| Course Title: Topics in Religion: 'Apocalypse Now? Spiritual Responses to Ecological Catastrophe' |
| Start Date: 09/06/2023 End Date: 12/19/2023 |
| Term: Fall Semester 2023 |
| Description: Are societies beyond the turning point of preventing mass ecological collapse? This course explores what it means to live in times of increasing eco-anxiety, with environmental degradation leading to a host of social and economic ills that threaten all life, but especially the most precarious people and other life-forms. Students will analyze climate displacement and migration, mass extinction of species, and the possibility of widespread societal collapse, among other issues. We will then analyze a range of spiritual resources developed within and beyond religious communities to grapple with our collectively uncertain present and future. Can religions help avert a global apocalypse? Or if apocalypse is inevitable, how can our enduring faith traditions help us prepare for mass catastrophes and death? These and other questions will guide our reflections on perhaps the most urgent existential and physical crisis of our time. |
| Distribution(s): I - Humanities , MP - Multicultural Perspectives , TP - Topics Course |
| Academic Level Of Course: Undergraduate | Credits:4.00 |
| Faculty | Phone | Email address |
| Cesar Baldelomar | cbaldelomar@mtholyoke.edu |
| Meeting Dates | Method | Meeting days | Meeting times | Building name | Room | Frequency |
| 09/06/2023 - 12/19/2023 | Discussion | Monday and Wednesday | 07:15PM - 08:30PM | SKNR - Skinner Hall | 210 | Weekly |
| Requisite Courses | ||
| None |
| Comments |
| Additional Comments |
| Course Tags | ||
| ENVST-HUM | ENVST-HUM: Env Studies pre-2024 Minor - Humanities | This course has been approved to count towards the Environmental Studies minor Humanities area. |
| CRPE0001 | CRPE-1: CRPE - Major Pathway/Minor | This course has been approved to count towards the CRPE major pathway and the CRPE minor. |
| CRPE0003 | CRPE-3: Critical Social Thought - Major Pathway | This course has been approved to count towards the CRPE Critical Social Thought major pathway. |
| Cross-listed Sections |
| None |
| Course Availability | ||||
| Section status: Open | Capacity: 18 | Enrollment: 17 | Available: 1 | Waitlist: 0 |
BOOK INFORMATION
| Book List | Required | Publisher Full Price |
| Title: Facing Apocalypse: Climate, Democracy, and Other Last Chances Author: Keller, Catherine Copyright: 2021 Edition: Volume: ISBN: 9781626984134 Publisher: Orbis Books |
Recommended | 26.00 |
| Additional Book Comments |
| This is the complete book list for this class. |