This course explores the protections and limitations on religious
practice in Germany and the US. It begins with the protections and
limits set out in the two constitutions. We will then look at
contemporary legal cases in both countries which reflect tensions in
increasingly multicultural societies and which the legal framework must
resolve. The comparative method is used not only to teach students about
both legal systems but to make visible the different
cultural/historical assumptions undergirding each. Examples of current
debates include: abortion; gay marriage and LGBTQ+ rights; religion and
schools; religion and for-profit corporations; regulations of
faith-based social service agencies; religious symbols/clothing (head
scarves, crosses) in public institutions.
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Ulrike Häusler
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Prof. Dr. Martin Heger
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Marcia Pally