Black World Religion
Prerequisites: THEO 100, THEO 107, or equivalent; please check requirements for declared majors/minors for exceptions.
This course explores the revelatory manner in which the divine comes to unique presence and expression among African peoples throughout human history. It will examine the religious experiences and traditions of: Africa's ancient Nile valley civilizations, long recognized as cradling the world's spiritual and philosophical wisdom and as influencing the formative development of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Outcomes: Students will demonstrate their knowledge of African peoples' religious experiences within their various historical and cultural contexts.
Prerequisites: THEO 100, THEO 107, or equivalent; please check requirements for declared majors/minors for exceptions.
This course explores the revelatory manner in which the divine comes to unique presence and expression among African peoples throughout human history. It will examine the religious experiences and traditions of: Africa's ancient Nile valley civilizations, long recognized as cradling the world's spiritual and philosophical wisdom and as influencing the formative development of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Outcomes: Students will demonstrate their knowledge of African peoples' religious experiences within their various historical and cultural contexts.
Prerequisite: THEO 100 or THEO 107 or equivalent.
Tier 2 Theological Knowledge
African Studies and the African Diaspora
Black World Studies
Interreligious and Interfaith Studies
"In Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). In 1890 Afro-Caribbean scholar Edward Blyden adds, "If we live and move and have our being in Him, God also lives and moves and has His being in us," suggesting that each culture, race, and ethnic group reflects an image of the divine that no one else can duplicate. This course explores the revelatory manner in which the divine comes to unique presence and expression among African peoples throughout human history. It will examine:
¿ the religious experiences and faith traditions of Africa's ancient Nile valley civilizations, long recognized as cradling the world's spiritual and philosophical wisdom and as influencing the formative development of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam;
¿ the religious experiences and faith traditions of indigenous Africans before and after European colonialism;
¿ the religious experiences and faith traditions of African descended peoples in the Americas, especially in the United States, during their centuries long liberation struggle to emancipate democracy for all by boldly resisting, countering, and overcoming slavery, legalized segregation, racial terrorism, and all other past and current forms of white supremacist ideology and abuse.
The primary sources include the literary works of indigenous African and African descended religious writers, leaders, and theologians and various texts from the writings of the ancient Egyptians and early African Christians. The course also employs a combination of secondary sources and audio-visual materials. A packet of the assigned literary works will be made available on Sakai under Lessons.
Class Details
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