Mysticisms in Action Syllabus (Intended for Workshop)

This workshop seeks to introduce a compelling syllabus design for teaching Mysticisms in Action. As mysticism and activist approaches gain more traction in Interreligious Studies, this syllabus gathers key sources, themes, scholarly approaches, and pedagogical devices for its teaching and dissemination in the field. Mysticisms in action highlight the importance of both inner-introspection as well as outward action. In this vein, the course speaks to important themes in interreligious studies that call for reflexivity and critical analysis as well as coformation and social-justice making. In considering the work of several scholars in the field of Interreligious Studies, this syllabus gathers voices and sources that speak to structures of oppression, intersectionality, and mystical theologies that support parity pluralism and the engagement across lines of difference. This syllabus ultimately conveys powerful interreligious learning garnered through mystical traditions, mystical epistemologies, and supporting pedagogies that emphasize collective healing and liberation, both inner and outer.