Module ANTH40R15: Ritual, Religion, and Belief (Advanced)

Department: Anthropology

ANTH40R15: Ritual, Religion, and Belief (Advanced)

Prerequisites

• None.

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• This module explores themes which fall under the broad headings of religion and religiosity. More specially the module aims to: 
• Provide a cross-cultural overview of the theoretical and ethnographic importance of the anthropological studies of religion 
• Cover key theories of religion in social anthropology, supported by ethnographic case studies
• Consider the form that religious practices take in a variety of different societies and communities and their relationship with political, economic and cultural life 
• Provide an in-depth and broad knowledge of religion and its importance to human sociality 
• Examine critically the relationship between the practice of different religions and forms of religiosity for social organisation, identities, and culture
• Provide an awareness of how a theoretical and ethnographic awareness of these topics might help understand critical events and controversies in the contemporary world. 

Content

• The indicative content of this module is: Overview of key issues in the anthropology of religion followed by coverage of the following major themes: ritual and belief, shamanism and cosmology, religion and race; secularism; ethnographies of world religions.

Learning Outcomes

• Understand the place religion in human societies, and the various ways it has been theorised by anthropologists. 
• Be able to demonstrate familiarity with a range of representative ethnographic cases (present and past, Western and non-Western). 

• Have an understanding of the basic conceptual vocabularies of religion.
• Be able to analyse the symbolic foundations of religious practices.

• Library research
• Debating skills
• Note taking
• Essay writing
• Critical reading and analysis.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Lectures and seminars introduce students to the material and enable discussion of it, informed by wider reading.
• Lectures may include pre-recorded videos, live presentations, and/or interactive components as appropriate to the material covered from week to week. 
• Seminars allow students to explore and discuss material from the lectures and readings in depth with their tutors and peers. 
• Formative assessment is by one 500 word essay outline. 
• Summative assessment is by one 3000 word essay.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Formative assessment is by one 500 word essay outline.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University