| Dozent/in |
Prof. Dr. phil. Martin Baumann |
| Veranstaltungsart |
Masterseminar |
| Code |
FS121246 |
| Semester |
Frühjahrssemester 2012 |
| Durchführender Fachbereich |
Religionswissenschaft |
| Studienstufe |
Master |
| Termin/e |
wöchentlich (Di), ab 21.02.2012, 13:15 - 15:00 Uhr, HS 11 |
| Umfang |
2 Semesterwochenstunden |
| Turnus |
wöchentlich |
| Inhalt |
In typical self-convinced manner of exceptionalism, Harvard Professor Diana L. Eck calls the United States the 'world's most religiously diverse nation', pointing to the strong plurality of different religions and faiths in contemporary American society. From the European perspective, the religious diversity in the United States appears to function well. Even more so, it is often referred to as an inspiring model for contested perceptions of the emerging religious plurality in European countries. Whereas religious diversity and social cohesion would go well together in America, in European countries the religious plurality would lead to tensions and conflicts and a threat to social cohesion, some argue. The seminar takes a historically informed look at the various developments of increasing religious plurality and the question of social cohesion. In contrast to the positive European perspective on the United States and its assumed welcoming nature, a closer look brings forth contested and exclusivist positions from the early Puritan colonies to debates about immigration and 'other' religions in the 19th, 20th and early 21st century. Topics of the seminar will be, amongst others, the idea of religious freedom in a 'Christian nation'; 19th century mass immigration, anti-Catholicism and exclusion of Chinese and Japanese; mid-20th century Black churches and the Civil Righs Movements as well as the Nation of Islam; the rise of the Religious Right and Moral Majority as well as contemporary controversies about Islam and mosque building projects. These and many other controversies point to rather less tolerant and welcoming periods and to strongly exclusivist positions of white Protestant Anglo-Saxons towards the religious 'others'. As such, the seminar will discuss what constitutes social cohesion of a religiously plural society and how best to achieve and secure social cohesion. The aim of the seminar is to introduce selected periods of US-American history of religious plurality and related tensions and controversies and refer these to the basic question of constituents of social cohesion. |
| Voraussetzungen |
Depending on the students' skills of language, the course will be done entirely or partially in English.
Requirements: BA |
| Sprache |
Englisch |
| Begrenzung |
12 Studierende |
| Anmeldung |
UniPortal |
| Abschlussform / Credits |
Aktive Teilnahme (Referat) / 4 Credits
|
| Kontakt |
martin.baumann@unilu.ch |
| Material |
s. OLAT |
| Literatur |
Recommended literature Eck, Diana L., 2002, A New Religious America. How a "Christian Country has become the World's Most Religiously Diverse Nation, San Francisco: Harper Collins. Lambert, Frank, 2008, Religion in American Politics. A Short History, Princeton, Oxford. Princeton University Press. Portes, Alejandro/Rumbaut, Ruben G., 2006, Immigrant America. A Portrait, revised, expanded, and updated 3rd edition, Berkeley: University of California Press. Wuthnow, Robert, 2007, America and the Challenges of Religious Divesity, Princeton: Princeton University Press. |