There is a need to be nuanced about this word. We need to focus on the systems that create oppression, and yet what do we do with the body, the body that experiences the tangible affects of a lack of privilege? Where do people and there experiences go?
What if the study of religion started with the African American experience? Instead of privileging a specific tradition, this course examines the history of a people who came to a new world compelled to quickly learn the significance of "religion" itself. We will follow along by plumbing the depths of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, listening to … Continue reading REL 101 (WCH): Signifying Religion: An African American Worldview
Business Insider recently shared a thought-provoking video on the spread of religion around the world. Producer Alex Kuzoian used a spinning globe to map the spread of Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam in under three minutes. A timeline of the last five millennia progresses in correspondence with the changing domains of each religion. Annotations … Continue reading Mapping Source-Places and the Roots of Religion
The editors of The Practicum Blog asked me to share my take on REL101 for their Syllabus Project series.
To work in religious studies is to constantly ask, "What are we talking about again?..Who's doing what?...How does that work?" There's been a lot of cool stuff in the news showcasing what many of us think the discipline is about. Kate Blanchard of Alma College shares the type of issues that keep us up at … Continue reading Religious Studies…It’s Complicating!
Sowing the Seed 