Courses Offered in Anthropology
Anthropology of Religion (Murray)
An introduction of anthropological approaches to the spirit world. We will first analyze three core components found in most religions: spirit beliefs, ceremonial behaviors, beliefs, rituals, and authority structures found in Judaic and Christian variants of monotheism.
Anthropology of Judaism (Murray)
An anthropological summary of the beliefs, rituals, and authority structures in traditional Judaism and in the alternative variants of Judaism that have arisen in modern Israel, America, and Europe. Among topics to be covered are anthropological dimensions of patriarchal religion, Temple Judaism, Kabbalah, the Hasidic movement, and the religious Zionist movement of Israel. This course will complement more conventional courses on Judaism by the application of anthropological tools of analyses, in particular, the systematic comparison of Jewish beliefs and practices with those of other religious traditions.