interpreted and reimagined in film over the past century. We will examine the relationships between the biblical texts and the films they inspired, considering questions such as: How do the filmmakers rework their sources to make them relevant to contemporary audiences? How beholden are the filmmakers to the interpretations of communities that view biblical texts as authoritative, and where are they free to depart from their sources? Is it possible to ?translate? biblical narratives into film without losing something in the translation?
CNRC 1913 - Homer's Odyssey and Modern Politics [CIV]
(3 cr; A-F only; offered Periodic Fall)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 1913 until 18-JAN-22
Homer's Odyssey is the story of a man who returns from war to find a world much different from the one he left ten years earlier?and one that seems to have no place for him. On his way home, he lies to some, robs and murders others, and, arguably through his own negligence, loses all his men. Once back on his native island of Ithaca, he re-establishes his authority as local strong man through a mass killing of rivals. He is nonetheless emphatically a "hero" and the moral and political center of the story: what Odysseus does is (in the storyteller's eyes, and those of most readers ever since) right and just. This seminar will use a close reading of the Odyssey, a study of Season One of the Netflix series House of Cards and of selections from Robert Caro's biography of Lyndon Johnson, and extensive discussion of contemporary political and social events, to ask what sort of political and social world Homer's poem imagines; how it formulates and discusses power and justice; how it encourages its audience to accept judgments about human behavior and "what is right" that may, upon reflection, seem horrifying; and what we are to make of this today.
CNRC 3016W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics [WI]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall & Spring)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 3016W until 18-JAN-22, RELS 3013W (starting 04-SEP-12, ending 17-JAN-06, starting 07-SEP-99, was RELA 3013W until 02-SEP-08, was RELA 3013 until 05-SEP-00), RELS 5013W (starting 06-SEP-16, ending 17-JAN-06, was RELS 5013 until 05-SEP-17, was RELA 5013 until 02-SEP-08), CNRC 5016W, JWST 5013W, JWST 3013W (starting 07-SEP-99, was JWST 3013 until 05-SEP-00), LAW 6916 (starting 03-SEP-19)
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students. The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics. The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
CNRC 3018W - Ancient Ethics from Plato to Stoicism [WI]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Spring Even Year)
Our decisions about how to act are almost never simple. Should we strive to obey our country's laws, or should we follow a personal set of guiding principles? Should we direct our lives toward a common social or political goal, or should we seek out a pleasant existence as individuals? Should we expect others to follow the ethical rules we set up for ourselves, or should we expect others to determine their own rules, even if they radically differ from our own? These questions have vexed philosophical thinkers for millennia, and there are no simple answers. Through a selection of ancient Greek and Roman writers, we'll unpack their compelling and competing views about what we must do to be good humans and good citizens.
CNRC 3042 - Myths, Legends, and Literature of the Ancient Near East [AH]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Spring Even Year)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 3042 until 18-JAN-22
Literature begins in Sumer and Egypt, the lands where writing was first invented and where it was first used to record poems and stories. The cuneiform script was initially developed to write Sumerian, then adapted to write Akkadian, the principal Semitic language of ancient Mesopotamia, and later to write other languages, including Hurrian and Hittite. In this course we shall read legends, myths, dialogues, satires, and other literary works from the ?cuneiform world? in translation. We shall analyze these ancient works of literature on their own terms, within their cultural and historical contexts, and in light of other literary traditions.
CNRC 3054 - Ancient Egypt and its Neighbors
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Fall Even Year)
Equivalent courses: HIST 3054 (starting 21-JAN-20)
Ancient Egypt exerts fascination upon modern societies, as it did upon its ancient contemporaries. The decipherment of the hieroglyphic script, in the early 19th century CE, opened the way to recovering its history all the way back to the invention of the writing system more than 5,000 years ago. Ancient Egypt has meanwhile been a special focus of racialized interpretations of civilization, from the birth of modern Egyptology onward. Europeans of the colonial age saw Egyptian civilization as an anomaly in Africa, measured excavated skulls to prove its extraneous origins, and segregated it from its geographic context.
CNRC 3061 - "Bread and Circuses:" Spectacles and Mass Culture in Antiquity [CIV HIS]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Fall Odd, Spring Even Year)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 3061 until 18-JAN-22, HIST 3061 (starting 02-SEP-08)
Development of large-scale public entertainments in ancient Mediterranean world, from athletic contests of Olympia and dramatic festivals of Athens to chariot races and gladiatorial games of Roman Empire. Wider significance of these spectacles in their impact on political, social, and economic life of the societies that supported them.
CNRC 3071 - Greek and Hellenistic Religions [HIS]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Fall Even Year)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 3071 until 18-JAN-22, was RELA 3071 until 07-SEP-04, was CLAS 3071 until 07-SEP-04, was RELA 3071 until 07-SEP-99, RELS 5071 (starting 02-SEP-08, ending 17-JAN-06, was RELA 5071 until 02-SEP-08), CNRC 5071, RELS 3071H (inactive, starting 20-JAN-15, was RELA 3071H until 02-SEP-08), RELS 3071 (starting 07-SEP-10, ending 22-JAN-08, was RELA 3071 until 02-SEP-08)
Greek religion from the Bronze Age to Hellenistic times. Sources include literature, art, and archaeology. Homer and Olympian deities, ritual performance, prayer/sacrifice, temple architecture, death and the afterlife, mystery cults, philosophical religion. Near Eastern salvation religions.
CNRC 3072 - The Birth of Christianity [AH]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall & Spring)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 3072 until 18-JAN-22, was RELA 3072 until 07-SEP-04, was CLAS 3072 until 07-SEP-04, was RELA 3072 until 21-MAY-01, was CLAS 3072 until 21-MAY-01, was RELA 3072 until 16-JAN-01, was CLAS 3072 until 16-JAN-01, was RELA 3072 until 07-SEP-99, RELS 3072 (starting 27-MAY-08, ending 17-JAN-06, was RELA 3072 until 02-SEP-08), CNRC 5072 (starting 02-SEP-08, ending 06-SEP-05, was CNES 5072 until 18-JAN-22, was RELA 5072 until 18-JAN-05, was CLAS 5072 until 18-JAN-05, was RELA 5072 until 07-SEP-04, was CLAS 5072 until 07-SEP-04, was RELA 5072 until 07-SEP-99), RELS 5072 (starting 02-SEP-08, ending 17-JAN-06, was RELA 5072 until 02-SEP-08)
Early Jesus movement in cultural/historical setting. Origins in Judaism. Traditions about Jesus. Apostle Paul, controversies/interpreters. Authority, religious practice, structure. Emergence of canon. Contemporary methods of New Testament study. Biblical writings as history/narrative. CNES 3072/CNES 5072/RELS 3072/RELS 5072 meet together.
