Finally, the course discusses and compares Gandhi's theory of non-violence with the contemporary theory of violence offered by Rene Girard. An examination of the understanding, attitudes and treatments of death in contemporary Western culture. Theological, sociological, ethical and medical understandings about death and dying and their impact upon society's understanding of mortality are explored. Attendant phenomena such as grief, bereavement, funeral practices, suicide, and the portrayal of death in art, literature, and music are also examined. Upperclass standing or permission of the instructor.
Topics change each time the course is offered.
Students are asked both to analyze critically the work of various thinkers and to engage in their own constructive theological thinking. An examination of the Judeo-Christian religious belief and experience from psychological and religious studies perspectives. Cognitive, theological, historical-critical, and psychodynamic theories are explored and applied to empirical studies and biographical accounts of the faith lives of men and women, past and present. The course is mainly discussion, based on primary sources. An internship with Hospice of Crawford County, a fully accredited hospice that serves patients throughout Crawford County.