Most liberal democracies provide protection against state imposition of religious orthodoxy. It typically takes two forms—freedom of religion and freedom from religion (or, in the language of the U.S. Constitution, the Free Exercise and the Establishment Clause, respectively). The exploration of these two freedoms from legal, theoretical, and historical perspectives is the purpose of this seminar. Some of the main questions that will be addressed from all three perspectives are: where and how the line that separates church and state ought to be drawn; why single out religion (say, rather than simply conscience) as an object of special constitutional protection; can religious liberty and equality be reconciled; can there be a non-sectarian principle of toleration?

Paper – 80%

Class participation – 20%