{"id":1404,"date":"2012-11-07T16:40:58","date_gmt":"2012-11-07T20:40:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/understandingsecularism\/?page_id=1404"},"modified":"2012-11-07T16:40:58","modified_gmt":"2012-11-07T20:40:58","slug":"secularism-and-the-problem-of-authority","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/understandingsecularism\/course-outline\/secularism-and-the-problem-of-authority\/","title":{"rendered":"Secularism and the Problem of Authority"},"content":{"rendered":"

by\u00a0Professors Barry A. Kosmin and Ariela Keysar, Institute for the Study of Secularism in Society & Culture, Trinity College<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\n
The aim of the course is to foster a comprehensive understanding of two of the central issues confronting the contemporary world, secularism and authority. Hopefully, participants will emerge more knowledgeable about the provenance and scope of secularism and better informed to make choices as citizens and as leaders.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The course is interdisciplinary and ranges across a number of humanities and social science disciplines. You should approach it with this fact in mind.<\/div>\n
The course will be intellectually demanding and there will be a considerable amount of reading involved prior to each class. You should expect around 2 hours of preparation in advance of each class requiring \u201creading for meaning\u201d. The assigned reading is compulsory since the teaching will be Socratic in style and involves seminar discussions. The readings will facilitate class participation. Research reports with short verbal presentations and written papers will also be expected.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
There are 3 parts to the course:<\/div>\n
1. Introduction to concepts<\/div>\n
2. Political secularism<\/div>\n
3. Secularism in society and culture<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
PART I: INTRODUCTION TO CONCEPTS<\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/strong> <\/p>\n
Class 1 -Types of Authority, Definitions<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

Class 2 \u2013 Mapping the Territory of Secularism & Secularity<\/div>\n
Class 3 -Laws, Rules, Regulations, Principles & Conventions: \u00a010 Commandments and Sports as case studies<\/div>\n
Reading:<\/div>\n
\n
    \n
  1. Barry A. Kosmin, \u201cIntroduction: Contemporary Secularity and Secularism,\u201d in Secularism & Secularity: Contemporary International Perspectives, Barry A. Kosmin and Ariela Keysar, eds. (Hartford, CT: ISSSC, 2007).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n
    Class 4 -The Powers of Reason and Revelation \u2013 Habermas and Ratzinger<\/div>\n
    Readings:<\/div>\n
    \n
      \n
    1. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, \u201cThat Which Holds the World Together,\u201d in Habermas and\u00a0Ratzinger, The Dialectics of Secularization (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006).<\/li>\n
    2. Benedict XVI (Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger), \u201cWhy Church and State Must Be Separate,\u201d an excerpt from \u201cTheology and the Church\u2019s Political Stance,\u201d in Cardinal Joseph Ratziner, Church, Ecumenism and Politics: New Essays in Ecclesiology, (NY: Crossroad, 1988).<\/li>\n
    3. Jurgen Habermas, \u201cPre-political Foundations of the Democratic Constitutional State,\u201d in Habermas and Ratzinger, The Dialectics of Secularization (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n
      \n

       <\/p>\n

      Class 5 -The Authority of Sacred Texts \u2013 Bible, Koran & Commentaries\/ Guest: Prof. Ron Keiner<\/div>\n

       <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

      Readings:<\/div>\n
      \n
        \n
      1. \n
        S. Schechter, \u201cSome Aspects of Rabbinic Theology: The \u2018Law,\u2019\u201d The Jewish Quarterly Review, Vol. 8, No. 1. (Oct., 1895), pp. 1-16.<\/div>\n

         <\/li>\n

      2. <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>\n
        James Moffatt, \u201cThe Sacred Book in Religion,\u201d Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 53, No. 1. (Apr., 1934), pp. 1-12.<\/strong><\/div>\n

         <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n

        PART II: POLITICAL SECULARISM<\/strong><\/div>\n

         <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

        \n
        <\/strong> <\/p>\n
        Class 6 \u2013 Political Authority & Theocracy \u2013 Plato, Augustine, Marsilius of Padua, Calvin, Divine Right of Kings<\/div>\n

