RELI 381 - Carceral Christianity—Policing and Religion in the USA

Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)

Settler colonialism and white supremacy are intertwined political, economic, and military phenomena that have relied on Protestant and Catholic theologies to justify massive violence. This seminar focuses on one important example of state violence–the police–and its continuing relationship to Christian institutions, practices, and discourses. It seeks to answer the following questions: How did crime become both a religious issue as well as a potent source for political rhetoric in the 20^th century? In what ways have churches contributed to a politics of law-and-order that valorizes policing? How does Christianity interact with whiteness in the formation of police culture? Finally, the seminar turns to efforts by the police and church organizations, respectively, to influence cultural representations of law enforcement. This, in turn, informs analysis of the mythological rhetoric of “good vs. evil” manifest in police-themed media.

Sources for the seminar include theology, social theory, histories of state and church institutions, ritual practices devoted to law enforcement, as well as cultural representations of the police in film, television, and literature. Klaus Yoder.

One 2-hour period.

Course Format: CLS