HD715 Cross-Cultural Ritual (2 cr.)

This course focuses on cross-cultural patterns of ritual and their religious as well as spiritual implications. Participants consider Greco-European, Asian-Buddhist (esp. Tibetan), American Plains and Woodland Indian, African (Bemba), Hispanic, and Hmong cultural patterns of ritual.

Upon completion of the course, students are expected to be able to do the following:

1. Analyze the cultural context for ritual.
2. Apprehend the elements and structures constituting ritual.
3. Understand the human dimension to ritual, that is, its content.
4. Compare ritual activity among various cultures.
5. Articulate an understanding of the effectiveness of ritual, both personally and culturally.