MALA 60173 The Sacred and the Short Story
Prerequisites: Enrollment in the MLA program. Participants in this class will read, discuss, and then appraise how selected creative writers use the short fiction genre to probe as well as investigate issues of religious meaning and spiritual significance - what we might call models of the sacred. This course will emphasize the history, theology, and practices of various and global religious traditions. Particular attention will be paid to how women and men imagine myth, ritual, and sacred power in the context of personal and social concerns. Students will tackle topics such as the meaning and endurance of faith; the problem of evil and suffering; the search for identity and integrity; and, several other themes.