Religion as Culture

This course introduces students to one of the two primary approaches to Religious Studies: the Social Scientific Study of Religion as Culture (the other, complementary, approach being History of Religions/Comparative Religions.) Our focus in this course is on religions as cultural systems. We will examine the work of classical theorists (such as Durkheim and Weber), current theoretical developments (secularization and social formation), and some key methodological issues in quantitative and qualitative research. In each section we will draw on case studies to illustrate religious diversity and to refine/apply our understandings of theory and method.

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