Courses: Sociology of Religion (RELGH224A01)
Fall 2012
The sociology of religion involves study of the core content of the normative orders of societies: how is such content formed, how does it develop over long periods of time, and what part does religion play in these processes? The course will take up these questions in a broadly comparative perspective derived from the writings of figures such as Max Weber, Talcott Parsons, S. N. Eisenstadt, and Robert N. Bellah. The course will begin with the theories of Emile Durkheim that probed deeply the strategic role that religion has played in the basic formation of human society. We will then examine selected works from Weber's comparative studies of civilizations that gave rise to and were reformed by 'world religions.' For the remainder of the semester, we will reconsider these foundational works in relation to more recent scholarship to develop a comparative and developmental framework for the study of religion in its relationship to the normative orders and institutional complexity of 'historic' and 'modern' societies and civilizations. A principal goal will be to evaluate key elements of Weber's thesis about how different "directions" in the rationalization of religious ethics have shaped the developmental course of major civilizations. The course will culminate with a critical reading of the recent writings of the foremost contemporary sociologist of religion, Robert N. Bellah.
Fulfills: SO I
DepartmentTaught By |
LocationHaverford, Rbts 007 Meeting TimesMW 10:30-12:00 |