Yale / Coursera Online Courses

Available now!

Religions and Ecology: Restoring the Earth Community

Enroll in these free courses from Yale University and Coursera to understand the ecological teachings and practices of religious traditions across the planet.

These Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) explore the ecological dimensions of the world’s religions. Developed over the course of several years, they draw on a rich variety of lectures, videos, readings, and interviews with scholars, religious leaders, and environmental practitioners from around the world. They highlight religious ideas and practices inspiring ecojustice movements in response to the challenges of the climate emergency, biodiversity loss, and pollution.

1. Introduction to Religions and Ecology
2. Indigenous Religions and Ecology
   (representatives from each continent)
3. South Asian Religions and Ecology
   (Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Baha’i Faith)
4. East Asian Religions and Ecology
   (Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, Shinto)
5. Western Religions and Ecology
   (Judaism, Christianity, Islam)

We recommend taking “Introduction to Religions and Ecology” first to provide context for navigating the other courses.

Completion of these five courses leads to a Coursera Specialization certificate. A Specialization designates a series of related courses designed to help a learner gain a basic understanding of a given topic.

To audit these courses at no cost, see our step by step guide. 

For further information, see our FAQ Fact Sheet.

Read the Yale Daily News article about the courses.

See testimonials about these courses.

Christianity and Ecology

We are also launching a separate course exploring the ecological dimensions of Christianity, the world’s most populous religion. This course highlights diverse theological and moral voices from the Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, and Evangelical traditions. It also affirms the emerging movements of ecojustice in Christianity.
Go here to register for this course.

All of these courses were created by Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim and draw on interviews and writings of many other historians of religions, theologians, religious leaders, and environmentalists.

We hope you will join us in exploring the ecological depths of these diverse religious traditions.
 

Header Image: Courtesy of Greenfaith