Relig Soc Justice in America

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

Religion has played a crucial role in shaping American discourses on social justice related to gender, race, and class. Religion is used to advocate for human equality and dignity, but it has also been used to justify oppressive structures, including the institutionalization of enslavement. This class examines the religious narratives, tropes, and themes that continue to animate the American imagination, appearing in political debates, popular culture, and storytelling. Our analysis will focus primarily on the foundational stories from Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, such as the Creation Story, the Immaculate Conception, and the Exodus account. We will also consider primary sources from Hinduism and Buddhism, which have similarly shaped the contours of American popular culture. Students will bring these primary sources into conversation with American writers across history, grappling with the ethical issues presented by these stories or by the ways in which they are employed. We will engage with works from religious studies scholars, theologians, popular writers, and activists, who draw on an array of social justice lenses, such as feminist, womanist, and disability studies