Spring 2023 Course Descriptions
This is an unofficial list of courses that will be offered in Religious Studies in Spring 2023. It is strictly for the use of expanded course descriptions. For the complete official course offerings, please consult the My.UIC portal.
For a list of all courses and general course descriptions, please see the UIC Academic Catalog.
Spring 2023 Courses Heading link
CST / RELS 120 – Catholic Thought: An Introduction
On Campus, TR 12:30-1:45
Instructor: Dr. Laura Dingeldein
For nearly two thousand years, Catholics have put their welfare, comfort, health, and even lives on the line for their God and religion. In this course we will examine these witnesses and martyrs within the Catholic tradition, using this topic as a lens through which to investigate some of the prominent and distinctive themes of Catholic thought.
Past
RELS 230 – Modern Islam: Select Themes and Debates
On campus, TR 11:00-12:15
Instructor: Dr. Annie Greene
The Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century. While a lot of contemporary practices and beliefs can be traced to early texts and behaviors of the early Muslim community, modern Muslims continue to interpret, debate and think about their religion in response to the challenges and opportunities of the modern world. This course investigates some of these modern Islamic practices through a thematic approach. We discuss political Islam, Islamic feminism, Sufism (mysticism), legal authority transmission, and Islam and the media, among others.
World Cultures
downloadable flyer
RELS 255 – Religious Diversity in the Healthcare Fields
On Campus, W 3:00-5:30
Instructor: Dr. Laura Dingeldein
This course seeks to prepare you to engage with diverse religious perspectives and behaviors in healthcare settings. If you choose to become a healthcare professional, most of your patients and colleagues will identify as religious: more than 75% of adults in the United States claim that religion is very or somewhat important to them. Moreover, these people will have diverse religious identifications and affiliations that condition their perspectives on bodily and mental health. In this course you will learn how to productively engage with this religious diversity through your participation in lectures, guest speaking events, discussions, and other activities.
downloadable flyer
CST / RELS / HIST 294 – Topics in Catholic History
On Campus, TR 3:30-4:45
Instructor: Dr. Laura Dingeldein
This course explores the religious world of the earliest Christians, focusing on the ways in which early Christians drew upon, modified, and rejected aspects of ancient Mediterranean cultures, religions, and philosophies.