Religion in Modern Society

Catalog description

Modernity has long been imagined as a kind of a secular space and time, empty of religion. Yet, religion is found in modern societies everywhere, often thriving and influencing politics, culture, and civil society. The majority of Hong Kongers identify as non-religious and yet signs of religious belief and practice abound throughout the city. Why? In this course, students will study how sociologists have theorized and investigated religion and modernity together. We will not focus on any particular faith, doctrine, or systems of beliefs and ritual. Instead, we will emphasize the relationship of "religion" - broadly defined - to other social formations, such as cultural solidarity, gender hierarchy, capitalism, state regulation, political movements, marketplace competition, and democracy. The course will introduce classical and contemporary social science theories and also explore specific topics related to religion in Chinese societies. Students will be asked to think, discuss, and write about big ideas and bold arguments. Pandemic allowing, we will also do optional field trips to religious sites in Hong Kong. CUHK course code: SOCI4209Enrollment limited.