REL 186 Irreligious and Secular Traditions

This course investigates traditions that—in many cases—would not identify themselves as “religion,” or which attempt to reject “religion” as a concept. Examples of such traditions include New Atheism, Satanism, the veneration of social and political systems, Scientology, and even some religions identified as “joke” religions, such as Discordianism or Pastafarianism. Students in this course will evaluate where the boundaries lie between “religion” and “not religion,” and will consider how irreligious and secular traditions can offer meaning and value to their members.

Credits

4 sh

Course Outcomes

1. Students will distinguish diverse practices within a particular worldview.
2. Students will recognize and analyze how traditions and/or identities emerge over time and within specific settings.
3. Students will recognize and explain ways in which “religion” has cultural, political, and economic significance and/or ways in which cultural, political, and economic phenomena have religious significance.
4. Students will apply disciplinary perspectives in analyzing texts, traditions, institutions, and practices.