What is Sacrifice?
FYSEMR 68O
Subject & Catalog Number
Course Information
Description
What is sacrifice and does it still matter? The contemporary world seems to demand that human beings become increasingly self-focused as we compete for scarcer resources, security, or social status. Can the idea of surrendering something precious for the sake of something greater still hold power? We will study the history of sacrifice, a ritual that has played a central role in the world’s religions and is still practiced in some today. In many cultures, animals, humans, or plants were offered to God or the gods; in others, sacrifice was spiritualized as interior self-transformation and the death of the ego.
We will study sacrifice in these religions through their sacred texts and images, including in ancient India (Vedic) and later Hinduism and Buddhism; ancient Greece and Rome; the Abrahamic traditions (ancient Israelite and later Judaism; Christianity, and Islam); and ancient Mesoamerica (Mayan and Aztec). Through selected recent writing in philosophy, theology, and social psychology, as well as poetry and film, we will also consider the value and persistence of sacrifice. Why do laboratory scientists still use the term for animal subjects? Should war be considered sacrifice? Is sacrifice still an ideal? As a motivation, is it as powerful as self-interest?
Class Notes
First-Year Seminars are available only to first-year students. You may apply to both Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 First-Year Seminars via the FYS lottery between July 6 and August 6, 2026 at 11:59PM-midnight.
You may apply to as many seminars each term as you would like, but we recommend you apply to at least six in fall and three in spring.
As part of your application, you must provide a brief statement on why you are interested in each seminar. You will be notified of lottery results for both fall and spring seminars at 5 pm on August 11. If you are unsuccessful in the lottery, you may still join any seminar with open seats. A list of open seminars and instructions on next steps will be available on the First-Year Seminar Program website August 11 at 12 Noon.
Not Available for Cross Registration
