Course description
This course explores a series of contemporary conflicts in different regions of the world, with a special focus on identifying and analyzing the diverse and complex roles that religions play in both promoting and mitigating violence. Students learn a method for recognizing and analyzing how religious ideologies are embedded in all arenas of human agency and not isolated from political, economic, and cultural life, as is often assumed. In addition to examining the conflicts themselves, we explore the religious dimensions of the impacts those conflicts have on civic life in areas such as public health, education, and commerce. Possible countries of focus include Brazil, France, Israel and Palestine, Myanmar, Nigeria, Qatar, Syria, and the United States. The course is especially relevant for aspiring or professional educators, journalists, public health workers, foreign service officers, and government officials who wish to better understand how religions function in contemporary world affairs.
