Thank you for this discussion and explanation. I found it very informative and inspiring.
Thank you for this discussion and explanation. I found it very informative and inspiring.
As a rabbi and a psychotherapist with an interest in psychedelics this course seems to be addressing many of the questions I’ve been asking myself. Great intro looking forward to the rest of the course.
Now this is the type of community the world needs!!
GTUx’s Certificate of Completion for Ecospirituality: Environmental Pathways to Healing is a professional development program that weaves together our spiritual connection to the natural world and planetary sustainability efforts. In this GTUx program, Dr. Rita Sherma offers insights from her research and invites guest speakers to discuss how we might newly define the relationship between the Earth and spirituality.
Dr. Rita D. Sherma’s lecture explores the intricate connections between religious life and the natural world, highlighting its intersections with economic justice, climate crisis, environmental-racial-class justice, animal ethics, gender and ecology, and the natural sciences.
We will explore the varied ways in which the natural world, or the “other than human world,” has been imagined and experienced through embodied practices and creative acts throughout American history. The course will examine indigenous ways of knowing and understanding that situate the human integrally within the broader planetary community.
The brainchild of noted Jewish studies scholar Naomi Seidman, this GTUx Original explores scholarship, religion, activism, and art as experienced by people who have extricated themselves from insular religious groups and reconnected with those communities in unique and courageous ways. Through four modules—Scholarship, Religion, Activism, and Art—we examine the complex journeys of those who have stepped beyond strict religious boundaries while still carrying their formative experiences with them.
From academics who challenge traditional narratives to spiritual seekers who reshape belief on their own terms, these stories reveal the ongoing negotiation between past and present. Activists push for change from both within and beyond their former communities, while artists transform their upbringing into creative expression, redefining representation in film, music, and performance.
Rather than simple stories of departure, these narratives illuminate the deep entanglements between identity, heritage, and personal reinvention. Each module offers an intimate look at how individuals bridge worlds—embracing elements of their past while forging new, meaningful paths forward.
GTUx is a global destination for digital learning brought to you by the Graduate Theological Union, one of the world’s foremost higher education institutions of interreligious life, learning, and leadership.
Discover and sign up for learning opportunities on topics inspired by the dynamic conversations and rigorous scholarly research of our faculty, including theology, ethics, justice, spiritual care, and beyond.
The GTU is one of the world’s most comprehensive centers for interreligious life, learning, and leadership, as well as interdisciplinary scholarship between religion, art, and science. At the GTU, scholars with a desire to be leaders are able to engage with the world’s great wisdom traditions, in both traditional and contemporary contexts. Learn more about our programs, events, and community at gtu.edu.
