Religion

The religion program offers courses that examine the histories, ideas and practices of religious traditions from around the globe. One of the main goals of the major is to look with curiosity and sympathy into the worlds of others --- worlds that may be very distant from our own. Religion courses thus investigate how Buddhists, Christians, Daoists, Hindus, Jews and Muslims (to name a few) have formulated their own distinctive beliefs, rituals, cultural practices and philosophical views. Along the way, we get to see a variety of different answers to some of the great human questions: What is reality What is the nature of the divine What sense can be made of evil and suffering What is moral action What matters Looking into these topics requires care, precision and imagination. Coe's religion courses provide the opportunity to develop and practice valuable skills regardless of your major or discipline. Among the most important of these skills are the abilities to think critically, to form arguments based on evidence and to read challenging materials and communicate about them accurately. We also hope our courses will broaden your knowledge of human experience and encourage a sense of curiosity about the diversity of human ideas and cultures.