Course 1 of 5: Great World Religions: Christianity
Professor Luke Timothy Johnson, Emory University Ph.D., Yale University
The lectures of Great World Religions: Christianity provide you with a clear survey of the most important elements of a vital religious tradition that has become the world's largest faith. In award-winning Professor Luke Timothy Johnson's course, consider fundamental issues including Christianity's birth and expansion across the Mediterranean world, the development of its core doctrine, its deep connections to Western culture, and more. Each one of these 12 lectures is filled with insights that will enhance your understanding of the history and nature of a great world religion.
Lecture Outline
1. Christianity among World Religions (info)	 7. Moral Teaching (info)
2. Birth and Expansion (info)	 8. The Radical Edge (info)
3. Second Century and Self-Definition (info)	 9. Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant (info)
4. The Christian Story (info)	 10. Christianity and Politics (info)
5. What Christians Believe (info)	 11. Christianity and Culture (info)
6. The Church and Sacraments (info)	 12. Tensions and Possibilities (info)



Course 2 of 5: Great World Religions: Islam
Professor John L. Esposito, Georgetown University Ph.D., Temple University
How familiar are you with the world's second-largest and fastest-growing religion? Many people in the West know little about Islam and are familiar only with the actions of a minority of radical extremists. Great World Religions: Islam helps you better understand Islam as both a religion and a way of life. In these illuminating lectures, expert Islamic scholar and Professor John L. Esposito takes you through Islamic history from the 7th century through today. Along the way you explore Muslim beliefs and practices in the context of their impact on Muslim life and society throughout the ages; how and why Muslims came to Europe and America; the issues of faith, identity, and integration that face them in their homelands; and other fascinating aspects of this great world faith.
Lecture Outline
1. Islam Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow (info)	 7. Islamic Revivalism—Renewal and Reform (info)
2. The Five Pillars of Islam (info)	 8. The Contemporary Resurgence of Islam (info)
3. Muhammad—Prophet and Statesman (info)	 9. Islam at the Crossroads (info)
4. God's Word—the Quranic Worldview (info)	 10. Women and Change in Islam (info)
5. The Muslim Community—Faith and Politics (info)	 11. Islam in the West (info)
6. Paths to God—Islamic Law and Mysticism (info)	 12. The Future of Islam (info)



Course 3 of 5: Great World Religions: Judaism
Professor Isaiah M. Gafni, Hebrew University, Jerusalem Ph.D., Hebrew University, Jerusalem
What is the essence of Judaism? Is it the Ten Commandments? The teachings of the Hebrew Bible? Or something else entirely? Professor Isaiah M. Gafni of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem addresses these and other fundamental issues as he explores the ever-changing, 4,000-year saga of Judaism, one of the world's most ancient and influential religions. Throughout Great World Religions: Judaism, you study this faith as it was understood by its adherents in the past and by those who practice or identify with Judaism today.
Lecture Outline
1. What is Judaism? (info)	 7. Individual Life-Cycles (info)
2. The Stages of History (info)	 8. God and Man; God and Community (info)
3. The Jewish Library (info)	 9. Philosophers and Mystics (info)
4. The Emergence of Rabbinic Judaism (info)	 10. The Legal Frameworks of Judaism—Halakha (info)
5. Jewish Worship—Prayer and the Synagogue (info)	 11. Common Judaism—or a Plurality of Judaisms? (info)
6. The Calendar—A Communal Life-Cycle (info)	 12. Judaism and “Others” (info)



Course 4 of 5: Great World Religions: Hinduism
Professor Mark W. Muesse, Rhodes College Ph.D., Harvard University
Great World Religions: Hinduism provides you with an engaging window into the roots of a faith that is perhaps the most diverse of all, and which rejects the notion that there is one path to the divine. Over the course of Hinduism's 5,000-year journey, you'll explore the pantheon of Hindu gods and goddesses; the sacred writings in the Vedas, the Bhagavad-gita, and the Upanishads; the Aryan language of Sanskrit; and much more. As you move chronologically through Hinduism's history—from its earliest precursors to its classical manifestations to its responses to the modern era—you continually place salient aspects of Hindu life and worship in historical and theological framework. The result is an engaging and comprehensive look at the world's oldest living religious tradition.
Lecture Outline
1. Hinduism in the World and the World of Hinduism (info)	 7. The Way of Action (info)
2. The Early Cultures of India (info)	 8. The Way of Wisdom (info)
3. The World of the Veda (info)	 9. Seeing God (info)
4. From the Vedic Tradition to Classical Hinduism (info)	 10. The Way of Devotion (info)
5. Caste (info)	 11. The Goddess and Her Devotees (info)
6. Men, Women, and the Stages of Life (info)	 12. Hinduism in the Modern Period (info)



Course 5 of 5: Great World Religions: Buddhism
Professor Malcolm David Eckel, Boston University Ph.D., Harvard University
In its 2,500-year history, Buddhism has expanded from a tiny religious community in northern India into a movement that now spans the globe. Buddhism is your opportunity to trace the history, principles, and evolution of a theology that is both familiar and foreign. These lectures are a historical survey of Buddhism, from its origin in India in the 6th century B.C.E. to its present status as a major world faith. Professor Malcolm David Eckel introduces you to the astonishing vitality and adaptability of a tradition that has transformed civilizations.
Lecture Outline
1. Buddhism as a World Religion (info)	 7. Celestial Buddhas and Bodhisattvas (info)
2. The Life of the Buddha (info)	 8. Emptiness (info)
3. “All is Suffering” (info)	 9. Theravada Buddhism in Southeast Asia (info)
4. The Path to Nirvana (info)	 10. Buddhism in Tibet (info)
5. The Buddhist Community (info)	 11. Buddhism in China (info)
6. Mahayana Buddhism—the Bodhisattva Ideal (info)	 12. Buddhism in Japan (info)