Universität Wien

010095 VU Cognitive and Evolutionary Science of Religion (2026S)

5.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 1 - Theologien und Religionswiss.
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle
Mo 16.03. 16:45-20:00 Seminarraum 7 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).
Register/Deregister for this course

Details

Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Monday 02.03. 16:45 - 20:00 Seminarraum 7 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
  • Thursday 05.03. 16:45 - 20:00 Seminarraum 7 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
  • Monday 09.03. 16:45 - 20:00 Seminarraum 7 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
  • Thursday 19.03. 16:45 - 20:00 Seminarraum 7 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
  • Monday 23.03. 16:45 - 20:00 Seminarraum 7 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

This course encompasses the origins, developments, and current state of the art of the Cognitive and Evolutionary Science of Religion (CESR). The structure of the course follows a diachronic path that is also thematically coherent, reflecting thereby the most prevalent paradigms and approaches. The two dominant perspectives discussed throughout will be: 1) religious cognition, or the way human mind processes, represents, and reacts to supernatural concepts, and why it does so; and 2) religious evolution, or the evolutionary processes that shaped religions to their various forms, such as cultural evolution and costly signalling. Since CESR is at its core an interdisciplinary enterprise, each research topic covered will introduce the students to a multitude of methods – hence, the students will learn how to be pluralistic and pragmatic regarding methodological choices for their research goals. Finally, the course will also target some specific topics of interest such as magic, ritualisation, health, or atheism that are recognised as fundamental for understanding religious phenomena and the universality and prevalence of religions worldwide. At the end of the course, the students should be capable of pursuing their own research topic within CESR for their final thesis.

Specifically, the following topics will be addressed:

- The cognitive turn in cultural and religious studies
- The religious mind: developmental tendencies and cognitive biases
- The transmission of religious ideas
- Ritualisation: fear, stress, and control
- The cognitive theory of magic
- The transmission of religious behaviours
- Religion as a costly signalling platform
- Religion, reproduction, and partner choice
- Religion as a regulatory mechanism: morality and norms
- Collective rituals: prosociality, cooperation, and identity
- The cultural evolution of religions
- Great and small gods: religious diversity and varying socioecologies
- Religion, health, and well-being
- Atheism

Teaching methods and classroom activities

- Student presentations of chosen topics (beyond the mandatory class reading)
- Discussions of assigned readings (pre-class and in-class)
- In class reading – dividing and assigning meaningful parts of selected readings (paper, book chapter, essay) to small teams (pairs) of students in class to present and discuss later
- Research project submission: preparation, presentation, and discussion of group projects for final course assessment (group activity – working in teams)

Assessment and permitted materials

Interim assessment: 70%

- 20 points: activity in class (discussion, questions) reflecting knowledge of the text assigned for that class and of the in-class reading (if included)
- 50 points: presentation and discussion of research on the assigned topic;
- The interim assessment must achieve at least 51% (i.e., 36 points out of 70 must be obtained).

Final assessment: 30%

- 30 points: final assignment. Students will form groups (pairs or trios); the lecturer will assign a topic from the course to the groups (different from the topics each student chose for the interim assessment); groups will create a research project proposal on the assigned topic in the range of 5-8 standard pages; subsequently, they will present and discuss the project during an oral exam with the rest of the class; at least a 51% mark must be achieved (i.e., at least 16 points out of 30 must be obtained).

1: 89–100 points
2: 76 – 88 points
3: 63 – 75 points
4: 51 – 62 points
5: 0 – 50 points

The course instructor decides whether and which AI may be used in class or when writing academic papers. The details will be announced in the course and will be agreed upon with the students. In the event of suspicion of non-transparent or unauthorised use of AI, the course management reserves the right to hold a "grade-relevant discussion". The purpose of this grade-relevant discussion is to ensure that the student is able to complete the paper independently. If the discussion reveals that the student is unable to provide sufficient information on the content, methods, sources used or conclusions of the paper, the paper will be assessed negatively. If it emerges during the interview that unauthorised aids have been used, a procedure under study law will be initiated due to the use of unauthorised aids. Otherwise, the assessment originally intended by the course instructor will be retained.

Further information can be found in the current guidelines of the University of Vienna on dealing with AI: https://doi.org/10.25365/phaidra.544 and in the guidelines of the KTF: https://ssc-kaththeologie.univie.ac.at/fileadmin/user_upload/s_ktf/2019/Im_Studium/Leitlinien_KI_der_KTF_Endfassung.pdf

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

See above.

To ensure that the teaching and learning objectives are met, attendance at this course is compulsory. Students may miss up to two 90-minute sessions. If students are unable to attend additional lessons, they must provide credible reasons for their absence.

Examination topics

Course topics and material.

Reading list

Boyer, P. (1994). The Naturalness of Religious Ideas: A Cognitive Theory of Religion (1st ed). University of California Press.
Gervais, W. M. (2024). Disbelief: The origins of atheism in a religious species. Prometheus books.
Lawson, E. T., Lawson, E. T., & McCauley, R. N. (1996). Rethinking religion: Connecting, cognition and culture (1. paperback ed., repr). Cambridge University Press.
Lior, Y., & Lane, J. E. (Eds.). (2023). The Routledge handbook of evolutionary approaches to religion. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/b23047
Norenzayan, A. (2013). Big gods: How religion transformed cooperation and conflict. Princeton University Press.
Purzycki, B. G., & Sosis, R. (2022). Religion evolving: Cultural, cognitive, and ecological dynamics. Equinox.
Slone, D. J., & McCorkle, W. W. (Eds.). (2019). The cognitive science of religion: A methodological introduction to key imperical studies. Bloomsbury. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781350033726
Slone, D. J., & Van Slyke, J. A. (2015). The attraction of religion: A new evolutionary psychology of religion. Bloomsbury academic.
White, C. (2021). An introduction to the cognitive science of religion: Connecting evolution, brain, cognition, and culture. Routledge.
Whitehouse, H. (1995). Inside the cult: Religious innovation and transmission in Papua new Guinea. Clarendon press.
Xygalatas, D. (2022). Ritual: How seemingly senseless acts make life worth living. Profile Books Ltd.

Association in the course directory

Masterstudium Religionswissenschaft NEU: M5 VU zu sozialwissenschaftlicher Religionsforschung; MA RW ALT: M7.5, M17, M19, M20, M21; BA rw Bildung: BRP 15rwb (statt VU History of East Asia), BRP 16rwb (SE Religionsethnologie oder Religionssoziologie)

Last modified: Fr 13.02.2026 14:25