REL 363 - Holy Sh*t: Religious Things

What makes a thing, a place, or a person sacred? This course focuses on the tangible elements of religion: the materials, objects, spaces, art, blood and guts that inspire belief and community. We will explore the way “things” interact with humans in their processes of creation, interpretation and the (re)definition of the religious, the sacred, the natural and supernatural, the holy, the profane, the secular, the immaterial, and the transcendent, grounding our exploration in case studies. Our work will raise our awareness of the significance of materiality in religion across religious traditions and raise questions of authenticity, replication, and commodification. This course will include small-group discussions, field trips, and multimedia presentations

Unit(s): 1
Group Distribution Requirement(s): Distribution Group II
Prerequisite(s): One 100-level religion course
Instructional Method: Conference
Grading Mode: Letter grading (A-F)
Group Distribution Learning Outcome(s):

Evaluate data and/or sources.
Analyze institutions, formations, languages, structures, or processes, whether social, political, religious, economic, cultural, intellectual or other.
Think in sophisticated ways about causation, social and/or historical change, human cognition, or the relationship between individuals and society, or engage with social, political, religious or economic theory in other areas.