RELG 295 - Spiritual But Not Religious

FC ARHU

4 credits
Today it isn’t uncommon to hear someone identify as “spiritual, but not religious.” But when and how did such an option become possible? This course investigates this central question through close examination of the category of spirituality. During the semester, students will engage the wild diversity of spiritual practice – including energy healers, cosmic travelers, and psychedelic enthusiasts – while also contextualizing these figures in longer histories of religious experimentation. We will pay particular attention to questions concerning the nature of religious experience, the relationship between spirituality and technology, and the entanglement of spirituality with consumerism, orientalism, gender, and race.

This course is appropriate for new students.