RST 215 Theology and Technologies
What is the relationship of god(dess) to technology? How does our concept of the divine relate to the application of scientific knowledge or capability? How does theology respond, adapt to, or learn from the new realities or possibilities created by scientific innovation? Students in this course will consider the relationship between the(o/a)logy and technology, giving special attention to the emergence of new technologies in particular historical and contemporary contexts, [and the modern perception of tension between religion and science]. Topics may include: the relationship of religion and theology to “new technologies” of inequality, such as eugenics, race, theories of religious evolution, the human genome project, etc.; theology and medical science; human-divine relationships in cyberspace, video gaming, and other online spaces; theological anthropocentrism; religious essentialism and theo/alogical technophobia; religious expansion and technology; histories of technology; transhumanism; etc.. The course as a whole will help students to investigate technology and its histories in terms of their theological significance, while critically examining the theologies arising from our human-divine encounters with scientific innovation.
Distribution
RST