Examination of the global array of minority Jewish communities—ancient, medieval, and modern—that have flourished outside the main centers of Jewish settlement. Course aims to expand our understanding of Jewish history by focusing on underrepresented or lesser-known communities, along with their distinctive languages, customs, and religious traditions.

Survey of the phenomenon of antisemitism providing a historical description from antiquity to today with background on the emergence of Israel in Canaan. Focuses on religious, economic, cultural, and racial motivations/justification for antisemitism, as well as Jewish religious and cultural responses to antisemitism.

UGA fans, dressed in red and black, pack Sanford Stadium, chanting in unison: “GOOOOOOOOOO Dawgs! Sic ’em! Woof! Woof! Woof!” It’s Saturday in Athens, and it’s hard to distinguish football from religion. This course explores the historical and cultural intersections between sports and religious experience.

A close reading and analysis of the Gospel of Matthew in dialogue with contemporary New Testament scholarship.

The first creation myths are science fiction with a social function. They reconcile scientific progress to political and theological demands. What is their charm, and what does it mean when their poetry evolves, in the Babylonian Creation Epic and later, into more scientific prose?

Explores the long history of depictions of Jewish people and Jewish religion in popular culture, from ancient and medieval art to modern retellings of biblical stories, contemporary representations of the Holocaust, and depictions of American, Israeli, and European Jewry in film and literature.

Food preparation and consumption have always been important aspects of Jewish religion, identity, and culture. Jewish foodways have been shaped by biblical and rabbinic traditions as well as the many global societies that Jews have been a part of. This course examines the importance of food in Jewish tradition and includes opportunities to experience Jewish food firsthand through cooking and eating.

The course covers Christian ethical approaches from multiple contexts and ways they apply to various issues. Students will exercise critical thinking and social awareness, learning to explain how ethical principles provide justification for standards of conduct and to recognize the complexities of competing ethical principles and associated standards of conduct.

An introduction to the academic study of religious ethics, including major themes and methods, with application to contemporary ethical problems.

Who are Indigenous peoples and what are indigenous religions? Exploration of these questions through an examination of indigenous religions around the world from ancient times to the present. Modern religious traditions will be examined with reference to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.