Overview

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

An interdisciplinary study of a selected theme that has made a lasting contribution to the humanistic tradition in more than one field of endeavour(e.g. philosophy, politics, literature,economics, religion). This course may be repeated once for credit. Students who have credit for a course with this content under another Humanities course may not take this course for further credit. Breadth-Humanities.

COURSE DETAILS:

Humanistic Tradition (Spiritual Ecology) Religion, Spirituality and the Environment

This middle to upper division humanities elective is meant to survey the emerging dialogues unfolding between the established world religions, myriad indigenous communities, contemporary spiritualities and the environment. Following the seminal 1967 essay by Lynn White Jr. entitled “The Historical Roots of the Ecological Crisis,” religion was pointed to as at least part of the cause of our current ecological crises. Many theologians and practitioners felt the need to respond. Thus was born the ‘Religion and Ecology’ movement, and various forms of ecotheology that seek to make clear the religions resources and liabilities when it comes to the environment. Christianity in particular, which birthed both the sciences and modernism, has had to wrestle with claims of deep anthropocentrism, toxic materialism and destructive industrial exploitation of the earth that has resulted in an pollution, an extinction crisis and runaway global warming. Many practitioners of various faiths have responded by ‘greening’ traditional religious views, by either retrieving or reinterpreting traditional and authoritative teachings. Others have called for a more post-religious or at least religiously plural approach to ecological spirituality that often references various indigenous spiritualities. This course will explore these emerging responses to the environmental crisis on the part of the religions and contemporary spirituality through a variety of theoretical writing and case studies.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

• Gain a basic understanding of major world religions’ views on the earth, creation, nature and ecology.
• Understand post-religious spirituality in relation to ecology.
• Survey and discuss the strategies being used by activists to enlist the religions of the world in the ecological movement and to bridge the gap between faith and science.
• Explore personal connections to faith, spirituality and environment.

 

Grading

Materials

REQUIRED READING: