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  2. HDS 3254A

Sacrifice: Theory and Praxis I
HDS 3254A

Jointly Offered with: Faculty of Arts & Sciences as RELIGION 1032A

Course Information

Description

A comparative examination of the paradoxical ritual of sacrifice in a range of religious traditions where it is featured, rejected, or sublimated.

We will consider types of sacrifice, blood and bloodless offerings, and recurrent religious concepts: e.g., cosmogony, consecration, thanksgiving, communion, reciprocity, substitution, efficacy, violence, transgression, expiation, catharsis, human and divine hierarchy, gendered and racialized dimensions, and sacerdotal authority. We will also consider leading theories of sacrifice. In the first semester, cases will be drawn from Mesoamerican, Incan, Vedic and Hindu, Celtic, West African and diasporic traditions. Students will be encouraged to develop their own research and understanding.

Jointly offered with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences as RELIGION 1032A.

School Harvard Divinity School
Credits 4
Cross Reg

Available for BTI Cross Registration

Available for Harvard Cross Registration

Course Component Conference Course
Instruction Mode In Person
Grading Basis HDS Student Option (LG/SUS/AUD)
MTS/ThM Area of Focus Comparative Studies
Religion, Ethics, and Politics
Religion, Literature, and Culture
Religious Thought, Philosophy, and Theology
Arts of Ministry N/A
MDiv Histories, Theologies, and Practices Comparative
Language Course Type N/A
Language Taught N/A
MDiv Scriptural Interpretation N/A
Course Level N/A