Instructor: Annette Yoshiko Reed
Office Hours: Tuesdays, 9:30-12:00, Loree 116, or by appointment.
Telephone: 732-932-2106 (voice-mail) or 609-258-6207

This course aims to introduce students to the three major religious traditions of the Western world: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. One could easily dedicate a whole course to each religion (and, indeed, to nearly every era, event, and thinker that we will survey!). In my choice of topics and sources, I have attempted to forefront what these three Abrahamic religions uniquely share and to explore the significance of the cultural, intellectual, and spiritual heritage of these three religions--not only for present-day Jews, Christians, and Muslims--but also for Western civilization more broadly.

Each religion, as we will see, appeals to tradition and history in order to articulate their relationship with the divine. Hence, each of our sections will proceed chronologically; in the process of tracing the long and rich histories of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, we will examine the beliefs and practices that became central and definitive for Jews, Christians, and Muslims. We will begin with the ancient heritage of each religion (scriptures; founders; early institutions). Then, we will explore how these foundational traditions were preserved and re-invigorated in response to centuries of social change and critical moments of political upheaval. Most significant, in this regard, is the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim encounter with their respective holy Scriptures--as generation after generation of believers have attempted to understand the revealed words of God, to proclaim their continual relevance for all places and all times, and to inscribe them upon their bodies and hearts through prayer, worship, and daily life.