Religion, Medicine & Suffering in the West (173-0-20)

Instructors

Robert Orsi
847 4675175
Crowe Hall, 1860 Campus Drive, 4-141
Office Hours: Fridays 9:00-11:30 (Winter 2027)

Meeting Info

University Hall 112: Mon, Wed 2:00PM - 3:20PM

Overview of class

This course explores what religion(s), primarily Catholicism (although I will make references to other religious traditions as we go along), have made of the body-in-pain, what religion may offer to people in pain to assist them in understanding and living with their illness, and how religious people have used physical pain for specific ends, religious, social, and political. Central to the work of the course is understanding pain itself as a phenomenon and thinking about how culture generally, religion in particular, shapes the pain experience. The course counts toward Religion, Health and Medicine (RHM) religious studies major concentrations. The enrollment is restricted to religious studies majors and minors, or by instructor consent.

Class Attributes

Ethical and Evaluative Thinking Foundational Disci
SoC Individual and Social Behavior Distro

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Reserved for Religion Studies Majors & Minors and Global Health Students