Latin American Religions in Practice

Catalog description

The emphasis in this course is on the contemporary religious pluralism that has resulted from the encounter of the Old World with the New. Religious change in Latin America since Vatican II and the advent of liberation theology is examined alongside the burgeoning presence of Protestantism in the region during the last quarter of the twentieth century. Particular attention is given to indigenous and Afro-Latin American traditions. Case studies in the course are selected for their use of ethnographic methods, and the geographic focus centers on the Andean region, Mesoamerica, Brazil, and the Caribbean. Satisfies the Ethics, Theology, Politics, Society requirement of the Religious Studies major. Satisfies a requirement in the Latin American Studies major. Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.