This course examines the intersection of religion and ecology and traces contemporary discussions of world religions’ teachings about “creation,” “nature,” “earth,” and the “body” in light of the current global environmental crisis. Which religious belief and value systems contribute to exploitation and contempt for the natural world? Which religious principles and practices enhance protection and reverence for creation and the material world? How have thinkers and activists from various religious traditions responded to the paradigm shifts mandated by ecological thinking? This course exposes students to the fields of comparative religions, theology, ethics, and ecology as we probe how religious world views impact social practices, and how changing environmental, political, and economic practices impact religious belief systems.