Anthropologist Susan Johnston turns a scholarly eye on one of humankind's primary interests throughout history: the spiritual belief system. Beginning her lectures with an attempt to define religion, Professor Johnston continues this intriguing study with an examination of mythology and symbols, rituals and witchcraft, gender, politics, and religion's place in the many customs surrounding death. A continuing and often contentious presence in the world today, religion, from its origins to the present, is a key component for understanding communities and cultures all over the globe.
Lecture 1 What Is Religion?
Lecture 2 Religious Specialists
Lecture 3 Mythology
Lecture 4 Symbols
Lecture 5 What Is Ritual?
Lecture 6 What Does Ritual Do?
Lecture 7 The Nonhuman World
Lecture 8 The Origins of Religion
Lecture 9 Analyzing Ancient Religions
Lecture 10 Dealing with Death
Lecture 11 Magic and Witchcraft
Lecture 12 Religion and Gender
Lecture 13 New Religious Forms
Lecture 14 Religion and Politics