CNRC 3074 - Exploring the Quran: An intellectual odyssey with Islam's holy scripture [AH]
(3 cr; A-F or Audit; offered Every Spring)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 3074 until 18-JAN-22, RELS 3704
This course explores the contents of the Quran and probes its place in the history of human civilization. Students will learn about, and critically reflect on, the following subjects: 1) the Quran's core ideas, stories, laws, parables, and arguments, 2) the historical context in which the Quran was first promulgated and codified, 3) the relationship between the Quran and the preceding literary traditions of the ancient world, in particular, the Bible and post-biblical Jewish and Christian writings, 4) Muslim utilization of the Quran towards intellectual, social, religious, cultural, and political ends, and 5) the pre-modern and modern scholarly traditions of interpreting the Quran.
CNRC 3076 - Apostle Paul: Life, Letters, and Legacy
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Fall Odd, Spring Even Year)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 3076 until 18-JAN-22, CNES 5076 (inactive), RELS 5076 (inactive, starting 02-SEP-08, ending 04-SEP-07, was RELA 5076 until 02-SEP-08), RELS 3076 (ending 04-SEP-07, was RELA 3076 until 02-SEP-08)
How/what can we know about Paul. What his message was. What he was fighting. How he was later understood by friends/foes.
CNRC 3081W - Classical Epic in Translation [LITR WI]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Fall Odd, Spring Even Year)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 3081W until 18-JAN-22, CLCV 3081W (inactive), CLAS 3081W (inactive, ending 03-SEP-02, was CLAS 3081 until 05-SEP-00, was CLAS 5081 until 07-SEP-99), CNES 5081W (inactive, starting 07-SEP-04, ending 03-SEP-02, was CNES 5081 until 08-SEP-09, was CLAS 5081 until 18-JAN-05)
Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, Virgil's Aeneid. Cultural context of epic. Development of the hero. Epic style. Poetics of epic.
CNRC 3082W - Greek Tragedy in Translation [LITR WI]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Fall Even, Spring Odd Year)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 3082W until 18-JAN-22
Origins of tragedy. Ancient theatres. Selected plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides.
CNRC 3092 - Jesus in History, Art & Culture [HIS]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Every Spring)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 3092 until 18-JAN-22, RELS 1082 (starting 20-JAN-15, ending 02-SEP-08, starting 27-MAY-08, ending 06-SEP-05, was RELA 1082 until 02-SEP-08), CNRC 1082 (starting 07-SEP-04, was CNES 1082 until 18-JAN-22, was RELA 1082 until 07-SEP-04, was CLAS 1082 until 07-SEP-04, was RELA 1082 until 21-JAN-03, was CLAS 1082 until 21-JAN-03, was RELA 1082 until 03-SEP-02, was CLAS 1082 until 03-SEP-02, was RELA 1082 until 07-SEP-99), RELS 3092, CNES 1082H (inactive, ending 17-JAN-17, starting 20-JAN-15, was RELA 1082H until 07-SEP-04, was CLAS 1082H until 07-SEP-04, was RELA 1082H until 05-SEP-00, was CLAS 1182 until 05-SEP-00, was RELA 1182 until 07-SEP-99), HIST 3092, RELS 1082H (inactive, starting 20-JAN-15, was RELA 1082H until 02-SEP-08), HIST 1082
Does time, place, and culture affect our picture of Jesus? We'll start by constructing our own Jesus story and then go backwards in time to examine modern times (film, music, and modern art), pre-Civil War America (views of Jesus from enslaved people and their enslavers), Renaissance and Medieval Europe and North Africa (art and architecture), and finally end with the ancient world (art and writings about Jesus, including the biblical gospels). No background in religious studies required, and students of any, all, or no religious background are welcome.
CNRC 3103 - Empire & Resistance After Alexander the Great [HIS]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 3103 until 18-JAN-22
In the aftermath of Alexander the Great's conquests in the eastern Mediterranean and Asia, diverse cultures collided, sparking unexpected developments. Greek rulers were celebrated as Pharaohs; ancient Near Eastern kings were likened to the god Apollo; and native populations fought back against Greek empires--and won. These 'Successor Kingdoms,' most notably the Seleucids in the Near East and the Ptolemies in Egypt, engaged with the cultures of conquered people and produced new customs and royal identities. Explore the interchange of these forces through text, architecture, coins, and artwork during this pivotal time--from the campaigns of Alexander to the death of Cleopatra (336-30 BCE.) Challenge your preconceptions of the past and recognize similar effects of empire today.
CNRC 3105 - Ancient Rome: The Age of Augustus
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Spring Even Year)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 3105 until 18-JAN-22, was CLAS 1005 until 07-SEP-04
This course explores ancient Rome?s transformation from a democratic republic to an autocratic empire and the considerable implications this crucial shift has had for world history. It examines the fall of the Roman republic and the rise of Rome?s first emperor Augustus along with the vast cultural transformations in this age of revolution. Major issues include: Augustan art, architecture, and literature; political ideologies, propaganda, and resistance; gender, sexuality, and the family; Rome and Egypt, colonialism and cultural identity.
CNRC 3106 - Ancient Rome: The Age of Nero
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 3106 until 18-JAN-22
The Roman Empire. "Silver Age" of Latin literature, rise of Christianity. Art/architecture.
