RELG 102 - Introduction to Religion: Roots of Religion in the Mediterranean World

FC ARHU

4 credits
This course introduces students to the academic study of religion and provides a historical framework for understanding the development and central ideas of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, beginning from their origins in the Mediterranean region. The foundation of the course will be close reading of primary texts. The analysis of primary texts will be supplemented by modern sources that provide theoretical lenses for interpreting religion and the ongoing relationship and interaction of these traditions. The course will consider how to define religions and religious traditions, the development and authority of sacred texts, and the dynamics of intra- and inter-religious debates.