REL 402. Empathy and the Religious “Enemy,” Fall 2019

In this course, students will investigate the religious beliefs and practices of radical, oppositional religious groups in the U.S., including but not limited to Westboro Baptist Church and anti-Zionist Orthodox Jews. Course modules will address their histories, approach to outsiders, social dynamics, as well as their reception in American society as an “enemy.” Students will improve and examine group datasets through qualitative data analysis (QDA). You will build the critical-empathetic skills needed to study such groups, interact with them, and engage thoughtfully in public discourse about them.