Additional information about Rice courses is available on the Rice Academic Information page. Course web pages are available for some RELI courses. Course will include community, cosmology, ritual, ethical values, magic, witchcraft, contribution to nationalism, independence, social change and the transplantation of African religions in the Americas. In Torah and Prophets, God reaches out to human beings. In the Psalms, human beings reach out to God as the human soul extends itself beyond its confinement.
Psalms thus constitute a revealing portrayal of the human condition.
Emphasis will be placed on psychological, philosophical and comparative methods. Midrash is a fitting theological genre, for it mirrors the complexity of life. Exploration of the rich and varied themes of rabbinic literature in Midrash, Mishnah, and Talmud through careful reading of texts. Lecture and discussion format. Credits Spring 99 Readings in Tibetan Bon and Buddhist religious texts.