Introduction to Religious Studies
This course is an introduction to the contemporary field of religious studies, focusing on both the theoretical investigations of religious traditions, as well as on the study of selected religious texts and practices (such as creation stories, sacred biographies, sacred scriptures of a religious tradition(s) rituals, ritual taboos, religiously motivated behaviors.
Outcomes: Students will be able to analyze and interpret various ways in which religious traditions intersect with contemporary issues.
This course is an introduction to the contemporary field of religious studies, focusing on both the theoretical investigations of religious traditions, as well as on the study of selected religious texts and practices (such as creation stories, sacred biographies, sacred scriptures of a religious tradition(s) rituals, ritual taboos, religiously motivated behaviors.
Outcomes: Students will be able to analyze and interpret various ways in which religious traditions intersect with contemporary issues.
Foundational Theological Knowledge
Interreligious and Interfaith Studies
This course is an introduction to the discipline of religious studies including select theories, methods, and categories. As we work through historical and contemporary case studies of religion, two questions will guide our discussions ¿ what are we assuming is ¿religion¿ or ¿religious¿ and, then, how might we go about studying it? We will consider how forces such as secularism, globalism, gender, race, ethnicity, time and geography shape any view of religion ¿ and how religion, in turn, shapes these categories as part of a dynamic relationship. Staying true to religious studies¿ interdisciplinary nature, this class will draw from materials from the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, in attempt to not only see the far-ranging influence of religion but also acknowledge its complexity. In the spirit of general humanities curriculum, we endeavor to cultivate our capacities for multiple perspective taking, empathy, critical evaluation, and curiosity.
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