         <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

        \n

         <\/p>\n

        Readings:<\/div>\n
        \n
          \n
        1. \n
          Marsilius of Padua, Defensor Pacis (NewYork: Columbia University Press, 1956, 2001), p 156-173.<\/div>\n

           <\/li>\n

        2. <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>\n
          John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, sections XXIX-XXXII (On Civil<\/strong><\/div>\n

           <\/p>\n

          Government).<\/strong><\/div>\n

           <\/li>\n

        3. <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>\n
          G. H. Sabine, A History of Political Thought (London: Harrap, 1964), pp. 391-397. (The Divine Right of Kings).<\/strong><\/div>\n

           <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n

          \n

           <\/p>\n

          Class 7 -The English Revolution \u2013 Common Law, Laws & Liberties of Massachusetts, John Locke<\/div>\n

           <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

          Readings:<\/div>\n
          \n
            \n
          1. \n
            Laws & Liberties of Massachusetts, 1647:<\/div>\n

             <\/p>\n

            http:\/\/oll.libertyfund.org\/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1036&Itemid=264<\/strong><\/div>\n

             <\/li>\n

          2. <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>\n
            John Locke, Letters Concerning Toleration (1689-92).<\/strong><\/div>\n

             <\/p>\n

            \n

             <\/p>\n

            http:\/\/www.constitution.org\/jl\/tolerati.htm<\/div>\n

             <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

             <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n

            Class 8 -The American Revolution \u2013 Declaration of Independence, Preamble to Constitution, Virginia Bill of Rights<\/div>\n
            Reading:<\/div>\n
            \n
              \n
            1. \n
              Virginia Bill of Rights, 1776: http:\/\/www.constitution.org\/bor\/vir_bor.htm<\/div>\n

               <\/li>\n

            2. <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>\n
              Document: Annotated text of the Declaration of Independence<\/strong><\/div>\n

               <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n

              \n

               <\/p>\n

              Class 9 -The Authority of Learning & Enlightenment: les philosophes & l\u2019Encyclopedie\/Guest: Prof. Jean-Marc Kehres<\/div>\n

               <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

              Readings:<\/div>\n
              \n
                \n
              1. \n
                John Hope Mason and Robert Wokler, \u201cAutorite Politique\u201d in Diderot: Political Writings, (United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 1992), pp. 6-11.<\/div>\n

                 <\/li>\n

              2. <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>\n
                Pierre Bayle, Various Thoughts on the Occasion of a Comet, translated with notes and an interpretive essay by Robert Bartlett (New York: State University of New York Press, 2000), pp. 18-23.<\/strong><\/div>\n

                 <\/li>\n

              3. <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>\n
                Rene Descartes, A Discourse on the Method of Correctly Conducting One\u2019s Reason and Seeking Truth in the Sciences, (Oxford University Press, 2006), pp. 5-11.<\/strong><\/div>\n

                 <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n

                \n

                 <\/p>\n

                Class 10 -The French Revolution<\/div>\n

                 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

                Readings:<\/div>\n
                \n
                  \n
                1. \n
                  Declaration of the Rights of Man, 1789: http:\/\/www.historyguide.org\/intellect\/declaration.html<\/div>\n

                   <\/li>\n

                2. <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>\n
                  The French National Assembly: Debate on Eligibility of Jews for Citizenship, 1789 in Paul R. Mendes-Flohr and Jehuda Reinharz, eds. The Jew in the Modern World: A Documentary History (Oxford University Press, 1980), pp. 103-105.<\/strong><\/div>\n

                   <\/li>\n

                3. <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>\n
                  Constitution of 1791: http:\/\/sourcebook.fsc.edu\/history\/constitutionof1791.html<\/strong><\/div>\n

                   <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n

                  \n

                   <\/p>\n

                  Class 11 -Human Rights and Universal Values I\/ Guest: Dr Frank Pasquale<\/div>\n

