Religion, Violence and Trauma

Course

URL study guide

https://studiegids.vu.nl/en/courses/2024-2025/G_PTR4

Course Objective

The aims of the course are that the student:
• Can analyze how religion and trauma interact, and how that impacts individuals and communities on the one hand and our religious, philosophical and theological perceptions and doctrines on the other hand.
• Can analyze positive and negative contributions of religion in coping with trauma in individual life-stories using coping and trauma theory.
• Can evaluate the theological/religious complexity of trauma and is able to reflect hermeneutically on those complexities.
• Is able to communicate in a religious/theological adequate way on the theme of religion and trauma.
• Is able to analyze and critically evaluate new contributions of religion in dealing and coping with trauma and reflect on them and on his/her/their own professional approaches in this field and to determine which elements require further personal development of competencies.

Course Content

This course deals with different forms of trauma (political, domestic, sexual, natural disaster, illness) and their relation to religion. The course focuses on the power of the ‘ordinary’, ‘everydayness’, and ‘embodiment’ (lived religion) as key to exploring the intersection of trauma and the everyday reality of religion. We will address theories of traumatization and reflect on the age-old role of religion in coping and living with trauma, as well as the fundamental questions of (theological) anthropology: the nature of being human.

Teaching Methods

Seminars

Method of Assessment

Grading will be based on a group presentation (50%) and a final essay(50%). Group presentations are on trauma case studies that are chosen, prepared and presented in groups of maximum 5 people. The final (individual) essay will focus on a specific phenomenon/traumatic experience in relation to a specific theological/religious issue.

Literature

Ganzevoort, R.R. & Sremac, S. (eds). 2018. Trauma and Lived Religion: Transcending the Ordinary. Palgrave Macmillan; Arel, S.N. & Rambo, S. (eds.). 2016. Post-Traumatic Public Theology. Palgrave Macmillan. Boynton, E. & Capretto, P (eds.). Trauma and Transcendence. Suffering and the Limits of Theory. Fordham University Press. Various papers on Canvas, 100 pp. Individual literature for essay, 300 pp.

Target Audience

This module is mandatory for Master's students of the track Peace, Trauma & Religion. Other Master's students may follow it as an elective.
Academic year1/09/2431/08/25
Course level6.00 EC

Language of Tuition

  • English

Study type

  • Master