LARTS 439 Religion and Science
How have religious and scientific traditions historically developed in relation to each other in the Christian West and in non-western traditions? What continuities and discontinuities can be observed in the development of religious and scientific thought? This course examines the history of religion and science through a number of historical periods in western history: the early, the pre-modern, the modern, and the contemporary. It approaches the history of religion and science through the lens of contemporary debates about their relations. This is an introductory course in the academic study of religion, particularly as it relates to science. As such, it offers a general historical overview of the historical development between science and religion from the first centuries of the common era, to the twenty-first century. In so doing, the course presents students with a general contextual overview that also allows them to pursue in-depth research projects through research for written assignments. The course focuses primarily on religion and science in the West, but also explores cross-cultural perspectives by examining select case studies from world religious traditions (Islamic, Eastern, and African traditions).