RELIGIONS AND ECOLOGY

The course is part of the interdisciplinary activities of the Master’s Degree Program in Environmental Humanities, and it aims at the following objectives:
- to study and discuss historical and cultural phenomena related to Christianity and ecology in the late modern and contemporary era in a multidisciplinary context;
- to explore contemporary Christianity and its relationship with ecological issues in these times of environmental crisis;
- to develop critical thinking when discussing in class, possibly generating religious-ecological awareness and inspiring sustainability transformations.

This course has three broad goals: 1. introduce students to the relationship between Christianity and ecology in the XX, and XXI centuries; 2. interrogate primary sources to understand historical and cultural facts; 3. hone students’ skills in reading, writing, and discussing.
The course aims at the following learning objectives:

- to analyze and interpret primary sources, including written texts, film or videos, material culture, and to read secondary sources critically and effectively;
- to develop oral and literary competencies as well as research skills through independent and corporate analysis of primary and secondary sources;
- to identify significant people, movements, places, and events within the topics covered in class;
- to communicate and debate developments and problems within the history of Christianity and its relationship with the environment;
- to think critically about the relationship between global Christianity and ecology.

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If it is true that Christianity has helped to shape West’s attitudes toward nature, providing basic interpretative stories of what nature is and how humanity should relate to nature, it is a matter of fact that it has responded late in its involvement in the environmental crisis that the societies are facing nowadays. Theology, in the field of ecotheology and environmental theology, has tried to explain this development in different ways, stating that anthropocentric ethics have been all-consuming; that the issues of personal salvation, particularly in the Protestant world, have superseded all others; that divine-human relations, instead of human-nature relations, have been primarily; that the material world has been devalued by religions in general. However, more aspects than theological ones are at stake in how Christianity has responded to the environmental crisis. This course aims to historically, culturally, and politically examine the relationship between global Christianity and ecology in the modern era, particularly between the late 1960s and 2000s, when Christian denominations started to reflect and act pursuing an ecological trajectory. It will explore how different Christian traditions faced the urgency of the ecological debate, what strategies they developed, and to what extent their efforts influenced society as a whole on a global scale. Major actors involved in the Christian environmental debate (and their theological works) will be explored.

An essay will be assigned for each topic covered during lectures.
A list of readings for the seminar format will be provided every week on Moodle.

Oral and written exam.
The following activities will be assessed:
- Active participation in class discussions;
- Research activity: 1. research paper (5-10 pages; 12-font size, 1,5-spaced; the topic is the student’s choice but will be worked out with and approved by the professor. It could preferably be an in-depth analysis of a set of primary sources, such as archival material, oral interviews, websites and videos, etc.); or 2. Case study (team work is also possible);
- Class presentation of the research activity;
- Oral exam on the reading list.
The highest grade obtainable is 30/30 with honors.
Grade Breakdown:
Class participation + class presentation 30%
Research activity 30%
Final Exam 40%

Classes feature discussions and critical thinking. In every class, the professor’s lecture will be followed by a discussion on a weekly assigned primary source, written or visual, using a seminar format. During lectures, the professor will provide backgrounds and suggestions with which students can interpret the sources. Active learning tools (quizzes, short videos, polls, etc.) will be used while in class.

English

[only for in-presence classes] Consistent attendance is an important element for comprehending course materials and develop critical thinking during discussions. If students miss a limited number of classes, they can replace the classwork writing an agreed number of response papers (a response paper is a response to the readings assigned for seminars*. Response papers should be 2-3 pages, 1,5-spaced).
Non-attending students should contact the professor to arrange a suitable list of readings in order to prepare the exam.
*The main job for a response paper is to make connections between the weekly assigned documents and the more general list of readings, trying to answer to these following questions: what historical insight do they provide? What is the main lesson? What questions do they collectively raise? What debates do they produce? What was the author attempting to convey? When we bring the sources together, what do they tell us as historians? Response papers will be graded on clarity, insight, organization, and how deeply the student analyzes the documents. If an attending student will miss a few classes, he/she should submit a response paper to catch up.

written and oral

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Climate change and energy" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development