HRD 6160 - Spirituality and Racism

(4 credits)

What does “spirituality” mean, and why has it become such a pervasive self-description in contemporary America? Especially spiritual vs religious. How does our spirituality influence or impact racists behavior and incidents? How should it? This interdisciplinary course surveys spirituality in America, with a particular eye for the relationship between spirituality and racism, on the one hand, and secular modes of understanding the self, such as psychology, on the other. The study of spirituality and racism forces us to confront many of the central concerns of modern American life: psychology, self-help, and therapeutic culture; global religious and cultural encounters; gender and sexuality; and consumerism and mass culture.

What is the fate of spirituality, religion and racism in a modern, capitalist, globalized society?

Course revisions made after the Graduate Catalog publication date will be posted in the Graduate Catalog Addendum.