RTS 3030 - Humans, Earth, & the Sacred: Religion & the Environment

Credits: 4

This course surveys different religious traditions and their understandings of nature and human relations to other humans, animals, environment, and cosmos. In each case we will be looking at how those belief systems, or worldviews, result in particular attitudes that affect the environment and other humans by influencing human actions in relation to nature, and in turn how those actions (and thus the worldviews) affect humans, animals, plants, earth, and space, often in unintended ways, such as the way that those on the bottom of the socio-economic ladder suffer greater hardship and health issues such as exposure to pollution or toxins, environmental illnesses, and poorer food sources. Attention will be paid to power structures inherent in religious ways of understanding the roles of humans in relation to nature. Course requires site visits outside of class.
Fulfills: D and X in LS Core.