Religious Trauma [Durham, NC]

from $25.00

**This course is in-person only. There is no virtual component. Participants must be age 21+

Full Tuition: $340 — Sliding-scale tuition options are available in the drop-down enrollment menu for you to self-select. To pay in installments, choose to pay with PayPal or Klarna at check out.

Why is religion a source of healing for some and suffering for others? How do religious ideas become part of our sense of self? And who do we become when our religious world begins to unravel?

The term “religious trauma” has entered the language of therapists, clergy, journalists, and those seeking to understand painful religious experiences. While its meaning remains ambiguous and contested, the term draws attention to a paradox: the very traditions that nurture our sense of self can also distort and damage it. Precisely because religion can shape identity so deeply, the consequences of this paradox have often been especially acute for people whose identities or communities have been marginalized, excluded, or oppressed by religious institutions, including many LGBTQ+ people and others who have found themselves at odds with the religious traditions that shaped them.

This five-week, discussion-based course engages religion and trauma with both critical distance and imaginative sympathy. It places contemporary understandings of religious trauma in conversation with psychoanalysis, theology, philosophy, literature, and art. Together, we will explore how religion shapes the psyche through questions of belonging, authority, identity, desire, justice, suffering, and power.

Weekly readings, designed to take approximately 30 minutes, may include works by Judith Herman, Daniel Shaw, Erich Fromm, Carl Jung, James Baldwin, Shelly Rambo, and Randall Kenan, and selections from the Book of Job. Each class will bring visual art, theory, and literature into conversation through seminar-style discussion.

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The Fine Print:

Gift certificates may only be redeemed at the full tuition tier.

SLIDING SCALE TUITION

Full tuition is the cost per-student of running the class. If you choose a tier below full tuition, you are receiving a discount. If you choose to make a donation in addition to full tuition, you are helping to cover the cost for students who are not able to pay the full amount.

The mid-level tier is a discounted rate for people whose household income is at or above living wage but who have limited discretionary income.

The low-level tier and the full-scholarship tier are for people whose household income is below living wage or who need extra assistance to meet their needs.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Through our fundraising efforts, we are able to offer three full scholarships per class. The full-scholarship tier is a nonrefundable offering. Each student may only take one full-scholarship class at a time. Because our scholarship funding is limited, if a student selects multiple overlapping classes at the full-scholarship level, they will be disenrolled from all classes.

All sliding-scale and scholarship needs are self-assessed, and we will never request or require proof of need.

Please see our FAQ for more information, including installment plans, refund policy, and sick and inclement weather policy.

Sliding-Scale Tuition:

**This course is in-person only. There is no virtual component. Participants must be age 21+

Full Tuition: $340 — Sliding-scale tuition options are available in the drop-down enrollment menu for you to self-select. To pay in installments, choose to pay with PayPal or Klarna at check out.

Why is religion a source of healing for some and suffering for others? How do religious ideas become part of our sense of self? And who do we become when our religious world begins to unravel?

The term “religious trauma” has entered the language of therapists, clergy, journalists, and those seeking to understand painful religious experiences. While its meaning remains ambiguous and contested, the term draws attention to a paradox: the very traditions that nurture our sense of self can also distort and damage it. Precisely because religion can shape identity so deeply, the consequences of this paradox have often been especially acute for people whose identities or communities have been marginalized, excluded, or oppressed by religious institutions, including many LGBTQ+ people and others who have found themselves at odds with the religious traditions that shaped them.

This five-week, discussion-based course engages religion and trauma with both critical distance and imaginative sympathy. It places contemporary understandings of religious trauma in conversation with psychoanalysis, theology, philosophy, literature, and art. Together, we will explore how religion shapes the psyche through questions of belonging, authority, identity, desire, justice, suffering, and power.

Weekly readings, designed to take approximately 30 minutes, may include works by Judith Herman, Daniel Shaw, Erich Fromm, Carl Jung, James Baldwin, Shelly Rambo, and Randall Kenan, and selections from the Book of Job. Each class will bring visual art, theory, and literature into conversation through seminar-style discussion.

—

The Fine Print:

Gift certificates may only be redeemed at the full tuition tier.

SLIDING SCALE TUITION

Full tuition is the cost per-student of running the class. If you choose a tier below full tuition, you are receiving a discount. If you choose to make a donation in addition to full tuition, you are helping to cover the cost for students who are not able to pay the full amount.

The mid-level tier is a discounted rate for people whose household income is at or above living wage but who have limited discretionary income.

The low-level tier and the full-scholarship tier are for people whose household income is below living wage or who need extra assistance to meet their needs.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Through our fundraising efforts, we are able to offer three full scholarships per class. The full-scholarship tier is a nonrefundable offering. Each student may only take one full-scholarship class at a time. Because our scholarship funding is limited, if a student selects multiple overlapping classes at the full-scholarship level, they will be disenrolled from all classes.

All sliding-scale and scholarship needs are self-assessed, and we will never request or require proof of need.

Please see our FAQ for more information, including installment plans, refund policy, and sick and inclement weather policy.