Fred Glennon, Ph.D. (Courses) Professor (RH 216) Department of Religious Studies Le Moyne College Syracuse, New York 13214 (315)445-4343

REL 336

Tentative Course and Reading Schedule

Spring 2016 RH 338 MW 9:30-10:45 (Section 01); 1:00-2:15 (Section 02) 

Module 1	The Learning Covenant
1/25 Introductions	Questions:  Why am I in this class?  What do I hope to learn from taking this class?  Who else is in this class and why?  Who is this professor?  What qualifies him to teach this class?  Can he help me meet my learning objectives?
1/27 The Learning Covenant	Questions:  What is a "learning covenant"?  What contribution, if any, can it make to my learning in this class and beyond? Fred Glennon, "Promoting Freedom, Responsibility, and Learning in a Religious Studies Course: The Learning Covenant a Decade Later (on Canvas) Read Syllabus and Learning Covenant materials on Canvas (http://Canvas.lemoyne.edu) or my web page (http://webserver.lemoyne.edu/~glennon/rel336.htm) Take Syllabus Quiz (on Canvas) before 1/27 class.
Module 2	The Nature of Religious Ethics
2/1 The Nature of Religious Ethics	Questions:  What is ethics?  How does it differ from morality?  Are religious ethics different from secular ethics?  If so, in what ways?  Why should I care? Gudorf, Comparative Religious Ethics, (15-29)
2/3 Social-Institutional Location and Loyalties	Questions:  Does my social and institutional location (my ethnicity, race, class, family origins, religion, educational status, political perspective, etc.) shape my moral conduct and moral character?  Does it contribute anything to my ability to think, feel, and act ethically about the important issues of our day?  Does it keep me from seeing other points of view?  Gudorf, Comparative Religious Ethics, (29-39)
2/8 Worldviews, Beliefs, and Values	Questions:  What is a "worldview;" what does it include?  What is the worldview of my religious tradition?  Why is it important for me to understand the worldviews of the different religious traditions we will be studying?  Do these worldviews lead followers of these religious traditions to think, feel, and act ethically about the important issues of the day in ways that are similar, different, or both?   Damien Keown, "Buddhist Morality," in Buddhist Ethics: A Very Short Introduction, pp. 3-20 (on Canvas). Ismā'īl Rājī Al Fārūqī, "Islamic Ethics," in World religions and global ethics, p 212-237 (on Canvas). Segun Gbadegesin, "Origins of African Ethics," and Benezet Bujo, "Differentiations in African Ethics," in The Blackwell Companion to Religious Ethics, pp 413-437 (on Canvas). Vine Deloria, Jr. "Indigenous Peoples," in The Blackwell Companion to Religious Ethics, 552-559 (on Canvas). James Gustafson, "Can Ethics Be Christian?" in Can Ethics Be Christian? (on Canvas).
