Welcome to Religion and Human Experience. In this coming semester, we will explore religion as a universal phenomenon of our shared humanity. We will examine and reflect upon the roles that religion and religious experience have played and continues to shape our lives. Regardless of whether or not you are religious, an academic understanding of religion is an essential tool for success in your interactions with others and in your future careers.
What is this course about and what will you learn? In this course we focus on the study of religion as an academic discipline. We will study and discuss contemporary expressions and understandings of religion, which will include religious traditions other than your own. We will examine the role of religion in our society including constructive and destructive roles. We will examine and compare various methodologies (historical, psychological, sociological, etc.) for studying religion. We will also study the roles that myth, creed, rituals and symbols play in religious discourse. While our discussions will include your personal experiences of religion, this course will not present one religion over another or be an opportunity for conversion to a specific religion. There are no prerequisites.
At the completion of this course, you will be able to:
1) Summarize the functions and purposes of religion in society.
2) Demonstrate with examples from different religions the common characteristics of what constitutes a religion.
3) Summarize why there is such a variety in the ways that humans practice religion.
4) Be able to have an academic conversation with others about religion.
- Teacher: Jeannine Marino