The idea of the sacred: texts, places and festivals (RELN2000)
Course level
Undergraduate
Faculty
Humanities and Social Sciences
School
Historical & Philosophical Inq
Units
2
Duration
One Semester
Class hours
Lecture 2 Hours/ Week
Tutorial 1 Hour/ Week
Incompatible
RELN3003
Recommended prerequisite
RELN1000
Assessment methods
Essays 90%, Reading Summaries 5%, Tutorial Participation 5%
Course enquiries
A/Prof Neil Pembroke
Study Abroad
This course is pre-approved for Study Abroad and Exchange students.
This course is not currently offered, please contact the school.
Course description
All the major religious traditions have texts, places or occasions that have been invested with 'sacrality'. Why should this be so? How did the Bible, the Buddhist canonical material, the Koran or the Veda become the sacred canons of their traditions? Why are Easter, the Kumbh Mela, Thaipusam or Hanukkah so significant for their participants? What compels pilgrims to travel great distances to have religious experiences? What does it mean when we call something 'sacred'? How does something - a text, a place, an event, or even a person - become sacred? This unit will explore these and related questions from the perspective of a variety of religious traditions.
Archived offerings
Course offerings | Location | Mode | Course Profile |
Semester 1, 2020 (24/02/2020 - 11/07/2020) | St Lucia | Internal | Course Profile |
Semester 1, 2019 (25/02/2019 - 22/06/2019) | St Lucia | Internal | Course Profile |
Semester 1, 2018 (19/02/2018 - 23/06/2018) | St Lucia | Internal | Course Profile |
Semester 1, 2017 (27/02/2017 - 24/06/2017) | St Lucia | Internal | Course Profile |
Semester 1, 2016 (29/02/2016 - 25/06/2016) | St Lucia | Internal | Course Profile |
Semester 1, 2015 (02/03/2015 - 27/06/2015) | St Lucia | Internal | Course Profile |