REL 1.12 Race and Religion

Where does the notion of “race” come from? This course considers the role religious source texts and religious ideologies have played in the social construction of racial categories– ideas that have been used to justify slavery, genocide, and colonial conquest for centuries. Through comparative anthropological, historical, literary, and theological readings (addressing Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Native American contexts) we will consider the dynamic interaction of religion with racial constructs, politics, economics, and science. This course will also challenge students to speak and write critically about contemporary racial justice struggles from a religious studies perspective.

Degree Requirement Attributes

Dist:INT or TMV

The Timetable of Class Meetings contains the most up-to-date information about a course. It includes not only the meeting time and instructor, but also its official distributive and/or world culture designation. This information supersedes any information you may see elsewhere, to include what may appear in this ORC/Catalog or on a department/program website. Note that course attributes may change term to term therefore those in effect are those (only) during the term in which you enroll in the course.

Department-Specific Course Categories

Religion