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Resources by Carly Hollensbe

A 2020 course by Manasicha Akepiyapornchai at Cornell University "explores the Bhagavadgītā in different aspects to answer the question of how powerful a religious text can be. We will discuss how translations, commentaries, biographies, and scholarly sources shape the Bhagavadgītā and contribute to its popularity in the premodern and contemporary histories."

A 2021 course by Mark Lau Branson at Fuller Theological Seminary is a "practical theology course that engages biblical, theological, and practical matters in ecclesiology and leadership."

A 2020 course by Andrew Monteith at Elon University is "designed to familiarize students with Christian history, with the key topics which have been relevant to assorted Christians, and with the diversity that falls under the umbrella term 'Christianity.'"

A 2020 course by Andrew Monteith at Elon University "investigates traditions that—in many cases—would not identify themselves as 'religion,' or which attempt to reject 'religion' as a concept. Examples of such traditions include New Atheism, Satanism, the veneration of social and political systems, Scientology, and even some religions identified as 'joke' religions, such as Pastafarianism."

A 2019 course by Andrew Monteith at Elon University analyzes "the ways that movies, television, sports, novels, and other types of popular culture can shape, cultivate, interact with, and even serve as religion."

A 2020 course by Jeffrey D. Meyers at DePaul University "draws upon a variety of disciplines to examine despair and hope from theoretical and applied perspectives."

A 2020 course by Jeffrey D. Meyers at DePaul University "combines the perspectives of religious studies and peace, justice, and conflict studies to examine forgiveness and reconciliation and their role in conflict resolution and the creation of just and peaceful societies."

A 2021 course by Jeffrey D. Meyers at DePaul University "combines the perspectives of religious studies and peace, justice, and conflict studies to examine forgiveness and reconciliation and their role in conflict resolution and the creation of just and peaceful societies."

A 2020 course by Jeffrey D. Meyers at Elmhurst College (now Elmhurst University) is "a critical introduction to normative Christian social ethics (its methodology, theology, and moral principles) on selected contemporary moral issues such as war, racism, hunger, poverty, and environmental degradation."

A 2020 course by Bryan Lowe at Princeton University "introduces the religious traditions of Japan from the earliest myths to present-day practices" with special attention to the interplay of religion and culture.

October 15, 2020

A 2020 course by Bryan Lowe at Princeton University examines "Zen in diverse historical and geographic contexts" and asks questions about how we define religion.

A 2020 course by Bryan Lowe at Princeton University" introduces Buddhist texts and genres from ancient and medieval Japan (roughly eighth through twelfth centuries). . . . with the goal of gaining familiarity with writing styles and vocabulary in diverse genres. . . . [and] to discuss broader issues including cosmology, ritual, and periodization."

A 2020 course by Bryan Lowe at Princeton University "offers a roughly chronological narrative of key themes in the study of Japanese Buddhism from ancient times through the modern day."

A 2020 course by Amenti Sujai at Allen University offers "an overview of the Bible, its themes, and narratives. East African Hebrew narrative tradition, proverbs, and parables are covered for relevance to today’s social, economic, gender, and spiritual challenges of the human condition and in modern society.

A 2020 course by Peter Gottschalk at Weslyan University "endeavors . . .To understand the dynamics of specific Islamic movements;. . . To appreciate the diversity among Muslims and their socio-political contexts; and. . . To critically explore and question the meaning of 'modernity' and consider the possibility of multiple modernities."

A 2020 course by Steven Weitzman at the University of Pennsylvania asks "What is the value of studying religion in a higher education setting? How does one bridge between a critical approach to religion and the beliefs of one’s students? The course will broach these and other questions through readings and discussions meant to help you think through the challenges of teaching about religion to college students, and will give you opportunities to develop your own approach to them."

A 2019 course by Cheryl A. Kirk-Duggan at Seminary of the Southwest "engages multiple texts, scripture, literature, film, music, socio-political movements, and art to explore the violent system that grounds theological, psycho-socio-economic, and political oppression: white supremacist patriarchal misogyny, and the resulting intergenerational trauma, from a Womanist theological ethics perspective."

 A 2019 course by Joshua W. Jipp at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School offers a "study of the Synoptics and Acts with emphasis on developing the skills necessary to be effective interpreters of these texts."

A 2019 course by Seth J. Nelson at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School "explores the equipping of educational and other church leaders through teaching and learning, curriculum development, discipleship, and team building as well as generational and intergenerational ministries with children, youth, emerging adults, adults, and aging adults."

A 2019 course by Jacob J. Erickson at Trinity College Dublin explores "contemporary theological and ethical perspectives on eating and drinking: from food systems to vegetarianism to scarcity and more. How might contemporary ethics shape and be shaped by what we eat or drink, how we eat or drink?"

A 2019 course by Christy Lang Hearlson at Villanova University adopts a practical theology approach ("a way of doing theology that attends to lived reality and practice, engages in interdisciplinary dialogue, and seeks to cultivate practical wisdom for life") to critical issues of contemporary life using the case study of "consumerism." The course has "a particular (but not exclusive) focus on Roman Catholicism."