Women in Religion

In the late twentieth century, the rise of the feminist movement and women’s studies engendered a deeper look into the impact of various religious traditions on women’s lives. Scholarship founded on this knowledge has since become an imperative in the study of religions. Using current studies of archaeology and anthropology, our historical review begins in prehistory with cultures that worshipped the sacred as feminine. From there, we describe the gradual change to male-oriented institutions, chronicling the Judeo-Christian-Islamic traditions. Finally, we discuss women who affected the practice and study of religion, and the feminine sacred in the contemporary world and in other major world religions. This course uses the Hybrid format which allows students to participate remotely and/or in the classroom. This course will be recorded. Students will have access to videos for the duration of the course.