Religion & Interdisciplinary Studies
Course topics will rotate to incorporate the study of religion in a variety of other disciplines. Focus will be on the influence or application of religious teachings and traditions in the fields of healthcare, politics, education, etc.
Outcomes: Describe the ethical implications of the religious beliefs and traditions of at least one religion for the primary field of study.
Of Gods and Men: Epic, Myth, and Religion
Course topics will rotate to incorporate the study of religion in a variety of other disciplines. Focus will be on the influence or application of religious teachings and traditions in the fields of healthcare, politics, education, etc.
Outcomes: Describe the ethical implications of the religious beliefs and traditions of at least one religion for the primary field of study.
Tier 2 Theological Knowledge
This class satisfies the Engaged Learning requirement in the Undergraduate Research category.
What makes us human? To what end is human labor directed? How do we interact with the divine realm? This class explores the relationship of myth and ritual in Ancient West Asia and the Hebrew Bible. Individual units are structured around the great literary works of ancient Mesopotamia and Canaan (Gilgamesh, Atrahasis, Enuma Elish, Baal Cycle, Song of Erra and Ishum) and the monumental compositions of the Hebrew Bible (the Priestly Source and the Deuteronomic Composition). Throughout the course, students will be exposed to fundamental methods in the study of religion¿particularly ancient religion¿including the study of myth and ritual, approaches to orality and textuality, ancient poetics, narratology, and anthropological approaches to the study of ritual. More than anything, however, this class invites us to approach ancient literature on its own terms and to reflect on the timeless questions at the heart of ancient epic, myth, and ritual.
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