World Religions

Description

This course aims to provide an introduction to the history of religion and spirituality, along with a sampling of the history, beliefs and practices of the world's four largest religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam.

The course does not espouse any particular point of view, either secular or that of any individual religion. The readings represent the perspectives of a variety of authors, from academics to devout practitioners, as well as a small number of original religious texts. In these readings, students will find both commonalities and contradictions.

The books chosen for the first month of the course present a broad overview of religion and spiritual practice, one academic and one from a syncretic practitioner. Thereafter, one month each is spent on the four major religions in chronological order.

The goal of the course is to induce students to appreciate the value of religion and spiritual practice, and to gain a better understanding of their own spiritual tradition as well as others.

Course components

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  God: A Human History

  Reza Aslan

  Core curriculum · Reading level 7 · Aug 3, 2026 - Aug 16, 2026 · 5 credit hours
• 

  The Untethered Soul

  Michael A. Singer

  Core curriculum · Reading level 7 · Aug 17, 2026 - Aug 30, 2026 · 6 credit hours

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