GCA476E Human Rights II Spring 2004

　

1. Course Description

　

Mark Juergensmeyer argues that recent terrorism has its roots in the dissatisfaction with the failed secularism that gives religion no public role to play.　News reports from Afganistan and Iraq tell us of their attempts to balance Islam as established religion and the individual freedom of religion.　This course takes up the freedom of religion as a fundamental component of human rights.　After reviewing Roger Williams and the American constitutionalists as the basic frame of reference, we will try to see if there can be a variety in the way "separation of church and state" is construed and constructed in different contexts.　The content of the syllabus depends partly on the makeup of the class.　Students from different countries are expected to survey and present to class the understanding and practice of the freedom of religion in their own country.

　

　

2. Texts of Primary Concern

　

-Mark Juergensmeyer, Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence, 2nd ed. (U California Press, 2003)

-Andrew R. Murphy, Conscience and Community: Revisiting Toleration and Religious Dissent in Early Modern England and America (Penn State UP, 2001)

-Michael Walzer, On Toleration (Yale UP, 1997)

-Monsma and Soper, eds., The Challenge of Pluralism: Church and State in Five Democracies (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 1977)

-Timothy Hall, Separating Church and State: Roger Williams and Religious Liberty (U Illinois Press, 1998)

Jose Casanova, Public Religion in the Modern World (U Chicago Press), 1994

(Spain, Poland, Brazil, Evangelicalism and Catholicism in the US, deprivatization, secularization)

　

　

3. Requirements

　

a. Come to the class prepared with assigned readings.　After introduction, each student will be asked to make a presentation on a subject carefully selected in consultation with the instructor.　A handout of your presentation should be photocopied for all class members.　Your presentation will be considered successful if it generates informed discussion among participants.

　

b. A final paper of 10 to 15 pages, double-spaced, is required.　Incorporate the lecture content and classroom discussion.　You may either refine your class presentation or redefine your topic entirely.　Due will be announced later.

　

c. The first day of the class (April 13) is crucially important.　Depending on the class composition, we will define the focus of the class, assign the reading, and schedule the presentations.　All students interested in taking the course should attend.

　

　

4. Evaluation

　

Grading will be based on your in-class presentation (30%), contribution to class discussion (30%) and final paper (40%).

5. Reference

　

a. U.S. Constitution and Separation of Church and State

　

-William Lee Miller, The First Liberty: Religion and the American Republic (Paragon, 1985)

-Terry Eastland, ed., Religious Liberty in the Supreme Court: The Cases That Define the Debate over Church and State (Eerdmans, 1993)

-Bette Novit Evans, Interpreting the Free Exercise of Religion: The Constitution and American Pluralism (U North Carolina Press, 1997)

　

b. Roger Williams

　

-Roger Williams, Complete Writings, 7 vols., New York Edition

-Perry Miller, Roger Williams: His Contribution to the American Tradition (Bobbs-Merrill, 1953)

-Edwin Gaustad, Liberty of Conscience: Roger Williams in America (Eerdmans, 1991)

　

c. Historical Documentations on Human Rights and Toleration

　

-Georg Jellinek, Die Erklarung der Menschen- und Burgerrechte (2 Aufl. 1904, 1996)

-Gustaf Mensching, Toleranz und Wahrheit in der Religion (Heidelberg, 1955)

-Henry Kamen, The Rise of Toleration (World University Library, 1967)

-John Locke, A Letter Concerning Toleration (1685, 89)

　

d. Liberalism and Toleration

　

-Michael Sandel, Liberalism and the Limits of Justice, 2nd ed. (Cambridge UP, 1998)

-Susan Mendus, Toleration and the Limits of Liberalism (Macmillan, 1989)

-J. Judd Owen, Religion and the Demise of Liberal Rationalism: The Foundational Crisis of the Separation of Church and State (U Chicago Press, 2001)

　

　

6. Class Schedule (Subject to Change)

　

　4/13 Introduction

　

4/17/2004

　

Dear Students,

　

Here is the updated schedule of our class.　Hope you can see what you are getting into and headstart your reading for the coming weeks.

　

　4/20 I will give lecture on some basic concepts of toleration, religious freedom, Locke, Williams, and contemporary theorists.

　

　4/27 There will be a special lecture by Dr. Jin Hee Han, professor of New York Theological Seminary, on issues from the American setting.

　

　5/4 No class (national holiday)

　

　5/11 Walzer, On Toleration.　A thin book of 100 pages or so.　ICU library is getting a copy soon, but if you want to buy one, it only costs $10- at Amazon.com, Amazon.co.jp, or any nearby bookstore.　Read Introduction and Chapter 1 carefully.　You can skim through Chapter 2, just get the overall picture from the summary on pages 35-36.　From Chapters 3 and 4, read "France," "Gender," "Religion."　Epilogue is worth reading, too, for the discussion of his vision of American social democracy.　I need a person to make a presentation for the day.　Summarize the book, raise questions to the author and to the class, and lead the discussion for the first hour.

　

　5/18 Let's find out about how the separation of church and state is practiced in England and France, by reading from Monsma, The Challenge of Pluralism.　A minor problem with this book, which is in ICU library, is that it is a bit old (1977), which is why we cannot go into Germany.　My assistant will make necessary photocopies for you all beforehand.　You could substitute these countries with Thailand, Sweden, or India, but you may find it difficult to obtain reliable documents on which to base your presentation and our discussion.　Or anybody interested in doing the same with an Islamic country?　Two students will take an hour each.

　

　5/25 and 6/1 We move on to Murphy, Conscience and Community.　ICU library has a copy of the book, but the necessary chapters will be photocopied and distributed.　We will have to skip chapters on England and focus on America, past and present.　Again, student presentations will be an important part.　More to be announced later as the class progesses.

　

　6/8 No class (due to my overseas trip)

　

　6/15 Wrap-Up