JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY
Religion and Global Politics Seminar
Course code: PL 529 Contact hours: 45 Credits: 3
Profs. Michael Driessen, Pamela Harris and Tom Bailey
(mdriessen@johncabot.edu; pharris@johncabot.edu; tbailey@johncabot.edu)
COURSE AIMS
“Religion” is driving contemporary political events in multiple, multifaceted and mysterious ways. This
seminar is designed to help you to understand why and how religion influences global politics, and to
think about how religion and politics ought to influence each other in different democratic societies. The
seminar is divided into three parts, each taught by a professor adopting a different disciplinary
perspective on the topic.
The empirical part of the seminar (Prof. Driessen) will address concerns about how, why and where
individuals are religious across the globe, and in what ways their religious ideas and identities influence
their political decisions and behaviors. We will first introduce a set of basic conceptual tools, definitions
and frameworks which can be used to describe the relationship between religious ideas, actors and
institutions, on the one hand, and world politics, on the other. We will then apply and critique these
conceptual tools by charting the extent to which religion influences (or does not influence) major events
and dynamics of contemporary global politics. In this regard, we will first map out patterns of religious
political party participation in Mediterranean democracies. We will then address religion’s relationship
to political violence, and to political reconciliation and political development. Finally, we will consider
how religion becomes involved in foreign policy making.
In the legal part of the seminar (Prof. Harris), we will examine the major questions posed by
constitutional and human rights of religious freedom (including both freedom of religion and freedom
from religion): the origins and scope of these rights, the problems in defining them, and the values with
which they can conflict. We will begin with a discussion of what religious freedom is, and then focus on
conflicts over the formal relationship between religious and state authorities and over such concrete
issues as the allocation of public wealth to religious communities, the place of religious symbols in the
public sphere, religious education in public and private schools, and religious exemptions from general
legal requirements (military service and drug laws, for example). We will also explore the tensions
between religious communities’ identity and expressive rights and liberal views of sexual morality and
gender equality. We will conclude with a debate about the proper place of religion in the politics of
democratic societies. To fully appreciate the political, constitutional and cultural variables shaping these
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issues, we will examine constitutional/fundamental rights case law and commentary in various national
jurisdictions. We will also examine the views of religious liberty put forward in such supra-national
bodies as the United Nations, the European Court of Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of
Human Rights.
The normative part of the seminar (Prof. Bailey) will focus on two crucial, yet divergent, themes in
debates over the role that religions ought to play in democratic politics: “dialogue” and “toleration.” To
explore the theme of dialogue, we will first examine the debate between “inclusivists” and “exclusivists”
over whether and how religious claims should be admitted into democratic consensus-building and
decision-making. We will then consider different views about how citizens might also “learn” and
“translate” their different religious and secular worldviews in democratic dialogue, and also how Pope
Benedict XVI responded to such ideas by defending Catholic senses of political reasoning. In contrast,
the theme of toleration concerns the degree to which dissensus over religious practices and convictions
is acceptable in politics. We will consider the ideas of both toleration and multiculturalism in this regard,
and test them on some challenging concrete issues, such as gay marriage, headscarves and pacifism. We
will also examine some Political Islamists’ views of democracy, to consider whether such views can be
accommodated in democratic politics and the challenges they pose to democratic dialogue and
toleration themselves.
Students will use and critique the concepts and issues introduced in the seminar not only in extensive
class discussions and visits to local religious institutions, but also by researching and writing a term
paper on a relevant issue or case. Possible topics include, but are not limited to, the Iraq war debate, the
E.U. vs. the Crucifix debate, the Islam and Democracy debate, and the US foreign policy debate over
engagement with the “global Muslim community.”
