Unit name | Religion and Politics in the West |
---|---|
Unit code | SOCIM0006 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | M/7 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
Unit director | Dr. Paca |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
None |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies |
Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
What is and ought to be the relationship between religion and politics? In the late twentieth century most political theorists and most West European and North American publics thought these were uncontentious subjects. Yet these topics have emerged as important across the social sciences with some challenging ‘secularism’ as discriminatory and unjust to religious citizens. In Western Europe, Muslim political assertiveness, following a logic of minority rights seem to have unsettled status quo institutional arrangements and provoked counter-assertions on the part of those who want to ‘privatise’ religion, or alternatively to ‘nationalise’ it or ‘Europeanise’ it. This course will identify the various Church-State compromises or antagonisms to be found in the West and assess the claims that today we are witnessing a ‘crisis of secularism’ and are transitioning into a ‘post-secularism’.
Upon completing the unit, students will:
The unit will be taught through blended learning methods, including a mix of synchronous and asynchronous teaching activities
Core readings are likely to include the following:
Berger, P., G. Davie, et al. (2008). Religious America, secular Europe?: a theme and variation. Aldershot, Ashgate. Dinham, A. et al (eds) Faith in the Public Realm, Bristol: Policy Press.
Habermas, J. (2006). "Religion in the public sphere." European Journal of Philosophy 14(1): 1-25. Laborde, C. Critical Republicanism, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Levey, G. and T. Modood (eds) Secularism, Religion and Multicultural Citizenship, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Scott, J. The Politics of the Veil: Princeton: Princeton University Press