REL - 201 Introduction to Religion

Credits: 3

Corequisites
ENGL 101.

Religion is and has been fundamental to human existence, providing: solace, guidance, communion, and hope. This course will examine: the conceptual boundaries of ‘religion’, the relation between religious intuition and rationality, different conceptions of the ‘the Sacred’, psychological and sociological theories concerning religious belief! faith, secularist and functionalist approaches to the study of religion, phenomenological theories of religious experience and ritual, and the role which religious attitudes and perceptions play in grounding moral convictions and providing human life with a sense of meaning. Students will be encouraged to reflect on their own religious beliefs and experiences, and various art mediums (music, poetry, short-stories, film, etc.) will be utilized to examine these religious themes.