LINKÖPINGS UNIVERSITET Department of Culture and Communication Religious Studies Fall 2013 Terrorism, Violence, and Religon, 7,5 ECTS Course Code 790G86 Religion, våld och terrorism, 7,5 hp Kurskod 790G87 Teachers: Professor Kjell O. Lejon (KL), Hus Key, kontor 4438 Tel. 013-28 56 67 Email address: kjell.o.lejon@liu.se Universitetslektor Åse Piltz (ÅP), Hus Key, kontor 4422 Tel. 013-28 66 41 Email address: ase.piltz@liu.se Universitetsadjunkt Fredrik Wenell (FW), kontor 4435 Tel. 013-28 68 07 Email address: fredrik.wenell@teol.uu.se Administrator: Kristina Hellman, Hus Key, kontor: 4433 Tel: 013-28 1809 E-postadress: kristina.hellman@liu.se
Syllabus Day Time Place Subject Teacher Literature. Deadlines. Nov. 4 13-15 Key 4220 Introduction: Religious and violence. Aspects and Problematization. A Clash of Civilizations? Nov. 15 10-12 Key 4220 Perspectives on OT and NT texts on violence. KL Cavanaugh, pp. 3-16 Huntington, Tha Clash of Civilizations Juergensmeyer, pp. 3-15 (Reader) FW Hand in paper No. 1 Nov. 20 13-16 Key 4220 Interpretations and legitimations of violence within Islamic traditions Nov. 25 13-16 Key 4220 Religion and violence within Hindu and Buddhist politics ÅP ÅP Esposito, Unholy War Venkatraman, "Religious Basis for Islamic Terrorism" Balkaran and Dorn, Violence in the Valmıki Ramayana Abeysekara, "The Saffron Army" Nov. 28 13-16 Key 4220 Expressions of rightful terrorism ÅP Hand in paper No. 2 Dec. 5 13-15 Key 4220 Is religious violence a myth? FW Cavanaugh, 15-230 Dec. 9 10-12 Key 4220 Christian Views on Using Violence: Just War Theory, Crusades, etc. KL Madden, pp. 1-13 (Reader) Stark (Reader) Aquinas (Reader) What is Just War? (Reader) Corey (Reader)
Bush (Reader), Dec. 12 13-15 Key 4220 Pacifism in Christian traditions. Seminar: Be prepared to defend and criticize both Just War and Pacifism. FW Hand in paper No. 3 Cortright (Reader), Hauerwas (Reader), Dec. 12 18.00 Deadline for proposal, final paper Jan. 8 12.00 A hard copy and also an e-version of the final paper is due. Jan.13 10-12, 13-15 Key 4220 Final Seminar. Student presentations and responses. ÅP Jan.14 9-12 AIM OF THE COURSE After completion of the course the student should be able to: Clarify Muslim and Christian understandings of the use of violence Describe similarities and differences within and between these two traditions when it comes to the understanding of the use of violence Identify, analyze, and problematize the relation between religion and the use of violence through some concrete examples. CONTENTS This course is an introduction to the relationship between religion and politics with specific focus on the use of violence. A description and analysis of the use of violence in the name of religion, of arguments for and against the use of violence, and of the contemporary debate on religion and violence is emphasized, especially in Muslim and Christian traditions, but also in other religious traditions. TEACHING The course is seminar based. The students prepare their seminar participation through literature studies and paper writings, participate actively and constructively in the seminar discussions, and write a final paper. EXAMINATION
The basis for the examination will be three seminar papers and a final paper. 1. In the first paper (1,300-1,500 words in lengths, excluding footnotes) the student need to discuss Huntington s paper, Juergensmeyer s Chapter 1 (reader) and Cavanaugh s Introduction: What is Huntington s thesis? What are the four main phases of world politics? How do they differ? How many civilizations? Why do they clash? Evidence? New fault lines? How important is religion? What does he mean with the West versus the Rest? Do you think Huntington is correct in his analysis? Why/Why not? Clarify your arguments. Be specific. What is the purpose and goal of Juergensmeyer s book? What are the purpose, goals, and meaning of terrorism? What role does/can religion play? Is religious terrorism a mutant form of religion? Why/Why not? What are the meaning and purpose of religious terrorism? How, why and in what ways does religion make a difference in justifying terrorism? What aspects does Cavanaugh bring into his analysis? Are they valid? Why/Why not? Clarify your arguments). Try to summarize your overall findings and clarify what you think is your most interesting and/or surprising findings in the three writings. This paper must be handed in on November 15 before the seminar starts. If turned in later, the grade will be lowered one step, i.e. an A becomes a B, etc. 2. In the second paper (1,300-1,500 words in lengths, excluding footnotes) the student need to discuss a present-day expression and legitimation of violence within Islamic, Buddhist or Hindu culture. The discussion should start from an emic perspective with a focus on how the chosen group express their goals and perceived moral right to use violence within the specific context: Against whom is violence legitimate and on what grounds? How do they argue against those within their religious setting that is potentially against the use of violence? In what ways do they perceive the use of violence as a religiously grounded decree? What use is made of religious scriptures, and how? Summarize your 'case-study' with a reflection of the groups potential problems within their religious setting regarding their use of legitimizing arguments. This paper must be handed in on November 28 before the seminar starts. If turned in later, the grade will be lowered one step, i.e. an A becomes a B, etc. 3. In the third paper (1,000-1,200 words in lengths, excluding footnotes) Read September 11, 2001: A Pacifist Response (Stanley Hauerwas) carefully (Retrieved at: http://today.duke.edu/showcase/mmedia/features/911site/hauerwas.html)
