This course examined the different expressions, practices, and interpretations of religion from an interdisciplinary perspective. Although no particular tradition was favored, materials from several traditions were chosen to exemplify thematic topics in the experience of the Sacred. Many of the materials for my studies focused on religious conversion and the concept of Omnism within the present day. The course also focused on the tenets of religions, dispelling common misconceptions and assumptions and looking into the emergence of new practices among the post-denominational generation. 

Taken: Fall 2022

This course was an introduction to the anthropological study of religion and will focus upon phenomena that may be categorized broadly as “religion” and the closely related concept “supernatural”. It's not a theology course but examines and analyzes the way religion is practiced and performed in diverse societies through reviewing central aspects of religion, such as mythology, symbolism, ritual, religious specialists, gods and spirits, witchcraft, and magic. Throughout the course, I have examined anthropological approaches of relgion in everyday life. It included a segment where I conducted field research on Conservative Judaism’s morning service rituals Hagbah & Gelilah.

Taken: Fall 2022

This course explored the expansion of the art world beyond “Euro- America.” In particular, the shift from an emphasis on the international to transnational. Key focus was not only on artistic production in the US, but also that in Europe, South and East Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Emphasis was placed on examining artworks and broader visual culture through the lens of a variety of different contextual frameworks: formal, authorial, socio-cultural, and identity-based (race, class, gender, and sexuality for instance). Many of the works I focused on during this course were by artists Cindy Sherman and Robert Colescott, two artists that played with the idea of vulgarity and the male gaze.

Taken: Spring 2023

This course explored human beings - from our very beginnings as a species, to our earliest forms of culture - to our modern incarnations in the contemporary world. We examined human biological and cultural variation, the history (and pre-history) of our social structures, human language, and all of those features which truly make the human species unique - and yet, show us how intimately connected we are with the rest of nature and the world around us. My primary focus within this course consisted of delving into ethnography, describing peoples customs within their cultures, as well as religious and spiritual influences within cultures. 

Taken: Summer 2024