Resources

A 2010 course by Kenneth Atkinson at the University of Northern Iowa introduces "the academic study of religion and the world’s major religions. . . . not only study the good side of religion, but we will also explore together the origins of contemporary religious violence in order to help you understand the important role that faith continues to play in world conflicts."

A 2006 course by Catherine Wessinger at Loyola University New Orleans aims to " their histories, worldviews, methods of achieving their ultimate goals, ethics, artistic expressions, and social institutions."

A 2012 course by Mark Unno at the University of Oregon "examines the interplay of themes of religion, love, and death in selected strands of Asian and Western sources" and "examines the diverse dimensions of love and death: love in relation to family, sexuality, society, nature, and the religious dimensions of the divine, dharma, and dao; social, psychological, physical, and religious significations of death. These are set against the background of a range of themes including class, gender, and sexuality."

A 2013 course by Janet McDaniel at Florida International University "serves as an introduction to the study of religion. The course explores the ways in which people understand and express religious experience."

A 2011 course by Daniel Alvarez at Florida International University "is an introduction to the study of religion. It will analyze various elements common to world religions and their expressions. In addition, it will examine the search for the transcendent and its implications at both the personal and the social level."

A 1995 course by Terry Matthews at Wake Forest University seeks to develop " an appreciation of the rich religious history of the South, as well as an awareness of the intellectual, moral, political, social and economic forces that helped mold the region and give it a distinctive ethos." Attention is paid to the often-overlooked experience of African Americans, Roman Catholics, and Jews in the South in addition to Protestantism.

A 2013 course by Wendy Cadge at Brandeis University asks "what religion is, how it is present and influential in public and private life, and how and where people from different religious traditions interact in the contemporary United States. Specific attention is devoted to people’s religious practices, religious communities, and the identities people develop through their religious traditions."

A 2011 course by Jennell Botello at Florida International University traces "the historical development and influence of religion in the United States and particularly its influence on American culture."

A 2013 course by Brad Starr at California State University, Fullerton, is an "Interdisciplinary exploration of major theories, developments, and documents connected to the relationship between religious practices and motivations for engaging in, preventing, or rejecting violent behavior."

A 2012 course by Martha Reineke at the University of Northern Iowa tools "from the mimetic theory of Rene Girard" to explore religion and violence in the contemporary period.