COURSE OUTLINE
1. Introduction to the seminar
I. Empirical Studies (Prof. Driessen)
2. Introducing terms: Religious ideas, actors, institutions, and traditions
3. How do we measure religion and who and what is “religious” today?
4. Rethinking political Catholicism: Empirical and normative perspectives (conference)
5. Clash of civilizations, political Islam and democracy in the Muslim world
6. Political Catholicism, and the contemporary politics of Christianity
7. Engaged Buddhism and Hindu nationalism
8. Peace and violence and foreign policy
II. Legal and Constitutional Frameworks (Prof. Harris)
9. Secularism and theories of religious liberty
10. Constitutional configurations of religious freedom and faith
11. Religious symbols and expression in the public sphere
12. Religion in public and private schools
13. Public exemptions for (private?) religious claims
14. Religious identity, sexual morality and gender equality
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III. Normative Issues (Prof. Bailey)
15. Religion in democratic debate: Inclusivism vs. exclusivism
16. Learning from each other? “Translating” to and from religion
17. Political Catholicism: Pope Benedict XVI on faith and public reason
18. Dealing with dissensus: Toleration and multiculturalism
19. Toleration in practice? Gay marriage, headscarves, pacifism
20. Political Islam: The Muslim Brotherhood and democracy
21. Concluding meeting
ASSESSMENT
Class participation (25% of the final grade)
Classes will involve a mixture of lecturing, seminar discussions, group presentations, and other activities.
The emphasis will be on helping you to develop your own and others’ opinions and arguments and your
ability to discuss them with others, as well as your understanding of the materials and the positions and
arguments presented in them. Your active involvement in discussions and other class activities, based on
adequate preparation outside class, is therefore essential.
You will be given a percentage grade for each class, and the average of these grades will constitute your
final participation grade. Your grades will be based on how sophisticated an understanding and analysis
of the relevant materials you display, how clearly and attentively you respond to what I and others say,
and how critically and thoroughly you show that you reflect on the issues raised. So, if you show an
understanding of and engagement with the materials, contribute actively and collaboratively to class
activities, and reflect actively on the issues raised, then you will receive an “A” grade for the class. You
will receive a “B” grade if you show an understanding of the basics of the materials, while contributing
rarely or only when called upon and providing little thoughtful analysis. A “C” grade or lower will
indicate an unsatisfactory lack of preparation, attention and/or thought.
There is no textbook or reader for the course; the readings and other materials for each class will be
posted on the class Moodle site. Bring to class your printouts of the relevant materials and your notes
on them.
A maximum of two unexcused absences from class will be accepted. Beyond this, a zero grade will be
given for each unexcused absence, bringing your average grade down. It is your responsibility to inform
the professor if you miss or cannot participate fully in a class for a good reason.
In addition to the scheduled classes, there will be opportunities to attend lectures, visits and other
events relevant to the course, and you will be expected to attend most of these.
Short reflections (25%)
The seminar is designed not to only teach you something about religion and global politics, but also to
teach you something about how to read and write scholarly works. For these reasons, each week you
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will write a two-page (graduates) or one-page (undergraduate) reflection on a reading or set of readings
from the course.
Two of these reflections may be substituted for either a movie review or one or two reportages on a
significant “religion and politics” news item of the week. This is to stimulate you to begin looking
through the global media with the open eyes of an expert on religion and global politics.
Paper (50%)
In lieu of a final exam, you may write either a 7 page paper on each of the three parts of the course or a
15 page research paper on a case study. The latter option is recommended for graduate students, and
involves the following steps: (1) a one-paragraph paper proposal and accompanying bibliography (by
class 8; 10% of the paper grade); (2) a meeting with one of the professors (by class 12; 10%); and (3) the
final paper (by class 21; 80%).
Your grades for the reflections and the paper will be based on how well you explain the relevant ideas
and arguments, how thoughtfully you discuss them and how clearly and logically you present your
answer to the question. So, an assignment that accurately and thoroughly explains the relevant ideas
and arguments, discusses them in reflective and analytical ways, and presents all of this precisely and as
part of a clear answer to the question will receive an ‘A’ grade. If the assignment explains some of the
relevant ideas and arguments accurately, provides some thoughtful discussion, and is generally clearly
expressed and organized, it will receive a ‘B’ grade. A ‘C’ grade assignment will be one that attempts to
answer the question and provides some account of some relevant ideas and arguments, but fails to
explain others, gives little discussion and/or is unclearly expressed and organized. Higher levels of
understanding, research and analysis will be expected of graduate students.
