RELST 265 - Extreme Religion:The Body,Pain,Sex and Martyrdom in Religious Experience W

Institution:

Virginia Wesleyan University

Subject:

Description:

For the sake of their soul and their faith, religious individuals engage in a variety of actions which-in other contexts-would be considered extreme: self-mutilation, snake-handling, fasting, celibacy, tantric sex, polygamy, suicide, martyrdom, etc. This course focuses on the role of religious experience; particularly on ecstatic or extreme religious expressions in world religions today. After examining the roles and functions of "experience" withinreligion, this course focuses on specific examples (or case studies) of "extreme" religious practices, seeking tounderstand their meaning and significance for the practitioners of the religions themselves. Prerequisite: three semester hours in one of the following: history, English, philosophy, or religious studies. Offered in selected Winter Sessions.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.vwu.edu

Phone Number:

(757) 455-3200

Regional Accreditation:

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Four-one-four plan

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