NEH Enduring Questions Course on the Afterlife

FAIN: AQ-228777-15

Carroll University (Waukesha, WI 53186-5593)
John S. Garrison (Project Director: September 2014 to July 2018)

The development and teaching of a new undergraduate seminar on conceptions of the afterlife.

This course aims to explore the enduring question of what, if anything, happens to the mind or soul after physical death. Exploring this question will introduce students to a wide range of conceptions of the afterlife depicted across literature, art, film, and even video games. Students will pursue several lines of inquiry, including: How have conceptions of the afterlife changed across time and what similarities (and differences) exist across diverse cultures/visions? How do visions of the afterlife reflect the values of the culture that produced them? What drives the need to create narratives about what happens after physical death? What are the implications of assuming the absence of the afterlife?