OLLI101415 - Philadelphia's Experiment in Religious Freedom: Lessons Learned for Democracy, Diversity, and Social Justice Today

Course Description

Philadelphia’s Experiment in Religious Freedom: Lessons Learned for Democracy, Diversity, and Social Justice Today

Instructor: David Krueger
Dates: Wednesdays, Sept 28-Nov 9
Time: 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Location: Online via Zoom  

This six-week course looks at the origins and development of Philadelphia (and the U.S. more broadly) as a haven for religious freedom, its impact on the nation’s founding documents, and the ways that the city has both succeeded and failed to become a city that practices democracy, embraces diversity, and advances social justice for all its citizens. The course will focus on select historical moments that illuminate the experiences of Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Freethinkers, and African Americans in their struggle to prosper in a city founded as a “holy experiment” of toleration by the Quaker William Penn. Course participants will gain skills for engaging in dialogue about diversity in the U.S., learn to appreciate and articulate a vision for a diverse and democratic America, and learn to think critically about how various understandings of the past factor into contemporary debates about American public life.
Maximum registrants: 50

Instructor Bio:
David Krueger, the Executive Director of the Dialogue Institute-Journal of Ecumenical Studies at Temple University, which is dedicated to advancing understanding and dialogue across religious, cultural, and political differences, both locally and globally. Dr. Krueger holds a PhD in U.S. religious history from Temple and teaches a course called Religion in Philadelphia. Dr. Krueger has written about religious pluralism in Philadelphia and offers historical tours of religious sites in the city.