Spring 2012
SOCI 4957 – Sociology of Religion
East Tennessee State University
MWF 11:30-12:25, Rogers-Stout 402
Instructor: Dr. Joseph Baker
Office: Rogers-Stout 223F
Office hours: Monday 1:30-3:30 PM; Wednesday 12:30-2 PM; otherwise by appointment
E-mail:
Website: https://faculty.etsu.edu/bakerjo
Phone: 439-6648
Teaching Assistant: Kittye Hirsch
E-mail:
Overview
Objectives
At the completion of this course, you are expected to be able to:
· Outline and critically evaluate sociological approaches to religion.
· Openly explore religious traditions outside of your socialization from an objective and academic perspective.
· Conduct basic qualitative and archival research on religion.
· Better comprehend the role of religion in contemporary social life. This includes its role in the lives of individuals, groups, and other social institutions.
· Employ the “sociological imagination,” using religion as a lens into broader societal patterns and processes.
Expectations
You are responsible for your learning, meaning you need to have read the assigned material before class.
Maintain mutual respect for all involved in the class – learning is collaborative.
Ask questions!
Do assignments on time.
Keep up with schedule changes and the current state of the class.
Required Texts
1. Berger, Peter L. 1967. The Sacred Canopy: Elements of Sociological Theory of Religion. New York, NY: Anchor Books.
2. Monahan, Susan C., William A. Mirola and Michael O. Emerson (eds.). 2011. Sociology of Religion: A Reader. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Additional Readings will be provided online in .pdf or .doc format
Electronic devices—including but not limited to cell phones, laptops, PDAs, spectrometers, etc.—are not permitted in class. Use of phones during assignments or tests is considered cheating. Seriously, don’t talk, text, type, tweet or anything else these newfangled phones can do during class.
Grading
A = 920-1000, A- = 900-919, B+ = 880-899, B = 820-879, B- = 800-819, C+ = 780-799, C = 720-779, C- = 700-719, D = 600-699 F = 599 and under
Quizzes and in-class assignments: 250 points, 25% of final grade
Exams (mid-term and final): 300 points, 30% of final grade
Participant Observation Assignment: 200 points, 20% of final grade
Research Paper: 250 points, 25% of final grade
Quizzes and assignments: There will be unannounced quizzes over the readings given at the beginning of class. They may be over part, any, or all of the reading(s). At times there will also be in class assignments completed as an individual or by a group. Each quiz will be worth 25 points, with your highest ten quizzes added to determine your quiz total out of 250 points.
Exams: There will be two exams, a mid-term and a final, each worth 150 points. The exams will be a mixture of multiple choice, short answer, and essay.
Participant Observation Assignment: You will attend a religious event at a congregation or gathering that is different from your current personal affiliation and/or childhood socialization. I am looking for neither condemnation nor proselytization. You will record field notes immediately afterward, and then write a 3-4 page essay on the experience, with particular attention to applying concepts from the sociology of religion. Aim for analysis rather than rote description. We will discuss the project in-depth in class before it is due. The observation project is worth a maximum of 200 points.
Research Paper: Near the end of the semester there will be a 6-8 page essay (1600 to 2000 words), not including references, will be due. STANDARD MARGINS (1” all sides) AND FONTS (Times New Roman, 12 pt). Length manipulation techniques will cause you to lose points.
You will pick a specific religious group or area of inquiry in the sociology of religion, or a theory of religion, and provide an exploration of the group or area, or a critical evaluation of the theory. I will provide a list of some pre-approved topics, but you are free to choose your own. If you are unsure, please talk to me about the appropriateness of your topic. Try to pick something more specific than very broad traditions such as “Buddhism” or “Islam,” as it is hard to cover such matters in 8 pages….
Papers are required to have at least five sources from books or academic journal articles. The paper is worth a maximum of 250 points.
Essays on specific religious groups should address the following:
· What are the practices, beliefs, and rituals involved in being a member of the group?
· How is the group organized? What is the organizational structure? How long has the group “been around” and how many members do they have? Have they grown or contracted in recent years?
· Explain some of the characteristics of the group using cultural concepts (norms, language, rituals, customs, etc.)
· What do people “get” out of being in the group? What do they give up to be a member?
· Use theories of religion to explain the social processes part of, or affecting, the group
· Display a “deep” sociological understanding of the group à analyze rather then report
Essays on a given theory of religion should do the following:
· Give a general overview of the theory. What assumptions does it make about religion?
What are the central explanatory mechanism(s) used by the theory?
· Explain the strengths of the theory à What does it explain well and why?
· Explain the shortcomings of the theory à What does it fail to explain and why?
· Summarize the overall place of the theory in understanding and explaining religion and
its role in society.
Late Work Policy: Work turned in past the due date will be penalized 10% off the overall points available for the assignment per each day it is late.
Extra Credit: There will be no extra credit assignments available in this class. However, students who do not miss class will qualify for extra credit to the effect that: 0 or 1 absence = 20 points added to the final grade and 2 absences = 10 points added to the final grade.
Schedule
The schedule given is tentative and can be altered at any point. You will be informed if and when changes to the schedule need to be made. If you miss a class, then check online (D2L) for updates. You are expected to have read the relevant material by the date listed (i.e. Pgs 1-6 in the reader and Chapter 1 in Sacred Canopy by next Wednesday).
