In SCAR 2WW3 Health Healing and Religion we explore and reflect upon the depths and complexities of health, healing, and religion. What do the terms ‘health’, ‘healing’, ‘illness’, and ‘religion’ mean? How is sickness and health lived and understood by individuals? How does religion come to influence experiences of well-being and illness?

We will contextualize health and healing in North America by examining key historical movements and contemporary debates.

During the course, we will examine tensions between spiritual practices and secular institutions; the history of alternative medical practices; the prevalence of medical conspiracy theories; the varieties of religious healing in North America; and the effects of colonialism, racism and the lack of spiritual care experienced by Indigenous Canadians.