The paper must include two parts: The first part must include a description of a Christian pacifist way of dealing with violence. Use the articles found in the reading list; describe different kinds of pacifism (include differences/similarities), the arguments for pacifism, the purpose of pacifism etc. In the second part the student must discuss the article September 11, 2001: A Pacifist Response by Stanley Hauerwas. What are Hauerwas arguments? What is his response to September 11? How does he describe the Just War Theory? What arguments is he using against that theory? What would a Just War Theory response be to Hauerwas? Evaluate Hauerwas response in regard to the two different kinds of Christian theories (Pacifism and Just War). The paper must be handed in on December 12 before the seminar starts. If turned in later, the grade will be lowered one step, i.e. an A becomes a B, etc. 4. The final paper: Not later than on Dec. 12, at 6PM, the students need to send a e-proposal to ase.piltz@liu.se that includes a topic for the final paper and at least three relevant and primary sources that should be used in this paper. The paper could for example discuss a case from a current situation in the world where religion seems to be a part in the conflict; It could describe and discuss different kinds of response to violence in a Christian and Muslim context; It could be a analyzes of theories in different religions; It could be an general discussion of the relationship between religion and violence; Or the student could choose a subject on their own. But the teachers will decide if the topic is accepted and return the answer to the student. A hard copy and also an e-version of the final paper must be handed in on January 8, at noon. 5. At the final seminar on January 13 (possibly also Jan. 14 depending on the size of the class), the students must be prepared to present her/his paper, arguments and conclusions. Each student will have no more than 7-10 minutes at their disposal. The final paper should count 4,500-5,000 words, excluding footnotes and bibliography. Style of the final paper Margins: One-inch margins on all four sides. Font Style: Times, Times New Roman or Calibri Font Size: 11 or 12. Spacing: 1,5 or 1,15. Citation Format: Footnotes only. Do not use the social science citation method.
Footnote and Bibliography Style: Book Bernard M. Levinson, Deuteronomy and the Hermeneutics of Legal Innovation (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997), 240-245. [Short form or subsequent citation: Pegg, 247] Edited Book Peter Brown and Henry Shue, eds., Food Policy: The Responsibility of the United States in the Life and Death of Choices (New York: Free Press, 1977), chap. 3. [Short form or subsequent citation: Brown & Shue, 147] Chapter in Edited Book Alan Ryan, "Liberalism," in A Companion to Contemporary Political Philosophy, ed. Robert Goodin and Philip Pettit (Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1993), 24-60. Article in Journal Lance Banning, "Jeffersonian Ideology Revisited: Liberal and Classical Ideas in the New American Republic," William and Mary Quarterly 43 (January 1986), 12-16. Electronic Source Bruce Pegg, National Writing Centers Association, Resources for Writers, August 4, 1998 [Online]. Available at http://departments.colgate.edu/diw/nwca/resources. html [March, 2012]. [Short form or subsequent citation: Pegg, Resources for Writers, paragraph 3.] LITTERATURE Abeysekara, Ananda (2001),"The Saffron Army, Violence, Terror(ism): Buddhism, Identity, and Difference in Sri Lanka", Numen; 2001, Vol. 48 Issue 1, pp. 1-46 (Pdf further info at lecture). Balkaran, Raj and Dorn, A. Walter (2012), "Violence in the Valmıki Ramayana: Just War Criteria in an Ancient Indian Epic", Journal of the American Academy of Religion; Sep2012, Vol. 80 Issue 3, pp. 659-690, 32p. (Pdf further info at lecture). Bush, George H.W., Remarks at the Annual Convention of the National Religious Broadcasters, January 28, 1991, (Can be retrieved at: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=19250&st=just+war&st1=). (Reader) Cavanaugh, William T. (2009), The Myth of Religious Violence. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Corey, David D., Luther and the Just-War tradition (Retrieved at: http://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?nobk=y&sid=53b95b17-f17c-4f83-8553- 841f0f811ed2@sessionmgr110&vid=5&hid=6). Cortright, David. (2011). Toward Realistic Pacifism: John Howard Yoder and the Theory and Practice of Nonviolent Peacemaking (Available on the internet, see http://cortrightdavid.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/conrad-grebel-yoder-fall-111.pdf). Esposito, John L. (2002). Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Hauerwas, Stanley. (2001). Peacemaking: The Virtue of the Church. in The Hauerwas Reader. Durham: Duke University Press, pp. 318-326. Huntington, Samuel P. (1993), The Clash of Civilizations? Foreign Affairs 72/3 (Summer 1993) (Available on the internet, see for example: http://www.polsci.wvu.edu/faculty/hauser/ps103/readings/huntingtonclashofcivilizationsfor AffSummer93.pdf). Juergensmeyer, Mark (2003), Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence Berkeley/Los Angeles: University of California Press, pp. 3-15. (Reader) Madden, Thomas F., (2005), The Call. Chapter 1 in The New Concise History of the Crusades (updated edition). Lanham, et al: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, pp. 1-13. (Reader) Stark, Rodney (2009), God s Battalions. New York: HarperCollins, pp. 2-9, 243-248. (Reader) Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Question 40. (Can be retrieved at http://www.newadvent.org/summa/3040.htm). Venkatraman, Amritha (2007), "Religious Basis for Islamic Terrorism: The Quran and Its Interpretations" Studies in Conflict & Terrorism. Mar2007, Vol. 30 Issue 3, pp. 229-248. 20p. (pdf further info at lecture). What is Just War? Comment on the Catechism of the Catholic Church, in paragraphs 2302-2317 (Available at http://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/just_war.htm).