Religion, Restrictions, and Violence

Catalog description

An examination of the historical roots and current manifestations of religiously-justified violence and disenfranchisement, with a focus on the Abrahamic traditions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam). The violence treated will include the expressly physical as well as the more insidiously existential, including political and cultural marginalization. Major loci of exploration will include gender and sexuality; Israel-Palestine, and the intersection of contemporary identities. Topics include the nature of extremisms within each tradition, the challenges of assimilation and 'modernity,' and the role and nature of citizenship and territory. This graduate version of the course will be distinguished by the length of readings, length of writing assignments, and nature of final paper.