James Calvin Davis
Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs; Professor of Religion
Email: jcdavis@middlebury.edu
Phone: work802.443.3221
Office Hours: Spring Term: Fridays 12:30-2:00
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- Long-term curricular planning and development, especially in the Humanities
- Co-chair of Educational Affairs Committee
- Interdisciplinary academic centers
- Faculty lecture series
- Classroom upgrades
- Department and program budget processes
- Manages work of assistants in academic administration and departmental coordinators
James Calvin Davis currently serves as the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs. Before joining the academic administration as Assistant Provost in February 2011, James served as chair of the Religion Department and of the College’s Institutional Review Board (IRB). A member of the Middlebury faculty since 2001, James teaches widely in comparative religious ethics and American religious history, with particular interest in the role of religion in American public life. His most recent books include On Religious Liberty: Selections from the Works of Roger Williams (Harvard, 2008) and In Defense of Civility: How Religion Can Help Unite America on Seven Moral Issues That Divide Us (WJK, 2010).
Courses
Courses offered in the past four years.
▲ indicates offered in the current term
▹ indicates offered in the upcoming term[s]
FYSE 1322 - Ethics in Literature and Film
The Moral of the Story: Exploring Ethics through Literature and Film
Ethics is the study of how we ought to live and the people we ought to be. For millennia, theologians and philosophers have constructed arguments that inform our understanding of morality, but for much longer people have told stories that address perennial questions in ethics. What is human dignity? How should we balance respect for the individual with society's needs? Is the pursuit of perfection noble or dangerous? In this seminar we will explore foundational themes in ethics as they are raised in classic English literature, contemporary novels, and films. Readings will include Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Isaac Asimov's I, Robot, and Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper. Films may include Gattaca, Talk to Her, and Dirty Pretty Things.
Fall 2010
RELI 0190 - Intro to Religious Ethics
Introduction to Religious Ethics ET, WT
This course is an introduction to the insight that western religious traditions lend to the evaluation of contemporary moral problems. To begin we will explore the methods and authorities by which Protestantism, Catholicism, Judaism, and Islam approach ethics, by focusing on the issue of abortion. The second part of the course deals with specific moral issues including war, capital punishment, and sex. Attention will be paid to what selected authorities and thinkers in these traditions say about these issues, but through the use of case studies the course also will provide students with the opportunity to develop their own approach to ethics. 3 hrs. lect., 1 hr. disc.
Fall 2009, Fall 2011
RELI 0275 - Separation of Church and State
Separation of Church and State: Religious Foundations for an American Ide AR, ET
This course will consider the meaning of the religion clauses of the First Amendment, with special attention given to the ways in which different definitions of "religion" and "politics" can affect the interpretation of their relationship. Our study of this American doctrine will begin with its historical foundations in the thought of Roger Williams, William Penn, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison. We then will trace the evolution of interpretation through Supreme Court jurisprudence on church/state relations, primarily from the twentieth century. Finally, we will pay specific attention to the consequences of our interpretation on current debates over issues like school vouchers, faith-based initiatives, and the tax-status of religious organizations. 3 hrs. lect./disc.
Fall 2009, Spring 2012
RELI 0293 - Religion and Bioethics
Religion and Bioethics ET*
This course is an introduction to bioethics, or the principles, virtues, and other moral norms that guide decision-making in the health sciences. We will focus on moral norms accepted by Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, and humanistic traditions and embedded in a liberal, pluralistic society. We will consider the implications for euthanasia and assisted suicide, abortion, assisted reproduction, genetics, research on human subjects, and other health care issues that occupy public debate. Popular films and numerous actual and hypothetical cases that raise important issues in bioethics will be used throughout the course. 3 hrs. lect./disc.
Spring 2009, Fall 2010
RELI 0298 - Privilege and Poverty
Privilege and Poverty: An Interdisciplinary Study of Economic Inequality
In this course, we will employ the tools of economics, history, sociology, philosophy, and theology to study domestic and global economic inequality. The first question we will consider is descriptive: what are the causes of economic inequality? The second question we will entertain is normative: how should an ethical society respond to the reality of economic inequality? Readings will be drawn from current literature as well as classic texts, including thinkers like Adam Smith, J.S. Mill, Walter Rauschenbusch, Jane Addams, Reinhold Niebuhr, Cornel West, John Rawls, Robert Nozick, and Amartya Sen. 3 hrs. sem.
Spring 2013
RELI 0376 - Religion and American Politics
Religion and American Politics AR, ET
Does religion belong in politics? Should religious reasons be permitted in public political debate? Should candidates for office publicly declare their religious beliefs? Are orthodox Christianity, Judaism, and Islam fundamentally incompatible with democratic principles? This course examines these and similar questions regarding the relationship between religion and American democracy. We will study the role religion does in fact play in American politics, but primarily we will ask what role, if any, religion should play in politics. We will consider this last question by consulting a number of important contemporary political philosophers and theologians. (One of the following courses: RELI 0190, RELI 0275, RELI 0293, PSCI 0101, PSCI 0102, PSCI 0104, PSCI 0107, or any course in Philosophy) 3 hrs. sem.
Spring 2011, Fall 2012
RELI 0390 / WAGS 0392 - Seminar in Religious Ethics
Seminar in Religious Ethics: ET, WT
Topic is determined by the instructor - refer to section for the course description.
Spring 2009
RELI 0396 - War and Peace and Christianity ▲
War and Peace in Christian Thought ET, WT
Both pacifism and just war thinking have deep roots in the Christian tradition. Important figures in Christian history have argued that in certain circumstances war may be a regrettable but justifiable engagement, while others have maintained that killing of any kind, even in the name of the state, is wrong. This seminar will look at the historical development of both approaches to war and peace in Christian thought, from the early church to the present day. Figures and movements we will encounter will include Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin, the Quakers, Reinhold Niebuhr, and Martin Luther King. 3 hrs. sem. (RELI 0130, RELI 0190, or by approval)
Fall 2013
RELI 0500 - Independent Research ▲ ▹
Independent Research
(Approval Required)
Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Winter 2010, Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Winter 2011, Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Winter 2012, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Winter 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014
RELI 0601 - Senior Project in Religion
Senior Project
(Approval Required)
Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Winter 2010, Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Winter 2011, Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Winter 2012, Spring 2012
RELI 0700 - Senior Project in Religion ▲ ▹
Senior Project
(Approval Required)
Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Winter 2010, Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Winter 2011, Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Winter 2012, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Winter 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014
RELI 0701 - Senior Thesis in Religion ▲ ▹
Senior Research for Honors Candidates
Approval required
Fall 2012, Winter 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014