Religion, Arts Global Affairs

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

This seminar focuses on the importance of religious discourse and artistic expression in the study of global affairs. It looks at both as vehicles communicating social concerns, often with political implications and, in that sense, complementary. With a focus on civil society, the goal is to develop the ability to recognize the roots of conflict in specific contexts, prerequisite for effective conflict resolution. It includes the study of theories of religion and the arts, and their social roles; modernist theories that exclude religion and the arts from the study of politics; as well as theories about the constructed nature of social identities; and case studies of religious and artistic expressions of social concerns and evolving identities from the breakdown of European and Asian empires in the 19th century through the contemporary era. This course will be required for proposed new minor: Religion, the Arts and Global Affairs. It may also be used as an elective for CULP, IPOL, and RCST.