RELS 266 RELIGION AND SOCIAL ETHICS Course Syllabus Queen’s University, School of Religion Fall 2016 12 September – 2 December Tuesdays 2:30-­‐5:30 Location: DUN 14 Course Website: Available through onQ INSTRUCTOR: Brett David Potter [email protected] Office: 229 Theological Hall Phone: 613.533.6000 x78066 OFFICE HOURS: I am available for course-­‐related meetings before class (1:30-­‐2:30) or by appointment. I will do my best to respond to emails within 24 hours. CALENDAR DESCRIPTION: Moral problems and religious responses: e.g., sexual morality; violence; civil disobedience. COURSE DESCRIPTION: In this course students will learn about the importance of studying religion and social ethics by examining the subject from both a global and community perspective. Students will learn how religious traditions have not only helped shape our understanding of social ethics, but also discuss some of the ethical challenges individuals and communities face when religious traditions fail to meet the ethical criteria posed by secular society. In particular, students will examine various ways religious traditions respond to ethical and moral issues surrounding violence, social justice, sexuality and the environment. The purpose of this course is to provide students with the intellectual tools to critically engage with many of the challenges facing the study of religion and social ethics. Student Learning Outcomes Students will learn to: • Identify and explain key strategies that religious traditions utilize to address ethical/moral problems. •
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Demonstrate knowledge of key concepts, ideas, and values surrounding the comparative study of religion and social ethics. Evaluate religious claims about the ethical significance of violence, social justice, sexuality and the environment. Critically analyze the connection between personal and public conceptions of social ethics. Further develop writing and research skills. COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Required Texts: 1. Fasching, Darrell J., Dechant, Dell and. Lantigua, David M., eds. Comparative Religious Ethics. New York: Wiley-­‐Blackwell, 2011. This is the primary textbook we will be working from. Sufficient copies have been ordered at the campus bookstore, and one copy is also on reserve (3-­‐ hour loan) at the Stauffer Library. 2. Any additional readings will be posted on the course website (onQ). To access the website, go to queensu.ca > “Search and Sign In” and then navigate to onQ. From there you should be able to login using your Queens username and password. Evaluation and Course Requirements 1. Participation / Social Media (10%): Students are expected to complete the assigned readings, attend class, and participate in group discussions. Along with this, as part of the participation component of the course, at least twice during the semester each student is responsible to post a link to a current news story, video, or online article directly relevant to the course on Twitter/Instagram using the hashtag #rels266. The online resources generated by this feed will be used to stimulate class discussion. Of course all material posted should be appropriate and respectful of multiple viewpoints. 2. Quizzes (4 x 5% each = 20%): The purpose of these [very] short multiple-­‐
choice quizzes is to ensure students are engaging the material by completing the weekly textbook readings. DATES: September 27, October 25, November 1, November 29 3. In-­‐class Midterm Exam (30%): Cumulative test based on questions relating to the lectures and readings from the first half of the course. DATE: October 18 4. Integration paper (40%): Drawing on the material we have explored in class, students will write a paper dealing with a particular topic in religious ethics (examples: bioethics, environmental ethics, a particular religious approach to ethics, feminist ethics) and its importance to contemporary society. In this paper, you will develop and argue for a positive thesis (in other words, you will argue ‘positively’ for a particular way of understanding the problem) while demonstrating respect for multiple viewpoints and a clear understanding of the varied approaches to the issue. Papers should be between 8-­‐9 pages (double-­‐spaced, in 12-­‐pt font) and incorporate at least 10 scholarly sources (academic books or journal articles). Please cite your sources using MLA format. Questions about how to find sources, how to use the Queen’s library, as well as citation style will be addressed in class. DUE DATE: November 15 COURSE OUTLINE Please note that all lecture slides will be made available on the course website during the corresponding week. Students having problems accessing the textbook or readings are advised to talk to the instructor before such problems begin to impact their performance in the course (e.g., before the quiz!). Week 1 September 13 The Story We Find Ourselves In Introduction to Religion, Story