Students in this semester-long course explore spirituality through the analogy of sports. Students will determine how human beings encounter the Holy in the midst of everyday life with emphasis on athletic experiences as an athlete and/or as a fan (of specific athletes, teams, and/or sporting events). Students will also examine the relationship between competitive, organized athletics and elements of communal religious practice and purpose. Included is a study of embedded meaning associated with the movement of the human body, an analysis of ritual practice, a survey of major events where sports and religious practice intersect, and a differentiation between religious practice and personal spirituality. Ultimately, students will come to know more deeply the ways in which one relates to the Holy or the Transcendent in the course of their own faith journey, and how personal faith contributes to communal practice and celebration of what is Holy and Transcendent.
Religious Studies 475: Sports and Spirituality
Course No: 8475
Subject: Religious Studies
Grade Level: 12
Course Length: Semester
Course Type: Elective
UC/CSU Subject Approval: G
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 101, 201, 300
Criteria for Enrollment: None
Fulfillments: Meets requirement for one of seven semesters of Religious Studies