CNRC 3115 - Midrash: Reading and Retelling the Hebrew Bible
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall & Spring)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 3115 until 18-JAN-22, CNRC 5115, JWST 5115, RELS 5115 (starting 26-MAY-15, ending 17-JAN-12, starting 02-SEP-08, ending 18-JAN-05, was RELA 5115 until 02-SEP-08), RELS 3115 (starting 23-MAY-16, ending 17-JAN-12, starting 02-SEP-08, ending 02-SEP-03, was RELA 3115 until 02-SEP-08), JWST 3115 (starting 07-SEP-99, was RELA 3115 until 07-SEP-99)
How did the Jews of the first seven centuries of the common era read and understand the Hebrew Bible? What were the problems they faced -- interpretive, historical, theological -- in trying to apply their holy scriptures? This course explores key issues that led to the development of a new form of Judaism in late antiquity, rabbinic Judaism, and its methods of scriptural interpretation. The course?s study will focus on the forms and practices of rabbinic scriptural interpretation (midrash) as it developed in Roman Palestine and Sasanian Babylonia, focusing on key narrative and legal passages in the Five Books of Moses (Torah). A main focus of the course will be on the ways the rabbis adapted the Hebrew Bible to express their own core concerns.
CNRC 3121 - Gender and Body in Early Christianity [AH]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Fall Odd Year)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 3121 until 18-JAN-22, CNRC 5121, RELS 5121, RELS 3121
Ancient Christians, like any other social group in the ancient world, represented themselves through images, stories, and discourses using the cultural tools available to them in their own contexts. In this course, we will explore two key texts of early Christianity (1 Corinthians and the Gospel of Mark) with special attention to how representations of the body and gender served to communicate the nature of what it meant to be Christian for these authors. The study of ancient material offers a space to acquire the skills of critical analysis of body and gender dynamics so that we can better understand the roles that the body and gender play in shaping our self-identity, social interaction, and societal structures.
CNRC 3152 - Art and Archaeology of Ancient Greece [HIS]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall & Spring)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 3152 until 18-JAN-22, was ARTH 3152 until 06-SEP-05, was CNES 3152 until 07-SEP-04, was ARTH 3152 until 07-SEP-04, was CLAS 3152 until 07-SEP-99, ARTH 3152
This course will provide an introduction to the history of Greek art, architecture and archaeology from the formation of the Greek city states in the ninth century BCE, through the expansion of Greek culture across the Mediterranean and Asia in the Hellenistic period, to the coming of Rome in the first century BCE. While this survey concentrates on the main developments of Greek art, an important sub-theme of this course this is the changes Classical visual culture underwent as it served non-Greek peoples, including the role it played for Alexander and his successors in forging multiethnic, globally minded empires in Western, Central and South Asia. No background in the time period or discipline is expected and therefore this class will also serve as an introduction to interdisciplinary study of art history and the classical world. A number of art historical methodologies will be introduced in order to not only give students a useful background in art history but to give them the tools to think as art historians and incorporate related visual and textual evidence meaningfully into their writing.
CNRC 3162 - Roman Art and Archaeology [HIS]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Fall Odd Year)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 3162 until 18-JAN-22, was ARTH 3162 until 06-SEP-05, was CNES 3162 until 07-SEP-04, was ARTH 3162 until 07-SEP-04, was CLAS 3162 until 07-SEP-99, ARTH 3162
Introduction to art and material culture of Roman world: origin, change, continuity. Progress/decay in later empire, its legacy to modern world.
CNRC 3182 - Egypt and Western Asia: Art and Archaeology of Ancient Egypt and Western Asia [AH GP]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Every Fall & Spring)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 3182 until 18-JAN-22, RELS 3182, ARTH 3182 (starting 18-JAN-11)
This course will provide students with foundational knowledge in the art, architecture, and archaeology of Egypt, East Africa, Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, Iran and Central Asia from the Neolithic through Late Antiquity (ca. 7,000 B.C.E. - 650 C.E.). Students will gain an understanding of the relationship between the visual material and the social, intellectual, political, and religious contexts in which it developed and functioned. In this regard, students will also gain an understanding of the evolution of, and exchanges and differences among, the visual cultures of these time periods and regions. It will also expose them to the preconditions for contemporary geopolitics in the region.
CNRC 3201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation, World of the Hebrew Bible [LITR]
(3 cr; Prereq-Knowledge of Hebrew not required; Student Option; offered Every Fall)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 3201 until 18-JAN-22, RELS 3201 (starting 04-SEP-18, was RELA 3201 until 02-SEP-08, was CNES 1201 until 06-SEP-05, was CNES 3201 until 07-SEP-04, was RELA 3201 until 07-SEP-04, was ANE 1001 until 07-SEP-04, was ANE 3001 until 07-SEP-99, was RELA 3201 until 07-SEP-99), JWST 1201 (starting 04-SEP-18), JWST 3201 (starting 04-SEP-18), CNRC 1201 (starting 18-JAN-22, was CNES 1201 until 18-JAN-22), RELS 1201 (starting 04-SEP-18)
The Hebrew Bible and Old Testament are literary collections that modern Jewish and Christian traditions maintain as important, but these collections were initially produced by ancient Israelite scribes who composed and/or compiled the biblical texts at particular time periods in the ancient Near East. This course will introduce the academic study of biblical texts, which demands critical analysis of the literature and an openness to reading the literature from the perspective of ancient Israelite writers (who lived in a world far different from today). The course will spend considerable time on the literary (and scribal) composition of biblical prose texts; time will also be spent on the historical circumstances of biblical prophets and other writers of the biblical texts. This course will only address the ancient setting of the biblical texts and not re-interpretations in Jewish or Christian traditions. Given the scope of the course, modern interpretations of the biblical literature will not be discussed; we will only focus on this literature in its ancient setting.
CNRC 3202 - Bible: Prophecy in Ancient Israel
(3 cr; Prereq-[RelS 1001] or [CNES 1201 or JWST 1201 or RELS 1201 or CNES 3201 or JWST 3201 or RELS 3201]; Student Option; offered Every Spring)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 3202 until 18-JAN-22, JWST 3202 (inactive), ANE 1002 (inactive), RELS 3202 (starting 04-SEP-12, ending 22-JAN-08, starting 07-SEP-04, was RELA 3202 until 02-SEP-08, was ANE 1002 until 06-SEP-05, was CNES 3202 until 07-SEP-04, was RELA 3202 until 07-SEP-04, was ANE 1002 until 07-SEP-04, was ANE 3002 until 07-SEP-99, was RELA 3202 until 07-SEP-99)
Survey of Israelite prophets. Emphasizes Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Second Isaiah. Prophetic contributions to Israelite religion. Personality of prophets. Politics, prophetic reaction. Textual analysis, biblical scholarship. Prophecy viewed cross-culturally.
