World Religions for Healthcare Professionals

Together, our mission will be twofold: First, we will engage in a general overview of the world’s major religious traditions, comparing and contrasting their various foundational beliefs. We will be reviewingthese religions using historical and cultural methodologies. Second, we will explore how various religious traditions view key healthcare topics such as sickness, health, birth, and death. We will also examine various religious stances on controversial topics such as abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide, and stem cell research. The goal is to provide students with a greater awareness of the religious beliefs, practices, and ethical questions that undergird critical aspects of the healthcare profession. Along the way, we will construct tradition-constituted visions of the life worth living.Students will gain the skill sets necessary to think critically, compare and contrast diverse belief paradigms across enduring lines of difference, evaluate controversial arguments, and engage in theoretical discussions pertaining to religious beliefs as well as associated ethical questions that arise in the healthcare profession.