SCHEDULE AND READINGS
1. Introduction to the seminar
I. Empirical Studies (Prof. Driessen)
2. Introducing terms: Religious ideas, actors, institutions, and traditions
Monica Duffy Toft, Daniel Philpott and Timothy Samuel Shah, God's Century: Resurgent Religion and
Global Politics, Norton & Co., 2011, chs. 1–2
‘In God’s Name: A Survey of Religion’, The Economist 2007
Recommended:
R. Scott Appleby, The Ambivalence of the Sacred, Rowman & Littlefield, 1999, 1–34
3. How do we measure religion and who and what is “religious” today?
Pippa Norris and Ronald Inglehart, Sacred and Secular: Religion and Politics Worldwide, 2nd ed.,
Cambridge UP, 2012, ch. 1
Michael Driessen, ‘Religion, State and Democracy’, Politics and Religion 3:1 (2010), 55–80
Recommended:
Philip S. Gorski and Ateş Altınordu, ‘After Secularization’, Annual Review of Sociology 34 (2008), 55-85
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4. Rethinking Political Catholicism conference (no class)
5. Clash of Civilizations, political Islam and democracy in the Muslim world
Samuel P. Huntington, ‘The Clash of Civilizations?’, Foreign Affairs (1993)
Mark Tessler, Amaney Jamal and Michael Robbins. 2012. “New Findings on Arabs and Democracy,”
Journal of Democracy 23(4) 89-103.
Olivier Roy. 2012. “The Transformation of the Arab World,” Journal of Democracy. (23) 3.
Alfred Stepan. 2012. “Tunisia’s Transition and the Twin Tolerations,” Journal of Democracy:
Recommended:
Muslim religious leaders, ‘A Common Word Statement’, 2007
Thomas Banchoff, ‘Interreligious Dialogue and International Relations’, in Timothy Samuel Shah, Alfred
Stepan and Monica Duffy Toft (eds.), Rethinking Religion and World Affairs, Oxford UP, ch. 13
Clifford Bob, ‘The Baptist-Burqa Network’, in The Global Right Wing and the Clash of World Politics,
Cambridge UP, 2012
Martin Kramer, ‘The Mismeasure of Political Islam’, in The Islamism Debate, Moshe Dayan, 1997
6. Political Catholicism and the contemporary politics of Christianity
Stathis N. Kalyvas and Kees van Kersbergen, ‘Christian Democracy’, Annual Review of Political Science 13
(2010), 183–209
Robert Putnam and David Campbell, 2010, American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us. Simon
and Schuster. Chapter 15.
Dan Philpott. 2004. “The Catholic Wave,” Journal of Democracy, 15(2): 32-46
Recommended:
Franco Garelli, ‘The Public Relevance of the Church and Catholicism in Italy’, Journal of Modern Italian
Studies, 12:1 (2007)
Pope Pius XII, Christmas radio message, 1944
7. Engaged Buddhism and Hindu Nationalism
Rajeev Bhargava, “Can Anything be Learned from the Indian Model of Secularism?” Chapter 5 in
Rethinking Religion and World Affairs
Kyaw Hlaing, 2008, “Challenging the Authoritarian State: Buddhist Monks and Peaceful Protests in
Burma,” The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs, 32(1)
Recommended:
Rajeev Bhargava. 2010. “Liberal, Secular Democracy and Explanations of Hindu Nationalism,”
Commonwealth and Comparative Politics
Michael Jerryson and Mark Juergensmeyer, ed.s. 2010. Buddhist Warfare. New York: Oxford University
Press.
8. Peace and Violence and Foreign Policy
William Cavanaugh, 2009. The Myth of Religious Violence. New York: Oxford University Press.
Daniel Philpott, 2012. Just and Unjust Peace: An Ethic of Political Reconciliation. New York Oxford
University Press.
Anthony Gill and Timothy Shah. 2013. “Religious Freedom, Democratization and Economic
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Development.” Association for the Study of Religion, Economics and Culture
The Chicago Council on Global Affairs. 2009: “Engaging Religious Communities Abroad” pp. 5-27, 55-82
Recommended
Robert A. Pape, ‘The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism’, American Political Science Review 97:3 (2003),
343–361
James Gibson. ‘The Contributions of Truth to Reconciliation: Lessons from South Africa’, Journal of
Conflict Resolution (2006), 409–432
Jeffery Sachs. 2013. “Sowing the Future: How the Church can help Promote Sustainable Development
Goals,” America
Thomas Farr, “America’s International Religious Freedom Policy,” Chapter 17 in Rethinking Religion and
World Affairs
President Obama’s 2009 Cairo Speech
II. Legal and Constitutional Frameworks (Prof. Harris)
8. Secularism and theories of religious liberty
John Locke, A Letter Concerning Toleration (1689)
Thomas Jefferson, Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (1785)
Martha Nussbaum, Liberty of Conscience, Basic Books, 2008, ch. 3.