CNRC 3205 - Women, Gender, and the Hebrew Bible [AH]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Spring Odd Year)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 3205 until 18-JAN-22, RELS 3205, JWST 3205
How men, woman, gender, sexuality is portrayed in Hebrew Bible. Social/religious roles/status of women in ancient Israel. Reading biblical texts from academic point of view.
CNRC 3206 - Sex, Murder, and Bodily Discharges: Purity and Pollution in the Ancient World [HIS]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Every Spring)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 3206 until 18-JAN-22, JWST 3206 (starting 03-SEP-19), ANTH 3206 (starting 03-SEP-19), RELS 3206 (starting 03-SEP-19), MEST 3206
"Dirt is dangerous," Mary Douglas declared more than 50 years ago in her groundbreaking study, "Purity and Danger." Douglas's ideas have been influential in ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern studies and provide a framework for us to analyze how people in antiquity conceptualized ideas of purity, pollution, ritual sacrifice, sacred spaces, bodily leakages, and the liminal stages of life and death. We'll delve into Douglas's theory in light of ancient examples with a special focus on ancient Israelite texts (the Tanakh or Old Testament) as well as ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern building inscriptions, specialist manuals, and rituals. Through this evidence, we'll gain profound insight into the ancient notions of "sacred/clean" (purity) and the "unclean/profane" (pollution).
CNRC 3207W - Race and Ethnicity in Antiquity [AH WI GP]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall)
Equivalent courses: CNRC 5207W
Modern ideas and beliefs about race and ethnicity have shaped and sustained systems of inequality and oppression, but how did we get here? This course spotlights the rich diversity and multiculturalism of the ancient peoples of the Mediterranean (in particular: the Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, and Persians). We'll examine how the racial and ethnic biases that they held have influenced our modern perspectives. We'll survey ancient evidence alongside modern scholarship to understand how interpretations and appropriations, primarily of ancient Greek and Roman ideas, have shaped modern racism, colonialism, and white supremacy from the 18th century CE to today. No background in the ancient world is required?just a curiosity to understand the past?s echoes in our present.
CNRC 3213 - The Bible: Context & Interpretation, World of the New Testament
(3 cr; A-F or Audit; offered Every Spring)
Equivalent courses: RELS 3213, CNRC 1203, RELS 1203
Religious or not, Christian or not, hundreds of millions of people around the world utilize the New Testament for everything from personal belief (?Jesus is my personal Lord and Savior?) to mass entertainment (documentaries, art house films, and blockbusters); from religious gatherings (most forms of Christianity) to ?secular? spiritual teachings (?Turn the other cheek?); from fine art (Salvador Dali?s ?Christ of Saint John of the Cross?) to matters of law (Good Samaritan laws); and from politics (Christian nationalism) to literature (the quotes Harry Potter finds on the gravestones in Godric?s Hollow). The New Testament deeply influences modern cultural contexts all around the world, but especially in the Western world. This course will explore the New Testament from a different context, that of its first century birthplace. We will build students? understanding of the writings of the New Testament in the Roman Empire of the first century by gaining basic cultural knowledge of first century Greece, Rome, and Israel/Palestine and then reading the Gospels, the letters of Paul, and the Book of Revelation from the perspective of these intersecting worlds. The New Testament is grounded in this context, and deeper exploration of New Testament writings from a first-century perspective will help students enrich their understanding of modern references like the ones mentioned above.
CNRC 3502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile [WI]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Spring)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 3502W until 18-JAN-22, was CNES 3502 until 19-JAN-21, was ANE 3502 until 07-SEP-04, was RELA 3502 until 12-JUN-00, was ANE 3502 until 12-JUN-00, was RELA 3502 until 07-SEP-99, was ANE 5502 until 07-SEP-99, CNRC 5502W, HIST 3502W, JWST 3502W, RELS 3502W (starting 07-SEP-10, ending 04-SEP-01, was RELS 3502 until 19-JAN-21, was RELA 3502 until 02-SEP-08)
Israel and Judah were not states of great importance in the ancient Near East. Their population and territory were small, and they could not resist conquest by larger, more powerful states like Assyria and Rome. Yet their ancient history matters greatly today, out of proportion to its insignificance during the periods in which it transpired. The historical experiences of the people of Israel and Judah were accorded religious meaning and literary articulation in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), which became a foundational text for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Essential features of Western as well as Islamic civilization are predicated on some element of Israel?s ancient past, as mediated through the Bible; therefore it behooves us to understand that past. But the Bible is a religious work, not a transcript of events, and the history of ancient Israel is not derived merely from reading the biblical accounts of it. Archaeological excavations have revealed the physical remains of the cultures of Israel and neighboring lands, as well as bringing to light inscriptions, documents, and literary works produced by those cultures. These sources, which complement and sometimes contradict the accounts conveyed in the Bible, provide the basis for reconstructing a comprehensive history of ancient Israel. This course covers the history of Israel and Judah from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), by the end of which Israel had emerged as a distinct ethnic entity, to the period of Roman rule (63 BCE-330 CE), which saw the final extinction of ancient Israel, represented by the kingdom of Judea, as a political entity. Knowledge of this history is based on archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, including the Hebrew Bible. N.B.: Students should be aware that the study of history, like all the human and natural sciences, is predicated on inquiry, not a priori judgments. Accordingly, the Bible is not privileged as an intrinsically true or authoritative
CNRC 3504 - Apocalypticism, Cosmic Warfare, and the Maccabees: Jewish Strategies of Resistance in Antiquity
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Spring)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 3504 until 18-JAN-22, JWST 3504, RELS 3504 (starting 02-SEP-08, was RELA 3504 until 02-SEP-08, was ANE 3504 until 06-SEP-05, was RELA 3504 until 07-SEP-99, was ANE 5504 until 07-SEP-99, was RELA 5504 until 07-SEP-99)
The rise of Hellenistic kingdoms in the ancient Mediterranean and Near East created a variety of responses from local, subjugated peoples, and some of the most documented cases are those of Jewish populations in Koele-Syria/Palestine. The main objective of this course is to analyze Jewish responses to imperial rule and military conflict during the Hellenistic and early Roman periods (c. 300 B.C.E. ? 150 C.E.), but we will also spend time examining the broader picture of how local, ancestral groups fared under foreign rule. Along with discussing pertinent archaeological evidence, we will discuss Jewish literature and documentary material from this period, including, the sectarian documents of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Book of Judith (a Jewish "novel"), the Books of Daniel and the Maccabees (all of which provide historical information about the Maccabean revolt and rise of the Hasmoneans), and the writings of Josephus (a Jewish writer who witnessed the Roman takeover of Palestine in the first century C.E.). This course will stay within the confines of the ancient evidence and not examine later interpretations when analyzing each historical period; it will begin with Ptolemaic control of the region and conclude with the Bar Kokhba revolt, its aftermath, and the resilience of Jewish populations in northern Palestine. Topics that will be examined in depth are messianism and apocalypticism, the Jerusalem Temple, Jewish ancestral traditions (which include biblical literature), and theoretical models used by scholars to analyze power relationships in antiquity.
