This module seeks to introduce students to a range of questions, theories and methods in the inter-disciplinary study of religion, focusing especially on the social and cultural analysis of religion. A range of contemporary topics will be used to explore how different aspects of religion can be explored as forms of social and cultural experience and practice. Examples of this might would include debates about faith schools, women’s leadership in religious institutions, sectarian violence in football, belief in the supernatural. The topics are used to introduce wider theories and debates in sociology, cultural studies and anthropology as a basis for the study of religion.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module students should be able to:
Identify key questions that could be raised from a social or cultural perspective on some different forms of religious experience and practice;
Show awareness of key debates on the different perspectives of the study of religion, particularly in relation to the social and cultural analysis of religion;
Address key topics in the study of religion with reasoned analysis and reflecting on different perspectives.