Introduction to Religious Studies

Catalog description

This course serves as an introduction to the academic study of religion, providing an overview of major world religions and an analysis of their cultural contexts. Students will examine critical issues that arise in the comparative study of religions, exploring various theories across ideological and disciplinary lines, including philosophy, religious studies, theology, historical analysis, cultural studies, peace studies, gender studies, sociology, and anthropology. The class will investigate the religious dimension of human experience, focusing on the language, attitudes, images, myths, metaphors, symbols, and rituals associated with the history and practice of religion. Additionally, students will explore how individuals, both men and women, throughout history and across different cultures, have lived out and expressed their religious faith in relation to the sacred. This course aims to develop essential research skills.