RELG 040. Rape, Slavery, and Genocide in Bible and Culture


This course examines biblical "texts of terror." It explores the functions of violence in religious writings as well as their influence and impact on current cultural issues. What are the biblical contributions to or roots of current societal crises about gender, race, and war? What are the limits and limitations placed on rape, slavery, and genocide in the Bible that are obscured in current (mis)uses of biblical precedents in support of such modern day atrocities? Without collapsing the distinctions between or simply blaming the Bible for current manifestations of extreme violence, this class aims to bring these "texts of terror" into the open to help facilitate critical discussion about, and critique of, violence then and now.
Humanities.
1 credit.
Eligible for GSST
Catalog chapter: Religion  
Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/religion


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