THEO3200 · Theology

Engaging Interreligious Leadership

Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences

This course engages the quest for meaning, purpose, and practical skills in interreligious engagement, building upon material learned in one of the Core courses that brings Christianity into dialogue with another tradition toward the goal of developing models of ethical interaction between religious traditions, people and experiences. Rooted in recognition that engaging religious diversity is a necessary component of training for global citizenship in the contemporary world, the course offers multiple perspectives on interreligious encounters in a variety of fields that can serve as opportunities for collective engagement toward common goals and purposes, as well as a source of conflict and violence when managed poorly, particularly in the context of other political and socio-economic concerns. The course provides theoretical background in framing interreligious engagement within the field of interreligious studies, followed by identification of best practices and community-based initiatives rooted in case studies recorded in print literature, the media, and films, and concludes with students formulating their own case studies. Topics addressed include: strategies for crafting and facilitating interreligious meeting spaces, including in education, medicine, the business world, and the public square; the role of religious identities, gender dynamics, race and racism in interreligious environments; interreligious encounters in culture and the fine arts; developments in interreligious dialogue; interreligious cooperation in addressing environmental and social justice concerns; and engagement of religions as tools for conflict resolution.