51-2522 Religion and Violence

Much violence perpetrated in the world today is considered religious in nature. This class will interrogate that assumption by considering several important questions: Is there something inherently violent about religion? What work does violence do, for religion? What is religious terrorism, and what do the techniques of terror earn for those who use them? Is violence ever justified? Must it be justified with religion, if it is to be justified at all? Most centrally: is the category of religious violence meaningful?

3 Credits
HU
PREREQUISITES: 52-1152 Writing and Rhetoric II or 52-1122 International Writing and Rhetoric II