Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, "Civil and Religious Law in England: A Religious Perspective" (Lecture before the Royal Courts of Justice, February 7, 2008) [print out personal copy from the web] (Note: For ease of reference in class and in your writing, please number the paragraphs on your printout.)

Janice Gross Stein, “Religion, Culture, and Rights: A Conversation about Women” (2008) [print out personal copy from the web / copy from article on reserve]

CBC Radio “The Current,” March 31, 2008 – including documentary by Kathleen Goldhar, “Faith in the Law”: http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/2008/200803/20080331.html: scroll down to bottom to "Listen to Part Three" of the program (approximately the first 22 minutes)

Suzanne Last Stone, "The Intervention of American Law in Jewish Divorce" (2000), pp. 174-85 [print out personal copy]

and address two out of the three following questions in 2-3 well-written paragraphs each (with your assignment spanning 3-4 pages total), with detailed reference to the texts. Since this is your first reading of these texts, and since we have not yet discussed them in class, you are not being asked to supply definitive answers but preliminary, thoughtful responses based on attentive reading. Your answers may also include 1-2 important questions raised by your reading for further discussion.  

1. What does Rowan Williams mean by "plural jurisdiction," and how does he view this concept as key to developing a renewed understanding of the relationship between civil and religious law?

2. According to Janice Gross Stein, why or how are women's rights especially affected in decisions about the rights that are due to religious groups?  

3. According to Suzanne Last Stone and/or persons interviewed for the radio documentary "Faith in the Law" (please give the names of anyone you cite), why or how does the issue of Jewish religious divorce (the get) pose a challenge for the separation of religion and secular law?