and Ethics • What do we mean by “ethics”? • What is “religion”? • The story of Enlightenment and modernity • Postmodernity and the collapse of metanarratives • Globalization, pluralism, and the “New Story” (Thomas Berry) • Outline of course expectations and assignments Week 2 September 20 Can We Be Good With(out) God? • Philosophical thinking about the “common good” • Metaethics and normative ethics • Facts, values, and judgments (Hume) • Moral theory (Kant, naturalism, cognitivism) • Religious morality and authority in the context of philosophical ethics • The Socratic tradition of doubt and questioning Required Readings Textbook: Chapter 4, “The Socratic Religious Experience” Online: Socrates, from Plato’s Dialogues Augustine, Confessions David Hume, “An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding” (short excerpt) Robin W. Lovin, “Moral Theories,” from The Blackwell Companion to Religious Ethics (Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2005). Week 3 September 27 Quiz 1 Wrestling with the Stranger • The ethical challenge of Auschwitz and Hiroshima • Metanarratives and violence • “doubling” and scapegoating • The modernist ethics of techno-­‐bureaucracy and mass death • Ancient stories and postmodern problems Required Readings Textbook: Chapter 2, “Stories of War and Peace: Ancient and Postmodern” Chapter 3, “Gilgamesh and the Religious Quest” Online: The Story of Gilgamesh Emmanuel Levinas, Totality and Infinity (excerpt) Richard Kearney, “Guest or Enemy? Welcoming the Stranger” Week 4 October 4 Stories from India • Introduction to global religious narratives • Masao Abe on individual and collective ethics • Ahimsa (non-­‐violence) and Gandhi’s social justice • Dharma and social organization • Self-­‐knowledge and moksha as ethical framework • Jainism and Sikhism Required Readings Textbook: Chapter 5, “Hindu Stories: Ancient and Postmodern” Online: Bhagavad Gita (excerpt) Mahatma Gandhi and the Way of Brahmacharya Week 5 October 11 Stories from the East • Buddhist ethics • Chinese (Confucian, Daoist) ethics in social context • The role of government in ethics (Mencius and Xunzi) Required Readings Textbook: Chapter 6, “Buddhist Stories: Ancient and Postmodern” Online: The Story of Siddhartha Thich Nhat Hanh The Dalai Lama, Beyond Religion (excerpt) Week 6 October 18 Midterm Test Jewish Stories • Audacity and “chutzpah” • Law and interpretation • Situational and deontological ethics in Jewish perspective • Truth-­‐telling and absolutes Required Readings Textbook: Chapter 7: “Jewish Stories: Ancient and Postmodern” Online: The Book of Job (Bible) Abraham Heschel Week 7 October 25 Quiz 2 Christian Stories • The “image of God” as a framework for ethics • Just war and pacifism • Justice, retribution, and the death penalty • Intramural vs. extramural ethics Discussion: Euthanasia/Assisted Dying Required Readings Textbook: Chapter 8: “Christian Stories: Ancient and Postmodern” Online: The Beatitudes (Jesus), The Gospel of Matthew Martin Luther King, Jr., “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” Courtney S. Campbell, “Religious Ethics and Active Euthanasia in a Pluralistic Society,” Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal 2:3 (1992):253-­‐257 Week 8 November 1 Quiz 3 Islamic Stories • Eschatology and pilgrimage • Religious tolerance and care for the poor (zakat) • Just war and non-­‐violence (Malcolm X) • fiqh and shari’a • Tradition and engagement with modernity Discussion: Bioethics (cloning, genetic manipulation) Required Readings Textbook: Chapter 9, “Islamic Stories: Ancient and Postmodern” Online: “Islam and Bioethics: Beyond Abortion and Euthanasia,” The Journal of Religious Ethics 36:1 (March 2008):3-­‐12. Week 9 November 8 Feminist Religious Ethics • Joanna Macy (Buddhism) • Rosemary Ruether (Christianity) • The ethics of interdependence and care • The feminist challenge to myths of life through death Discussion: Economic ethics (poverty, justice, globalization) Required Readings Textbook: Chapter 10, “Feminist Audacity and the Ethics of Interdependence” Online: Morny Joy, “Women’s Rights and Religions: A Contemporary Review,” Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion 29:1 (Spring 2013): 52. Week 10 November 15 Essay Due Body and Sexuality • Religious ethics and constructions of gender • Homosexuality and identity in religious contexts • The ethics of marriage and family in pluralist perspective Discussion: Sexuality and gender; reproductive rights Required Readings Online: Regina Ammicht-­‐Quinn, “Body Culture” (Blackwell) Charles Mathewes, “Sexuality,” in Understanding Religious Ethics (Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2010): 91-­‐105. Pamela Dickey Young, “Same-­‐Sex Marriage: Moral and Social Value” Week 11 November 22 Religion and Ecological Ethics • Ecology and indigenous spiritualities • Ecology in Zoroastrianism • Ecofeminism and eco-­‐justice in Western traditions (stewardship and justice) • Hinduism