Health and Science
127 Health, Healing, and Medicine in Asian Contexts What do we mean exactly when we are looking to improve our health and increase wellness or well-being? How does healing go beyond the physical to include the emotional and spiritual? What are the boundaries between medicine and religion? This course investigates these questions by turning to Indian (Buddhism) and Chinese traditions (Daoism/Taoism and Confucianism). We will examine Chinese medical arts such as acupuncture and qigong, Indian Ayurveda medicine and its relationship to Yoga, and the contemporary discourse on Buddhist-based meditation practices—including mindfulness—for health. The approach of this course will be historical, anthropological, and experiential. Students are required to journal and reflect on various aspects of their health throughout the semester. (M5)
221 Buddhism and Mindfulness What is mindfulness? Does it improve health? Why are mindfulness-based programs being increasingly introduced into big corporations, startups, churches, public schools, hospitals, prisons, law enforcement, and the military? This course will explore: 1) the relationship between Buddhist traditions and mindfulness; 2) scientific research on the effects of mindfulness; and 3) the ethical debate on the commodification of mindfulness. (U1)
264 Science and Theology Is it (im)possible to hold religious beliefs and convictions, and simultaneously to be a modern person of science? This course will examine the interface between science and theology from a variety of perspectives. We will explore key questions and supposed conflicts between science and religion, emphasizing the interaction between the two, how science impacts religion and vice versa. A capstone paper, a Credo, will ask the student to reflect on how one’s understanding of scientific theories affects his/her beliefs about certain key religious ideas such as Creation or human nature. Prerequisites: junior or senior class standing. (U1)
Ecology Theology Faced with the ever-growing ecological crisis, what is the religious analysis of and response to this urgent reality? How does Christian theology speak about this relationship of humanity to the cosmos and all its inhabitants? This course focuses on these questions by examining a variety of religious perspectives with special emphasis on the Judeo-Christian traditions. (U2)