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Comparative World Religions Ages 13-18

This course will introduce different types of religions, their beliefs, and their histories. It also covers most of the C3 religion standards. Great for homeschool families.
Blake McCabe, NY Certified Educator
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:
(135)
Class
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What's included

6 live meetings
5 hrs 30 mins in-class hours
Homework
1 hour per week. included
Grading
Grading available upon prior request.

Class Experience

US Grade 8 - 11
This class will introduce students to a variety of religions from around the world. Each week will focus on understanding the beliefs and histories of the religion. They will learn about the origins, its interaction with other religions and with countries, and will learn about how the religion has changed since its beginning. This class will provide the basics of the different religions, who they are, and their beliefs. This class is great for homeschooling styles unschooling, unit learning, and eclectic education.

Week 1- The first week will introduce the concept of religion itself, secularism, and other important terminologies students will encounter in this class. Students will share their backgrounds, what they hope to learn in this class, and what they think they already know about various religions in the world. This week will focus on the basics three largest religions in the world: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It will introduce their origins and beliefs and histories.

Weeks 2- This week will focus on one of the most religiously diverse countries in the world, historically, India. It will introduce Jainism, Sikhs, and Hinduism. In discussion of India, students will also learn about other religions within the country and that have interacted in this region with these religions.

Week 3- This week will focus on one of the oldest still practiced religions in the world, Zoroastrianism. It will introduce its history and beliefs leading up to understanding it in modernity. This week will also cover Bah'ai, and Ancient Greek and Roman religious beliefs.

Week 4- This week will focus on Buddhism and its many varieties. This will include origins, the Buddhas, Indian vs. Chinese Buddhism and its mythologies. We will also touch on how Buddhism is being used in other religions in the Western world today.

Week 5- This week will focus on religions and belief systems in China, Korea and Japan. These include Confucianism, Daoism, and Shintoism. We will also touch on animism with Shintoism and some Native North American beliefs (particularly the Haudenosanee) to discuss how they are often homogenized due to colonial history.

Weeks 6- This week will cover modern Wicca and other Pagan religious revivals in modern times. This will include how they draw from ancient pagan religions from Europe and Indigenous belief systems in Polynesia, and the issues of cultural appropriation around some of these practices. This will also be the chance for students to look at new religions in the last few centuries, such as Scientology, Santeria, and Mormonism. Students will be able to request religions to study and present about in the final weeks.
Learning Goals
Students will learn about the origins and beliefs of a variety of world religions, both ancient and modern. This will both increase their knowledge and their cultural sensitivity to those with different religious beliefs.

This class will meet the following NY State Common Core Social Studies Framework Standards:
9.2.a and 9.2.b

This class will meet the following C3 Standards:
D2.Geo.2.9-12
D2.Geo.7.9-12
D2.His.3.9-12
D2.His.4.9-12
D2.Rel.1.9-12
D2.Rel.2.9-12
D2.Rel.3.9-12
D2.Rel.6.9-12
D2.Rel.10.9-12
learning goal

Other Details

Parental Guidance
This class will introduce students to many religions and prompt them to think about the religious and spiritual diversity of the world. This is purely secular course from an anthropological perspective and does not promote any one religion as more or less correct.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
  • nearpod
Sources
Sources for this class include: Research from Emile Durkheim, E. B. Tylor, Henry Morgan and other sociologists and anthropologists who focused on religion, PEW Research Center, Crash Course, National Geographic, United Religions Initiative, PBS, Haudenosaunee Confederacy, Cayuga Nations, Skä•noñh Center- Great Law of Peace Center, An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States, An Introduction to Native North America (Mark Sutton), The Buddhist Centre, Oxford Acadamy, Sikhs.org, Paul Thebert, History Channel, History.com, Hinduism Today, uri.org, jivamuktiyoga.com, beliefnet.com, ABC News, Smithsonian, OMF International, Ryan Churchward, Nearpod Lesson Plans, Summit Ministries, JTV, Sefaria, Jewish Virtual Library, Bim Bam, Penn Today, Anywhere Cuba, About Santeria, MyJewishLearning, Business Insider, Refinery29, Viceland, Now This World, Ted-Ed, The Big Myth, Ethnographic research from my master's thesis and dissertation work, and online documentaries on Santeria and NeoPaganism (including Irish documentary film "Sacred Sites: Oracles" of Tile Films Ltd. for the Smithsonian Channel (2016))
Joined March, 2020
4.9
135reviews
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
New York Teaching Certificate in Social Studies/History
Master's Degree from Binghamton University
Bachelor's Degree from Mansfield University of Pennsylvania
I am an experienced Educator, Coordinator, and Supervisor with 7+ years of administration, management and customer service experience, 5+ years of teaching, student advisement and project development, and 2+ years working with international students, qualitative research, and course development. I hold a Master of Arts (M.A.) in Anthropology from Binghamton University, and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Sociology/Anthropology and Music from Mansfield University, in addition to a TEFL certification. I am also a course complete PhD student in Anthropology, studying the intersection of politics and religion. I also hold a General Class Amateur Radio License with 13wpm Morse Code. Currently, I am a full time NY certified high school social studies teacher.

My anthropological training in academia includes learning about human evolution, race and racism, colonialism, cultural diversity, cultural awareness and education, bias, reflexivity, impacts of academic research on minority groups, and research ethics. I am also the Educational Coordinator and Lead Teacher of a Sunday school and a substitute teacher in 5 local school districts. I give talks on issues of religion, politics, and race issues, and have taught classes related to this topic previously. I conducted a thesis paper for my undergraduate on conflicts international students faced, which discussed issues of race, religion, language, cultural misunderstandings, and xenophobia. My Master's research focused on immigration issues, racism towards immigrants from Ethiopia in Israel, and conflict between religious sects. I also run a group that addresses issues of race, religion, politics, and teaches cultural awareness and diversity through education of traditions, history, and music from around the world.

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Live Group Class
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$13

weekly or $75 for 6 classes
1x per week, 6 weeks
55 min

Completed by 9 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 13-18
1-5 learners per class

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