Religion and U.S. Foreign Policy
This curricular module explores the role of religion in U.S. foreign policy, highlighting how the academic study of religion can inform the practice of diplomacy. Shaun Casey reflects on his experience working in the U.S. State Department and considers how a critical understanding of religion can improve the efficacy of government on the local, national, and international levels in a 2018 article on “Government Innovation in an Era of White Nationalism” [open access]. Casey reflected further on the intersections of government and religion in a 2018 lecture on “Globetrotting for Interfaith Harmony” [YouTube].
Below, you can explore more resources on religion and U.S. foreign policy, including an expanded module guide, with additional materials on religion and diplomacy, religion and foreign policy, and international religious freedom.
These materials are designed to engage students with the following issues:
- religion and diplomacy, religious literacy, and interfaith collaboration in the U.S. State Department [Casey article, open access; Birdsall article, Berkley Forum]
- historical policy engagement with religion and the contemporary role of religion in U.S. foreign policy [“Finding Faith in American Foreign Policy?” video; “Religion and Foreign Policy,” video/transcript; “The World As It Is: A Conversation with Ben Rhodes,” video]
- approaches to international religious freedom policy and implications for the Biden administration [“Rethinking U.S. Policy on International Religious Freedom,” Berkley Forum]
Instructors are encouraged to look through topics below [videos/PDFs/articles] and adapt these questions to their needs.
