Religion

Religion and Ethics*
Grade 10
.5 credit
This foundational course in Religion introduces and cultivates skills in religious literacy, ethical analysis, and the development of the moral imagination. As an introduction to religion and ethical theory, the course investigates Pennington’s values of honor, virtue, and humility through three big questions: How have the world’s religious traditions described the human creature? How do we make ethical decisions? Why is the study of religion important for the work of ecological citizenship?
*Required course for sophomores
Offered fall and spring semesters

Bioethics*
Grade 12
.5 credit
Bioethics explores moral traditions in conversation with advancements in technology and medicine. As a branch of applied ethics, Bioethics invites us to consider deep and abiding questions about matters of life and death, standards of medical care and research, and the development and administration of new technology to intervene into natural processes. Bioethics is an evolving global discipline with direct and relevant application to political and social issues such as, but not limited to, abortion, reproductive technologies, euthanasia and the right to die, cloning, organ donation, gene editing, and animal research. Students will build a robust understanding of moral theories (i.e., Consequentialism, Deontology, Virtue) as well as an appreciation for the complex features of the central debates in the field.
Offered spring semester in alternate years – offered spring 2025
*Prerequisites: Religion and Ethics, Biology, Chemistry
*Successful completion of the course also garners Science credit.

Introduction to Philosophy*
Grades 11–12
.5 credit
Philosophy is a love of wisdom and an appreciation for the complexities of life. Students explore the thought, writings, and influence of major philosophical thinkers. Students pursue the basic questions of philosophy, including topics in elementary logic and reasoning, ethics and morality, issues in political and social philosophy, and ecological citizenship. Students learn to frame contemporary issues and problems within  philosophical traditions in order to shed new light on what is at stake for the individual, society, and the environment.
*Prerequisite: Religion and Ethics
Offered spring semester

Rhythm of the Sacred*
Grades 11–12
.5 credit
This semester course explores how music is a powerful and essential part of religious experience. World religions such as Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Sikhism are examined in conversation with  composers and congregants. Students learn basic elements of music to then analyze the ways in which sacred music is an integral part of both individual spirituality and congregational worship. Understanding of musical style is enhanced and synthesized by listening to audio recordings, video performances, live music presentations, and student “hands-on” playing of rhythm instruments and piano keyboards.
*Prerequisite: Religion and Ethics 
*Successful completion of this course also garners Arts credit.
Offered fall and spring semesters

Climate Change and Storytelling in Religion and Science*
Grade 12
.5 Credit
This class is an interdisciplinary experience in interpreting and telling stories about who we are in the Anthropocene (the age of humans)—who do we understand ourselves to be, and who do we want to become? In conversation with multiple and diverse modes of storytelling, the course outlines the science of climate change, including the greenhouse effect, human-driven changes in CO2 levels and subsequent changes in temperature (air and water), as well as data related to melting polar ice, carbon cycling, climate feedback loops, and other greenhouse gases. Students study the different consequences of climate change: sea level rise, wildfires, drought, climate refugees, hurricanes and flooding, habitat loss, species extinction, and so on. Stories in the form of journalism, ethnography, poetry, music, creative nonfiction, podcasts, film, and religious ecologies will guide us as we explore climate change impacts and pathways of perseverance, resilience, problem-solving, and hope. 
Offered spring semester in alternate years – offered spring 2024
*Prerequisites: Religion and Ethics, Biology, Chemistry
*Successful completion of the course also garners Science credit.

Nature and Experience*
Grade 12
.5 credit
What is our place in the natural world? How do literary depictions of wildness, wilderness, and the pastoral reflect or evoke religious dispositions such as gratitude, joy, reverence, and awe? How do environmental writers use religious texts and traditions? To engage such questions, this interdisciplinary course explores selected texts in creative nonfiction that examine the relationship between “Nature” and human flourishing. Representative figures include Henry David Thoreau, Aldo Leopold, Annie Dillard, Camille Dungy, Wendell Berry, Terry Tempest Williams, Barry Lopez, Gary Snyder, Doug Peacock, Lauret Savoy, and Robin Wall Kimmerer.
*Prerequisite: Religion and Ethics
*Successful completion of the course also garners English credit
Offered fall semester

Sacred Texts*
Grades 11–12
.5 credit
This course is dedicated to close readings of scriptures in the Abrahamic traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. What makes a text sacred? How are scriptural canons formed and passed down? How are the Hebrew Bible, New Testament, and Quran related? What similarities do they share and where are the important differences? How are these texts read devotionally and what could it mean to read them as literature? This course includes visits with religious leaders and practitioners of each of the traditions. 
*Prerequisite: Religion and Ethics
Offered fall semester