michael
zank@bu: current courses
RN101 The Bible. An introduction to the Jewish and
Christian sacred Scriptures, for concentrators and non-concentrators. The
course fulfills the CAS humanities divisional studies requirement. (Fall 2013).
RN220 Holy City: Jerusalem in Time, Space, and the
Imagination
History of Jerusalem from pre-Israelite to modern Israeli/Palestinian times.
Aided by images, maps, texts, film, and web-based information, we will study
the relation between religion and politics in this conflict-ridden sacred place
(Spring 2014).
RN420 Maimonides A study of major aspects of the
thought of Maimonides. Primary focus on the Guide of the Perplexed, with
attention to its modern reception in works by Baruch Spinoza, Hermann Cohen,
Leo Strauss, and others. (Spring 2014)
RN469 Critique of Religion Philosophical critiques of
revealed religion from Enlightenment to the 20th century, including analysis of
criticisms in Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Major trends examined include
rationalism, historicism, anthropological materialism, and nihilism. (Not
offered 2013/14)