RELG 253 - Love, God, and Sex

A cross-cultural and multi-disciplinary approach to the questions of how notions of sex and gender have been shaped by religious discourse, myth, doctrine, and ritual. How have various forms of sexual expression come to be seen as normal, while others are seen as deviant? How has passionate love served as a metaphor for the expression of religious experiences, such as the union of the soul with God? How have people thought to “channel” sexual energy to pursue spiritual projects, as in tantra and religious celibacy? Topics of study may include queer spirituality, virginity, celibacy, sacred prostitution, ecstasy and mysticism, and the role of gender queer and third-gender people in religious myth and ritual in contexts such as Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.

Credits: 1
Corequisite: None
Prerequisites: None
Major/Minor Restrictions: None
Class Restriction: None
Area of Inquiry: Human Thought and Expression
Liberal Arts Practices: The Process of Writing
Core Component: None

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