CNRC 3506 - The Israeli Mossad in Film and Literature: History, Narrative, and Ethics
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Spring)
Equivalent courses: HEBR 5506, JWST 3506
This course will look at Mossad?s activities and their perceptions in Israeli culture through lenses of collective memory and national identity. Students will examine primary and secondary sources to understand the historic background and the various narratives, shaping the Israeli culture. Students will conduct discussions pertaining to the place of Mossad in Israeli culture expressing opinions about the ethical component of Mossad?s activities.
CNRC 3515 - Multiculturalism in Modern Israel: how communities, ideologies, and identities intersect
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Spring)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 3515 until 18-JAN-22, JWST 3515, HEBR 5515
This course focuses on the way various cultural groups in Israel attempt to achieve cultural recognition. Students will learn how various ethnic and religious groups shape their identities through process of acculturation and struggle. Students will learn about several Israeli cultures by reading literature, book chapters and case-studies, and watching movies, all of which center on these debates. Students will examine various case studies centered on these multicultural issues in Israel and will discuss and reflect on the implications of the issues raised by the course material for the international community, the United States, and for their own lives.
CNRC 3518 - Jewish Humor: Seriously Funny from Text to Stage to Screen [DSJ]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Every Spring)
Equivalent courses: HSEM 2042H (inactive, starting 18-JAN-22), HIST 3518, JWST 3518
In the U.S. the comic world has been so dominated by Jewish writers and performers that the "People of the Book" have come to be known as the "People of the Joke." A 2013 Pew Research poll showed that for American Jews, a sense of humor is essential to their Jewish identity?more important than ritual or the observance of traditional religious commandments. While surveying a broad range of humor in print, on stage, and in films along with classical Jewish texts including the Torah and Talmud, students will learn about the historical and cultural contexts that make such humor not only possible, but existentially necessary?a serious business indeed. And we'll accomplish all this while laughing hysterically. No prior knowledge of Jewish history and culture is required or assumed.
CNRC 3535 - Death and the Afterlife in the Ancient World [AH]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Fall Odd Year)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 3535 until 18-JAN-22, RELS 5535 (inactive, starting 02-SEP-08, ending 05-SEP-06, was RELA 5535 until 02-SEP-08), RELS 3535 (starting 02-SEP-08, ending 05-SEP-06, was RELA 3535 until 02-SEP-08), CNES 5535 (inactive)
Beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors related to death and the afterlife found in the cultures of the ancient Mediterranean and Near East. Literature, funerary art/epitaphs. Archaeological evidence for burial practices and care of dead.
CNRC 3601W - Sexuality and Gender in Ancient Greece and Rome [AH WI]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Fall Even Year)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 3601W until 18-JAN-22, was CNES 3601 until 08-SEP-20, CNES 5601 (inactive)
Evidence for Ancient Greek and Roman ideas about sexuality and gender roles. The methodologies by which it is analyzed. Norms of writing about ancient culture, gender, and sexuality.
CNRC 3617 - Pagans, Christians, Barbarians: The World of Late Antiquity [GP HIS]
(3 cr; A-F or Audit; offered Fall Odd Year)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 3617 until 18-JAN-22, HIST 3617, RELS 3543, MEST 3617
Between classical and medieval, pagan and Christian, Roman and barbarian, the late antique world was a dynamic age. This course will focus on the Mediterranean region from the 2nd to the mid-7th century exploring such topics as the conversion of Constantine, the fall of Rome, barbarian invasions, the spread of Christianity, and the rise of Islam.
CNRC 3787 - From Hercules to Buddha: Visual Cultures in Contact [AH]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall & Spring)
Equivalent courses: ARTH 5787 (starting 02-SEP-14), CNRC 5787
What happens when two cultures meet? How do different cultures shape and influence each other? In this course we'll examine how the diverse cultures of the Ancient Eurasian world became entangled with one another through the material remains they left behind. We'll use a variety of tools and techniques to analyze and interpret objects, spaces and art? from the Egyptians and Sassanians, to the Romans and Qin and Han dynasties. Uncover a more nuanced and inclusive understanding of how these ancient cultures changed their ideologies, iconographies, and modes of representation through trade networks, political alliances, and colonial enterprise.
CNRC 3896 - Internship for Academic Credit
(1 cr [max 4]; Student Option; offered Every Fall, Spring & Summer; may be repeated for 4 credits; may be repeated 2 times)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 3896 until 18-JAN-22
An applied learning experience in an agreed-upon, short-term, supervised workplace activity, with defined goals, which may be related to a student's major field or area of interest. The work can be full or part time, paid or unpaid, primarily in off-campus environments in conjunction with museum or gallery internships; archaeological field experience; language teaching practicum, etc. Internships integrate classroom knowledge and theory with practical application and skill development in professional or community settings. The skills and knowledge learned should be transferable to other employment settings and not simply to advance the operations of the employer. Typically the student's work is supervised and evaluated by a site coordinator or instructor.
CNRC 3950 - Topics in Ancient Culture (Topics course)
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Every Fall & Spring; may be repeated for 9 credits; may be repeated 3 times)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 3950 until 18-JAN-22
Selected topics in the cultural history of antiquity (e.g., women in antiquity, Roman diplomacy, slavery, education). Topics specified in Class Schedule.
CNRC 3993 - Directed Studies
(1 cr [max 4]; Prereq-instr consent; Student Option; offered Every Fall, Spring & Summer; may be repeated for 16 credits; may be repeated 4 times)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 3993 until 18-JAN-22, was CLAS 3993 until 07-SEP-04
Guided individual reading or study.
