215. Environmental Ethics. Values are important influences on the ways human communities relate to ecological communities, and hence on the character of the interaction between persons and their natural worlds. The course examines a range of environmental issues as moral problems, requiring ethical reflection. This ethical reflection takes into account both the cultural and religious contexts which have given rise to what is understood as a technological dominion over nature, and the cultural resources still remaining which may provide clues on how to live in friendship with the earth. Recommended background: one course in philosophy or religion. Open to first-year students.
217. Religion in the American Experience. The course seeks to understand the importance of religion in the evolution of a sense of national identity and of national destiny for the United States. Consideration is given to the importance of religious traditions both in the development and sanctioning of national mythologies, and in the critique or criticism of these mythologies. The historical background of such considerations begins with Native American religions. The course concludes with study of various "liberation theologies" which reflect a renewed awareness of a multicultural nation again uncertain of its grounds for unity. Open to first-year students. 230. Sacred Space: Religion and the Sense of Place. A historical and theoretical study of the ways religious traditions help define and develop a sense of place, lending significance to landscapes and cityscapes alike. Particular attention is given to understanding the power of religious worldviews in shaping an appreciation and evaluation of ecological environments. The course concludes with an assessment of the cultural and religious meaning of technology's remaking of the earth. Open to first-year students. 243. Christianity and Its Modern Critics. A study of some encounters between Christian traditions and modern culture, as they have developed since the Enlightenment. Attention is given to significant critiques of religion which have helped define the context for understanding religious meaning in a post-Christian culture. Readings are drawn from critics such as Kant, Hume, Kierkegaard, Feuerbach, Marx, Nietzsche, and Freud. Open to first-year students. 301. Seminar in the Theology of Culture. A consideration of religious experience and of the consequent creation of religious symbols. Historical and theoretical study aims for an appreciation of the cultural forms of religious meaning. Permission of the instructor is required. s23. Environmental Ethics. This unit uses readings, seminar discussions, and field trips to examine and evaluate environmental issues. Consideration is given to the idea of expanding the moral universe to include forests, oceans, other species. The class may travel to different locales in Maine to look at specific environmental situations. Internships also may be arranged for more extended study in the field. This unit is the same as Religion s23. Open to first-year students. Permission of the instructor is required. Enrollment is limited to 12.