REL 280: Sacred Texts and Social Change

Goal: To introduce students to the history and ongoing use of sacred texts in movements for social change and justice.
Content: The course will examine the role of sacred texts, especially the Bible but also texts of other religious traditions, in movements for social change. Particular attention will be given to struggles for justice in the history of the United States, including abolition, women’s suffrage, civil rights, queer and trans liberation, and recent movements such as Black Lives Matter and Me Too. Students will analyze the texts and strategies of scriptural interpretation used within social justice movements, as well as those used by their detractors, and will thereby consider what makes sacred texts effective as tools for social change in public discourse.
Gen. Ed. Category: Exploring; Individuals & Communities; (HUM).
Credit: 3
Degree Level: Undergraduate