FACULTY: AP

This course examines the representation of landscapes in fictional literature, film, visual arts and music. Emphasis is placed on the power, purpose and problems of metaphor, symbolism and representation.

COURSE CREDIT EXCLUSION: Prior to Fall 2009: AS/GEOG 4250 3.0.

PREREQUISITE: 72 credits successfully completed.

TIME: Wednesday 11:30-14:30

COURSE DIRECTOR: TBA

FACULTY: AP

An intensive course designed to acquaint students with advanced aspects of Hebrew grammar, to improve their reading skills and their ability to express themselves fluently in conversation and in written form. Not open to native speakers who have completed Grade 9 in Israel.

COURSE CREDIT EXCLUSION: None. Prior to Fall 2009: AS/HEB 4000 6.0.

PREREQUISITE: AP/HEB 3000 6.0 or equivalent. Prior to Fall 2009: AS/HEB

TIME: Tuesday and Thursday 13:00-14:30

COURSE DIRECTOR: TBA

Problems in the determination of the international relations of the Israelite states in the Iron Age. Sources, written and unwritten, from Israel, Assyria, Babylonia, Egypt and Israel's smaller neighbours will be examined in the course of these investigations.

This course is restricted to History, Classical Studies, Jewish Studies or Religious Studies Honours majors and minors who have successfully completed at least 84 credits.

Prerequisites: AP/HIST 2110 6.00 or AP/HIST 3100 6.00 or AP/HIST 3110 6.00 or by departmental permission.

Course credit exclusions: None.

PRIOR TO FALL 2009: Course credit exclusion: AS/HIST 4100 6.00.

FACULTY: AP

The Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula in 711 inaugurated a complex trireligious society that was to endure nearly eight hundred years (and more than eight centuries on the Muslim lunar calendar). This development has given rise to Spain's designation as a "land of three religions" and Spain's reputation as premodern Western Europe's foremost "pluralist" society. It has also made Spain, as compared with other European lands, a hard country for non-Spaniards to understand. This course seeks to explore diverse facets of Jewish-Muslim-Christian convivencia ("dwelling together"; coexistence), a topic that continues to be the object of attention for a range of scholars -- and many beyond the academy who have found it pertinent to an understanding of our own age. The course focuses on religious, intellectual, and cultural contacts and their socio-psychological dynamics, placing these in various historical and at times (very partial) geographic, linguistic, political, economic, and technological contexts. The course centers on written sources but does not wholly neglect iconography, music, and architecture. It stresses diverse perspectives within and across religious boundaries and at times forces us to ponder difficulties faced by scholars seeking to explain religious or religiously-linked phenomena (e.g., what actual human experience lies behind the metaphor of "religious conversion"?). Methodologically, our enterprise emphasizes study of primary sources as the only way to arrive at a trustworthy model of convivencia. In the course of such study, attention is paid to peculiarities of genre, the frequent indeterminacy of evidence, and difficulties involved in formulating historical assessments.

COURSE CREDIT EXCLUSION: PRIOR TO FALL 2009 : AS/HUMA 4000V 6.00; Prior to Fall/Winter 2003-2004 : AS/HUMA 4803 6.00.

EVALUATION: 1) Preparation of reading assignments on schedule; 2) Contribution to class (15%); 3) Tests (25%); 4) Secondary literature exercise (15%); 5) Major Paper (45%). TEXT: 1) Olivia Remie Constable, ed., Medieval Iberia: Readings from Christian, Muslim, and Jewish Sources (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1997).

TIME: Monday 11 :30 – 14 :30

COURSE DIRECTOR: Eric Lawee

FACULTY: AP

Interpretation is co-extensive with the existence of human language. It can be defined in a nutshell as one person's understanding of another person's message. Most acts of interpretation that occur are private. What this course will explore is the beginning and development of public interpretation, that is, the open expression through writing or teaching of a particular individual's understanding of the meaning of a text. Most records of interpretation that survive relate to the understanding of authoritative texts, that is, written works that are believed to contain important statements about the divine, the cosmos, moral values, or the origin of peoples, races, and institutions. The last item in the list introduces the notion of alterity, i.e. beliefs and attitudes about "the other" (e.g. other peoples or races, the "other" sex, etc.). Authoritative texts – certainly those emanating from the western world – occur in two basic forms: narrative (e.g. epic, drama) and didactic (philosophical works, non-narrative religious writings).

This course will focus on the history of interpretation in the West, beginning in the early Greek world with Hesiod and the pre-Socratic philosophers and extending to the end of the European Middle Ages. It will start with a discussion of how the public interpretation and open discussion of authoritative works became possible in Greece, and then consider the interpretative methods that were developed, their applications, and their eventual appropriation by Jewish and Christian thinkers for the interpretation of the Bible. The course will end with a discussion of the medieval interpretation of the pagan writings of antiquity at the stage when they had been accepted and appropriated.

