Contemporary Religion and Public Life*

This course will look behind the headlines that speak of the religious resurgence in contemporary politics and examine the thorny issues that arise when the boundaries between the “church” and “state” inevitably collide. What is “religion” and what is its place in late modern societies? What is unique and problematic about religious participants in public life? And what do perceptions of religion tell us about the constantly shifting “rules of the game” in contemporary democratic societies? These questions will be at the core of our examination of theoretical engagements with the concepts of religion, secularism, modernity, tradition, democracy and human rights. Our case studies will be from American and global contexts.