Cults, Crusades, Jihad, and Multiculturalism: On (Non)Religious (In)Tolerance
RELI 241
Spring 2024 not offered
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| Crosslisting:
GSAS 241 |
"More people have died in the name of religion than any other cause on Earth." Is this true? If not, why do so many people believe it? Even if it is not true, a great many people have died for causes propelled by religious ideologies and sentiments. Then again, a great many people have been killed because of their religious identities and associations. How do religious traditions generate emotions of empathy, suspicion, antagonism, and/or indifference? And how do secular traditions promote similar emotions toward specific religions and toward religion in general? This course will investigate what these dynamics tell us about various religions in different cultures--specifically those of South Asia and the United States--and how some social ideologies allow only for specific religions or all religions. We will explore these in the context of the so-called "cult" of the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas; the pogrom against Muslims by Hindu nationalists in India; various jihads in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India; and the role of imagined Muslims in the language of tolerance among the American republic's founders. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS RELI |
| Course Format: Lecture / Discussion | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (GSAS-MN)(GSAS)(HRAD-MN)(MUST-MN)(RELI-MN)(RELI) |
Major Readings:
Ayesha Jalal, PARTISANS OF ALLAH: JIHAD IN SOUTH ASIA (0674047362)
Denise Spellberg, THOMAS JEFFERSON'S QUR'AN: ISLAM AND THE FOUNDERS (0307388395)
Wajahat Ali, et. al., "Fear, Inc.: The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America."
Nancy Ammerman: "Waco, Federal Law Enforcement, and Scholars of Religion"
Rochona Majumdar, "From Civilizational Heroism to an Ethic of Universal Humanity"
Course pack
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Examinations and Assignments:
Daily participation, weekly journal, two short essays, and one final research paper. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
This course fulfills a "Thematic Approach" requirement for the Religion Department major. |
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