PLANTS AND RELIGION
Plants play an important role in just about every aspect of our lives and culture, including religion. Learn about the ways plants are used and understood in religions including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and indigenous and pagan traditions. Apply theories from across the humanities to interpret plants and ecological themes in religious practices, works of art, literature, architecture, and gardens. Define important societal questions, collect and analyze evidence using primary sources, present original conclusions, and contribute to ongoing discussions about the relationship of people and plants. Think critically about the similarities and differences between your own use and understanding of plants and those of larger global communities.
Prerequisites & course information
Requisites: Satisfied Communications A or graduate/professional standing Course Designation: Core GenEd - Humanities & Arts Breadth - Humanities Level - Intermediate L&S Credit - L&S Liberal Arts and Science Grad 50% - Counts toward 50% graduate coursework requirement Repeatable for Credit: No Last Taught: Fall 2026 Learning Outcomes: 1. Identify and employ various approaches to interpreting plants and ecological themes in religious works of art, literature, architecture, gardens, and practices. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 2. Describe key concepts of world religions and how they have and continue to understand and incorporate plants into their traditions and beliefs. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 3. Practice interpretative methods within multiple historical and cultural contexts. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 4. Apply critical approaches to understanding in religious practices and beliefs and alternative ways of considering them. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 5. Compare and contrast the complexities of one's own culture and larger global communities. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 6. Extract and analytically summarize arguments from secondary source books on plants and religion. Audience: Graduate 7. Develop an original humanities argument based on primary sources and using secondary sources to construct a framework. Audience: Graduate 8. Analyze current academic debates about plants and religion across religious studies, history, folklore, sociology, and art history. Audience: Graduate Learning Outcomes: 1. Identify and employ various approaches to interpreting plants and ecological themes in religious works of art, literature, architecture, gardens, and practices. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 2. Describe key concepts of world religions and how they have and continue to understand and incorporate plants into their traditions and beliefs. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 3. Practice interpretative methods within multiple historical and cultural contexts. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 4. Apply critical approaches to understanding in religious practices and beliefs and alternative ways of considering them. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 5. Compare and contrast the complexities of one's own culture and larger global communities. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 6. Extract and analytically summarize arguments from secondary source books on plants and religion. Audience: Graduate 7. Develop an original humanities argument based on primary sources and using secondary sources to construct a framework. Audience: Graduate 8. Analyze current academic debates about plants and religion across religious studies, history, folklore, sociology, and art history. Audience: Graduate
Sources
Catalogue variants
- PLANTS AND RELIGION · 3 credits.