Sexy Times: Bodies, Sexuality and Religion from the Ancient World to the Present - 21000

Human bodies, gender, and sexuality are integral to nearly all religions throughout the world and throughout time. This connection bridges two classes, REL 104 - Unprotected Texts: The Bible, Gender and Sexuality in Western and Non-Western Religious Traditions , and HIST 254 - Medieval Flesh: Controversies in Religion, Sexuality and Race , that discuss these topics from the ancient, biblical world through to the modern day with focus on major world religions.

REL 104  presents the religious constructions of gendered bodies from a comparative, cross-cultural perspective from the ancient world to the present, while HIST 254  focuses intently on one area of the globe in one period of time: Europe and its surrounding areas during the Middle Ages (c. 500–c. 1500 CE). Although both courses will explore corporeal beliefs and practices, they will do so from the complementary but distinct disciplinary fields of Religious Studies and History. Beyond the obvious thematic and subject-related connections between these two courses, linked assignments and joint activities will further connect these two classes while demonstrating the divergent ways that different disciplines approach the same subject matter.