Why do humans make war? Why are humans religious? Does religion make people more prone to violence? This course brings an historical perspective to these important questions. Its focus is the early modern period of European history (1500-1800). Political philosophers and historians long associated this era with religious wars and religious violence, to which modern secular nation-states were the solution. This course examines important scholarly approaches to the origins of war and religion, and their interrelation. Seminar participants tackle the knotty problems of how historians make sense of events whose interpretation underlies many contemporary debates about religion as a source for, and threat to, human flourishing. Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hoursPrerequisite(s): 6 credit units of senior-level HIST of which 3 credit units must
Why do humans make war? Why are humans religious? Does religion make people more prone to violence? This course brings an historical perspective to these important questions. Its focus is the early modern period of European history (1500-1800). Political philosophers and historians long associated this era with religious wars and religious violence, to which modern secular nation-states were the solution. This course examines important scholarly approaches to the origins of war and religion, and their interrelation. Seminar participants tackle the knotty problems of how historians make sense of events whose interpretation underlies many contemporary debates about religion as a source for, and threat to, human flourishing. Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hoursPrerequisite(s): 6 credit units of senior-level HIST of which 3 credit units must