and environmentalism (sacredness of nature and geography) Required Readings Textbook: Chapter 11: “Cosmopolis: The Way of All the Earth” Online: Lynn White, “The Historical Roots of our Ecological Crisis,” Nancy G. Wright, “Christianity and Environmental Justice,” CrossCurrents 61:2 (June 2011): 161-­‐190. Vine Deloria, “Indigenous Peoples” (Blackwell) William French, “Ecology” (Blackwell) Week 12 November 29 Religion and Global Stories Quiz 4 • Terrorism and religious fundamentalism • Apocalypticism and ethics • Ethics of violence and nonviolence revisited Discussion: Religious freedom and pluralism Required Reading Online: Fasching et al, “Gandhian Ethics in an Age of Terrorism” ACADEMIC INTEGRITY Academic integrity at Queen’s University is constituted by the five core fundamental values of honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. These values are central to the building, nurturing and sustaining of an academic community in which all members of the community will thrive. Adherence to the values expressed through academic integrity forms a foundation for the "freedom of inquiry and exchange of ideas" essential to the intellectual life of the University (see http://www.queensu.ca/secretariat/policies/senateandtrustees/principlesprioritie
s.html). Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the regulations concerning academic integrity and for ensuring that their assignments conform to the principles of academic integrity. Information on academic integrity is available in the Arts and Science Calendar (see Academic Regulation 1 http://www.queensu.ca/artsci/academic-­‐calendars/2011-­‐2014-­‐calendar/academic
-­‐ regulations/regulation-­‐1), on the Arts and Science website (see http://www.queensu.ca/artsci/academics/undergraduate/academic-­‐integrity), and from the instructor of this course. Departures from academic integrity include plagiarism, use of unauthorized materials, facilitation, forgery and falsification, and are antithetical to the development of an academic community at Queen's. Given the seriousness of these matters, actions which contravene the regulation on academic integrity carry sanctions that can range from a warning or the loss of grades on an assignment to the failure of a course to a requirement to withdraw from the university. What is plagiarism? Plagiarism, simply defined, is presenting another’s ideas or phrasings as one’s own without proper acknowledgement. Some examples include: copying and pasting from the internet, a printed source, or other resource without proper acknowledgement; copying from another student; using direct quotations or large sections of paraphrased material in an assignment without appropriate acknowledgement; submitting the same piece of work in more than one course without the permission of the instructor(s). Accommodations: If you have a physical, psychological, or learning situation that may require accommodations in this course, please contact immediately Queen’s Student Accessibility Services (QSAS) and register as early as possible. For details and further information see http://www.queensu.ca/studentwellness/accessibility-­‐
services/. Copyright of Course Materials: Course material distributed in-­‐class and online is copyrighted and is for the sole use of students registered in this course. This material shall not be distributed or disseminated to anyone other than students registered in these courses. Failure to abide by these conditions is a breach of copyright, and may also constitute a breach of academic integrity under the University Senate’s Academic Integrity Policy Statement. DEPARTMENTAL GRADING POLICY: All components of this course will receive numerical percentage marks. The final grade you receive for the course will be derived by converting your numerical course average to a letter grade according to Queen’s Official Grade Conversion Scale: Numerical Course Grade Average (Range) A+ 90-­‐100 A 85-­‐89 A 80-­‐84 B+ 77-­‐79 B 73-­‐76 B 70-­‐72 C+ 67-­‐69 C 63-­‐66 C 60-­‐62 D+ 57-­‐59 D 53-­‐56 D 50-­‐52 F 49 and below OPTIONAL PRIMARY TEXTS TO ACCOMPANY TEXTBOOK: John Henrik Clarke (1970), Malcolm X: The Man and His Times (New York: Collier Macmillan). Darrell J. Fasching (2000), The Coming of the Millennium: Good News for the Whole Human Race (Bloomington: iUniverse). Louis Fischer, ed. (2002), The Essential Gandhi: An Anthology of His Writings on His Life, Work, and Ideas (New York: Vintage Spiritual Classics). Thich Nhat Hanh (1994), Love in Action: Writings on Nonviolent Social Change (Berkeley: Parallax Press). Abraham Joshua Heschel (1996), Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity, (essays) (New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux). Joanna Macy (2007), World as Lover, World as Self: A Guide to Living Fully in Turbulent Times (Berkeley: Parallax Press). Rosemary Ruether (1994), Gaia and God: An Ecofeminist Theology of Earth Healing (New York: HarperCollins).