The Religion Footprint
Humanity has consistently looked for meaning in and through the cultures and environments they inhabit. Organized religion has often been the source of responding, answering questions of "why do we exist," "how did we get here," "what is good and bad," and "what is our purpose?" This course will examine the role organized religion has played in society, focusing primarily on the Judeo-Christian tradition, while exploring the increased pluralism in our society and culture.
It will ask "what good has religion done and does it do?" as well as pursue questions of critique asking "where has religion been harmful and to whom?" The goal is to approach organized religion through the lens of history, sacred writings, literature and critical thinking to ultimately analyze how a good society can both affirm organized religion while maintaining freedom, justice and diversity.
Student work will be done through reading and written reflection via journals and essays. The final project will be a research project and presentation.