2/10 Moral Reasoning and Argument	Questions:  What constitutes a good moral argument?  What is the relationship between the conclusions I reach and the beliefs, principles, and facts from which those conclusions are drawn? Anthony Weston, "A Word to Students: How to Write an Ethics Paper," in A Practical Companion to Ethics, 85-97 (on Canvas)
Module 3	Body, Sexuality, Marriage, Family, and Procreation
2/15 Sex, Gender, and Sexuality	Questions:  What are gender and sex?  Do men and women have different innate qualities and characteristics?  Or are these characteristics shaped by their culture and society?  How have religious traditions contributed to our understandings of gender and sex roles?  What is the nature and purpose of sexuality?  What does it mean to say that we are sexual beings?  Is it only about making babies or is it more?  Should sexual expression be limited?  If so, in what ways?  How do the religious traditions we are studying answer these questions?   · Dan Maguire, "Sex and the Sacred," The Religious Consultation on Population, Reproductive Health & Ethics · Gudorf, “Religions on Sexuality and Marriage,” in Comparative Religious Ethics, chapter 5
2/17 The Morality of Sexual Variations	Questions:  Why is there such debate about the morality of homosexuality and same-sex marriages today?  Can people with different sexual orientations act on their sexuality in morally appropriate ways?  If so, what makes those acts moral and others immoral?  Do the religious traditions we are studying agree on answers to these questions or are there differences?  If so, what are the reasons for those differences?   Islam:  Khalid Duran, "Homosexuality and Islam," in Homosexuality and World Religions, ed. Arlene Swidler, 181-197 (on reserve) Buddhism:  Jose Ignacio Cabezon, "Homosexuality and Buddhism," in Homosexuality and World Religions, ed. Arlene Swidler, 81-102 (on reserve) Indigenous Religions: Robert Baum, "Homosexuality and the Traditional Religions of the Americas and Africa," in Homosexuality and World Religions, ed. Arlene Swidler, 1-34 (on reserve) Christianity:  Catholic: Denise and John Carmody, "Homosexuality and Roman Catholicism," in Homosexuality and World Religions, ed. Arlene Swidler, 135-148 (on reserve) Protestant: Marvin Ellison, "Homosexuality and Protestantism," in Homosexuality and World Religions, ed. Arlene Swidler, 149-190 (on reserve)
2/22 Multiple Forms of Marriage and Family	Questions: Is the morality of a marital or family situation based on their form or their function? Alternative families are not new. In what ways is the need for alternative families, those voluntarily chosen and assembled greater today that in the past? What kind of moral obligations do we have to families? What do religious traditions have to contribute to this discussion? · Gudorf, “Religion on Making and Keeping Families,” in Comparative Religious Ethics, chapter 6.
2/24 Abortion and Family Planning	Questions:  Can you envision an instance where aborting a fetus might be a morally justifiable act on the part of a woman and/or family?  If not, why not?  If so, what are the reasons you would use to justify it? Are other forms of birth control and family planning acceptable to you?  What are they and why?  How do the religious traditions we are studying answer these questions?  Are there differences within traditions?  Across traditions?  What accounts for these differences? Daniel Maguire, Sacred Choices: The Right to Contraception and Abortion in Ten World Religions (Fortress Press, 2001) Judaism:  pp. 95-105 Islam:  pp. 107-120 Buddhism:  pp. 57-72 Indigenous Religions:  pp. 133-148 Christianity:  Protestant, 121-132; Catholic, 31-42
Module 4	Violence and Health Care Issues
2/29 Introduction	Questions:  Why do people get angry? Is anger always a bad thing? What is the relationship between anger and violence? What is the relationship between anger and justice? What do religious traditions say about anger? What do we mean by the term "violence"?  Is it only physical, or can it be emotional, social, or institutional?  If it is broader, then what are we trying to get at when we say that someone has experienced violence?  Why is religion often associated with violence--in its symbols, its rituals, and its actions toward nonbelievers? · Gudorf, “Religions on Anger and Violence,” in Comparative Religious Ethics, chapter 8. · Robert McAfee Brown, “Clarifying Our Terms,” in Religion and Violence, 1-13 (on Canvas)
