Religion and Society

CRN: fall: 10211 (8 cr), 10212 (12 cr); winter: 20159 (8 cr), 20160 (12 cr)
Note: The 8-credit portion of this program will meet from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Wednesdays and from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on five Saturdays each quarter (fall: Oct. 10, 24, Nov. 7, 21, Dec. 5; winter: Jan 9, 23, Feb 6, 20, March 6). Students registering for 12 credits must attend an additional class from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Tuesdays in SEM 2 E2107. All students meet on Wednesdays and Saturdays in SEM 2 E1105.

This two-quarter, writing-intensive program focuses on the development and evolution of religion and intersections with history, philosophy, politics and culture. Fall quarter will begin with study of origins of major Eurasian religions during the Axial Age (roughly 1000-200 BCE), and continue with the development of the three Abrahamic faiths (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) from their beginnings, through the Crusades and the Inquisition, to the 16^th century Protestant Reformation.

Winter quarter will focus on contemporary U.S. perspectives on religion. By studying media representations of religion and the social, political and world issues often connected with it, we will further understand the place of religion in contemporary society. Students will undertake major project work through service learning with local faith communities in order both to deepen their understanding of those communities and to create an enduring public record through writing and photography.

Students enrolling in the 12-credit option will learn techniques of critical reasoning: how to recognize and evaluate arguments and attempts at persuasion and how to construct their own good, rationally persuasive arguments in written work.

Students who successfully complete both quarters of the program will understand the development and the major tenets of several major religions, understand the roles of religions within historical and contemporary cultures, and be able to critically evaluate texts on religion as well as claims about the place of religion in public life.