ANTH 117 - Anthropology of Religion

Upper Division

Through the study of ethnographic texts, social science theory, and first-person accounts of religious experiences, students in this class will examine a range of religious rituals, traditions, and experiences. In the course, students will encounter a number of religious traditions including Christianit(ies), Buddhism, Hinduism, and Shamanism. Through the close examination of ethnographic texts, students will gain an appreciation for diverse social, cultural, ethical, and theological traditions, and how religion intersects in diverse ways across cultural contexts. Students will engage texts and ethnographic data from an emic or insiders’ perspective, demonstrating an understanding of how individuals within each theological tradition experience and understand their religious practices and experiences and we will explore how social scientists have made sense of religious practice, ritual, and experience.

Core Curriculum Designation(s)
TE - Theological Explorations

Course credits: 1