The Search for Meaning in Western Europe through Culture, Religion, and Health

Catalog description

Throughout human history, people have searched for meaning in their existence, particularly in times of adversity, such as illness and death. This course aims to make students understand how culture, and religion have shaped and are shaping this search for meaning in Western Europe and how this search, in turn, has been expressed through culture and informed ethical views and attitudes. Throughout the course, issues surrounding health and healthcare will serve as a focal example to illustrate this search for and expression of meaning. Through lectures and site visits, students will come to grasp the diverse historical, societal, and religious perspectives from which people in Western Europe have given meaning to their lives and moral decisions. The course will integrate the experience of religious and ethnic minorities in Western Europe. Through the prism of the search for meaning, students who participate in this course will get a thorough immersion in Western European history, culture, society, religion, and student life. This course will fulfill the requirements of the Ethical Reasoning and Moral Responsibility competency and the Cultural Fluency and Responsiveness competency of the Bridges Common Learning Experience. Destination: This course will bring students to the heart of the EU. The course will start with a three-day visit to Paris. In Paris, students will visit the touristic and historical highlights. Throughout these visits, students will learn to see what the visited places and monuments reveal about the search for meaning in Europe. After the Paris visit, students will travel to Leuven (the historical university town, not the newer Louvain-la-Neuve), situated near Brussels, the capital of the EU. Leuven is an ideal place for the study of the search for meaning from historical, cultural, religious and health perspectives. The Catholic University of…