3/2 Institutional Violence: Terrorism and War	Questions:  What images come to mind when you hear the word terrorism?  What does terrorism involve (what attitudes and actions, who decides which are terrorism and which are not)?  Why has terrorism increased so much of late?  Why do people become terrorists?  Are they ever justified in doing so?  Do people ever do acts of terrorism in the name of religion?  How do religious traditions respond to those who claim their terrorism is religiously motivated? Is there such a thing as a "just war" given today's military firepower?  What criteria should we use to measure the justice of a war or conflict?  What criteria do the religious traditions we are studying use? Just War; Just War (cont.) Islam:  Islam and Jihad Buddhism:  Christianity:
3/14 Institutional Violence: Death Penalty and Restorative Justice	Questions:  Should a society have the right or obligation to put people to death, even when that same society does not allow individuals to do the same?  If so, what reasons does a society put forth to defend such a right?  If not, why not?  What reasons do the religious traditions we are studying give to support, limit, or oppose the death penalty?  What alternatives to the death penalty seem appropriate? William Schabas, "Islam and the Death Penalty" (on Canvas)  Buddhism:  David Loy, "How to Reform a Serial Killer: The Buddhist Approach to Restorative Justice," Journal of Buddhist Ethics Vol. 7 (2000) (on Canvas) U.S. Catholic Bishops, "Statement on Capital Punishment," (on Canvas)
3/16 Health Care Ethics: Stem Cell Debate	Questions: How should we distribute health care? Is it a part of the communal provision that we should provide to each other? Or should it only be distributed on the basis of one’s ability to pay? What are the facts surrounding the stem cell debate?  Are embryonic stem cells really necessary for the research or would adult stem cells be sufficient? What ethical frameworks do people use in this debate? What do the religious traditions say? · William May, “The Ethics of Health Care Reform,” (on Canvas) · Pew Forum, “Stem Cell Research at the Crossroads of Religion and Politics,” · Pew Forum, “Religious Groups’ Official Positions on Stem Cell Research”
3/21 End of Life/Euthanasia	Questions: Is it ethical to choose to end one's own life, especially when one's quality of life is so bad?  Who should decide? Are all forms of euthanasia unethical?  Is there ever a time when medical personnel can and should assist people in ending their lives? · Dan Callahan, “Pursuing a Peaceful Death” (on Canvas) Film Presentation: “Whose Life Is It Anyway?”
3/23 Euthanasia (cont.)	Questions:  Is there a right to die? Who should make end of life decisions? What norms should guide us? What are the views of the religious traditions we have been studying? Film Presentation (“Whose Life Is It Anyway?) (cont) Readings: Religious views of euthanasia BBC, Religion and Euthanasia (all read) Buddhism (all read) Islam (all read) Christian Views (all read) Pew Forum on Religious Views of End of Life Issues
3/28	Easter Break (no class)
3/30	Catch Up Day: This is a day to take a breath and take stock of where we are. If there are still questions that linger or issues we have not addressed as yet, this is a good time to do this. We will also do some review.
Module 5	Justice, the Economy, and the Environment
4/4 Injustice	Questions:  How do we know when an injustice is occurring or has occurred?  What are the marks of such injustice?  What does it mean to say that our society is marked by a "web of injustice"?     Lebacqz, "Rupture: The Reign of Injustice," in Justice in an Unjust World (on Canvas)
4/6 Poverty and Charity	Questions: What are our obligations to the poor, especially those who beg on the streets? Is there a difference between charity and justice or are they the same? What do the religious traditions say about charity and the treatment of the poor? · Gudorf, “Religions on Charity and Beggars,” in Comparative Religious Ethics, chapter 8.
4/11 The Market Economy	Questions:  What is the ethic of the marketplace? Does the faith that people place in the market economy today resemble a religion (with worldviews, myths, symbols, and ritual and ethical practices)?  Is the faith that people place in markets justified?  Or are there limits to markets that a just society needs to enforce?   David Loy, "The Religion of the Market," Journal of the American Academy of Religion 65/2: 275-290 (on Canvas)
4/13 Work	Questions:  Why do people work?  Is it only to make a living?  Or is there something in human nature that leads us to engage in some type of productive work?  Are all forms of work equally valuable or are there some work that is better than others and even some work that human beings should not engage in?  How do the religious traditions we are studying answer these questions? Gudorf, “Religions on Making Work Human,” in Comparative Religious Ethics, chapter 3.
