Class Description
In American public discourse, it is common to hear abortion referred to as a “religious issue.” But is abortion a religious issue? If so, in what ways, to whom, and since when?
In this class, we will answer these questions in two parts. In the first class, we will consider the ways that the people, texts, and institutions of various religious traditions in the United States characterize their positions on abortion.
In the second session, we will examine the specific history of American public discourse on abortion, giving particular attention to the significance of Christianity in legal and political debates in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
This class is a collaboration with the Marty Center at the University of Chicago Divinity School.
Emily D. Crews is the Assistant Director of the Martin Marty Center for the Public Understanding of Religion at the University of Chicago Divinity School. Her work focuses on the relationship between religion and issues of gender, the female reproductive body, and practices around fertility, pregnancy, and mothering and Africa and the United States.
Materials List
No required materials and no first reading assignment.
Cost and Registration
Two sessions, $130 ($117 for Newberry members, seniors, and students). Learn about becoming a member.
To register multiple people for this class, please go through the course calendar in Learning Stream, our registration platform. When you select the course and register, you’ll be prompted to add another registrant.
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