SOCI 288 - Religion, Secularism, and Social Conflict

Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)

This course is an introduction to the sociology of religion in the 21st century. It is an examination of religion that begins with theorists who study what religions are – how they move, colonize, and evolve, how they bring people together and how they partition populations, how they have been socially constructed, naturalized, neutralized, and scapegoated. We consider how they have shaped our identities, and sound tracked social life. After establishing a firm foundation in the theorists and themes of the field, this course explores a short series of topics in depth that will open up contemporary debates about the quickly shifting social relations of church and state also known as the secularization of religious life. Topics could include but are not limited to the leadership of women, the sanctity of marriage, and religious nationalism post-9/11. Jasmine Syedullah.

Two 75-minute periods.