TRAVEL COURSES
The Department of Religious Studies offers several travel courses for students.
RELS268 "The World of the Bible I: The Middle East" and RELS269 "The World of the Bible II: The Mediterranean World" are usually offered at the end of December and the early part of January.One of these two courses is usually offered every other year. Focusing on historical and archaeological sites related to religious studies, the courses provide students with an extraordinary opportunity to visit some of the most important places of the ancient world while earning three hours of academic credit. Both courses are jointly taught by Dr. Mitchell Reddish and Dr. Kandy Queen-Sutherland, who travel with the students. Participants in RELS 268 usually visit Israel, Jordan, and Egypt, whereas participants in RELS 269 visit selected countries bordering the northern Mediterranean Sea, such as Greece, Turkey, and Italy. The travel courses are open to all students at the university (as well as to students at other colleges and universities). A limited number of non-students also are eligible to participate. Travel, which usually lasts approximately two and a half weeks, is scheduled in the period between Christmas and the start of spring semester. The next travel course offered will be RELS 269 during the 2010-2011 academic year. This trip will focus on the countries of Greece and Turkey.
REL168-95 "the Bible in Art and Artifact," offered during spring break every two years, is a one credit-hour course led by Dr. Mitchell Reddish to various world museums. The focus of the course is on archaeological artifacts related to the Bible and the ancient Near Eastern world, as well as on works of art depicting biblical scenes or themes. Although the museums visited may vary, the BritishMuseum and the Louvre are usually the primary museums visited. REL168-95 is schedule to be offered again during spring semester 2012.