SluitenHelpPrint
Switch to English
Cursus: RE2V18002
RE2V18002
Sociology of Religion: Theories and Methods
Cursus informatie
CursuscodeRE2V18002
Studiepunten (EC)7,5
Cursusdoelen
- Knowledge of key issues, basic theories and concepts in the sociology of religion.
- Ability to apply these to ongoing public debates via oral and/or written contributions.
Inhoud
How can we understand the relation between religion and wider society? For a long time, scholars assumed that modernization entails the decline of (the public significance of) religion. However, instead of secularization, we seem to witness a ‘comeback’ of religion – albeit in new forms. While church membership and attendance in mainstream Christianity declines in Western Europe, the evangelical movement thrives. As a result of immigration and globalization, the religious landscape is continuously diversified. All over the world, religious revival movements manifest themselves as major public players, often by making prolific use of the latest media technologies. Scholars tend to agree that secularization theory has lost its explanatory power. How to develop adequate theories and methods to grasp the place and role of religion in the 21st century? And how do religions transform via a constant exchange with wider society? These are burning questions in the sociology of religion.
 
This course consists of lectures and seminars. The lecture series is divided into two parts. In the first part, we will discuss foundational thinkers and key concepts, with special focus on the rise and critique of secularization theory. In the second part, we will explore new foci in the contemporary study of religion: from religious revival movements to New Age, and from conversion to superdiversity. In the seminar meetings, we will discuss the assigned readings in more detail. We will also discuss news reports, short documentaries, film fragments, articles in popular magazines, and statistical data about religion.
       
SluitenHelpPrint
Switch to English