IFS 130 - Religion, Terror, and Violence

Semester Hours: 4

Is religion unavoidably connected with violence? How has religion been used to motivate and justify violent conflict, aggression, and persecution? Does religion have a greater power to make war or to make peace? Scholars take a wide range of stances on these central question about the relationship between religion and violence. This class will study critical theories about religion and violence and compare them to historical data. It is organized around four modes of violence: 1) martyrdom and redemptive suffering, 2) the violence of social stratification and “othering,” 3) traditional, political war and 4) apocalyptic and spiritual warfare. Case studies include early Christian martyrs, the American Civil War, attacks on abortion clinics and on theTokyo subway to clarify patterns and types of religious violence. Classes will consist of discussion, debates, films, and student presentations and explore the representation of religion and violence in the media, literature and film.

Intellectual Perspective: RP