RS 322 Exploring Religion in New York City
New York City may well be the best place in the world to study religion. All major traditions are represented here in all of their diversity. The city is home to both well-established communities and recent ones instituted by immigrant populations. It is also a hotbed of new movements that are constantly in the process of re-shaping the religious landscape. In this class, students engage in coursework that offers basic literacy in the diverse range of global religious traditions that are present in New York and provides theoretical and methodological guidance in the academic study of religion. Building on this foundation, students venture forth from the classroom, both as a group and individually, to explore religious communities in the city. Students report on, interpret, and present their findings in traditional academic modes and in on-line forums.