This is our catalog of courses. We will occasionally adjust the course listing to reflect the addition of new courses and the retirement of others.
This course intends to educate on the backgrounds and tenets of the world’s most significant religions, with an emphasis on those we are likely to encounter here in the United States, including strains of Protestantism and Mormonism. Nota Bene: Catholicism will NOT be covered.
Total classes: 14
Prerequisite: High school level understanding of Catholicism
Suggested grade level: 9th to 12th
Suggested credit: One full semester Theology, World Religions, or History
Description
This course intends to educate on the backgrounds and tenets of the world’s most significant religions, with an emphasis on those we are likely to encounter here in the United States, including strains of Protestantism and Mormonism. Nota Bene: Catholicism will NOT be covered.
Outline
Week 1: Introduction and Course Overview; Faith Statements
Week 2: Atheism, Ancient Religions, and the Axial Age
Weeks 3-7: Survey of Eastern and Misc. Religions
Weeks 8-9: Islam
Weeks 10-11: Mormonism
Weeks 12-14: Reformation, and Protestantism in America, emphasis on conciliarism, separatists, the Great Awakening, and Weber’s theory of the Protestant Ethic
Materials and Homework
Course Materials:
World Religions: A Voyage of Discovery 4th Edition Paperback (2015) by Jeffrey Brodd (www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1599823292/catholictreas-20)
Islam Unveiled: Disturbing Questions about the World’s Fastest-Growing Faith, by Robert Spencer (www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1893554589/catholictreas-20)
Other course readings will be supplied free by the instructor
Homework: Moderate reading (up to 50 pages) will sometimes be required before a course meeting. The course will be a mix of lecture and discussion, so students should be prepared to discuss the readings in class, when applicable. There will be a required short (8-10 page) research paper on the nature of a religion (student’s choice).
