Religious Studies 472: Science and Religion

Course No: 8472
Subject: Religious Studies
Grade Level: 12
Course Length: Semester
Course Type: Elective
UC/CSU Subject Approval: G
Prerequisite: Religious Studies 101, 201, 300
Criteria for Enrollment: None
Fulfillments: Meets requirement for one of seven semesters of Religious Studies

Important Religious Studies Department Information

Are science and religion enemies, strangers, or partners?  We investigate this fundamental question in a semester-long course that introduces the philosophical, theological, and ethical relationship between science and religion. Both science and religion are quests for understanding that fundamentally shape our world, but these disciplines ask different questions and follow different methods. While they may appear to conflict, closer examination reveals room for a deeper engagement through fruitful dialogue and constructive integration.  Students will grapple with several of the “big questions” which animate the relationship between science and religion, like: “Does the universe have a purpose?” “Is faith compatible with evolution?” “Does science make belief in God obsolete?” and “What does it mean to be human?”