UMass Boston

Religion & the Environment: Global Stewardship & Practices of Faith Communities

Course #: ENVSTY 222L, Class #: 4449, Section #: 01

Description

This course examines the influence of religious traditions on environmental ethics across cultures. The course draws on sacred texts of Judeo-Christian, Muslim, Jain, Hindu, and possibly other faiths, and secular perspectives of environmental ethics. From these standpoints, students examine global case studies, from Africa, the Middle East, Europe, America and possibly elsewhere. Students explore how spiritual understandings of the world influence human behavior toward the planet and the ecosystems we inhabit. Through comparisons between religious traditions across cultures and their relationship with environmental ethics, students develop an understanding of how faith systems influence our treatment of the Earth. .