RS 357. Atheism (3)

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. This course examines the history of atheism in Western history as well as its contemporary forms. Throughout history, many people in the West have claimed identities as atheists in reaction to organized religion and the notion of a transcendental God. In many cases, atheists respond to narrow conceptions of religion as defined by Christian/Western views. At the same time, atheists often embrace various other kinds of religious expressions even as they claim to reject religion. This course examines the ways in which atheism has developed through history in conversation with different philosophical, social, and political ideas. The course also examines the ways that contemporary theories of religion and the cases of Judaism, Islam and other world religions challenge atheism’s narrow conception of religion which is primarily based in Western/Christian understanding. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.) (WI)