010100 SE What is Religion? (2022W)
Continuous assessment of course work
Labels
MIXED
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).
- Registration is open from Mo 05.09.2022 10:00 to Fr 30.09.2022 10:00
- Deregistration possible until Mo 31.10.2022 23:59
Details
Language: English
Lecturers
Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N
- Friday 07.10. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 7 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
- Friday 14.10. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 7 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
- Friday 21.10. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 7 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
- Friday 28.10. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 7 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
- Friday 04.11. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 7 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
- Friday 11.11. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 7 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
- Friday 18.11. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 7 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
- Friday 25.11. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 7 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
- Friday 02.12. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 7 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
- Friday 09.12. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 7 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
- Friday 16.12. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 7 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
- Friday 13.01. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 7 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
- Friday 20.01. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 7 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
- Friday 27.01. 15:00 - 16:30 Seminarraum 7 Hauptgebäude, Tiefparterre Stiege 9 Hof 5
Information
Aims, contents and method of the course
Assessment and permitted materials
Assessment and permitted materials
Class participation, attendance (in order to pass the course, students need to attend 80% of the classes and above), and short by-weekly quizzes; book review 1,000 words; essay 3,500 words.
Academic books, academic articles, encyclopaedias, internet sources (Wikipedia is not allowed).
Class participation, attendance (in order to pass the course, students need to attend 80% of the classes and above), and short by-weekly quizzes; book review 1,000 words; essay 3,500 words.
Academic books, academic articles, encyclopaedias, internet sources (Wikipedia is not allowed).
Minimum requirements and assessment criteria
Minimum requirements:
An interest in different disciplinary approaches to religion; all readings will be in English – so apart from a good command of English no knowledge of foreign languages is required.
Assessment criteria:
Class participation, attendance (in order to pass the course, students need to attend 80% of the classes and above), and short by-weekly quizzes (30%); book review 1,000 words (20%); essay 3,500 words (50%).
An interest in different disciplinary approaches to religion; all readings will be in English – so apart from a good command of English no knowledge of foreign languages is required.
Assessment criteria:
Class participation, attendance (in order to pass the course, students need to attend 80% of the classes and above), and short by-weekly quizzes (30%); book review 1,000 words (20%); essay 3,500 words (50%).
Examination topics
Examination topics
Lecture content; the original readings of the theorists under examination; critical approach and personal insight.
Lecture content; the original readings of the theorists under examination; critical approach and personal insight.
Reading list
Reading list
(1) Pals, Daniel L. 2015. Nine Theories of Religion. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press.
(2) Segal, Robert A. 2005. “Theories of Religion.” In John R. Hinnells (ed.), The Routledge Companion to the Study of Religion. London and New York: Routledge, pp. 49–60.
(3) McCutcheon, Russell T. 2018. Studying Religion: An Introduction. 2nd edition. London and New York: Routledge.
(1) Pals, Daniel L. 2015. Nine Theories of Religion. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press.
(2) Segal, Robert A. 2005. “Theories of Religion.” In John R. Hinnells (ed.), The Routledge Companion to the Study of Religion. London and New York: Routledge, pp. 49–60.
(3) McCutcheon, Russell T. 2018. Studying Religion: An Introduction. 2nd edition. London and New York: Routledge.
Association in the course directory
066 800 M8, M22, 033 195 (17W) BRP 04rwb
Last modified: Sa 01.03.2025 00:07
The course aims to introduce students to a range of modern theories of religion stemming from the fields of sociology, economics, and psychology, and to enable students to apply theories to actual religions. By the end of the course, students should have become familiar with the range of these modern theories of religion, with ways of comparing theories, with ways of applying theories to specific religions, and with ways of evaluating theories.Description:
A survey of leading classical theories of religion, as were exemplified by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, Sigmund Freud, Emile Durkheim, Robert Bellah, and Rodney Stark. A ‘theory of religion’ is an attempt to generalize about the phenomenon of religion across time and space by answering two fundamental questions: what is the origin and what is the function of religion. By focusing on theorists who represent different disciplines (Economics, Psychology, and Sociology), and by reading their own works, the course will discuss whether and how those theorists answer the aforementioned questions, how they approach religion, what do they make of the phenomenon, and how they contributed to the development of understanding religion.Method:
Reading of selected texts (in English translation), lectures, and in class discussion.
All readings will be available on MOODLE at the beginning of the semester.