A field visit to religious worship places, such as a temple, church or synagogue, is part of class assignments. This course considers the Hebrew Bible from a variety of perspectives - literary, historical, philosophical and religious. It examines the cultural and intellectual forces within which these writings developed. The primary focus is on the first half of the Hebrew Bible, the story of Israel's journey in becoming a people, as well as the law and the prophets. Library research and community research are included.
Library research is necessary.
Understanding today's world and how nations interact requires some degree of awareness of different religious traditions. This course is an introduction to selected religious traditions and cultures through exploring the history of different religions, reading of classic texts and examination of ways of being religious in a variety of traditions. This variable topics course explores central issues in the great world religions, either focusing on a single religion, or comparing two or more religions. It is concerned both with history and with the social and political circumstances of religion in the modern world, including relationships between religions. This class explores some of the literature on spirituality by identifying common themes in a diversity of readings.