REL 338 - Religion and Conflict

Credits: 3

What is the relationship of religion to politics and conflict? Although religions quite often offer guidelines about peace and harmonious relations, it is a well understood fact that they have been seen to exacerbate, or possibly be a reason for many conflicts across the globe. This course will examine a number of countries in which conflict appears, apparently in the mantle of religion, and critically examine whether religion has played a role in the genesis of that conflict, whether religion was just a pretext, or indeed if religion can or should have mitigated the conflict. The United States, Yugoslavia, Israel, and India are examples where issues of religion and political conflict will be examined. This course is cross-listed as INT 338 and POS 338.