F 1/13 Topics: Introductions, syllabus, and course overview
Week 1
M 1/16 No class – MLK holiday
W 1/18 Topic: Religion in sociological perspective
Readings: Pgs. 1-6 in reader: Durkheim
Chapter 1 and Appendix 1 of Sacred Canopy
F 1/20 Topics: Dimensions of religion: Belief, practice, knowledge
Readings: Excerpt from Religion and Society in Tension provided online
Pgs. 21-24 in reader: Durkheim
Week 2
M 1/23 Topic: Dimensions of religion: Experience and consequences
Reading: Excerpt from Varieties of Religious Experience provided online
W 1/25 Topic: Experience and consequences continued
Reading: Pgs. 77-84 in reader: Nelson
F 1/27 Topic: Theorizing about religion
Reading: Chapter 2 of Sacred Canopy
Week 3
M 1/30 Topic: Theorizing about religion continued
Reading: Chapter 3 of Sacred Canopy
W 2/1 Topic: Folk religion
Reading: “Angelic Belief as American Folk Religion” provided online
F 2/3 Topic: Churches, sects, and new religious movements
Readings: “On Church and Sect” provided online;
Excerpt from Acts of Faith provided online
Week 4
M 2/6 Topic: Religious group dynamics (e.g. growth and decline)
Reading: “Why Religious Movements Succeed or Fail” provided online
W 2/8 Topic: Case study: Mormonism
Reading: Chapters 1, 2, and 4 of The Rise of Mormonism provided online
F 2/10 Topic: Mormonism continued
Reading: Chapters 6 and 7 of The Rise of Mormonism provided online
Week 5
M 2/13 Topic: Secularization
Readings: Chapter 5 of Sacred Canopy
Pgs. 229-237 in reader: Wilson
W 2/15 Topic: Secularization continued
Reading: Pgs. 250-264 in reader: Chaves
F 2/17 Topic: Case Study: Western Europe – Britain
Readings: “Religion in Britain” provided online
Week 6
M 2/20 Topic: Western Europe continued – Netherlands and France
Reading: “The Rise of ‘Cultural Religion’ in European Christianity” provided online
W 2/22 Topic: Western Europe continued – Ireland
Readings: “Is Northern Ireland Abnormal?” provided online
F 2/24 Topic: Critiques of secularization
Readings: “Secularization RIP” provided online;
“Post-Secularization” provided online
Week 7
M 2/27 Topic: Religious economies
Readings: Pgs. 238-249 in reader: Finke;
Excerpt from Acts of Faith provided online
W 2/29 Topic: Religious economies continued
Reading: Excerpt from A Sociology of Religious Movements provided online
F 3/2 Topic: Case study: Westboro Baptist Church
Readings: Pgs. 308-312 in reader: Olson;
Pgs. 327-337 in reader: Ayella
Week 8
3/5-3/10 No class – spring break
Week 9
M 3/12 Topic: WBC continued
Reading: Field notes provided online
W 3/14 Topic: Test Review
F 3/16 Assignment: Mid-term
Week 10
M 3/19 Topic: Apocalyptic cults: Jonestown
Reading: “The Truth about Jonestown” provided online
W 3/21 Topic: Apocalyptic cults: Branch Davidians
Reading: Pgs. 313-318 in reader: Tabor
F 3/23 Topic: “Mainstream” apocalyptic belief
Reading: “Apocalyptic Theology and American Foreign Policy” provided online
Week 11
M 3/26 Topic: Religion and family
Readings: Pgs. 118-124 in reader: Wallace;
“In Rhetoric and Practice” provided online
W 3/28 Topic: Case study: American Evangelicalism
Reading: “Fundamentalism et al.” provided online
F 3/30 Topic: American Evangelicalism continued
Reading: Excerpt from Embattled and Thriving provided online
Week 12
M 4/2 Topic: Religion and sexuality
Readings: Pgs. 185-187 in reader: Hunter;
Pgs. 188-202 in reader: Olson and Cadge;
Pgs. 209-228 in reader: McQueeny
W 4/4 Topic: Religion and race
Readings: Pgs. 85-95 in reader: Marti;
Pgs. 346-353 in reader: Patillo-McCoy
F 4/6 Topic: Religion and ethnicity
Readings: “The Religious Content of Ethnic Identities” provided online;
“Changing Faiths” Pew report provided online
Week 13
M 4/9 Topic: Religion and social class
Readings: Pgs. 125-134 in reader: Smith and Farris;
Pgs. 135-146 in reader: Nelson
W 4/11 Topic: Religion and social class continued
Reading: Pgs. 147-165 in reader: Schwadel
F 4/13 Topic: Religion and politics
Readings: Pgs. 354-361 in reader: Wilcox and Goldberg;
Pgs. 632-373 in reader: Lindsey
Week 14
M 4/16 Topic: Religion and social movements
Reading: Pgs. 338-345 in reader: Smith
Assignment: Observation Project Due
W 4/18 Topic: “Paranormal” beliefs and subcultures
Reading: Excerpt from Paranormal America provided online
F 4/20 Topics: Irreligion
Readings: Excerpt from American Grace;
“None too Simple” provided online
Week 15
M 4/23 Topic: ARDA workshop part 1
Reading: None, work on your research paper. Hopefully you started long before now…
W 4/25 Topics: ARDA workshop part 2
F 4/27 Topic: Review for final
Assignment: Research Paper is due
Final Exam: Monday April 30th, 3:50-5:50 PM
Academic Integrity
Cheating in any form will not be tolerated. This includes, but is not limited to, copying homework, using notes during an exam, falsifying research, and plagiarizing material. Copying someone else’s paraphrase is plagiarism. If you use information from a source you need to cite that source. Cheating in any form will result in failure for the course.
I want to know what YOU know. The point of this class is to teach you the practice of sociological thought—to do so you must decide to engage the material to the best of your abilities. The value of the knowledge and experience you gain from the class is directly related to the amount of effort you put in.