The course analyzes the reciprocal influences of Politics and Religion and asks how Philosophy has enquired into the interdependency of these two essential dimensions of human experience and social life. The aim of the course is to understand how religion affects politics and vice versa by considering the theoretical background offered by major philosophers and theorists. Through a combination of historical and theoretical analysis students will be provided with essential tools to examine and critically discuss various case studies, from early modern history to the present. Themes and issues include: Religion and Morality; Civil Religion and the role(s) of Religion in Politics; the Church and the State; Religious Liberty in Early Modern Europe; Religion as a factor of Social Change; Secularization; the Sacralization of Politics; Religion and Totalitarianism; Religion and Democracy; Post-Secularization.

*Course content subject to change