REL 198 CC:RELIGIOUS PRACTICES/ECOLOGY

What do the Saami in Sweden share with inhabitants of the mangroves of Bangladesh? In many sites around the world global demand for natural resources, such as inexpensive shrimp or paper products, compete with indigenous religious communities' practices and their relations with the natural environment. Students examine the ethical dimensions of humans' interactions with the environment, the philosophy of deep ecology, and the impacts felt by indigenous religious communities. Through the study of religious traditions, news stories, scientific studies on environmental destruction, and historical records, students explore different indigenous religious communities' responses to the following questions: What is "nature" and why do we value it? What cosmological dimensions relate humans to nature? How do traditions and teachings support or challenge the idea of nature as simply a utilitarian resource?

We will also examine how deep ecology has informed new practices among Christians and Muslims.