Religious Experience: About the Course

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About the Course

Rationale | Pedagogical Matters | Curriculum Details

Rationale

The primary aim of this seminar is to help participants construct a comprehensive and sensitive interpretation of religious experience. A wide range of disciplinary perspectives will prove useful, including those of evolutionary theory, sociology, psychology, neuroscience, phenomenology, history, literature, philosophy, and theology. The subordinate aim is to make participant learning beneficial for others by enriching the Religious Experience Resources website.

“Religious Experience” (STH TT974) is a research seminar for doctoral students. Advanced masters students can seek the permission of the instructor to participate. Classes will meet once a week on Wednesdays from 8-11. Each class will be conducted in the seminar discussion format with presentations by students and mini-lectures given by the instructor as needed or requested by the class.

The phrase “research seminar” indicates both that the goal is creative research and that the students participating are invited to structure the seminar as they see fit. While the instructor proposes a schedule of readings and topics (see below), it is expected that students at this level should introduce new readings and challenge prevailing perspectives of the class, as they see fit.

Pedagogical Matters

The pedagogical principles adopted by the teaching staff, as well as their execution, are subject to ongoing assessment. End-of-semester course evaluations are particularly helpful in that regard. This course will change next time in part because of what you say on those forms. This web page offers another opportunity to profit from the wisdom and experience of this year's class by inviting email comments during the semester about the teaching methods and performance of the staff. To make those comments, please email me at the feedback address.

Curriculum Details

This course, STH TT974, can probably satisfy the requirement for a Theology III elective in the School of Theology's MDiv curriculum. Otherwise it is a free elective in all degree progams.

The information on this page is copyright ©1994-2010, Wesley Wildman (basic information here), unless otherwise noted. If you want to use ideas that you find here, please be careful to acknowledge this site as your source, and remember also to credit the original author of what you use, where that is applicable. If you want to use text or stories from these pages, please contact me at the feedback address for permission.