Have you ever been curious about other religions?
As part of Tri-Faith’s mission to “cultivate inclusive environments to advance interfaith relationships and understanding,” this course seeks to advance interfaith understanding by teaching about some of the faiths and religions of the world. The course begins with an introductory session about the religious studies approaches used for the course, as well as discussing different definitions for “religion.”
The course will then spend two sessions each on the following religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (future versions of this course will interchange some of these for other religions such as Jainism, Shintoism, Taoism, Confucianism, Sikhism, etc.). Topics will include information about the population size and geographical concentrations of these various religions, an introduction to some of the core tenets of each religion, an overview of some of the major sacred writings and scriptures within the religion, a brief introduction to key and/or foundational figures within each religion, a timeline and historical overview of major events and people within the history of each religion, and an overview of some of the major branches within the religion.
- Sept 10 – Introduction: Overview of the global and US religious landscapes, a discussion of the definitions of “religion” and their limitations, and an introduction to a religious studies approach (in contrast to theological or faith-based approaches).
- Sept 17 – Hinduism 1: An intro to Hinduism, the Indus Valley Civilization and connections to other cultures, Vedic culture
- Sept 24 – NO CLASS due to Rosh Hashannah
- Oct. 1 – Hinduism 2: the Upanishads, social classes, the Bhagavad Gita, classical theism and branches.
- Oct. 8 – Buddhism 1: An intro to Buddhism, Three Jewels, Siddartha Gautama (the Buddha), Essentials of the Buddha’s Teaching
- Oct 15 – Buddhism 2: The spread of Buddhism, Theravada, Mahayana and new ideas, Bodhisattvas, Pure Land Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, Vajrayana Buddhism, views from Tibet.
- Oct 22 – Zoroastrianism 1: An intro to Zoroastrianism, origins, Zarathustra, Zoroastrian Teachings, Zoroastrian practices
- Oct 29 – Zoroastrianism 2: The ancient Persian Empire, ancient Zoroastrianism and other religions, Persian Paradise, Later influences.
- Nov. 5 – Judaism 1: An intro to Judaism, the Tanak, Religion in ancient Judah and Israel, Second Temple Judaism
- Nov 12 – Judaism 2: Early Rabbinic Period, Judaism under Christian and Islamic Rule, Emancipation and Change, the Shoah and aftermath, Modern Judaism, Teachings of Judaism, Major Branches of Contemporary Judaism.
- Nov 19 – Christianity 1: An intro to Christianity; differences between Protestant, Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox bibles; the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth; early spread of Christianity; Constantine and Christianity.
- Nov 26 – NO CLASS due to Thanksgiving
- Dec 3 – Christianity 2: Early Divisions in Christianity; The Great Schism between Eastern and Western Christianity; Medieval Christianity; the Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counter-Reformation; Christianity’s family tree of denominations.
- Dec 10 – Islam 1: An intro to Islam; Arabia before Islam; the Qur’an; the Prophet Muhammad; The Spread of Islam
- Dec. 17 – Islam 2: the Five Pillars of Islam; Branches of Islam (Sunni and Shi’a); Sufism; Mosques; Islam in the World.
