PHIL 224 Philosophy and the Black Church
This course explores some central topics in Philosophy of Religion, primarily through an examination of African American religious life from slavery and emancipation through the present. Drawing on philosophy, theology, film, and music, we will address the following sets of questions: (1) What is the religious outlook? What is faith, and is faith rational? What roles does faith occupy in social change? (2) Can we reconcile the existence and goodness of God with the existence of oppression, injustice, and other evils? (3) Can grace and other forms of love redeem us or transform our character? What roles do grace and other forms of love play in helping us resist oppression and create a more just society? Throughout the course, we will consider how religious thought and practice might help us live, and even flourish, in a broken world. The authors we will discuss may include Marilyn McCord Adams, James Baldwin, Patricia Hill Collins, James H. Cone, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, Martin Luther King, Jr. Howard Thurman, and Cornel West.
Prerequisite
N/A
Corequisite
N/A