TRS 299 Gargoyles and Angels: The Ways of Faith in Western Europe Late Spring 2014 Luxembourg Help me to journey beyond the familiar, into the unkown. Give me the faith to leave old way And break fresh ground with you…. ~Prayer of St. Brendan June-Ann Greeley, PhD‘Office’ Hours:M8:00- 9:00am Associate Professor,T5:00- 6:00pm Department of Theology and Religious StudiesW8:15- 9:15am Sacred Heart University~ and other times by appointment [email protected] Course Description This course is designed to introduce students to the history and contemporary expression of certain faiths in western Europe through the study of religious art and architecture as well as of the sacred written word, underscored by the assertion that the sacred words and religious art of any one historical time or geographic place or religious community supplement and complement each other as well as express distinctive aspects of the faith tradition in question.The course presupposes that religion is an authentic construct of understanding and a natural system of meaning and proceeds from the informed perspective that humanity is most properly defined ashomines religiosi: humans are uniquely and specifically endowed with a consciousness of the transcendent, a mindfulness of the numinous core of all existence.It should be said that the course doesnotassume nor does it require of students any religious conviction or faith-based experience; however, each student is asked to participate for the duration of the study with a clear mind and an open heart. Students will be asked both to analyze universally identifiable elements of religion and religious experience in each of the three Abrahamic faiths—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—and to discern those concepts and practices that connect the three monotheistic faiths.Thus, students will be exploring certain essential dimensions of religious expression: the central reality of a Transcendent/ Sacred Other; human encounters with that Absolute Reality in space and time; the implementation of symbolic forms, art and architecture, scripture and myth, to describe such encounters; activities and practices of ritual and worship within communities of belief, and foundations of morality and ethical proscriptions.Students will also explore the historical and cultural contexts of the evolving articulation of each religion and the points of contact, both positive and negative, between and among them, as well as the significant issues that vex and enrich contemporary experiences of each of the three religions. In addition to the textual materials that form the locus of study, students will enrich that academic core with other modalities of information, including field trips, student-directed presentations and independent projects, and special lectures.
Want to read all 8 pages?
Previewing 2 of 8 pages Upload your study docs or become a member.
Want to read all 8 pages?
Previewing 2 of 8 pages Upload your study docs or become a member.
End of preview
Want to read all 8 pages? Upload your study docs or become a member.