A study of the relations between literature and culture, with a specific thematic focus. Examples include Literature and Law, American Gothic, and Drugs, Literature and Culturet.

Fall Semester information

393A: Literature and Culture: Advanced Topics:Imagining Religious Toleration

This course thinks about literature and the origins of modern religious tolerance. A fundamental right in liberal democracies, religious toleration is often considered the foundational right for all human rights. Students will gain basic knowledge from this course about the core arguments for religious toleration in enlightenment philosophical and literary works. A literary approach to the genealogy of religious toleration, however, offers rich possibilities for going beyond the basics. This is especially true for thinking about how religious toleration has been imagined globally, which will be our focus.