                   <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

                  Readings:<\/div>\n
                  \n
                    \n
                  1. \n
                    Micheline R. Ishay, \u201cIntroduction. \u00a0Human Rights: \u00a0Historical and Contemporary<\/div>\n

                     <\/p>\n

                    Controversies,\u201d in The Human Rights Reader, 2nd Ed (New York: Routledge, 2007).<\/strong><\/div>\n

                     <\/li>\n

                  2. <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>\n
                    Addendum B: \u00a0United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights:<\/strong><\/div>\n

                     <\/p>\n

                    \n

                     <\/p>\n

                    http:\/\/www.un.org\/en\/documents\/udhr\/<\/div>\n

                     <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

                     <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n

                    Class 12 \u2013 Human Rights and Universal Values II\/ Guest: Dr Frank Pasquale<\/div>\n
                    Readings:<\/div>\n
                    \n
                      \n
                    1. \n
                      Jack Donnelly, Universal Human Rights in Theory and Practice, Second Edition (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2003), pp. 13-21 and 40-53.<\/div>\n

                       <\/li>\n

                    2. <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>\n
                      Edward Feser, \u201cGodless Morality? \u00a0Why Judeo-Christianity is Necessary for Human Rights,\u201d Crisis, Volume 24, No. 6 July\/August 2006 \u00a0(www.crisismagazine.com)<\/strong><\/div>\n

                       <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n

                      \n

                       <\/p>\n

                      Class 13 -Leadership, Charisma & the Authoritarian Personality<\/div>\n

                       <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

                      Readings:<\/div>\n
                      \n
                        \n
                      1. \n
                        T.W. Adorno, E. Frenkel-Brunswik, DJ Levinson, The Authoritarian Personality (New York, 1950).<\/div>\n

                         <\/li>\n

                      2. <\/strong><\/strong>
                        \n<\/strong> <\/p>\n
                        Bruce E. Hunsberger and Bob Altemeyer, Atheists: A Groundbreaking Study of America\u2019s Nonbelievers (New York; Prometheus Books, 2006), pp. 96-101.<\/strong><\/div>\n

                         <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n

                        \n

                         <\/p>\n

                        Class 14 \u2013 The Marxist Revolutions\/Joseph Stalin<\/div>\n

                         <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

                        Reading:<\/div>\n
                        \n
                          \n
                        1. \n
                          Paul Froese, The Plot to Kill God: Findings from the Soviet Experiment in Secularization (Los Angeles: University California Press, 2008).<\/div>\n

                           <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n

                          Class 15 -Islam: The Ataturk Revolution & Turkish Secularism<\/div>\n
                          Readings:<\/div>\n
                          \n
                            \n
                          1. \n
                            Patrick Kinross, Ataturk: The Rebirth of a Nation (London: Phoenix Press, 2003).<\/div>\n

                             <\/li>\n

                          2. <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>\n
                            Jacob M. Landau, Ataturk and the Modernization of Turkey (Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1983).<\/strong><\/div>\n

                             <\/li>\n

                          3. <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>\n
                            Binnaz Toprak, \u201cThe Islamist-Secularist Divide,\u201d in Secularism, Women & The State: The Mediterranean World in the 21st Century, Barry A.Kosmin and Ariela Keysar, eds. (Hartford, CT: ISSSC, 2009).<\/strong><\/div>\n

                             <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n

                            \n

                             <\/p>\n

                            Class 16 -Separation of Religion & State<\/div>\n

                             <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

                            Readings:<\/div>\n
                            \n
                              \n
                            1. \n
                              T. Jefferson, Letter to Danbury Baptists, 1802: H<\/div>\n

                               <\/p>\n

                              ttp:\/\/www.loc.gov\/loc\/lcib\/9806\/danpre.html<\/strong><\/div>\n

                               <\/li>\n

                            2. <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>\n
                              Gregory W. Hamilton, \u201cReligious Pluralism and America\u2019s Christian Nation Debate,\u201d in Liberty Online: A Magazine of Religious Freedom, September\/October 2007.<\/strong><\/div>\n

