"Introducing Religious
Studies:
'Exploring the Soul, Searching for God'"
This course is an introduction to the study of religion as the human
experience of soulfulness. It is also an introduction to religious
studies as an exploration of the divine and an introduction to theology
as faith seeking understanding. What does soul mean as we seek to become
fully human? What are the capactities of the human soul? Who will teach
us how to speak about the soul? From whom shall we learn soul talk?
Who is the God for whom we search? Where do we find God? Special
attention will be givein to the Bible as a major resource as we respond
to these questions. Some specific themes in the course include the
search for God in creation, in suffering and death, the search for
God in the experience of freedom, love and human sexuality; the search
for God among the poor and the disadvantaged, etc. We shall turn to the
poets for help in exploring the landscape of the soul, e.g., Gerard
Manley Hopkins, Emily Dickinson, Jessica Powers, T.S. Eliot. We shall
also turn to the mystics who have traveled into the depths of the human
soul in their search for God, e.g., Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross,
Therese of Lisieux. We shall also consult the experience of Dorothy Day
as we look for God among the poor and the disadvantaged, and we shall
explore the experience of the martyr of the Holocaust, Edith Stein, as a
woman involved in higher education who spent her life searching for God.
As we search for God, we shall heed the wisdom of
Matthew (7:7): "Search, and you will find; knock
and the door will be opened for you," and John of the Cross: "Know
this, you who search for God, God searches for much more," and our class
motto will be taken from T.S. Eliot, "We shall not cease from
exploration/And the end of
all our exploring/Will be to arrive where we started/And know the place
for the first time." A service project/reflection paper is an option to
replace an examination/assignment. If you enjoy being an explorer and
searcher, you are more than welcome to join us on this classroom pilgrimage.
