Church and State: One Nation Under God?

Starting by unpacking the language of "separation between church and state"--its origins, its implications, its practical applications--this track will grapple with the complex relationship between religion and policy in America. 

We will interrogate what we mean when we say that church and state should be separate, and the ironies and fallacies that play out in the national conversations around this often inextricable relationship, starting with the very founding of this country. We will explore topics such as the way religious language saturates political discourse, the indebtedness of the Civil Rights and other community organizing movements to religious communities, and the troubling affinity between religious fanaticism and nationalism. 

Fellows will spend time with religious texts and leaders of various traditions and denominations, and engage with individuals, policy-makers, and community leaders that exemplify the whole spectrum of perspectives on this issue.