Politics & Religion: Controversies Around the World

Catalog description

Exposes students to the relationship between religion and politics around the world and examines trends in the influence of religion and religious parties on governments and public policy. The relationship and trends will be informed by multiple perspectives from political science, sociology, philosophy, and religion. Students will familiarize themselves with the basic tenets, historical backgrounds, and comparative differences of the main religions that are involved in the political conflicts that will be examined in the course. Students will first examine the principles and values of Christianity (Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox); Islam; Judaism; Hinduism; and Buddhism. The different religions will be discussed in terms of their beliefs as well as their function in national identities. Discussion of religion will also examine secular critique of religion, from the Enlightenment and the French Revolution to the present. This will include a comparative look at the ways in which science and rational thought have challenged religions' place in different societies and how religions have sought to counter this challenge. Students will then examine political parties, movements, and actors and their role in affecting public policies in different countries in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Students will analyze instances where religious disagreements led to internal policy clashes between members of the same religion as well as conflicts between adherents of different religions within the same country. The power of religious parties' and their secular political rivals will be a central part of this discussion. Students will explore instances in a variety of countries, including but not limited to Turkey, Israel, India, Myanmar, Latin America, France, Eastern Europe, and the United States. These examples will serve to elucidate clashes between religious and secular powers within different countries and between majority and minority religions. The discussion will also include the topic of how religion affects policies concerned with gender equality.