Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 29 views

    Religion and Culture

    Uploaded by

    Aziz Elhemri
    This course description outlines a religion and culture class that will address how religion helps form culture and vice versa. It will analyze what religion and culture are, and how they interact, through examining major world religions and their associated cultures. Students will study specific regions in depth, like India, Japan, the Islamic world, and South Africa. They will analyze how religions respond to practical issues through case studies. The course objectives are to develop critical thinking on religion and culture, link religion to cultural issues, and introduce themes in religious and cultural studies while acknowledging diversity. Students will be graded based on class participation, biweekly response journals reflecting on readings and media, and essays on topics relating regions' religions to cultural themes.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Religion and Culture

    Uploaded by

    Aziz Elhemri
    29 views3 pages
    This course description outlines a religion and culture class that will address how religion helps form culture and vice versa. It will analyze what religion and culture are, and how they interact, through examining major world religions and their associated cultures. Students will study specific regions in depth, like India, Japan, the Islamic world, and South Africa. They will analyze how religions respond to practical issues through case studies. The course objectives are to develop critical thinking on religion and culture, link religion to cultural issues, and introduce themes in religious and cultural studies while acknowledging diversity. Students will be graded based on class participation, biweekly response journals reflecting on readings and media, and essays on topics relating regions' religions to cultural themes.

    Original Title

    Religion and culture

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    This course description outlines a religion and culture class that will address how religion helps form culture and vice versa. It will analyze what religion and culture are, and how they interact, through examining major world religions and their associated cultures. Students will study specific regions in depth, like India, Japan, the Islamic world, and South Africa. They will analyze how religions respond to practical issues through case studies. The course objectives are to develop critical thinking on religion and culture, link religion to cultural issues, and introduce themes in religious and cultural studies while acknowledging diversity. Students will be graded based on class participation, biweekly response journals reflecting on readings and media, and essays on topics relating regions' religions to cultural themes.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    29 views3 pages

    Religion and Culture

    Uploaded by

    Aziz Elhemri
    This course description outlines a religion and culture class that will address how religion helps form culture and vice versa. It will analyze what religion and culture are, and how they interact, through examining major world religions and their associated cultures. Students will study specific regions in depth, like India, Japan, the Islamic world, and South Africa. They will analyze how religions respond to practical issues through case studies. The course objectives are to develop critical thinking on religion and culture, link religion to cultural issues, and introduce themes in religious and cultural studies while acknowledging diversity. Students will be graded based on class participation, biweekly response journals reflecting on readings and media, and essays on topics relating regions' religions to cultural themes.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    of 3

    Religion and Culture

    Fall 2012
    Irondale High School Room 304
    Instructor: Branden Schield
    Phone: 651-621-6892
    Email: [email protected]

    Course Description
    Religion helps to form culture and culture helps to form religion. This course will
    address three basic questions. What is religion? What is culture? How do religion and
    culture interact? We will analyze these questions from a broad range of religious and
    cultural traditions. We will begin with a basic grounding in major religions and their
    associated cultures, detailing main ideas and practice. We will take an in depth look at
    specific cultures, such as India, Japan, The Islamic World, South Africa, or Mesoamerica.
    Later in the course we will focus on how a wide diversity of religions (such as Hinduism,
    Buddhism, Confucianism, Islam, Animism, Judaism, Native American traditions, or
    Christianity) respond to a variety of practical, real-life dilemmas using the medium of
    cross-cultural case studies. We will study how distinctive religious and cultural traditions
    respond to issues such as marriage and family, war and peace, gender roles, criminal
    justice, world view, or other important cultural issues.

    Course Objectives
    1. To help students think critically about religion and culture.
    2. To help students link religion with important issues in cultural development and
    social transformation.
    3. To introduce students to basic themes in cultural studies.
    4. To introduce students to basic themes in religious studies.
    5. To help students acknowledge diversity and pluralism in religion and culture.

    Text
    1. What About Religion: An Exploratory View. Wanda Cawein.
    2. Additional readings will be assigned regularly.
    Class Requirements and Grading

    1. Class attendance and participation. You are expected to attend class regularly and
    participate in class discussions. You are allowed one unexcused absence in this
    course. For each additional unexcused absence one percentage point will be
    subtracted from your final grade. You are expected to be punctual, attentive,
    courteous, and involved.
    2. Essays (50% of course grade). Two page typed double spaced essays on specific
    topics (such as the role of women in Islam, etc.), with reflection and Analysis. Topics
    will be announced for each unit. Due at the end of each unit.
    3. Response journals with at least two journal entries per week. (50% of course grade).
    In each journal entry you are to answer the following questions in some detail: a)
    What are the main ideas relating to religions studied? b) What are the important
    cultural or social themes of the region? c) What are some comparisons that can be
    made to your culture or other cultures and religions that we have studied? You must
    make clear and explicit reference to all the readings we have done for the unit, and
    any documentaries, movies, slides or pictures that we have viewed. These will be
    handed in at the end of each unit of study.
    Possible areas of Study (Other areas of study to be determined.)

    India
     Caste System
     Untouchables
     Hinduism
     Universal Soul
     Reincarnation
     Samsara (cycle of life)
     Jainism
     Sikhism
     Dowry/Sati and other gender issues

    Japan
     Shinto
     Kami
     Zen
     Samurai
     Confucianism
     Western vs. Eastern
     Salarymen and corporate culture

    The Umma
     Islam
     Al-Qur’an
     Sunni, Shi’a and Sufi
     Hijab and women’s roles
     Jihad
     Palestine
     Fundamentalism and change

    South Africa
     Zulu
     Colonial systems
     Animism
     Apartheid
     Revolution
     Race
     Lobola (bride price)

    Americas
     Yanamami
     Marginalization
     Maya
     Shamanism
     Human Sacrifice
     Syncretic belief systems

    You might also like