Religion, War, Peace, & Security
in the Twenty First Century
#GLST 4346.02
Senior Seminar
Offered by Dr. Sharyl Cross
Kozmetsky Center
sharylcross@stedwards.edu
St. Edward’s University Spring 2014
“…those who neglect religion in their analysis of contemporary affairs do so at
great peril….The assumption that we live in a secularized world is false.
The world today… is as furiously religious as it ever was, and in some
places more so than ever. This means that a whole body of literature by
historians and social scientists loosely labeled ‘secularization theory’ is
essentially mistaken…” Peter L. Berger
“…religion has surged its political influence in every region of the globe and
within virtually every religious tradition, fueling democracy movements,
terrorism, peace agreements, civil war, reconciliation initiatives, economic
development programs, transformation of domestic regimes, and laws
that promote its cultures ends.” Timothy Samuel Shah & Daniel Philpott
“Americans tend to separate their spiritual lives from public lives” they “face a
certain difficulty in comprehending the depths to which religious and
political considerations interact in shaping the perceptions and
motivations of individuals from other societies.” David Johnston
“In order to effectively conduct foreign policy today, you have to understand
the role of God and religion…” Madeleine K. Albright
Course Learning Objectives
• To explore approaches among international relations/security scholars and
practitioners for understanding the influence of religion the international
security environment
• Assess the implications of secularization and modernization trends for
religion and religious influence in world politics and security
• Examine the relationships between religion and democratization by
reviewing several illustrative case studies from different historical,
national, and cultural contexts
• Explore the influence of religion in contemporary and emerging world
security both in addressing critical challenges (human rights, mitigating
conflict, economic development, and other areas), and in terrorism,
conflict, etc.
Course Features
• INTEGRATES PERSPECTIVES OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS THEORY WITH
PERSPECTIVES OF PRACTIONERS & THE POLICY COMMUNITY
• MAKES NO CLAIMS TO OFFERING RIGHT ANSWERS OR SOLUTIONS;
OFFERS A VENUE FOR STUDY & EXCHANGE OF VIEWS AMONG
PROFESSIONALS REPRESENTING A RICH DIVERSITY OF NATIONAL,
CULTURAL, & RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS
• CONCLUDES BY ATTEMPTING TO GENERATE SOME
SUGGESTIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS USEFUL FOR INTERNATIONAL
POLICY/SECURITY COMMUNITIES CONCERNING THE ROLE OF RELIGION IN
THE CONTEMPORARY & EMERGING INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM
• Requirements: Seminar Readings & Discussions, Case Study
Presentations/Final Papers
Course Features
• Course includes visiting guest
lecturers/panelists in person & via VTC
• VTC sessions will be held in Global Classrooms
with students at universities in London &
Moscow to exchange perspectives on relevant
course issues
Participation
• Readings
– Comments
– Questions
• Presentations
• Discussion
• Seminar provides a venue for exchanging assessments and
sharing perspectives among participants representing a rich
diversity of national, cultural, and religious traditions
• Raise questions or comments at any time
• Atmosphere of mutual respect
Seminar Course
Paper/Presentations
• Each participant will be asked to prepare and final course paper and
presentation based on research and analysis of the role of religion with
respect to a critical issue area involving domestic or international security
referencing a specific national or multi-nation/regional/global case study;
including policy-relevant conclusions recommended
• 15 minute presentation; followed by seminar discussion, questions,
suggestions
• Power Point 7-10 slides for distribution to seminar colleagues
• Topic must be discussed/approved/scheduled in advance
• Must be well-prepared, developed, organized; offering original
insights/analysis to overall seminar content/experience
• Library research required
Course Final Papers
• Final / Presentation Topics; Proposals due on Thursday
February 6
• Final 20 page paper due on Thursday May 1
• Must include significant research based on library sources
(books, academic journals, interviews etc.); consistent citation
system for documenting sources required
• Must be well-prepared, developed, organized; offering
original insights/analysis to overall seminar
content/experience
• Final culminating presentation/paper should contribute to the
overall seminar experience
Final: Seminar Recommendations
• As a seminar, we will conclude by attempting to
generate some suggestions or recommendations that
might be useful to policy practitioners and citizens
concerning the role of religion in the contemporary
and emerging international system
• Please consider this task throughout the seminar
preparing to contribute to discussion of concluding
recommendations
Faculty/Contact Information
Dr. Sharyl Cross
• Kozmetsky Center, Main Building
• Phone 512-637-1928
• Email: sharylcross@stedwards.edu
Seminar Member Introductions
• Name
• Background; Interests
• Objectives for the Seminar; Expectations for
this Seminar Experience
• Thoughts on Preferred Presentation Topics
Questions ?/Seminar #GLST
4346.02
Our Seminar Participants:
Emily Colwell
Isabelle George
Stephanie Keinz
Erin Kloc
Ashley Mackay
Matthew Madrano
Pauline Rivera
Austin Roark
Kareena Slayton
Patricia Torres-Rengel
Kali Walker
Sarah Watley
Ethan Willinger
Michael Yamma
Monica Guadelupe Zarate