by Prof. Courney Dorroll, Associate Professor, Wofford College, and Teaching the South Caucasus Workshop participant
Key words: Imperial projects; nation building and nationalism; identity formation; resilience; religious resurgence; Georgia; Armenia.
Module description: Two modules are offered here, one that focuses on Georgia and the other on Armenia. Students will examine ways different religions and cultures practice care for themselves and their communities. Both case studies center on the theme of religious resilience in times of identity and ideological flux. For Georgia and Armenia, students will consider the following questions: 1) How did the Georgian Christian church and Armenian Christian Church respond and withstand Soviet Era rule?; 2) How did religious people fare during that time?; and 3) What happened to levels of religiosity in each country in the post-Soviet period?