ETW T. Merton-Religion-Culture

Catalog description

Roman Catholic, Cistercian monk, civil rights and anti-war activist, cultural critic and poet, Thomas Merton (1915- 1968) was among the first pioneers of what it means to be a Roman Catholic and simultaneously “interreligious”. Through the lens of Cultural Anthropology, this course will provide: an examination of Merton’s approach to other religious traditions which in many ways was ethnographic despite the fact that he was not an anthropologist; a broad exposure to the writings of Thomas Merton; an appreciation for the continued relevance of his work in the increasingly religiously pluralistic 21st century and beyond; an understanding of what it means to be interreligious without having to abandon one’s original religious tradition; and a firsthand experiential appreciation of the value of contemplative practice (sacred silence) and its importance in the fast-paced and fragmented world of technology and information overload in which we find themselves.