Department of Religious Studies

REL 237.001

Self, Society, & Religion

T, R | 9:30-10:45 am

GP 231

What is a self & does it consist in one’s “identity?” Is “identity” something one discovers or is it something one creates or even performs? What personal & social mechanisms effect self-transformation and how do religious institutions “mortify” the self? This course studies classics on selfhood and identity & examines such historical texts as Teresa of Avila’s Way of Perfection and Shantideva’s Guide to the Boddhisattva’s Way of Life.