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| Semester | spring semester 2019 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers |
Julia Blanc (julia.blanc@unibas.ch)
Fabian Huber (fabian.huber@unibas.ch) Jens Köhrsen (jens.koehrsen@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | The lecture explores the relationship between religion and environmental change. Against the backdrop of climate change, the world community is struggling to evolve more environmentally friendly forms of living. Religion can constitute a crucial factor in environmental change processes: Even under the supposed secularization, religion continues to inform the lives of vast population segments. In the context of global warming, some religious groups have adopted proactive positions in the public sphere while others intensified their previous engagement. On the other hand, religious worldviews can also promote climate change scepticism, thereby blocking the transformations towards environmentally friendly societies. The lecture addresses the involvement of religion (including spirituality) in environmental change. Students will learn in what way religions have contributed to the ongoing environmental crisis (e.g. climate change), what resources religions can mobilize to address the crisis and what tensions religious environmentalism faces. The first two lectures (28th February and 2nd May) will introduce students into religious environmentalism. The lectures discuss the potentials and problems of religious engagement for the environment based on theoretical consideration and empirical studies. After the introduction to the topic, students will participate in the academic conference «Religious Environmentalism: A Field of Tensions». The conference takes place from Wednesday, 22nd May (noon) – Friday, 24th May 2019 (noon) and addresses the tensions of religious environmentalism. Even when religious actors engage for environmental protection, this frequently involves diverse tensions. Tensions become manifest at three different levels: a) Within religious traditions and communities: as tensions between words/ethical teachings and deeds; between different interpretations and groups within the given religious tradition; between structures and individual ambitions. b) Between religious communities: as competition and struggles about legitimacy, visibility and authenticity between different religious groups in the field of religious environmentalism; as disparities of the environmental foci that religious communities draw on. c) Between religious communities and society: as societal barriers limiting the implementation of religious environmentalism; as struggles between religious and non-religious actors about shaping climate change policies; as stigmatization of religion among environmental protection groups and requirements towards secular reasoning; as enmeshment with political struggles. At the conference, international researchers will discuss the environmental activities of specific religious groups based on their empirical case studies. The case studies encompass Muslim, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and spiritual groups and refer to different world regions. Based on their participation in the conference, students will draft essays about the tensions in religious environmentalism. The essays substitute the examination. In the last lecture (29th May), we will discuss the lessons from the conference and the concepts for the individual essays. Students must submit their essays by 16th June 2019. |
| Learning objectives | Students understand in what way religions (including spirituality) can become manifest in environmental change. They have knowledge about the involvement of religious organizations and traditions in transformation towards more environmentally friendly societies. They can critically reflect on the potentials of religion to facilitate (or block) these transformation processes. |
| Bibliography | Mandatory Readings (to read before second meeting/02.05.19) White L (1966) The historical roots of our ecologic crisis. Science 155(3767): 1203–1207. Taylor B, van Wieren G and Zaleha BD (2016) Lynn White Jr. and the greening-of-religion hypothesis. Conservation Biology 30(5): 1000–1001 (Introduction); 1006-1007 (Discussion). Wardekker JA, Petersen AC and van der Sluijs, Jeroen P. (2009) Ethics and public perception of climate change: Exploring the Christian voices in the US public debate. Global Environmental Change 19(4): 515–518 (Christian religious discourses in the climate debate). Koehrsen J (2018) Religious Agency in Sustainability Transitions: Between Experimentation, Upscaling, and Regime Support. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions 27: 4–15. Optional Readings (non-mandatory) Barker DC and Bearce DH (2013) End-Times Theology, the Shadow of the Future, and Public Resistance to Addressing Global Climate Change. Political Research Quarterly 66(2): 267–279. Blanc J (2017) Ökokatholizismus: Sozialethische Untersuchungen zu ausgewählten Ländern und Institutionen in Europa. Marburg: Metropolis-Verl. Gardner GT (2003) Engaging Religion in the Quest for a Sustainable World. In: Worldwatch Institute (ed.) State of the world, 2003: A Worldwatch Institute report on progress toward a sustainable society. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, pp. 152–175. Gottlieb RS (2007) Religious Environmentalism: What it is, Where it's Heading and Why We Should be Going in the Same Direction. Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature & Culture 1(1). Koehrsen J (2015) Does religion promote environmental sustainability? - Exploring the role of religion in local energy transitions. Social Compass 62(3): 296–310. Koehrsen J (2018) Religious Agency in Sustainability Transitions: Between Experimentation, Upscaling, and Regime Support. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions 27: 4–15. Taylor B (2008) From the Ground Up: Dark Green Religion and the Environmental Future. In: Swearer DK (ed.) Ecology and the Environment: Perspectives from the Humanities: Harvard University Press, pp. 89–107. Taylor B (2010) Dark green religion: nature spirituality and the planetary future. Univ of California Press. Taylor B, van Wieren G and Zaleha BD (2016) Lynn White Jr. and the greening-of-religion hypothesis. Conservation Biology 30(5): 1000–1009. Tucker ME (2006) Religion and Ecology: Survey of the field. In: Gottlieb RS (ed.) The Oxford handbook of religion and ecology: Oxford University Press, pp. 398–418. Wardekker JA, Petersen AC and van der Sluijs, Jeroen P. (2009) Ethics and public perception of climate change: Exploring the Christian voices in the US public debate. Global Environmental Change 19(4): 512–521. White L (1966) The historical roots of our ecologic crisis. Science 155(3767): 1203–1207. |
| Comments | Schedule Thursday, 28th February 2019 • 16:15-17:30 Preparation and organization with students: Introduction into lecture and schedules, organization (Blanc, Huber, Köhrsen). • 18:00-19:30 Lecture: “Religious Environmentalism: From the environmental Crisis to the Greening of Religion” (Köhrsen). In-between • Preparation of presentation and mandatory reading. Thursday, 2nd May 2019 • 16:15-19:30: Discussion of readings and further introduction into topic; presentations, and insights from the research project Urban Green Religions (Blanc/Huber). Wednesday, 22nd May – Friday, 24th May 2019 • Conference «Religious Environmentalism: A Field of Tensions». • Wednesday, 22nd May, 13:30-20:00: welcome, two thematic sessions, penal debate and apéro riche. • Thursday, 23rd May, 10:00-18:00: thematic sessions • Friday, 24th May, 09:00-13:00: thematic session and final discussion. Wednesday, 29th May 2019 • 16:15-18:00 Discussion of conference and essay concepts. Sunday, 16th June 2019 • Deadline submission of essays. |
| Course application | Please inscribe yourself via MOnA. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Course auditors welcome |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|
No dates available. Please contact the lecturer.
| Modules |
Aufbaumodul (Teil D) (Transfakultäre Querschnittsprogramme im freien Kreditpunkte-Bereich) Modul: Religion, Ökonomie und Recht (Master's degree subject: Science of Religion) Modul: Ungleichheit, Konflikt, Kultur (Master's degree subject: Sociology) Modul: Wirtschaft und Religion (Master's Studies: Religion - Economics - Politics) |
| Assessment format | record of achievement |
| Assessment details | Students actively participate in the lectures/conference, prepare a short presentation (based on the description below) and write an essay that they submit by 16th June 2019. Students can write the essay in English, French, or German. |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | one repetition, repetition counts |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Theology, studiendekanat-theol@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Zentr. Religion, Wirtschaft und Politik |