Undergraduate Course: Theories of Religion (REST10041)
Course Outline
| School | School of Divinity |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | What exactly is 'religion'? Are we talking about the same 'thing' in our cross-cultural and comparative studies? This course approaches this key question through close readings of selected theories of religion by living scholars, which restore fully worked out theories of religion at the heart of Religious Studies. We examine each theory in detail and we compare and contrast their presuppositions and conclusions. We also road-test our theories on selected case studies. The aim of the course is to prepare students to identify and defend their preferred theory of religion and to put it into practice.
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| Course description |
Academic Description:
This course engages in close reading of selected recent theories of 'religion'. It aims to instill confidence and skill in handling and applying these theories. The overall aim is to compare and assess theories with sometimes very different intellectual approaches and contrasting premises. By the end of the course students should be able to identify and defend their own preferred theoretical approach to explaining 'religion'.
Syllabus/Outline Content:
We begin with the complex debate about the modern category of religion. We then work through a series of theories, which we 'road-test' on case studies. Students are required to identify and to defend their preferred theory of religion in the light of the theories surveyed. The theories are examined in the light of broader paradigms of enquiry in the humanities, social science, and natural science.
Student Learning Experience Information:
The course consists in a two hour combined lecture/seminar in which typically the first hour consists in exposition by the course teacher(s) and the second hour in seminar work by students on prepared readings. Students are required to submit short weekly commentaries on the set readings which will be given a regular mark and feedback by the CM. Assessment is in-course only and consists in two longer essays on top of the weekly commentaries. This form of assessment feeds the whole course learning outcome: that by the end of the course students will have come to identify and defend their own preferred theory of religion based on those examined, through a cumulative process of oral discussion and written enquiry.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have at least 3 Divinity/Religious Studies courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate understanding of different kinds of definition of religion
- Critically assess a selection of modern full theories of religion
- Explore simple application of theories to empirical examples of beliefs and practices
- Identify and defend their own preferred theory of religion
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Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Steven Sutcliffe
Tel: (0131 6)50 8947
Email: |
Course secretary | Ms Katrina Munro
Tel: (0131 6)50 8900
Email: |
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