General Courses

Along with Judaism and Christianity, other faiths offer their adherents unique ways to make sense of the world. From ancient Zoroastrianism to the richness of Islam to the increasing popularity of Buddhism, witness the amazing diversity of religion with these courses.

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Save Up To $185	The Spiritual Brain: Science and Religious Experience Professor Andrew Newberg The religious impulse is so powerfully pervasive that neuroscience has posed a provocative question: Are our brains wired to worship? In The Spiritual Brain: Science and Religious Experience, award-winning scholar and practicing neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Newberg, Director of Research at the Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, offers you 24 riveting lectures that explore the new and exciting field of neurotheology, a discipline aimed at understanding the connections between our brains and different kinds of religious phenomena. Using an academic, experimental approach into what he calls “objective measures of spirituality,” Dr. Newberg attempts to explain what others have previously only guessed at: the neuroscientific basis for why religion and spirituality have played such a prominent role in human life.
	Apocalypse: Controversies and Meaning in Western History Professor Craig R. Koester What are we to make of the book of Revelation? The Apocalypse: Controversies and Meaning in Western History, by scholar and Professor Craig R. Koester, is your guide to this extraordinary work and its impact on our civilization. These 24 thought-provoking and enlightening lectures are divided into three parts: the historical and intellectual background of the Apocalypse; a close reading of the book of Revelation, focusing on the meaning of its captivating and haunting images; and the wide-ranging legacy of its content on both Christian and Western history.
	Dead Sea Scrolls Professor Gary A. Rendsburg Get a comprehensive, 24-lecture introduction to the unique series of archaeological documents that have irrevocably altered how we look at and understand the foundations of faith and religious practice. In The Dead Sea Scrolls, Professor Gary A. Rendsburg—a dedicated Dead Sea Scrolls scholar who has spent decades immersed in the study of this amazing find—tells you what the scrolls are and what they contain, and describes the intriguing story of how their unparalleled insights into religious and ancient history came into focus.
	Buddhism Professor Malcolm David Eckel In its 2,500-year history, Buddhism has expanded from a tiny religious community in northern India into a movement that now spans the globe. Buddhism is your opportunity to trace the history, principles, and evolution of a theology that is both familiar and foreign. In 24 revealing lectures, you survey the faith from its origins in the 6th century B.C.E. to its present status as a major world religion. Award-winning Professor Malcolm David Eckel of Boston University introduces you to the astonishing vitality and adaptability of a tradition that has transformed Eastern civilizations and has now become a lively component in the cultures of the West.
	Confucius, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad Professor Mark W. Muesse Discover new perspectives on the moral and spiritual precepts on which much of human civilization is built with Confucius, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad. Award-winning Professor Mark W. Muesse takes you deep inside the life stories and legacies of these four iconic figures. He reveals their core teachings and sheds new light on the history that underlies their phenomenal, enduring impact on how we see and think about the world. These 36 lectures are a rare chance to examine the still-living wisdom of four great, visionary sages.
	Exploring the Roots of Religion Professor John R. Hale Experience the thrill of discovery and learn the sacred secrets behind Stonehenge, Machu Picchu, the Acropolis, and other mysterious ancient locales. In the 36 riveting lectures of Exploring the Roots of Religion, practicing archaeologist and award-winning Professor John R. Hale shows you how sacred buildings, complexes, tomb structures, artwork, and more have provided us with unparalleled knowledge about early spiritual practices and beliefs from around the world. It's an exciting adventure that will add new levels of understanding to your knowledge of ancient history—and especially to the integral role that religion played in some of these grand civilizations.
	Skeptics and Believers: Religious Debate in the Western Intellectual Tradition Professor Tyler Roberts In Skeptics and Believers: Religious Debate in the Western Intellectual Tradition, noted scholar and Professor Tyler Roberts leads you on a fascinating 36-lecture journey that will help you understand the more than 300-year-long debate about the nature of religious faith and its compatibility with reason. It's a debate that increasingly swirls around the role of religion in the public arena in fields such as politics, education, medicine, and other sciences. Now is your chance to embark on one of the most intellectually satisfying plunges into philosophical and theological thought you will ever take—one that will add significantly to your grasp of some of today's most far-reaching issues.
