RELG 2190

This was really an enjoyable class. I took it in the spring, and often the air conditioner made it a bit difficult to understand what Professor Bouchard was saying. Nonetheless, his lectures were enjoyable and the syllabus/reading list is phenomenal. The readings hardly ever seemed like work at all, and honestly, if you go to lectures and discussions, you don't really need to do the theoretical readings at all. I highly, highly recommend this class to anyone who enjoys reading.

The lectures for this class would sometimes seem a bit confusing but a lot of the information was incredibly interesting. The reading was fun to do (except for some of the theoretical works.) If you know what works you want to write your papers on, then you generally do not need to read a book that does not seem interesting to you or that you don't want to include. Very fair grader, I would recommend this class highly.

Very enjoyable class, the lectures could be abstract but they were basically just meant for you to further your own understanding of the texts for the essays you have to write. Definitely worthwhile!

I LOVE Professor Bouchard. This class has a lot of reading, but there isn't any penalty if you get behind. His exams are all timed, take home, essay exams. You write 3 essays, but get around 10-15 choices for topic, you get the topics a week ahead of time, and you are allowed to use the texts and a one-page sheet of notes while writing. Professor Bouchard is passionate about teaching and I always enjoyed his lectures.

Most important thing: only take this class if you actually enjoy reading; not enjoy what you read in other classes/high school, but actually read for fun. This is because there is an overwhelming amount of reading (roughly a 300 page novel per week). I shouldn't have taken it because I can't keep up with that. But, that being said, I think it would be a very enjoyable class to those who kept up. Professor Bouchard is a very energetic and enthusiastic teacher. Even though I've only read a little of each book, I'm not failing the class by any means.

It is an excellent class! Prof. Bouchard is a genuinely warm and extremely sincere person. He also cares about his students --- he always encourages us to make comments and ask questions about materials (even if the question/comment is just about clarification or definition-- that comforts me and makes me dare to participate), and he also shares his thoughts and experiences with us (for example his encounter with the author of a book we were reading, or how his view toward a book has been changed because of his re-reading). I enjoy his lectures and enjoy reading those books and excerpts. I genuinely look forward to his classes every other day. Prof. Bouchard had really inspired me to pursue religious studies and philosophy. I used to have a very narrow understanding of religion and I thought it is just about those traditions, but he shows us it is not so. Apart from religious traditions, there are religious dimensions.
In class, we read theologians such as Tillich, Martin Buber, Caputo, and Eliade. They show me religion is not only about tradition but also about love, grace, the infinite, cosmic order, relation, reality, language, and identity. I would say this course is life-changing for me--- it makes me think about relations, identity, and love, and also how reality is structured in terms of these concepts. How a world of relations is made possible, what my ultimate concern is, and how ultimate concern can be finally achieved.