1) Defining Religion -- examine the complexities of various definitions; present a working model that encompasses the various components found in what we label as "religion."
2) The Study of Religion -- an introduction to the academic study of religion, its history, key features that demarcate an academic approach to the topic; an overview of various methods used, such as phenomenological, psychological, sociological, anthropological and historical.
3) Sacred Power -- the various conceptions of "the Sacred" from animism to monotheism; personal and impersonal, theistic and non-theistic conceptions of the "Absolute", as well as the generic sense of "the holy", be it in objects, places or beings.
4) Experiencing the Sacred -- the varieties and nature of religious experience, various theories, models and typologies regarding "religious experiences", and an overview of the techniques associated with cultivating them from meditation to entheogens.
5) Sacred Story and Myth -- the universality of sacred scriptures; the role of myth, symbol, doctrine and narrative in religion; religion's role in providing maps of reality, definitions and identities; and visions of higher possibilities, and utopias to aspire to.
6) Sacred Action and Ritual -- the nature and role of ethics in religion, the role of rituals, art, music, dance as means of relating to the sacred.
7) Sacred Space and Time -- the nature of sacred spaces (such as that of a temple or an altar) as distinct from profane places; the role of holy days, creation stories, apocalypses, and Last Days.
8) Sacred Solutions and Soteriology -- the problems of evil, suffering, and death; the different concepts of the human need for liberation from suffering, sin, ignorance, and death; the quest for transformation and enlightenment; life after death and human destiny.
9) Sacred Organizations -- the institutionalization of religion, the church, sect, cult typology; the evolution of religion, from pre-literary societies to the world religions and to popular religious forms; how religion mirrors society; and the rise of new religions in times of rapid social change.
10) Sacred in Today's World -- issues of religious pluralism and absolute truth, the various responses to, and resolutions of, this problem.