CSP 62 God and Governance

While the separation church and state forms one of the characteristic features of the American political system, the gods were instrumental to the origins and legitimation of the early state. This course investigates the intersection of religious ideology and political governance by employing a global, comparative approach to early state societies in the Andes, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and China. Together, we will explore questions such as: What role did religious ideology play in the rise of an organized, political state? How can religion and ritual serve as the basis of collective identities? Why were the gods instrumental to war? How does the state use religion to legitimate itself? And what role does religion play in how we govern today?  The course will culminate with students reflecting on whether the patterns of the past still persist in the present and seek to answer the question: Can we really separate religion from politics?