What is “religion” and how are we to approach it academically? This course presents a comparative and transdisciplinary approach to religious studies. The course will expose students to fundamental theoretical and methodological issues in the academic study of religion. It will explore lenses through which the study of religion could be approached by introducing students to classic works and authors (Durkheim, Weber, Freud, Marx, James, etc.) and examining their legacy and continuing influence upon the field of religious studies. In addition to familiarizing students with a variety of approaches to understanding religion (as a social phenomenon, an “experience,” and a body of lived practices), the course gives attention to the construction of the category of “religion,” ethical issues involved in the study of religion, and current issues and topics such as gender, secularism, pluralism, and postcolonialism.
