Course Syllabus

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Instructor: Dr. Eu Kit Lim (Kit)
E-mail: elim@iliff.edu
Office Hours: By Appointment Only

 

Course Synopsis

This is a course designed to introduce students to the variety of religious expressions around the globe, namely the “five major religions:” Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. This is understandably limiting for there are many religious traditions in the world. Nevertheless, it is impossible to explore aspects of every religious tradition over the course of one quarter.

This course will attempt to critically understand various religions as a human phenomenon through the lens of religious studies. The conventional approach to  Religions in the World courses usually involves a general overview and survey of each major religion in the world (i.e. beliefs, rituals, practices, doctrines, etc). This course seeks to move away from this approach because it does not represent how religious traditions function in specific cultural, social, and historical contexts.

We will explore how each religious tradition is different in its orientation, goal, and concern as well as to understand religions as lived, that is, the beliefs, practices, and everyday experiences of religious practitioners on the ground where they function as narrators and interpreters of their unique stories. Over the course of the quarter, we will encounter manifestations of a religious tradition that will challenge our preconceived notion of what constitutes "official" understandings of the religion. It is my hope that this class would become the first step in a journey for students as they pursue their vocation as religious leaders, scholars, and/or ministers.

 

Books for the Course

  • Katherine M. Erndl. Victory to the Mother: The Hindu Goddess of Northwest India in Myth, Ritual, and Symbol. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993. ISBN 0195070151
  • Sylvia Frisk. Submitting to God: Women and Islam in Urban Malaysia. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2009. ISBN 0295989254
  • Michael Jerryson. Buddhist Fury: Religion and Violence in Southern Thailand. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011. ISBN 0199793247
  • Robert A. Orsi. Thank You, St. Jude: Women's Devotion to the Patron Saint of Hopeless Causes. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998. ISBN 0300076592
  • Chaim Potok. The Chosen. New York: Ballantine’s Books, 1996. ISBN 0449911543
  • Stephen Prothero. God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions that Run the World. San Francisco: Harper One, 2010. ISBN 0061571288

 

See Taylor Library's list of online book sellers for purchasing options.

 

Overview And Objectives

Evaluation

Policies And Services

 

* Please note: I reserve the right to change the syllabus at any time.

Course Summary:

Date Details Due