COMPARATIVE WORLD RELIGIONS
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
Comparative Religions is a survey of the major world religions focusing on the historical and theological evolution, the customs, beliefs, and rituals. Major attention is devoted to their development over time and will explore how religious beliefs affect international relations as well as public policy debates in the United States. The major objectives of the Comparative Religions course are to: analyze critically the concept of "religion" as commonly understood in Western and non-Western societies; evaluate the historical development of particular religious communities; to develop skills as an empathic interpreter of religions other than one's own; to gain a clearer understanding of the impact of religious convictions and practices on everyday life; gain an appreciation for the diversity present within religious traditions; gain a clearer understanding of some of the distinguishing features of the world's religious traditions; gain a clearer understanding of some of the similarities and differences among many world religious traditions
This class will meet again Fall 2005.