4/18 Inequality, Wealth and Greed	First 30 minutes: Erin Simmons and Emily Stickel will do a presentation on Diversity Questions:  Is there a correlation between wealth and poverty?  Does the desire for more (money, goods, services, etc.) on the part of those considered wealthy or privileged contribute to the poverty experienced by others as some suggest?  How would the religious traditions we are studying address these imbalances? David Loy, "Pave the Planet or Wear Shoes?  A Buddhist Perspective on Greed and Globalization," in Subverting Greed, Knitter and Muzaffa, eds. (Orbis Books, 2002), 58-76 Ameer Ali, "Globalization and Greed: A Muslim Perspective," in Subverting Greed, Knitter and Muzaffa, eds. (Orbis Books, 2002), 137-154 Ifi Amadiume, ""Igbo and African Religious Perspectives on Religious Conscience and the Global Economy," in Subverting Greed, Knitter and Muzaffa, eds. (Orbis Books, 2002), 15-37 Sallie McFague, "God's Household: Christianity, Economics, and Planetary Living," in Subverting Greed, Knitter and Muzaffa, eds. (Orbis Books, 2002), 119-136
4/25 Environmental Crises	Questions:  Is our world on the brink of ecological crisis (global warming, ozone depletion, species extinction, etc.)?  If so, how did we get to this place?  Is it only the result of overpopulation, consumption, and the like, or did religion, especially Christianity, play a role at the level of worldview and ethic?  Is there hope within religious traditions for addressing this crisis? Lynn White, "The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis," Science 155 (1967): 1203-07 (on Canvas)
4/25 Environmental Crises	Questions:  Is our world on the brink of ecological crisis (global warming, ozone depletion, species extinction, etc.)?  If so, how did we get to this place?  Is it only the result of overpopulation, consumption, and the like, or did religion, especially Christianity, play a role at the level of worldview and ethic?  Is there hope within religious traditions for addressing this crisis? Lynn White, "The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis," Science 155 (1967): 1203-07 (on Canvas)
4/27 Religious Attitudes Toward the Non-Human World (Islamic and Christian)	Questions:  What is our attitude toward the non-human world (animals, fish, plants, ecosystems, etc.)?  Is it purely instrumental in that they are there for our use and pleasure?  What does it mean to say we respect other species?  What answers do the religious traditions we are studying provide?  John A. Grim, "Indigenous Traditions and Ecology” (Forum on Religion and Ecology); Donald Swearer, "Buddhism and Ecology:  Challenge and Promise," (Forum on Religion and Ecology); Frederick Denny, “Islam and Ecology,” (Forum on Religion and Ecology); Dieter Hessel, “Christianity and Ecology," (Forum on Religion and Ecology)
Module 8	A Global Ethic
5/2 Toward a Global Ethic	Questions: What moral frameworks do religious traditions have in common? What does Armstrong mean by the term compassion? What are the first three steps to a compassionate life? What would it take to embody them? How is the virtue of empathy embodied? Karen Armstrong, “Preface,” Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life (All Read) Karen Armstrong, “Learn about Compassion,” Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life, chap. 1. Karen Armstrong, “Look at Your Own World,” Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life, chap. 2. Karen Armstrong, “Compassion for Yourself,” Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life, chap. 3. Karen Armstrong, “Empathy,” Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life, chap. 4.
5/4	Questions: How are the virtues of mindfulness and action embodied in the religious traditions we studied? How do they ground a framework for a global ethic? Is it possible to abandon a tribal outlook? How important is dialogue in fostering a global ethic? Is it possible to have concern for everybody? If so, how should we go about it? · Karen Armstrong, “Mindfulness,” Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life, chap. 5. · Karen Armstrong, “Action,” Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life, chap. 6. · Karen Armstrong, “How Little We Know,” Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life, chap. 7. · Karen Armstrong, “How Should We Speak to One Another?,” Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life, chap. 8. · Karen Armstrong, “Concern for Everybody,” Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life, chap. 9.
5/9	Questions: How do we go about learning about another culture, country, or tradition? What do you see when you look into the face of another? Is it us versus them? Or do you see some commonalities that might bridge the gaps between us? To what extent should we love our enemies? · Karen Armstrong, “Knowledge,” Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life, chap. 10. · Karen Armstrong, “Recognition,” Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life, chap. 11. · Karen Armstrong, “Love Your Enemies,” Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life, chap.12. · Karen Armstrong, “A Last Word,” Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life, Epilogue (All Read)
Group Final Ethical Reflection and Exam Due	Section 01: Thursday, May 12, 12:00-2:30pm Section 02: Friday, May 13, 9:00-11:30 All finals must be posted to Canvas no later than 5pm, Saturday, May 14.