Religion 101: Intro to World Religions

Course Objective

The course objective is to study the history, origins, rituals and basic tenets of the world's major religions.

Religion 101: Intro to World Religions was recommended for transferable college credit from May 1, 2015 to November 30, 2022. The credit recommendation has ended, and transferable college credit is no longer available.

Course Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Explain the definition of religion, theories on religion's origin, the differences between polytheism and monotheism and types of primal religions and mystery cults
• State the origins of Hinduism, its sacred texts, its deities, the castes, the four stages of life and the four aims, and rituals, ceremonies and festivals
• Examine the founding of Buddhism and the significance of the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path and the Middle Way
• Summarize the beginnings of Confucianism, its five relationships, the concept of the dual soul and its origins in China, Japan, and Korea
• Describe the origins of Taoism, its texts, the differing sects, and the development of institutional Taoism
• Recall the biography of Muhammad and examine the Qur'an, the five pillars of the Islamic faith, Sharia law, scientific and cultural advancements during the Islamic Golden Age, and the major sects
• Compare the laws and beliefs of Judaism as outlined in the Torah and Talmud, the history of Christian anti-Semitism in medieval Europe and holidays and rituals
• Explain the basics of the gospels, early Christian church persecution, ties to Judaism, the Crusades, various sects of Christianity and the major saints and thinkers

Course Format

Religion 101 consists of short video lessons that are organized into topical chapters. Each video is approximately 5-10 minutes in length and comes with a quick quiz to help you measure your learning. The course is completely self-paced. Watch lessons on your schedule whenever and wherever you want.

At the end of each chapter, you can complete a chapter test to see if you're ready to move on or have some material to review. Once you've completed the entire course, take the practice test to evaluate your understanding of the material.

Course Topics