Beyond the Veil: An Introduction to World Religions through their Theologies of Life, Death, and the Afterlife
Lifelong Learning | Registration opens 8/7/2025 9:00 AM EDT
Beyond the Veil is an introduction to the study of the major world religions primarily through the perspectives of how they treat the dead and what happens after death. The course will focus on the ‘big five’ world religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism) while also exploring other end-of-life traditions that defy practices that are common to the West. Students will be challenged to consider how a lifetime of religious beliefs and practices converge in the final moments of an earthly existence; by understanding how the dead are treated and what happens at death, students will begin to understand the fundamental teachings of the various religious traditions that dominate the modern world.
Adam Couch
Adam Couch is an adjunct professor at La Roche University, currently teaching World Religions and Ethics. His background includes both high school and university teaching, along with parish work as a pastoral associate and coordinator of religious education. Adam has a degree in Theological Studies, with a focus in the Christian Intellectual Tradition, from Saint Louis University, along with a Masters of Theology from Xavier University with a focus in Ethics and Spirituality.