Theology, Race, Racism

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

The core purpose of this course is enable students to formulate their own account of what it means to do theology and practice the Christian faith (personally and communally) in a context marked by anti-black racism. In a later preface to his seminal text *A Black Theology of Liberation*, James Cone says that his work cannot be understood without both "a general comprehension of nearly four hundred years of slavery and segregation in North American" and a keen knowledge of the black struggle for dignity and liberation. The initial task of the course, therefore, is to provide precisely this background as a historical, sociological, and theological foundation for doing theology today. Building upon this foundation, throughout the course students will engage historical and contemporary texts, particularly from black theological voices, in order to reflect upon their own formation (cultural, familial, theological), to understand the history of U.S. theology, and to articulate a vision for moving forward today in an antiracist way. Empowering each student to articulate such a vision (grounded upon a clear sense of history and developed through a respectful engagement with new theological voices) is the core goal of the course.