Religious Extremism

300 level, no First Year students. - This course is a special topics offering at the 300 level on the topic of "Religious Extremism." In this course, we will explore the definitions of the key terms of the course, like extremism, religion, and terrorism, and inquire about the political and social contexts of these definitions. Next, we will examine key cases that allow us to apply our understanding of the category of "religious extremism" related to actual historical events. These events include the Aum Shinrikyo attacks in Japan, the strikes on the World Trade Center and Pentagon on 9/11, and January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol. This course will involve small writing assignments, concluding in a research project of the student's choosing related to the course topic.