SOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION

Catalog description

This course looks at religion as a social and cultural phenomenon, examining how religious beliefs, practices, institutions and movements shape and are shaped by their social context. Topics include: sociological theories and explanations of religion and spirituality; definitions of religion and the distinction between religion and other ideologies or worldviews; the measurement of religiosity and the scientific study of religion; trends in religiosity, spirituality, and the religious landscape historically and globally; sociological insights gained from the study of new religions, secularization, fundamentalism, and other issues related to contemporary religious experience. (Cross-listed with SOC 8856 )