FSS:SOC423 Religion in contemporary world - Course Information

SOC423 Religion in contemporary world: concepts and problems

Extent and Intensity

1/1/0. 10 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).

Teacher(s)

PhDr. Roman Vido, Ph.D. (lecturer)

Guaranteed by

doc. PhDr. Ing. Radim Marada, Ph.D.
Department of Sociology – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Ing. Soňa Enenkelová

Timetable

Wed 12:00–13:30 U34

Course Enrolment Limitations

The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 25 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/25, only registered: 0/25

fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with

• Sociology (programme FSS, N-SO)

Course objectives

The objective of this course is to make students acquainted with some important contributions from contemporary sociological research on religion. After an introductory summary of the main elements of secularization paradigm (Berger, Wilson, Dobbelaere, Bruce) new sociological perspectives on religion will be presented (for example the "new paradigm" of Stark, Finke and Iannaccone). The focus will be concentrated on selected fresh theoretical conceptions in the sociological study of religion in Europe (Hervieu-Léger, Davie, Heelas) as well as on methodological and empirical topics. At the end of the course, a couple of theories interested in questions of the role and position of religion in a globalized/globalizing world and the presence of religions in public space (Casanova, Beyer, Herbert) will be outlined. After successful graduation of the course students will understand the most important sociological concepts related to the problems of the position and the role of religion in contemporary (Western) world, be able to apply these concepts to empirical reality of contemporary societies and to analyze the place of religion in a broader social, cultural, political and demografic context.

Syllabus

• 1. Critique of the secularization paradigm
• 2. Privatization of religion
• 3. New paradigm.
• 4. New religious movements
• 5. Fundamentalism and deprivatization of religion
• 6. Multiple modernities
• 7. Religion in the context of globalization
• 8. Spirituality and individualized religion
• 9. Religion as memory
• 10. Religion and migration
• 11. Religion and civil society
• 12. Religion online

Literature

• Beckford, J. A. 2003. Social Theory and Religion. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Beckford, J. A., Wallis, J. 2006. Theorising Religion. Classical and Contemporary Debates. Aldershot: Ashgate.
• Casanova, J. 1994. Public Religions in the Modern World. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
• Davie, G. 2002. Europe: The Exceptional Case. Parameters of Faith in the Modern World. London: Darton, Longman and Todd.
• Heelas, P. et al. 2005. The Spiritual Revolution : Why Religion Is Giving Way to Spirituality. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.
• Herbert, D. 2003. Religion and Civil Society. Rethinking Public Religion in the World. Aldershot: Ashgate.
• Hervieu-Léger, D. 2000. Religion as a Chain of Memory. Cambridge: Polity Press.
• Stark, R., Finke, R. 2000. Acts of Faith. Explaining the Human Side of Religion. Berkeley: University of California Press.
• BEYER, Peter. Religions in global society. 1st pub. New York, NY: Routledge, 2006, 323 s. ISBN 9780415393195. info

Teaching methods

Lectures, class discussions, reading of prescribed literature

Assessment methods

Students must submit written position papers from prescribed literature each week. They must also elaborate and present a paper with the use of the PowerPoint programme. Activity at classes is expected. The key output of the course is a written analytical essay and its public defense.

Language of instruction

Czech

Further comments (probably available only in Czech)

Study Materials
The course is taught annually.

• Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2009, recent)
  
• Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/spring2009/SOC423