Conversion: Exploring Intellectual, Moral, and Religious Transformations in Christian Thought

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

Human beings are dynamic creatures and therefore change throughout the course of their lives. Some of these changes we call “conversions,” though the word describes a variety of experiences, not all of them religious. This course will begin by exploring the idea of conversions in our intellectual, emotional, and moral lives, drawing upon theological, philosophical, and psychological texts. We will then turn to religious conversion stories - both historical and fictional - throughout the history of Christianity, beginning with the New Testament and moving through to the 21st century. Students will learn to think critically about conversion both in the texts we read and in their own lives.