This seminar explores the ways concepts of "race," "religion," and "scripture" have mutually constituted each other over the course of modern European and American history. The course pays particular attention to the central, and sometimes hidden, role "the Bible” has played in the racial formation of citizens and subjects. To that end, the course draws upon several different disciplines and fields, including but not limited to: critical race theory, intersectional feminism, postcolonial theory, liberation hermeneutics, American religious history, and critical biblical studies. The course's overarching goal is to critically understand how “race” shaped and shapes interpretations of biblical texts as scripture and how the scriptural framing of racial categories imbues social hierarchies with religious authority. Prerequisite: One course in religious studies.