I. General Information

1. Course Title:
Women & Religion

2. Course Prefix & Number:
WMST 2420

3. Course Credits and Contact Hours:

Credits: 3

Lecture Hours: 3

4. Course Description:

This course will examine the historical roles and experiences of women in a variety of religious contexts. Students will be able to demonstrate knowledge of women’s religious experiences, practices and beliefs, as well as their roles and status in Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and Alternative Religions. The women’s movement that began in the last half of the twentieth century has made a significant difference in the roles of women in religion; we will consider the effects of that in America and throughout the world.

5. Placement Tests Required:

Accuplacer (specify test):

Reading College Level CLC or Reading College Level

Score:

6. Prerequisite Courses:

There are no prerequisites for this course.

7. Other Prerequisites

 

9. Co-requisite Courses:

There are no corequisites for this course.

II. Transfer and Articulation

1. Course Equivalency - similar course from other regional institutions:

2. Transfer - regional institutions with which this course has a written articulation agreement:

III. Course Purpose

1. Program-Applicable Courses – This course is required for the following program(s):

Women's Studies Certificate

2. MN Transfer Curriculum (General Education) Courses - This course fulfills the following goal area(s) of the MN Transfer Curriculum:

• Goal 5 – History and the Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Goal 7 – Human Diversity

IV. Learning Outcomes

1. College-Wide Outcomes

College-Wide Outcomes/Competencies	Students will be able to:
Demonstrate written communication skills	Compose an essay and respond to essay questions with an emphasis on critical thinking skills.
Demonstrate reading and listening skills
Apply abstract ideas to concrete situations
Apply ethical principles in decision-making	Analyze and discuss personal attitudes, concepts, and beliefs regarding the diversity of women in religion.
Discuss/compare characteristics of diverse cultures and environments	Identify and compare alternative explanations for the contemporary status of women in religious life.

2. Course Specific Outcomes - Students will be able to achieve the following measurable goals upon completion of the course:

• Examine and discuss religious institutions, practices, and beliefs across a range of historical periods.  MnTC Goal 5
• Explore and articulate a wide range of alternative theories for women’s roles in religious life.  MnTC Goal 5
• Identify alternative explanations for the contemporary status of women in religious life.  MnTC Goal 5
• Compare alternative explanations for the contemporary status of women in religious life. MnTC Goal 5
• Demonstrate an awareness of the institutional dynamics of unequal power relations bewteen groups in contemporary society.  MnTC Goal 7
• Describe and discuss the experience and contributions (political, social, economic, etc.) of the many groups that shape American society and culture, in particular those groups that have suffered discrimination and exclusion.  MnTC Goal 7
• Analyze and articulate their own attitudes, concepts and beliefs regarding the diversity of women in religion.  MnTC Goal 7
• Understand the development of and the changing meanings of group identities in the United States’ history and culture.  MnTC Goal 7
• Identify the ways in which religion has been used as a tool for oppression and empowerment. 

V. Topical Outline

Listed below are major areas of content typically covered in this course.

1. Lecture Sessions

1. Why Study Women in Religion? Does Gender matter in Religion?
   • What is Religion?
   • Patriarchy in Institutionalized Religions
   • Limits on Women’s Religious Participations
2. Women in Judaism
   • Development of Judaism
   • Women in The Hebrew Bible
   • Women in Jewish History
   • Traditional Jewish Laws Concerning Jewish Women
   • Contemporary Changes
   • Women in Contemporary Judaism
3. Women in Islam
   • Women in Pre-Muslim Arabia
   • The Prophet and Women
   • Increasing Seclusion and Veiling of Women
   • Laws Concerning women
   • Women in the Qu’ran
   • Social Issues and Feminist Activism
   • Women as Mystics
4. Women in Christianity
   • Women of the Bible
   • Women in Early Christian Communities
   • Subsequent Subordination of Women
   • Martyrs, Saints, and Ascetics
   • Christian Women’s Institutional Roles
   • Social Activists and Servants of Humanity
   • Feminist Theology
5. Women in Buddhism
   • Life and Teachings of the Buddha
   • Creation of an Order of Nuns
   • Women’s Situation in the Major Forms of Buddhism
   • Contemporary Status and Ordination of Nuns
   • Contemporary Women as Buddhist Teachers and Social Activists
6. Women in Alternative Religions
   • Goddess Spirituality
   • Afro-Caribbean Mixtures
   • Baha’i Faith
   • Sikhism
7. Indigenous Women and Religion
   • Overview of Indigenous Religions
   • Female Divinity
   • Women in Mythology
   • Women's Rituals
8. Women Beyond Religions
   • Personal Spirituality
   • Mystics and Healers
   • Eclectic Ways
   • Non-hierarchical, Non-dogmatic Groups

2. Laboratory/Studio Sessions