Religion 109 - Rest

The ubiquitous message is to work harder and be more productive. In doing so, the promise is stability, good lives and good jobs. What if this is all wrong? What if “rest” is what humans are really missing? This course explores this question by reading sociologists, historians, psychologists, public health scholars, critical disability scholars, Jewish philosophers, Black Christian activists and Zen masters. This course considers how “rest,” as conceived by these diverse people, encompasses visions for just economic systems and antiracist praxis, as well as the flourishing of ecosystems. Finally, students experiment with rest themselves. (E)