**TANDEM** with ENLT 106W
(Vacca)
Most of us would agree with William James that "There must be something
solemn, serious, and tender about any attitude which we denominate
religious." We tend to think of religion as something inherently serious,
something that always calls for our deepest reverence.
But religion can surprise us. Throughout history and around the world, religion has been full of
stories that seem strange, even irreverent. In this course, we'll look at some of those stories
from the traditions of Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and
Christianity. Many of those stories feature tricksters, mythic figures who defy social standards,
use wit to get their way, and sometimes change the world by sheer silliness. This course will
introduce the major world religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and Islam by attending to their
basic history, teachings, and practices. In addition, it will also attend to the question of what
tricksters and strange tales can tell us about religion, about the divine, and about ourselves.
Along the way we'll ask whether all religions are really the same at their heart, or whether the
apparent
differences are very real indeed. (Taught in tandem with ENLT 106W, Vacca)
