REL 371 World Religions

An introduction to major world religions including Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam and others. Each religion will be studied within its historical context and attention will be given to central concerns of each religion.

Credits

Offered

Every two years

Student Learning Outcomes

To understand the following details about key religions
Origins and development
Key names, concepts, and dates
Key figures and their views
Geographic origins and distribution
Various contexts that shape religion: social, geographical, historical, etc.
To understand the nature of religion as a part of human experience
To see what religions say about reality, nature, society and self
To see how religions respond to our most basic needs and give answers to our most pressing questions
To gain awareness of the widespread and diverse religious experiences of humans around the world and throughout history
To be able to identify and compare common dimensions, patterns, and themes shared by various religious traditions
To learn how to appreciate different religious traditions
Help to enrich understanding of one’s own religion
Learn how to have meaningful dialogue with those of other faiths
Learn method of study of religion which is objective and non-polemical
Learn how to empathize with concerns of other religions
To learn how to read religious scriptures and interact with their central concerns
To learn about the nature of religious literature and its origins
To learn methods for the study of such literature
To learn religious views about scriptures
To learn how believers understand and apply scriptures