Seminar in Religion and Politics

Catalog description

This course is intended to help students understand the variety of religious voices in American politics and to acquaint students with the significance and variability of religious influence on contemporary American political life, i.e. public policy and individual political choices. The term "religion" is defined broadly to include formal theological creeds as well as the social beliefs, organizations, and subcultures associated with various religious communities. The central goal of this course is to understand how religion affects politics (and vice versa). Specifically, the course will explore the effects of the diverse religious traditions in America on American political history, voting, lobbying, political mobilization, political culture, and international engagement. A sampling of questions to be addressed follows: What has been the relative impact of various religions on American politics? How do religious actors translate their values into action? In what ways is the impact of religion direct? Indirect? How does the nature of the environment (domestic and international) affect the ability of religious actors to wield influence? Thematic Thread(s): Transfer Thread Completion Course Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.