Course Description
Topics and problems concerning indigenous religions and/or other religious studies with emphasis upon extensive reading in primary sources and individual and/or group research projects. Selection of topics will vary with instructor and interest of students.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Additional readings and a research paper along with more
extensive examinations to reflect the additional
responsibilities.
Athena Title
Topics Indigenous Religions
Prerequisite
Junior or senior standing or permission of department
Semester Course Offered
Not offered on a regular basis.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
• To focus on comprehensive examination of different aspects of the study of African Indigenous (Traditional) Religion, comprising its beliefs, theology, philosophy, and practices within the traditional and contemporary societal settings. • To familiarize students with the relevant texts, methods, and skills for research in the field through intellectual, objective, and independent processes. • To avail students the skills for constructive, logical, analytical, and synthetical examination of issues in the religion. • To enhance students' abilities for reflection, writing prowess, peer reviewing process, and logical presentation of arguments on beliefs and practices of the Religion. • To sharpen students' oral expressions through encouragement to ask questions, discussions, and class presentations. • To assist students in developing the necessary flair for creative thinking on the development and transition of traditional religious beliefs and practices in the context of contemporary religious realities against backdrop of interactions with other religious traditions, such as Christianity, Islam, and Asiatic Religions. • To examine, in addition to the above, the responses of African traditional religious beliefs and practices to contemporary technological and epistemological developments in the construction of relevant and sustainable religious cum social interactions.
Topical Outline
Topics and their outlines may vary according to professor. Examples of topics (not exclusive) are provided below: i. Nature, Characteristics, and Structure of African Traditional Religion ii. African Concept of The Supreme Being iii. Cosmological Belief in African Religion iv. African Mythology v. Ritual Practices in African Traditional Religion vi. Eschatological Concepts in African Traditional Religion vii. African Traditional Religion and Symbolism viii. African Beliefs I Ancestors, Divinities, and Spirits ix. African Traditional Religion and Contemporary Society x. African traditional Religion Interaction with other Faiths-Islam, Christianity, and Asiatic Religions xi. African Traditional Religion and Sustainability xii. African Traditional Religion and the Environment