World History and Religions Course description and outline

World History and Religions

This is an exploratory course in world history and religions. This means we will break from the traditional read, write, and test format of study and instead bring in experts, take field trips, and have in-depth discussions on the many philosophies, belief systems, and ideologies in our modern world and how those faiths have transformed and affected history. Such a course means that we will often break from the regular class meeting time on Tuesday mornings at 9:15 in order to attend a 5:30 am Matins service, take a field trip to a Buddhist Temple, or attend a Vespers or evening service. We may visit religious festivals, monasteries, and art exhibits. The course will not be lecture dominated, but instead conversational-style with Priests, Pastors, Rabbis, Buddhists, and Muslims. We seek to understand each of the main religion’s tenets of faith, customs, and traditions. We will not be experts at the end, but we may be changed. We will explore writings from Augustine to Luther, Calvin to Merton. As we study these religions and great thinkers, we will look at how our world, politics, government, and borders respond to ideology. 

Our primary history text will be The Silk Roads: A New History of the World by Peter Frankopan.

Other texts needed include:

The World’s Religions by Huston Smith 

The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff

The Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton

Various letters, articles, and other literature will be handed out in class or linked on the class blog. 

                                                                                                                                         

COURSE OUTLINE: World Religions and World History

1.    August: Hinduism : Chapters 1-4 Silk Roads

2.    September: Buddhism : Chapters 5-9 Silk Roads

3.     October: Confucianism : Chapters 10-13 Silk Roads

4.    November: Taoism : Chapters 14-17 Silk Roads; The Tao of Pooh

5.    December: No classes

6.    January: Islam : Chapters 18-21 Silk Roads

7.    February: Judaism : Chapters 22-25 Silk Roads

8.    March: Christianity: Chapter 26 Silk Roads; The Seven Storey Mountain Part I and Part II

9.    April: The Primal Religions: The Seven Storey Mountain Part III