RELIGIOUS STUDIES 140

Western Religious Ethics

ABOUT THIS COURSE

The course will discuss the interrelationship between ethics and religion in the three major Western religious traditions, namely, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The course presupposes no background in any of these religious traditions, nor in Western moral philosophy. The point of the course will be to show how each religious traditions has understood the moral life, to compare the moral traditions of each tradition with the others, and to examine how the relationship between religion and ethics has changed in the modern period. To maintain some focus, the discussion will most revolve around issues connected with family (reproductive) and community (charitable) ethics.

SCHEDULE OF TOPICS AND READINGS

• I. Jan 13-20: Introduction to the Study of Western Religious Ethics
  • Natural, Divine and Human Law
  • The Structure of Moral Thinking
  • The Bible and Western Religion
    • MMD, Introduction

   

• II. Jan 22-Feb 15: The Ethics of Judaism
  • What is Judaism?
    • Ethical Issues, Section D
  • Law, Morality and Intention in Judaism
    • MMD, Chap 5
  • Family and Community Morality
  • Modern Judaisms and their Ethics
    • Life Ethics, Chap 6

   

• III. Feb. 17- March 5: Christian Ethics
  • What is Christianity?
  • Morality Theology
    • MMD, Chap 2
  • The Protestant Reformation
    • Ethical Issues, Section E
  • Family and Community Morality
  • Modern Christianities and their Ethics
    • Life Ethics Chap 7, 9

   

• IV. March 26-April 14: The Ethics of Islam
  • What is Islam?
  • Morality and Jurisprudence in Islam
    • MMD, Chap 4
  • Family and Community in Islam
  • Islam in the Modern World
    • Ethical Issues, section F, Life Ethics, Chap 8

     

• V. April 16-26: Western Religion and Ethics Today
  • Secular Critiques: Marx and Nietzsche and Darwin
  • Religion and Science
    • Life Ethics, Chap 10

   

  

   

  ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING

  There will be four papers in this course(click here for more guidance on the paper). Students will be asked to pick a single theme or topic and write a paper on that theme or topic for each of the major Western religions studied in the course. The final paper will be a comparison of the Western religious traditions based on the students theme or topic. The papers will be due according to the following schedule, and weighed for the final grade as indicated. Needless to say, regular attendance is expected. Failure to participate in the class will result in a lower grade. Needless to say, the rules of the Vanderbilt University Honor Code apply. This means that the papers you turn in must be your own work and in your own words. Materials or ideas taken from other sources must be acknowledged in notes. 

  TOPIC	DATE DUE	GRADE %
  Judaism	Feb 17	20%
  Christianity	March 26	20%
  Islam	April 16	25%
  Final Project	May 3	25%
  Class Participation	-	10%

   

  TEXTBOOKS

• Life Ethics in World Religions, Dawne C. McCance
• Ethical Issues in Six Religious Traditions, ed. Peggy Morgan and Clive Lawton
• Making Moral Decisions, ed. Jean Holm and John Bowker