Religion and Nonviolence

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This eight-week course picks up where the “Religious Fundamentalism, Extremism and Terrorism” courses (Terms 1-3) leave off, focusing on peaceful forms of nonviolent religious practice, and discusses key issues ranging from the Jain concept of ahiṃsā, the Hindu concept of satyāgraha, and the Jewish notion of Tikkun Olam, and others, along with key figures like Mahātmā Gāndhī, Martin Luther King, Khān Abdul Ghaffār Khān, and others. It also introduces the topic of Religion and Animal Rights.

There are no prerequisites for for any of our History for Religious Diversity courses.
The “Religious Fundamentalism, Extremism and Terrorism” series of courses will be taught again in Terms 1-3 in 2021.

Weekly sessions during Term 4 include the following topics:

•Week 1: Religion and Nonviolence: Jain ideals of ahimsā
•Week 2: Hindu Approaches to Nonviolence: Mahātmā Gāndhī & Satyāgraha
•Week 3: Buddhism, Nonviolence and the Dalāi Lāmā
•Week 4: Jewish Approaches to Peace and Social Justice: Tikkun Olam
•Week 5: Christian Approaches to Peace and Nonviolence
•Week 6: Islamic Approaches to Peace and Nonviolence
•Week 7: Sikh Approaches to Peace and Nonviolence
•Week 8: Religion and the Animal Rights

COURSE DATES AND TIMES: “The History of Death” meets on Wednesdays from 11:00am-1:00pm. Our first class begins on Wednesday 21 October 2020 and runs for 8 consecutive weeks, ending on Wednesday 9 December 2020.

COST for all 8 sessions: Waged: $107; Unwaged: $86. Registering for one class registers you for all eight sessions.

COURSE LECTURER:

All Religious Diversity classes are taught by Todd Nachowitz, PhD. Todd has been a part-time lecturer in Religious Studies at the University of Waikato where he taught introductory courses on Comparative Religion; Religious Fundamentalism, Extremism and Terrorism; Religion in Secular Society; and Islam. Todd has a Masters Degree in Development Anthropology from Syracuse University in upstate New York (1991) and a PhD from the University of Waikato (2015) in Political Science and Public Policy where he completed his thesis on diversity governance and the Indian diaspora in New Zealand. Prior to settling in New Zealand in 1995, Todd lived and worked in the United States, India, Pakistan and Nepal. He spent 11 years in South Asia as the Academic Director for university study-abroad programmes in Varanasi, India (for the University of Wisconsin-Madison); Lahore, Pakistan (for the University of California-Berkeley); and Kathmandu, Nepal (for School for International Training, based in Brattleboro, Vermont, USA) that focused on language, culture and religion. Todd speaks Hindu and Urdu, and is a specialist in comparative world religions and the history, religions, languages and cultures of South Asia. Todd’s most recent research and publications involve religious diversity, the Indian diaspora, and the history and development of multiculturalism in New Zealand. He was a founding Trustee and former Centre Coordinator of the Religious Diversity Centre, based in Auckland, and a member of the Executive Committee of the Waikato Interfaith Council. Todd is also the Founder and Executive Director of EarthDiverse.

COURSE LOCATION(S): Both in-person classes in Hamilton and on-line distance-learning options available for this course, allowing anyone in New Zealand to register. If the time doesn't suit, you also have the option to watch the video recorded sessions to learn at a more convenient time or study at your own pace.

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