CNRC 3994 - Directed Research: Capstone
(4 cr; Prereq-Course is open to second semester juniors and seniors, major in CNRC, or RelS Students enrolling in this directed research course will complete the University's common Directed Research contract with the faculty mentor/evaluator. The Faculty member will ensure academic standards are upheld, including: - the work proposed is at the appropriate level for the course, academic in nature, and the student will be involved intellectually in the project. - the project scope is reasonable for one semester and the number of credits specified (42 hours of work per credit) - the faculty mentor is qualified to serve in this role - assessment of student learning and grading criteria are clear and appropriate - the student will be working in a respectful, inclusive environment The contract will include the learning objectives for the course, the methods that will be employed, and how assessment will be conducted by the faculty mentor. The contract must be approved by the DUGS/academic approver of the major before the student can register.; Student Option; offered Every Fall & Spring)
Research project pertaining to ancient world, using documents or primary sources along with secondary sources. Students select project in consultation with faculty member.
CNRC 5016W - Biblical Law and Jewish Ethics [WI]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall & Spring)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 5016W until 18-JAN-22, RELS 3013W (starting 04-SEP-12, ending 17-JAN-06, starting 07-SEP-99, was RELA 3013W until 02-SEP-08, was RELA 3013 until 05-SEP-00), RELS 5013W (starting 06-SEP-16, ending 17-JAN-06, was RELS 5013 until 05-SEP-17, was RELA 5013 until 02-SEP-08), JWST 5013W, JWST 3013W (starting 07-SEP-99, was JWST 3013 until 05-SEP-00), CNRC 3016W, LAW 6916 (starting 03-SEP-19)
This course introduces students to the original meaning and significance of religious law and ethics within Judaism. Law is the single most important part of Jewish history and identity. At the same time, law is also the least understood part of Judaism and has often been the source of criticism and hatred. We shall therefore confront one of the most important parts of Jewish civilization and seek to understand it on its own terms. In demonstrating how law becomes a fundamental religious and ethical ideal, the course will focus on the biblical and Rabbinic periods but spans the entire history of Judaism. Consistent with the First Amendment, the approach taken is secular. There are no prerequisites: the course is open to all qualified students. The course begins with ideas of law in ancient Babylon and then studies the ongoing history of those ideas. The biblical idea that a covenant binds Israel to God, along with its implications for human worth - including the view of woman as person - will be examined. Comparative cultural issues include the reinterpretations of covenant within Christianity and Islam. The course investigates the rabbinic concept of oral law, the use of law to maintain the civil and religious stability of the Jewish people, and the kabbalistic transformation of law. The course concludes with contemporary Jewish thinkers who return to the Bible while seeking to establish a modern system of universal ethics. The premise of the course is the discipline of academic religious studies. The assumptions of the course are therefore academic and secular, as required by the First Amendment. All texts and all religious traditions will be examined analytically and critically. Students are expected to understand and master this approach, which includes questioning conventional cultural assumptions about the composition and authorship of the Bible. Willingness to ask such questions and openness to new ways of thinking are essential to success in the course.
CNRC 5051 - Before Herodotus: History and Historiography of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East
(3 cr; Prereq-Previous coursework in Ancient Near Eastern history recommended; A-F or Audit; offered Periodic Fall & Spring)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 5051 until 18-JAN-22, was CLAS 5051 until 18-JAN-05, HIST 5051
Seminar. Historical method/sources for Ancient Near Eastern history. Historical tradition and historiographic texts of Mesopotamia and neighboring regions of Ancient Near East/their relationship to the works of classical historians such as Herodotus. Use of these sources in modern historiography of Ancient Near East.
CNRC 5071 - Greek and Hellenistic Religions
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Spring)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 5071 until 18-JAN-22, was RELA 5071 until 06-SEP-05, was CNES 5071 until 06-SEP-05, was RELA 5071 until 18-JAN-05, was CLAS 5071 until 18-JAN-05, was RELA 5071 until 07-SEP-04, was CLAS 5071 until 07-SEP-04, was RELA 5071 until 07-SEP-99, RELS 5071 (starting 02-SEP-08, ending 17-JAN-06, was RELA 5071 until 02-SEP-08), RELS 3071H (inactive, starting 20-JAN-15, was RELA 3071H until 02-SEP-08), RELS 3071 (starting 07-SEP-10, ending 22-JAN-08, was RELA 3071 until 02-SEP-08), CNRC 3071
Greek religion from Bronze Age to Hellenistic times. Literature, art, archaeology. Homer/Olympian deities. Ritual performance, prayer, sacrifice. Temple architecture. Death/afterlife. Mystery cults. Philosophical religion. Near Eastern salvation religions. Meets with 3071.
CNRC 5072 - The Birth of Christianity [AH]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall & Spring)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 5072 until 18-JAN-22, was RELA 5072 until 18-JAN-05, was CLAS 5072 until 18-JAN-05, was RELA 5072 until 07-SEP-04, was CLAS 5072 until 07-SEP-04, was RELA 5072 until 07-SEP-99, RELS 3072 (starting 27-MAY-08, ending 17-JAN-06, was RELA 3072 until 02-SEP-08), CNRC 3072, RELS 5072 (starting 02-SEP-08, ending 17-JAN-06, was RELA 5072 until 02-SEP-08)
Early Jesus movement in cultural/historical setting. Origins in Judaism. Traditions about Jesus. Apostle Paul, controversies/interpreters. Authority, religious practice, structure. Emergence of canon. Contemporary methods of New Testament study. Biblical writings as history/narrative. CNES 3072/CNES 5072/RELS 3072/RELS 5072 meet together.