	Comparative Religion Professor Charles Kimball Explore the nature of faith with Comparative Religion, an in-depth look at how five great faiths address core issues—including creation stories, concepts of the divine, and ultimate goals—in parallel and different ways. These thought-provoking lectures are your opportunity to understand how Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism answer the numerous questions with which all religions must contend. At a time when religiously grounded issues are prevalent in our world, get the knowledge needed to view the world's faiths with what interfaith expert and Professor Charles Kimball calls "a native eye."
	Religion in the Ancient Mediterranean World Professor Glenn S. Holland How did ancient people cope with the overwhelming mysteries of the universe? This course uses ancient texts and archaeological evidence to explore the religious cultures of the ancient Mediterranean world, from the earliest indications of human religious practices during prehistoric times to the conversion of the Roman Empire. You will learn about ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Syria-Palestine, and more.
Save Up To $205	Religions of the Axial Age: An Approach to the World's Religions Professor Mark W. Muesse What could the beliefs and traditions of a Zoroastrian, a person of Jewish faith, a Buddhist, a follower of Confucius, and a Christian have in common? How do religions evolve over time? Religions of the Axial Age offers a rare opportunity to relate your own spiritual questions to a variety of ancient quests for meaning and transcendence. Professor Mark W. Muesse shows you the historical conditions in which the world religions arose, while letting you see how they answered shared metaphysical and human dilemmas.
	Mystical Tradition: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam Professor Luke Timothy Johnson While mysticism is often associated with Eastern religions, the three Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam each have their own rich mystical traditions. With expert religious scholar Professor Luke Timothy Johnson as your guide, learn how mysticism forms a crucial—yet often overlooked—part of these three faiths. In 36 lectures, you investigate each monotheistic religion's wealth of spiritual teachers, practices, and literatures. Bringing together a range of academic disciplines, Mystical Tradition: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam is an insightful examination of Western spirituality that offers you a greater understanding of this unique aspect of religious tradition.
	Philosophy, Religion, and the Meaning of Life Professor Francis J. Ambrosio What is the meaning of life? Philosophy, Religion, and the Meaning of Life charts how this provocative question has been pursued through the ages by both religion and the Western philosophical tradition. Award-winning Professor Francis J. Ambrosio delivers a clear and usable framework for understanding the history of the human path to meaning. His main approach to this engaging topic is through a focus on two intriguing archetypes: the Saint and the Hero. Embracing a wide range of perspectives, these 36 lectures are an intellectual adventure that speaks deeply to an inspiring, creative dimension in living.
	Introduction to the Study of Religion Professor Charles B. Jones Whether one acts as an individual, a local community member, or part of a broader fellowship of believers, the approach to religion remains the same: viewing religion and religious life from the inside. What changes, however, when the approach to religion comes from the outside? How do scholars study the ways the religious experience is felt, shared, and communicated? How do they explain how this extraordinarily powerful force can define and shape the communities it creates? In Introduction to the Study of Religion, Professor Charles B. Jones offers a vibrant look at the discipline known as religious studies.
	God and Mankind: Comparative Religions Professor Robert Oden Why are we here? What is your purpose in life? What happens after death? How do the major world religions answer these seemingly unanswerable questions? God and Mankind: Comparative Religions by Professor Robert Oden is an ideal starting point for considering how religions such as Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism address these and other questions. These lectures approach religious belief and ritual as possible answers to difficult and enduring issues that have occupied humanity for thousands of years.
	Great World Religions: Islam Professor John L. Esposito How familiar are you with the world's second-largest and fastest-growing religion? Many people in the West know little about Islam and are familiar only with the actions of a minority of radical extremists. Great World Religions: Islam helps you better understand Islam as both a religion and a way of life. In these illuminating lectures, expert Islamic scholar and Professor John L. Esposito takes you through Islamic history from the 7th century through today. Along the way you explore Muslim beliefs and practices in the context of their impact on Muslim life and society throughout the ages; how and why Muslims came to Europe and America; the issues of faith, identity, and integration that face them in their homelands; and other fascinating aspects of this great world faith.

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