COURSE CREDIT EXCLUSION: AP/HUMA 4630 3.0. Prior to Fall 2009: AK/HUMA 4630 3.0, AK/HUMA 4630 6.0.

EVALUATION: First Term Essay (8-10 pages) 20%; In-class Midterm Test 20%; Second Term Essay (12-15 pages) 30%; Take-home Final Examination 30%.

TEXTS: Required - [Cicero] Nature of the Gods, translated by Horace C. P. McGregory. Penguin Books, 1972. (Paperback); New Oxford Annotated Bible NRSV with the Apocrypha. New York: Oxford University Press, 1976. (paperback) ; Saint Augustine, On Christian Doctrine, translated by D. W. Robertson, Jr. MacMillan / Library of Liberal Arts, published by Prentice Hall, 1968. (Paperback); Paul Veyne, Did the Greeks Believe in Their Myths? translated by Paula Wissing. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1988. (Paperback) Ovid, Metamorphoses, translated and edited by Charles Martin. New York and London: W. W. Norton, 2010. (Paperback); Hesiod, Theogony, translated with an Introduction by Norman O. Brown. The Library of the Liberal Arts published by Prentice Hall, 1953. Course Kit (to include short selections of interpretative works of the classical philosophers, the Christian fathers, and western medieval writers, plus essays by contemporary scholars).

TIME: Monday 19:00-22:00

COURSE DIRECTOR: Michael Herren

FACULTY: AP

NEED DESCRIPTION

FACULTY: AP

This course explores Buddhist responses to the changing conditions of modernity in Southeast Asia. Seeking to understand Buddhism as a living religion, it investigates how Buddhists have drawn on religious narratives, symbols and rituals to respond to social and political challenges from the nineteenth century to the present, including issues of religious reform, colonialism, nationalism and ethnicity.

EVALUATION: (subject to change) Weekly Response Writing Assignments 30%; Creation of two interactive "wiki" webpages 20%; Research Paper broken down into: Research Topic 5% Bibliography annotated with reading notes 10%; Final Paper 20%; Participation 15%

TEXTS: Selections from: Thomas Borchert, "Worry for the Dai Nation: Sipsongpanna, Chinese Modernity, and the Problems of Buddhist Modernism," 2008; Penny Edwards, Cambodge: The Cultivation of a Nation, 1860-1945, 2007; Anne Hansen, How to Behave: Buddhism and Modernity in Colonial Cambodia, 1860-1930, 2007; Ian Harris, Buddhism, Power and Political Order,2007; Damien Keown, Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction, 1996; Monique Skidmore, ed., Burma at the Turn of the Twenty-First Century, 2005;Nicola Beth Tannenbaum. Who Can Compete against the World? Power-Protection and Buddhism in Shan Worldview, 1995. Selections from primary texts in translation: The Perfect Generosity of Prince Vessantara: A Buddhist Epic, 1977; The History of Buddha's Religion: Sasanavamsa. 1986; The Mahavamsa; or, the Great Chronicle of Ceylon. 1912.

TIME: Wednesday 11:30-14:30

COURSE DIRECTOR: Alicia Turner

FACULTY: AP

This course explores how the colonial encounter shaped the academic study of Buddhism and the image of Buddhism in the West. Reading popular and scholarly accounts of Buddhism written from the early nineteenth century to the present day, the course analyses how the legacy of and response to colonialism have coloured our understanding of Buddhism as a lived religion.

EVALUATION: Weekly Response Writing Assignments 30%; Annotated Bibliography 15%; Critical Analytical Paper broken down into: Choice of Texts: 5% Outline of Argument with reading notes 15%; Final Paper 15%; Participation 15% (subject to change)

TEXTS: Ananda Abeyesekere, The Colors of the Robe: Religion, Identity and Difference, 2002; Bernard Faure, Unmasking Buddhism, 2009; Donald S. Lopez, Curators of the Buddha: The Study of Buddhism under Colonialism, 1995; David L. McMahan, The Making of Buddhist Modernism, 2008; Walpola Rahula. What the Buddha Taught, 1974; Gregory Schopen. Bones, Stones, and Buddhist Monks, 1997. Supplemented with articles.