9. Constitutional configurations of religious freedom and faith: Separation, laicité, secularism,
concord, theological
Gary J. Jacobsohn, The Wheel of Law, Princeton, 2003, 21–53, 54–90
Ran Hirschl, Constitutional Theocracy, Harvard, 2010, chs. 2–4
Tulkins, The European Convention on Human Rights and Church-State Relations: Pluralism vs. Pluralism,
30 Cardozo L.Rev 2575 (2009)
10. Religious symbols and expression in the public sphere
Nussbaum, Liberty of Conscience, 252–272
Lautsi v. Italy (ECtHR 2011) (argument of Joseph Weiler before the Court)
Susanna Mancini, ‘The Crucifix Rage’, European Constitutional Law Review 6, 6–27 (2010)
11. Religion in public and private schools: Religious symbols, religious and scientific instruction, prayer
Nussbaum, Liberty of Conscience, 224–252, 306–334, ch. 7
McCullum v. Board of Education, 333 U.S. 203 (1948)
12. Public exemptions for (private?) religious claims: Holidays, rituals, conscientious objection,
polygamy
Nussbaum, Liberty of Conscience, 115–120, 135–158, 175–198
Jacobsohn, The Wheel of Law, 81-84, 91-103
Sarla Mugdal v. India
13. Religious identity, sexual morality and gender equality
Hirschl, The Wheel of Law, 177-185
Nussbaum, Liberty of Conscience, 334–346
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Lorraine E. Weinrib, ‘Speech, Religion, and the Traditional Family’, in A. Sajó (ed.), Consorial Sensitivities:
Free Speech and Religion in a Fundamentalist World, Eleven, 2007, 165-178
Perry v. Schwartzenegger (CA Proposition 8 litigation, 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, 2010, USSC 2013)
III. Normative Issues (Prof. Bailey)
15. Religion in democratic debate: Inclusivism vs. exclusivism
Andrew March, “Rethinking Religious Reasons in Public Justification,” American Political Science Review
107: 3 (2013): 523–539
Eduardo Mendieta, ‘A Postsecular World Society? On the Philosophical Significance of Postsecular
Consciousness and the Multicultural World Society: An Interview with Jürgen Habermas’, The
Immanent Frame (2010)
Bernard G. Prusak, ‘Politics, Religion and the Public Good: An Interview with John Rawls’, Commonweal
125: 16 (1998)
16. Learning from each other? “Translating” to and from religion
Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na‘im, Islam and the Secular State: Negotiating the Future of Sharia, Harvard UP,
2008
Maeve Cooke, ‘Translating Truth’, Philosophy and Social Criticism 37:4 (2011), 479–491
Andrew March, Islam and Liberal Citizenship: The Search for an Overlapping Consensus, Oxford UP,
2009, chs. 3–4
17. Political Catholicism: Pope Benedict XVI on faith and public reason
Joseph Ratzinger, ‘That Which Holds the World Together: The Pre-Political Moral Foundations of a Free
State’, in Jürgen Habermas and Joseph Ratzinger, The Dialectics of Secularization: On Reason and
Religion, Ignatius, 2006, 53–80
_, Lecture by the Holy Father at the University of Rome ‘La Sapienza’, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2008
18. Dealing with dissensus: Toleration and multiculturalism
Will Kymlicka, Multicultural Odysseys, Oxford UP, 2007, chs. 3-4
Catriona McKinnon, Toleration, Routledge, 2006, chs. 3–5
19. Toleration in practice? Gay marriage, headscarves, pacifism
Ryan T. Anderson, ‘Marriage: What It Is, Why It Matters, and the Consequences of Redefining It’,
Backgrounder, The Heritage Foundation, March 11, 2013
Christopher J. Eberle, ‘Religion, Pacifism and the Doctrine of Restraint’, Journal of Religious Ethics 34: 2
(2006), 203–224
Martha Nussbaum, ‘Veiled Threats?’, New York Times (July 11, 2010)
20. Political Islam: The Muslim Brotherhood and democracy
Mohammad Ma’mun El-Hudaibi, ‘The Principles of the Muslim Brotherhood’, IKHWANweb (February
1, 2010)
Sayyid Qutb, Milestones, Kazi, 2003
Yusuf al-Qaradawi, The Fiqh of Jihad, Wahba, 2009 (extracts)
21. Concluding meeting
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