This year, a new class took on the history of five major religions in the world and brought them to life for students.

“World Religions,” taught by Louis Hutchins, examined the origins and practice of five major world religions with a focus on Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Louis and the students welcomed distinguished guests over the mod that spoke to the class about their professional and personal roles as a Tibetan monk, Director of the Center for Global Judaism, a Reverend at the United Church of Christ and an educational outreach consultant for the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center. Students were given the opportunity to ask questions to become better informed about their religion in their lives.

“The class has not only really seemed to gain a deeper perspective and understanding of these religions,” said history teacher Louis Hitchens. “The guests really helped made these religions personal for the students, they were engaged and genuinely interested, and it was clear that they gained a better comprehension with a dialogue.”

Louis designed the class to encompass an exploration of the main characters and practices of the five religions and provide the history of how they have developed. The course presented the primary schisms and religious tensions in current domestic and international communities and the class analyzed why and how they happened.

By the end of the class, the students were asked to develop a comparative study and identify commonalities and differences between these faiths.