                               <\/li>\n

                            3. <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>\n
                              \n

                               <\/p>\n

                              Borden v. East Brunswick Board of Ed. \u2013 Full Text<\/div>\n

                               <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

                               <\/li>\n

                            4. \n
                              <\/div>\n

                               <\/p>\n

                              Borden v. East Brunswick Board of Ed. \u2013 Martin Pachman letter to Jo Ann Magistro<\/strong><\/div>\n

                               <\/li>\n

                            5. <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>\n
                              Amanda Paulson, \u201cCulture War Hits Local Pharmacy,\u201d the Christian Science Monitor. April 08, 2005 edition: http:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/2005\/0408\/p01s02-ussc.html<\/strong><\/div>\n

                               <\/li>\n

                            6. <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>\n
                              Nikkie R. Keddie, \u201cSecularism and the State: Towards Clarity and Global Comparison,\u201d New Left Review, Vol a. Nov\/Dec 1997.<\/strong><\/div>\n

                               <\/li>\n

                            7. <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>\n
                              Ahmet Kuru, \u201cPassive and Assertive Secularism Historical Conditions, Ideological Struggles, and State Policies toward Religion,\u201d World Politics 59 (July 2007), 568-94.<\/strong><\/div>\n

                               <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n

                              PART III: SECULARISM IN SOCIETY AND CULTURE<\/strong><\/div>\n

                               <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

                              \n
                              Class 17 \u2013 The Authority of Science \u00a0AND Class 18 \u2013 Science & Secular Values<\/div>\n
                              Readings\/Video:<\/div>\n
                              \n
                                \n
                              1. Barry Kosmin, \u201cThe Congruence between the Scientific and the Secular,\u201d in Science Education & Secular Values: A Symposium, A Special Supplement to Religion in the News, Summer\/Fall 2007.<\/li>\n
                              2. Michael Ruse, \u201cDefusing the War Over Public Science,\u201d in Secularism: A Symposium, A Special Supplement to Religion in the News, Winter 2006.<\/li>\n
                              3. Jon D. Miller and Robert T. Pennock, \u201cScience Education and Religion in America in the 21st Century: Holding the Center, in Secularism & Science in the 21st Century, Ariela Keysar and Barry A. Kosmin, eds. (Hartford, CT: ISSSC, 2008).<\/li>\n
                              4. Jeffrey Burkhardt, \u201cScientific Literacy in a Postmodern World,\u201d in Science Education & Secular Values: A Symposium, A Special Supplement to Religion in the News, Summer\/Fall 2007.<\/li>\n
                              5. A. Einstein, \u201cIdeas and Opinions\u201d in Out of My Later Years (New York: Philosophical Library, 1950), Science and Religion, pp. 41-49.<\/li>\n
                              6. John Tierney, \u201cAre Scientists Playing God? It Depends on Your Religion,\u201d The New York Times, November 20, 2007.<\/li>\n
                              7. www.climatecrisis.net (Al Gore \u2013 An Inconvenient Truth)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n
                                Class 19 \u2013 Public Opinion Polls<\/div>\n
                                Reading<\/div>\n
                                \n
                                  \n
                                1. George Bishop, \u201cPolls Apart on Human Origins,\u201d Public Opinion Pros, August 2006.\u00a0www.publicopinionpros.com\/features\/2006\/aug\/bishop.asp<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n
                                  Class 20 \u2013 Family, Patriarchy, and the Emancipation of Women<\/div>\n
                                  Reading:<\/div>\n
                                  \n
                                    \n
                                  1. John Stuart Mill \u2013 The Subjection of Women, 1869 \u00a0http:\/\/www.constitution.org\/jsm\/women.htm<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n
                                    Class 21 \u2013 Secularity in the U.S., U.K., Canada & Australia<\/div>\n
                                    Reading:<\/div>\n
                                    \n
                                      \n
                                    1. David Voas and Abby Day, \u201cSecularity in Great Britain,\u201d in Secularism & Secularity: Contemporary International Perspectives, Barry A. Kosmin and Ariela Keysar, eds. (Hartford, CT: ISSSC, 2007).<\/li>\n
                                    2. Ariela Keysar, \u201cWho are America\u2019s Atheists and Agnostics?\u201d in Secularism & Secularity: Contemporary International Perspectives, Barry A. Kosmin and Ariela Keysar, eds. (Hartford, CT: ISSSC, 2007).<\/li>\n
