R133 Introduction to Religion, Levene, 29816 Maximum enrollment is 12 students.
This course begins with a single question: What is religion? This question will guide us as we explore some of the range of human behaviors and ideas that can be included in this term. Drawing on scriptures, fiction, poems, philosophies and a variety of other sources from across the globe, we will pursue our question in its three main guises. What is the object of religion (e.g., God, the gods, truth, reality, delusion, escape)? What is its role in culture and history, and connection with things such as economics, politics, the arts? And finally, what are some explanations for it (e.g., it is an expression of group identity, it is an infantile wish for authority, it is a universal human quest to realize the meaning of the cosmos)? The goal will be to become more conscious of the breadth and complexity of a term we all use, to become, then, more fluent in the possibilities it articulates, the boundaries it draws, and the presuppositions it bears.
This course carries Arts and Humanities credit.
No comments:
Post a Comment