TIME: Wednesday 11:30-14:30

COURSE DIRECTOR: Alicia Turner

FACULTY: AP

The Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula in 711 inaugurated a complex trireligious society that was to endure nearly eight hundred years (and more than eight centuries on the Muslim lunar calendar). This development has given rise to Spain's designation as a "land of three religions" and Spain's reputation as premodern Western Europe's foremost "pluralist" society. It has also made Spain, as compared with other European lands, a hard country for non-Spaniards to understand. This course seeks to explore diverse facets of Jewish-Muslim-Christian convivencia ("dwelling together"; coexistence), a topic that continues to be the object of attention for a range of scholars -- and many beyond the academy who have found it pertinent to an understanding of our own age. The course focuses on religious, intellectual, and cultural contacts and their socio-psychological dynamics, placing these in various historical and at times (very partial) geographic, linguistic, political, economic, and technological contexts. The course centers on written sources but does not wholly neglect iconography, music, and architecture. It stresses diverse perspectives within and across religious boundaries and at times forces us to ponder difficulties faced by scholars seeking to explain religious or religiously-linked phenomena (e.g., what actual human experience lies behind the metaphor of "religious conversion"?). Methodologically, our enterprise emphasizes study of primary sources as the only way to arrive at a trustworthy model of convivencia. In the course of such study, attention is paid to peculiarities of genre, the frequent indeterminacy of evidence, and difficulties involved in formulating historical assessments.

COURSE CREDIT EXCLUSION: PRIOR TO FALL 2009 : AS/HUMA 4000V 6.00; Prior to Fall/Winter 2003-2004 : AS/HUMA 4803 6.00.

EVALUATION: 1) Preparation of reading assignments on schedule; 2) Contribution to class (15%); 3) Tests (25%); 4) Secondary literature exercise (15%); 5) Major Paper (45%). TEXT: 1) Olivia Remie Constable, ed., Medieval Iberia: Readings from Christian, Muslim, and Jewish Sources (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1997).

TIME: Monday 11 :30 – 14 :30

COURSE DIRECTOR: Eric Lawee

FACULTY: AP

The course examines the development of Islamic mystical tradition (Sufism) in reference to two issues: one, the development of Sufism as a form of social organization institutionalized in the tarîqa orders, and two, the employment of different themes and symbols in Sufi thought that seek to personalize religious experience through esoteric interpretations of the sacred texts.

COURSE CREDIT EXCLUSION: Prior to Fall 2009: AS/HUMA 4000A 6.0 (prior to Fall/Winter 2003-2004), AS/HUMA 4815 6.0.

TIME: Wednesday 14:30-17:30

COURSE DIRECTOR: Amila Buturovic

FACULTY: AP

The course focuses on the presentation of Muslim women in modern Islamic literatures (novel and short stories) and other forms of Islamic cultural production, such as photography and film.

TIME: Wednesday 19:00 – 21:00

COURSE DIRECTOR: TBA

FACULTY: AP

NEED DESCRIPTION

FACULTY: AP

NEED DESCRIPTION

FACULTY: AP

This course addresses city formation, urban space, and the socio-religious structure in Islamic cities from early Islam to the pre-modern period. The course approaches the Islamic city both as an urban phenomenon and as a modern analytical concept. Its content include some central themes in Islamic studies such as the place of religion in the social life of Muslims; the royal/princely domain; the markets or bazaars; institutions of education and public welfare; and the domestic space. The course is based on weekly readings and discussions that will be part of the general assessment. The relevant articles will be posted on the moodle site. The course assignments include an exam, an essay, and a presentation.

TIME: Wednesday 11:30-14:30

COURSE DIRECTOR: Ruba Kan'aan

FACULTY: AP

Selected cantos from Dante's Divine Comedy, the supreme poetic expression of the Middle Ages and of Italian literature; its ethical and political vision, and its meaning in the context of the medieval and classical theological/ philosophical traditions.

COURSE CREDIT EXCLUSION: AP/IT 4330 6.0.

PREREQUISITE: AP/IT2200 6.0 or permission of the Department.

EVALUATION: One essay - 30%; one oral report - 10%; class participation - 15%; mid-term test -15%; final examination - 30%.

TEXTS: Dante Alighieri. Divina Commedia. Ed. Tommaso Di Salvo. Bologna: Zanichelli (3 vol.). (Although only a limited number of cantos will be examined, references will be made throughout the course to other cantos, and to the extensive introductory and explanatory notes contained in this edition of the poem). A brief selection from Dante's minor works (Xeroxed).

TIME: Tuesday 12:30-14:30 and Thursday 12:30-13:30

COURSE DIRECTOR: TBA

FACULTY: AP

PHIL 4030 3.0 SEMINAR IN ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY This seminar course closely examines an important work of one of the great ancient philosophers. Alternatively, it may also focus on an important area or theme of ancient philosophy including, metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and political theory. This year, the course will focus on the notion of poetic inspiration from Homer to Plato.

PREREQUISITE: At least 9 credits in Philosophy.

TIME: Wednesday 11:30-14:30

COURSE DIRECTOR: TBA

FACULTY: AP

An intensive examination of problems and contemporary issues in philosophy. Topics vary from year to year.

COURSE CREDIT EXCLUSION: None. Prior to Fall 2009: AS/PHIL 4040 3.0.

PREREQUISITE: At least nine credits in philosophy. Prior to Fall 2009: At least nine credits in philosophy.

TIME: Monday 14:30-17:30

COURSE DIRECTOR: TBA

FACULTY: FA

NEED DESCRIPTION