ANTH 1140 - Anthropology of Religion

Institution:

North Hennepin Community College

Subject:

Description:

This course involves the study and comparison of religious institutions from a wide variety of cultures. We will consider the wonderful array of beliefs and practices of humanity. We will consider religion, magic, and witchcraft, and how these cultural constructions shed light on the societies in which they were created. Through seminar-style discussions of a variety of essays on religion and some videos, students will engage with the material on a deeper level than they normally would in a lecture format. Throughout the course, students will learn about the development of a wide variety of religious group identities, and their changing meanings across a wide range of cultures, and periods of history. They will learn about the dynamics of social stratification that religious groups experience today. Students will study the diversity of religion, and the racism and bigotry that often plagues peoples ideas and behavior towards other religious groups. This material will bring to light the institutional exclusion and discrimination that certain groups have endured. Through the consideration and discussion of numerous religious groups of America and beyond, students will learn the role(s) that these groups have played in our culture, and contributions they have made. Through presenting their two research projects to the class, students will exercise communication skills that involve great tact in discussing religious practices in a neutral and objective manner. We will practice those skills every class, in our seminar discussions of the reading. These discussions will get directly at the disparate explanatory systems offered by world religions, compare them, and critique the various views. In these ways, students will be using the method and data that anthropologists employ in the investigation of religion.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.nhcc.edu

Phone Number:

(763) 424-0702

Regional Accreditation:

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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