                                    3. William A. Stahl, \u201cIs Anyone in Canada Secular?\u201d in Secularism & Secularity: Contemporary International Perspectives, Barry A. Kosmin and Ariela Keysar, eds. (Hartford, CT: ISSSC, 2007).<\/li>\n
                                    4. Andrew Singleton, \u201c\u2018People Were Not Made to Be in God\u2019s Image:\u2019 A Contemporary Overview of Secular Australians,\u201d in Secularism & Secularity: Contemporary International Perspectives, Barry A. Kosmin and Ariela Keysar, eds. (Hartford, CT: ISSSC, 2007).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n
                                      Class 22 -The Authority of the Media\/Guest: Prof. Mark Silk<\/div>\n
                                      Readings:<\/div>\n
                                      \n
                                        \n
                                      1. Christian Smith, \u201cReligiously Ignorant Journalists: What We Don\u2019t Know and Why,\u201d The Revealer, January 14, 2004. http:\/\/www.therevealer.org\/archives\/timeless_000161.php<\/li>\n
                                      2. Mark Silk, Unsecular Media: Making News of Religion in America (Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1995).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n
                                        Class 23 -Catholic Americans & Church Authority in Social Policy<\/div>\n
                                        Reading:<\/div>\n
                                        \n
                                          \n
                                        1. William V. D\u2019Antonio, James D. Davidson, Dean R. Hoge and Mary L. Gautier, American Catholics Today: New Realities of their Faith and their Church, (United Kingdom, Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 2007), pp. 85-104.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n
                                          Class 24 \u2013 The Authority of the Market: The Secularization of the American Sunday<\/div>\n
                                          Reading:<\/div>\n
                                          \n
                                            \n
                                          1. Frank L. Pasquale, \u201cThe Quintessential Secular Institution,\u201d Free Inquiry, December\u00a02009\/January 2010.<\/li>\n
                                          2. Jonathan Finer, \u201cOld Blue Laws are hitting red lights: Statutes rolled back as anachronisms,\u201d Washington Post, December 4, 2004.<\/li>\n
                                          3. Jonathan Gruber and Daniel M. Hungerman, \u201cThe Church versus the Mall: What Happens When Religion Faces Increased Secular Competition?\u201d Quarterly Journal of Economics 123, no. 2: 831-862 (2008).<\/li>\n
                                          4. Alan Raucher, \u201cSunday Business and the Decline of Sunday Closing Laws: A Historical Overview,\u201d Journal of Church and State 36, no. 1: 13-33 (1994).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n
                                            Class 25 -The Secularization Debate<\/div>\n
                                            Reading:<\/div>\n
                                            \n
                                              \n
                                            1. Daniel Rigney, Richard Machalek, and Jerry D. Goodman, \u201cIs Secularization a Discontinuous Process?\u201d Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 17, no. 4: 381-387 (1978).<\/li>\n
                                            2. William H. Swatos Jr. and Daniel V. A. Olson eds., The Secularization Debate (Maryland, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2000).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                                              by\u00a0Professors Barry A. Kosmin and Ariela Keysar, Institute for the Study of Secularism in Society & Culture, Trinity College The aim of the course is to foster a comprehensive understanding of two of the central issues confronting the contemporary world, … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":0,"parent":1312,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/understandingsecularism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1404"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/understandingsecularism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/understandingsecularism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/understandingsecularism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/53"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/understandingsecularism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1404"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/understandingsecularism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1404\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1405,"href":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/understandingsecularism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1404\/revisions\/1405"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/understandingsecularism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/understandingsecularism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}