The World’s Religions in New York

Course Description

This course introduces students to the world's major religious traditions and equips them with the ability to recognize and interpret religious language, practices, and imagery. Students explore foundational religious concepts and narratives not just through scholarly analyses, artistic depictions, and cinematic representations but also through encounters with representatives from a wide range of temples, churches, mosques, and synagogues. Using New York City as a laboratory, students use visits to religious communities and area museums as opportunities to put classroom lectures and discussions in dialogue with other representations of religious experience. By the end of the course, students are familiar not only with the histories, beliefs, and practices of the world's religious traditions but also with the ways that people make sense of religion in twenty-first-century America.

Note:  tuition fees do not cover costs of text books and field trips. Students should budget approximately $150 for course related expenses.

Appropriate clothing for visits to houses of worship is required. Jeans, t-shirts and shorts are not appropriate. Appropriate clothing for female students includes dress pants, skirts or dresses that cover below the knee, and shirts with sleeves below the elbow. Appropriate clothing for male students includes dress pants and collared shirts.

Instructor(s)