Theories of Religion

Catalog description

What is religion? (How) is religion different from, for instance, magic, science, and philosophy? Who decides? This seminar cultivates a deep understanding of the long conversations and current debates animating the study of religion and their critical contribution to a fuller understanding of the human experience. Through close readings of primary and secondary source materials, this class explores these questions and conversations to provoke scrutiny of primary categories of analysis—religion, theology, and human, among others—as well as deeper introspection of the scholar’s positionality in relation to our object(s) of study. Students can expect to leave this class with a larger, more critical perspective as well as a more granular capacity to do advanced research in religion, asking questions and producing arguments that show the highest possible level of understanding and significance.