RELI 87 What Is Worship? On Reverence, Meaning, and Identity

This seminar explores worship as a cultural phenomenon through which individuals find meaning, cultivate belonging, and seek pathways for transcendence. Drawing on diverse traditions and practices, the course examines methods of worship such as prayer, movement, and music; sacred spaces including synagogues, temples, churches, and mosques; and the varied forms through which worship is expressed. The seminar considers the relationship between worship and identity—how practices relate to belief, community, and ways of life. The seminar also considers worship in the context of modernity and post-modernity, including how religious practices are continued, adapted, challenged, or displaced in secular and progressive settings. Emphasizing discussion and reflection, the course invites students to think deeply and respectfully about worship as an important (and often marginalized) contemporary practice that can both inspire and unsettle.

Fall 2026. Wednesdays 3pm.