RELS 205 Holy Sh*t!: Engaging the Materiality of Religion
How do we relate to the nonhuman world, the "holy sh*t!", that makes up the world around us? What are our responsibilities to “stuff” when we consider objects to be more than objects, and explore cosmologies that acknowledge agency beyond the human, in material objects including places, plants, bodily adornments, texts, and physical representations of all of these? This course considers how human communities across time and space have created, lived with, and destroyed powerful belongings by thinking about these material belongings in and out of context. These contexts include traditional settings, as well as the role of colonialism, the marketplace, and museum in the remaking of relationships. By the end of the course, we will have a variety of lenses for understanding the power of materiality in our lives.
Core Requirements Met
- Global Connections
- Pre-1800