| Title: | Changing the World & the Self |
|---|---|
| Course Section Number: | REL-274-01 |
| Department: | Religion |
| Description: | Some people want to change the world for the better on the basis of their faith. Some people want to develop their own self and interior life on the basis of their faith. But what about the person who wants to do both? This course proposes that each of those goals works better if pursued in tandem with the other. The class blends discussion of key texts with other innovative activities. We will visit churches who do extraordinary things in service to the common good and in hopes that social transformation can happen. All students will also participate in one weekend retreat where we can have longer conversations over campfires and hikes to get to a deeper level of understanding what part of the social fabric we want to work on. This course has no prerequisites, but it does require that students who take it commit to serious thought about who they want to be as a man, a father, a husband, a worker, on the one hand, and what kind of of society they want their kids, their spouse, their co-workers and their fellow man to live in. Readings will include classics from the Christian theological tradition such as Reinhold Niebuhr, Martin Luther, Dorothy Day, Thomas Aquinas, and Howard Thurman, as well as some biblical passages. We will also read philosophers and sociologists about what kinds of social transformation is possible and under which conditions. Finally, we will look at some voices from outside the Christian tradition in Islam, Judaism, and political theory. |
| Credits: | 1.00 |
| Start Date: | August 27, 2025 |
| End Date: | December 20, 2025 |
| Meeting Information: |
08/27/2025-12/19/2025 Lecture Monday, Wednesday, Friday 11:00AM - 11:50AM, Room to be Announced
|
| Faculty: | Nelson, Derek |
Course Status
| Section Name/Title | Status | Dept. | Capacity |
Enrolled/ Available/ Waitlist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
REL-274-01
Changing the World & the Self |
OPEN | Religion | 25 | 0 / 25 / 0 |