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TRN191H: Disaster & Terrorism

TRN191H: Disaster and Terrorism: Religion and Ethics at Ground Zero

Course Description

In response to contemporary terrorist attacks and natural disasters, many are led to lament, “The world will never be the same!” How should such statements be evaluated? What impact do they have on social and political life? This course explores religious and cultural responses to human tragedy and cultural shock. Discussion will attend to debates over the meaning of suffering, public reactions to terrorism, the traumas of natural disasters, and the role of media in covering such events. These themes are engaged from the perspectives of ethics, cultural theory, religious studies, and theology. The course focuses on popular responses to events that include: the Lisbon Earthquake of 1755, the First World War, the Holocaust, 9/11, Hiroshima and Fukushima, climate change, and more recent examples of terrorism and disaster. Attention will be given to concerns such as the impact of trauma on social and political debate, the function of religious discourse in the face of tragedy, the nature of ideology, and the relationship between religion and violence. A thematic concern throughout the course will be the nature of ethical commitment in the midst of confusion and social disruption.

2023-2024 Course Instructor

The Rev’d Dr. Christopher Brittain

chris.brittain@utoronto.ca

Dean of Divinity and Margaret E. Fleck Chair in Anglican Studies

Prof. Brittain researches relations within the global Anglican Communion, Contemporary Theology, and Theological Responses to Disaster and Terrorism. In addition, he works on Political Theology and on the writings of the early Frankfurt School on religion and theology. He is currently developing a theological study of the concept of power, entitled Power and Powerlessness.

 

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