CNRC 5115 - Midrash: Jewish Biblical Interpretation
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall & Spring)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 5115 until 18-JAN-22, CNRC 3115, JWST 5115, RELS 5115 (starting 26-MAY-15, ending 17-JAN-12, starting 02-SEP-08, ending 18-JAN-05, was RELA 5115 until 02-SEP-08), RELS 3115 (starting 23-MAY-16, ending 17-JAN-12, starting 02-SEP-08, ending 02-SEP-03, was RELA 3115 until 02-SEP-08), JWST 3115 (starting 07-SEP-99, was RELA 3115 until 07-SEP-99)
How did the Jews of the first seven centuries of the common era read and understand the Hebrew Bible? What were the problems they faced -- interpretive, historical, theological -- in trying to apply their holy scriptures? This course explores key issues that led to the development of a new form of Judaism in late antiquity, rabbinic Judaism, and its methods of scriptural interpretation. The course's study will focus on the forms and practices of rabbinic scriptural interpretation (midrash) as it developed in Roman Palestine and Sasanian Babylonia, focusing on key narrative and legal passages in the Five Books of Moses (Torah). A main focus of the course will be on the ways the rabbis adapted the Hebrew Bible to express their own core concerns.
CNRC 5121 - Gender and Body in Early Christianity [AH]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Fall Odd Year)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 5121 until 18-JAN-22, RELS 5121, RELS 3121, CNRC 3121
Ancient Christians, like any other social group in the ancient world, represented themselves through images, stories, and discourses using the cultural tools available to them in their own contexts. In this course, we will explore two key texts of early Christianity (1 Corinthians and the Gospel of Mark) with special attention to how representations of the body and gender served to communicate the nature of what it meant to be Christian for these authors. The study of ancient material offers a space to acquire the skills of critical analysis of body and gender dynamics so that we can better understand the roles that the body and gender play in shaping our self-identity, social interaction, and societal structures.
CNRC 5204 - The Dead Sea Scrolls
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall & Spring)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 5204 until 18-JAN-22, RELS 5204, JWST 3204 (inactive), CNES 3204 (inactive), JWST 5204, RELS 3204 (inactive)
Introduction to Dead Sea Scrolls and Qumran. Contents of Dead Sea Scrolls, significance for development of Bible. Background of Judaism and Christianity. Archaeological site of Qumran. Open to graduate students across the college; knowledge of classical Hebrew will not be required. The course is open to upper level undergraduate students with permission of the instructor.
CNRC 5207W - Race and Ethnicity in Antiquity [AH WI GP]
(3 cr; A-F only; offered Periodic Fall)
Equivalent courses: CNRC 3207W
This course spotlights the rich diversity and multiculturalism of the ancient peoples of the Mediterranean (in particular: the Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, and Persians). We'll examine how the racial and ethnic biases that they held have influenced our modern perspectives. We'll survey ancient evidence alongside modern scholarship to understand how interpretations and appropriations, primarily of ancient Greek and Roman ideas, have shaped modern racism, colonialism, and white supremacy from the 18th century CE to today. No background in the ancient world is required?just a curiosity to understand the past?s echoes in our present.
CNRC 5502W - Ancient Israel: From Conquest to Exile [WI]
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Spring)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 5502W until 18-JAN-22, was CNES 5502 until 19-JAN-21, was ANE 5502 until 07-SEP-04, HIST 3502W, CNRC 3502W (starting 07-SEP-99, was CNES 3502W until 18-JAN-22, was CNES 3502 until 19-JAN-21, was ANE 3502 until 07-SEP-04, was RELA 3502 until 12-JUN-00, was ANE 3502 until 12-JUN-00, was RELA 3502 until 07-SEP-99, was ANE 5502 until 07-SEP-99), JWST 3502W, RELS 3502W (starting 07-SEP-10, ending 04-SEP-01, was RELS 3502 until 19-JAN-21, was RELA 3502 until 02-SEP-08)
Israel and Judah were not states of great importance in the ancient Near East. Their population and territory were small, and they could not resist conquest by larger, more powerful states like Assyria and Rome. Yet their ancient history matters greatly today, out of proportion to its insignificance during the periods in which it transpired. The historical experiences of the people of Israel and Judah were accorded religious meaning and literary articulation in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), which became a foundational text for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Essential features of Western as well as Islamic civilization are predicated on some element of Israel?s ancient past, as mediated through the Bible; therefore it behooves us to understand that past. But the Bible is a religious work, not a transcript of events, and the history of ancient Israel is not derived merely from reading the biblical accounts of it. Archaeological excavations have revealed the physical remains of the cultures of Israel and neighboring lands, as well as bringing to light inscriptions, documents, and literary works produced by those cultures. These sources, which complement and sometimes contradict the accounts conveyed in the Bible, provide the basis for reconstructing a comprehensive history of ancient Israel. This course covers the history of Israel and Judah from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE), by the end of which Israel had emerged as a distinct ethnic entity, to the period of Roman rule (63 BCE-330 CE), which saw the final extinction of ancient Israel, represented by the kingdom of Judea, as a political entity. Knowledge of this history is based on archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, including the Hebrew Bible. N.B.: Students should be aware that the study of history, like all the human and natural sciences, is predicated on inquiry, not a priori judgments. Accordingly, the Bible is not privileged as an intrinsically true or authoritative
CNRC 5713 - Introduction to Ugaritic
(3 cr; Prereq-Adv Hebrew, previous study of biblical texts or instr consent; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 5713 until 18-JAN-22, was ANE 5713 until 07-SEP-04
Ugaritic alphabetic cuneiform script, morphology, and syntax. Reading of representative samples of Ugaritic literature. Attention to linguistic and cultural issues and links to biblical and other Ancient Near Eastern texts.
CNRC 5787 - Visual Cultures in Contact: Cross-Cultural Interaction in the Ancient World
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall & Spring)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 5787 until 18-JAN-22, ARTH 5787 (starting 02-SEP-14), CNRC 3787
What happens when two cultures meet? How do different cultures shape and influence each other? In this course we'll examine how the diverse cultures of the Ancient Eurasian world became entangled with one another through the material remains they left behind. We'll use a variety of tools and techniques to analyze and interpret material objects, spaces and art? from the Egyptians and Sassanians, to the Romans and Qin and Han dynasties. Uncover a more nuanced and inclusive understanding of how these ancient cultures changed their ideologies, iconographies, and modes of representation through trade networks, political alliances, and colonial enterprise.
CNRC 5993 - Directed Studies
(1 cr [max 4]; Student Option; offered Every Fall, Spring & Summer; may be repeated for 12 credits; may be repeated 4 times)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 5993 until 18-JAN-22, was CLAS 5993 until 07-SEP-04
Guided individual reading or study. Prereq-instr consent, dept consent, college consent.
