On Suffering: How Science and Stories Shape Us

Catalog description

By studying written and oral storytelling (including news articles, research reports, case histories, speeches, etc.), this course explores arguments for, and critiques of, appealing to stories in the face of suffering—personal and environmental—and starts articulating theological and ethical implications of 'being an engaged witness in the world.' We will listen to historical and contemporary voices that have shaped our views of the world, explore characteristics of pseudoscientific movements that make us squirm, and dig into the apparent and real differences between scientific, experiential, and theological reasoning. Open only to students in the Focus Program. Department consent required.