SJSC 3360 - Religion and the Just Society

Goals: To understand the role of religion as a social institution from a social scientific perspective with special attention to the role of religious practice, identity, and belief in the cause of social justice. Students will understand the various ways in which religion has shaped and been shaped by our evolving social order.

Content: Students will engage with texts, documentaries, scholarly studies, and analyses of public opinion that treat religious people, religious ideas, and religious institutions as specific social artifacts for study. The course material takes no position on the existence of God(s), the value of one prophetic tradition over another, or any other doctrinal debate. The material is not oriented toward judgments as to whether a given religious tradition is “good” or “bad,” but rather represents an endeavor to understand the social context that gave rise to that tradition – as well as the impact that the tradition had on the society from which it emerged.

Prerequisite: SJSC 1100 or SJSC 1110 with a grade of C- or better

Credits: 4