CNRC 5994 - Directed Research
(1 cr [max 12]; Student Option; offered Every Fall & Spring; may be repeated for 12 credits)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 5994 until 18-JAN-22, was CLAS 5994 until 07-SEP-04
Guided individual research. Prereq-instr consent, dept consent, college consent.
CNRC 5996 - Directed Instruction
(1 cr [max 12]; Student Option; offered Every Fall & Spring; may be repeated for 12 credits)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 5996 until 18-JAN-22, was CLAS 5996 until 07-SEP-04
Guided individual research. Prereq-instr consent, dept consent, college consent.
CNRC 8190 - Seminar: Issues in Ancient Art and Archaeology (Topics course)
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall & Spring; may be repeated for 12 credits; may be repeated 4 times)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 8190 until 18-JAN-22, ARTH 8190 (starting 20-JAN-04, was CLAS 8190 until 07-SEP-04, was CLAS 8190 until 24-MAY-04, was CLAS 8190 until 20-JAN-04, was CLAS 8190 until 02-SEP-03, was CLAS 8190 until 21-JAN-03, was CLAS 8190 until 03-SEP-02, was CLAS 8190 until 22-JAN-02, was CLAS 8190 until 04-SEP-01, was CLAS 8190 until 16-JAN-01, was CLAS 8190 until 05-SEP-00, was CLAS 8190 until 07-SEP-99)
Selected issues, with special attention to current scholarly disputes. Topics specified in [Class Schedule].
CNRC 8333 - FTE: Master's
(1 cr; Prereq-Master's student, adviser and DGS consent; No Grade Associated; offered Every Fall & Spring; 6 academic progress units; 6 financial aid progress units)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 8333 until 18-JAN-22
(No description)
CNRC 8444 - FTE: Doctoral
(1 cr; Prereq-Doctoral student, adviser and DGS consent; No Grade Associated; offered Every Fall & Spring; 6 academic progress units; 6 financial aid progress units)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 8444 until 18-JAN-22
(No description)
CNRC 8513 - Scripture and Interpretation
(3 cr; Prereq-Grad student; A-F or Audit; offered Fall Even, Spring Odd Year)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 8513 until 18-JAN-22, JWST 5513W (inactive, starting 04-SEP-12, was JWST 5513 until 21-JAN-14), CNES 5513W (inactive), RELS 5513W (inactive, starting 04-SEP-12, was RELS 5513 until 21-JAN-14, was RELA 5513 until 02-SEP-08)
Ideas of divine revelation. Impact upon religion/literature. How history of Bible's creation, transmission, interpretation helps us think critically about role of revelation in history of religious traditions.
CNRC 8530 - Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean World (Topics course)
(3 cr; A-F or Audit; offered Periodic Fall & Spring; may be repeated for 12 credits; may be repeated 4 times)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 8530 until 18-JAN-22
Intensive study of particular aspects of religious practice in the ancient Mediterranean world, often from a comparative perspective. Focus on scrutiny of primary sources and discussion of contemporary trends in scholarship. Topics specified in the Class Schedule.
CNRC 8550 - Gender and Body in Ancient Religion (Topics course)
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall & Spring; may be repeated for 12 credits; may be repeated 4 times)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 8550 until 18-JAN-22
This topics course will offer a theoretically sophisticated and in-depth examination of conceptualizations of gender and the body in ancient culture, specifically instantiated in religious writings, activity, and thought. Students will gain a thorough working knowledge of current theoretical discussions of gender and the body, while at the same time exploring the role gender played in narratives, religious practice, and philosophical writings of the ancient world. Opportunities will be available to study various time frames (beginning of the first millennium BCE to 500 CE), specific local cultures (determined by geographical regions), and ethnic/religious groups (Israelites, Jews, Romans, Greeks, Christians, Egyptians, etc.). Students will be heavily involved in the weekly presentation of topics and discussion, and PhD students will be expected to produce research that will be headed toward use in their dissertations or a suitable for future publication. Topics specified in class schedule.
CNRC 8570 - Readings in Religious Texts (Topics course)
(3 cr; A-F or Audit; offered Periodic Fall & Spring; may be repeated for 12 credits; may be repeated 4 times)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 8570 until 18-JAN-22
Close reading of selected literary or epigraphical texts of importance for the history of ancient Mediterranean religions, along with critical discussion of trends in recent scholarship. The texts may be read in the original languages (such as Greek, Latin, Hebrew, etc.) but may also be accessed in translation where appropriate.
CNRC 8666 - Doctoral Pre-Thesis Credits
(1 cr [max 6]; Prereq-Doctoral student who has not passed prelim oral; no required consent for 1st/2nd registrations, up to 12 combined cr; dept consent for 3rd/4th registrations, up to 24 combined cr; doctoral student admitted before summer 2007 may register up to four times, up to 60 combined cr; No Grade Associated; offered Every Fall, Spring & Summer; may be repeated for 12 credits; may be repeated 2 times)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 8666 until 18-JAN-22
To be determined
CNRC 8777 - Thesis Credits: Master's
(1 cr [max 18]; Prereq-Max 18 cr per semester or summer; 10 cr total required (Plan A only); No Grade Associated; offered Every Fall & Spring; may be repeated for 50 credits; may be repeated 10 times)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 8777 until 18-JAN-22
(No description)
CNRC 8794 - Practicum for Future Faculty in Classics
(1 cr; Prereq-Doctoral [major or minor] in Classical/Near Eastern studies; S-N only; offered Every Spring)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 8794 until 18-JAN-22
Workshop in professional development. Developing the dissertation. Preparing a portfolio to document/reflect on teaching the ancient world and its languages. Readings, workshops, peer teaching, reflective writing.
CNRC 8888 - Thesis Credits: Doctoral
(1 cr [max 24]; Prereq-Max 18 cr per semester or summer; 24 cr required; No Grade Associated; offered Every Fall & Spring; may be repeated for 100 credits; may be repeated 10 times)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 8888 until 18-JAN-22
(No description)
CNRC 8950 - Topics in Classical & Near Eastern Studies (Topics course)
(3 cr; Student Option; offered Periodic Fall & Spring; may be repeated for 12 credits; may be repeated 4 times)
Equivalent courses: was CNES 8950 until 18-JAN-22
Topics such as slavery, women in antiquity, pagans and Jews, the taboo, and modern study of myth.

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