SOC 8790 is also offered in Spring 2024
SOC 8790 is also offered in Fall 2021
Fall 2020 | SOC 8790 Section 001: Advanced Topics in Sociological Theory -- Religion & Society (31646)
- Instructor(s)
- Class Component:
- Lecture
- Credits:
- 3 Credits
- Repeat Credit Limit:
- 12 Credits
- Grading Basis:
- Student Option
- Instructor Consent:
- No Special Consent Required
- Instruction Mode:
- Completely Online
- Class Attributes:
Topics Course
- Times and Locations:
- Enrollment Status:
Open (5 of 12 seats filled)
- Also Offered:
- Course Catalog Description:
- Sample topics: theories of conflict, theories of purposive action, Marxist theory, and structure-agency debate.
- Class Notes:
- This course is completely online in a synchronous format. The course will meet online at the scheduled times. 5 seats reserved for Sociology graduate students. Click on this link for more detailed information: http://classinfo.umn.edu/?edgell+SOC8790+Fall2020
- Class Description:
- This course provides an introduction to classical and contemporary approaches to core theories, problems, and debates in the sociological study of religion. Classical sociological accounts of religion began with the assumption that religion, a traditional institution, was increasingly in tension with modernizing societies. Later work has questioned the assumption of secularization that underpins earlier accounts, suggesting that religion and modernity may "fit together" quite well, and arguing that explanations of religion based on transitions in early modern European history are inadequate when it comes to providing universal theoretical frameworks for understanding religion and society. Contemporary approaches focus more on the contested and multi-vocal processes through which individuals, groups, and institutions define the sacred and designate sacrality; they also engage with how religious symbols and discourses are used in struggles over cultural legitimation, including the creation of symbolic boundaries that foster inequality. Contemporary work also examines the interplay of religion and non-religion as mutually constitutive categories that shape identification -- and organizing. Whether engaging with classical or contemporary work, we will focus on questions of power and legitimation, and discuss how religious practices, institutions, and culture are racialized and how they universalize socially located and particular configurations of gender, family, and social class. We will also talk about how religiosity intersects with other aspects of identity and how religious experiences, practices, and institutions vary across time and social location. We will engage in critical dialogue with the assumptions behind theoretical treatments as well as with their explicit arguments.
- Who Should Take This Class?:
- This class is for students interested in religious identities, institutions, and practices, and with theories about religion's role in modern societies and how that is changing over time.
- Learning Objectives:
- At the end of the class students will have a good grasp of the major debates and questions in the sociology of religion and be able to effectively engage in interdisciplinary discussions of religion as a social institution and social practice.
- Grading:
- Graded assignments include critical summaries of class readings, leading class discussions, class participation, and a final paper that can be a critical essay or an empirical research paper.
- Class Format:
- Small seminar discussion format
- Textbooks:
- https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/31646/1209
- Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
- 17 March 2020
ClassInfo Links - Fall 2020 Sociology Classes