Module THEO2931: Themes and Theories in the Study of Religion

Department: Theology and Religion

THEO2931: Themes and Theories in the Study of Religion

Prerequisites

• None

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• This module introduces students to key themes in the social scientific study of religion alongside some of the most important theories used to explain and interpret them. Drawing inspiration from scholarship in the sociology, anthropology and psychology of religion, it traces how concepts and analytical methods have emerged within these disciplines and explores how they can illuminate religious phenomena.
• The module aims to: 
• Examine some of the key ideas, theories and arguments about religion emerging from the social sciences.
• Examine how academic approaches to religion are shaped by historical, political and epistemological contexts.
• Assess their continuing relevance by applying them to contemporary religious phenomena within different traditions and cultural contexts.
• Address their strengths and limitations by considering the relevant scholarly debates.

Content

• By the end of this module, students will be able to: 
• Demonstrate critical understanding of some key social scientific theories relevant to the study of religion. 
• Situate these theories and their key proponents within their intellectual and historical contexts.
• Apply theoretical approaches from the social-scientific study of religion to selected religious phenomena. 
• Reflect critically on the epistemological and methodological implications of adopting a social scientific approach to the study of religion. 
• Communicate clearly and coherently in written and/or oral formats, drawing on a range of scholarly sources and contextual evidence.
• Module content will vary according to the expertise of the staff member teaching the module.
• Themes will include at least three of the following: Secularisation, Religious authority and power, Sectarianism, Religious pluralism, Cohesion and conflict, Religious tolerance and intolerance, The sacred, Lived religion, Identity and tradition, Material religion, Postcolonial and decolonial theory, Gender and feminist theory.

Learning Outcomes

• By the end of this module, students will be able to: 
• Demonstrate critical understanding of some key social scientific theories relevant to the study of religion. 
• Situate these theories and their key proponents within their intellectual and historical contexts.
• Apply theoretical approaches from the social-scientific study of religion to selected religious phenomena. 
• Reflect critically on the epistemological and methodological implications of adopting a social scientific approach to the study of religion. 
• Communicate clearly and coherently in written and/or oral formats, drawing on a range of scholarly sources and contextual evidence.
• By the end of the module, students will have developed:
• A critical understanding of some important theories and debates within the social scientific study of religion. 
• Knowledge of how these theories have emerged from their intellectual disciplines and the cultural contexts of their proponents. 
• Awareness of the complexities of applying these theories to religious phenomena within a range of historical, geographical and cultural contexts. 
• A critical understanding of a range of religious phenomena within different traditions, illuminated by these theories and their application within scholarship.

• By the end of the module, students will be able to: 
• Apply theoretical approaches to the analysis of religious practices and discourses in a range of contexts. 
• Understand diverse religious expressions across regions and themes, attending to difference, complexity, and historical specificity. 
• Engage critically with academic sources from anthropology, sociology, psychology and/or religious studies, assessing their assumptions, arguments, and implications. 
• Construct well-supported, coherent arguments that integrate conceptual insight with empirical or contextual detail.

• Skills in the acquisition of information through reading and research, and in the structured presentation of information in written form.

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

• Lectures convey information and exemplify an approach to the subject-matter, enabling students to develop a clear understanding of the subject and to improve their skills in listening and in evaluating information. 
• Seminars allow the students to engage with the instructor and each other as they discuss specific issues, especially the close reading of texts, enhancing student knowledge and writing skills and preparing for summative assignments. Seminars will also be the primary context in which group projects will be planned, developed and discussed, with guidance provided by the module convenor on both content, form and oral presentation techniques.
• The group project will help students to (a) enhance their understanding of the module’s content through collaborative work, (b) develop their collaborative skills, (c) formulate informed responses to problems via collaborative reflection and discussion, and (d) present complex issues in a clear, concise and engaging manner.
• The group project report will test the extent to which (a), (b), (c) and (d) have been achieved.
• In addition, each student will compose a reflective essay on their contribution to the report and experience of working on the group project. The reflective essay will also allow students to highlight any challenges that arose in the course of the project, and be assessed on the skills they have demonstrated in navigating those challenges.
• The group presentation, while formative, and in addition to offering an opportunity for in-progress group projects to receive critical feedback from student peers and the module convenor, will provide an opportunity for oral presentation skills to be developed.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

15 minute group presentation in seminar.

■ Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University.