Why do humans believe, worship, and seek meaning in the unseen? In this course we explore how human thought, emotion, and social life shape religion. We ask why people believe, how rituals work, and what religion reveals about the human mind and body. Drawing on psychology, philosophy, and anthropology, we examine how cognitive processes—like memory, imagination, and moral reasoning—connect with cultural traditions, social practices, and embodied experiences.

Over twelve weeks, we move from foundational theories in the Cognitive Science of Religion to themes such as ritual, awe, morality, healing, and mysticism. We read both classic thinkers—such as William James, Émile Durkheim, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty—and contemporary scholars like Pascal Boyer and Harvey Whitehouse. Through discussion, reflection, and collaborative inquiry, we bridge scientific and humanistic perspectives to understand religion as both a mental tendency and a cultural creation. By the end of the course, we aim to see how studying religion offers a broader understanding of what it means to be human—creatures of thought, feeling, imagination, and community.