| PHIL 323.001 Problems in Philosophy of Religion Dr. Deborah Achtenberg |
Fall 2009 Tues., Thurs. 4:00 - 5:15 p.m. |
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“Nietzsche is dead.” --God Secularism and Religion The proclamation of the death of God appears to have been premature. Religion is back--with a passion. The secularization thesis according to which increase in science, technology, and modernization would result in consignment of religion to a separate sphere and the diminishment of its force, is now evidently false. Instead, all over the world, we see the deprivatization of religion. In this course, we will ask: What happened? What is happening? Is it a clash of civilizations? The end of the great separation (of church and state)? A return to the embedded self? The threat of fundamentalism? And, what is secularism anyway? Where do we find a secular state? What, too, is religion? How and when did the concept come into being? What does the concept show? What does it hide? Is state separate from religion? Or does one produce the other? Is there such an entity as religion understood to be universal? Is there such a thing as secularism? Or, instead, are there secularisms, each negotiating tradition and modernization in a different way? What do the critics of secularism want? Are they likely to get it? Why do critiques of secularism come up again and again? Are they irrational and primitive, a sign of inadequate development? Or do they result from the limits of secular life itself? How are critiques of secular life different in a time of globalized culture and communications? We will have a lively discussion of these questions and topics, in which all points of view will be welcome--even more, will be indispensable for an adequate approach to the problems discussed. To aide our discussion, we will read early U.S. contributions to discussions concerning religion and secularism including the Declaration of Independence, the First Amendment and Ralph Waldo Emerson's address to the Harvard Divinity School; classic philosophic discussions pertaining to religion and secularism by Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Friedrich Nietzsche; contemporary accounts by philosophers and theorists including Charles Taylor, Wendy Brown, Yolande Jansen and Tomoko Masuzawa; anthropological approaches to the topic by José Casanova, Peter van der Veer and Saba Mahmood. COURSE TEXTS: Early U.S. readings are linked to the course webpage; John Locke, A Letter Concerning Toleration (Hackett Publishing Company), is available from the University bookstore; all other readings will be provided through e-reserves. In addition, we will watch films, videos or excerpts in class occasionally, and occasionally students may be asked to watch a film outside of class. COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Readings as assigned Participation in class discussion Class attendance Three take-home quizzes (2 to 4 pages) Four papers (5 to 7 pages) Updated August 14, 2009, by
Deborah Achtenberg.
Please visit course webpage for syllabus. |
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