RS 220 Religion and Politics
This course will introduce students to the various ways religion has influenced (and been influenced by) politics throughout history and across cultures. To do so, this course will address five specific issues: 1) How religion has influenced the most prominent theories about the nature and function of government; 2) The various ways individuals have conceptualized the relationship between religion and law; 3) The role religion has played in elections and political participation, more generally; 4) How religions have instigated, justified, and/or challenged the use of military force to wage war; and 5) The historical and ideological relationship between religion and terror.