Project Summary: What do you think are challenges and opportunities posed by religion in pluralistic societies, and in light of them, what role, if any, should religion play in public life? The Role of Religion in the Public Life of Pluralistic Societies” Short Essay. This short essay will cap off our first section in which we address some important methodological questions (i.e. how it is we’ll go about doing what we do in the course) and begin to lay some foundations for what we will be doing over the course of the semester. It will give you an opportunity to think through issues related to the role of religious ethics in pluralistic societies.