SOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION
0460-4260-3700
GAB 105: TR 11:00-12:20
Dr. George Yancey Office Hours Chilton 397F TR12:30-2:00
565-2179
Religion is a mysterious and prevalent force within our societies. Understanding how religion function within modern culture is the focus of this course. We will also spend a great deal of time examining the alternate belief systems that make up today's world religions. Finally, we will look at how modern systems of meaning still have a major influence in our society. Since this is an upper division course, class participation is strongly encouraged. Understanding the concepts introduced in this class will play a major role in determining the student's grade however, some rote memorization of terms and definitions that the student has not yet learned may still be required.
Attendance
There is no attendance roll kept in class. However attendance is strongly encouraged and may be taken into account if a grade is borderline. Furthermore, the instructor's notes are not available to students and the student must find the notes of another student for any lectures that are missed.
Grading
The student's grade will consist of three tests. Each test will be worth 30% of the final grade. The student will also turn in two small papersthat will count for 10% each of the student’s grade. A description of the paper will be provided later in the course.
Text
The text for this course is Religion Matters: What Sociology Teaches Us about Religion in Our World by Michael O. Emerson, William A. Mirola and Susanne C. Monahan. Please pick up a copy as soon as possible.
Cell phones
I have actually had the unpleasant experience of having a cell phone ring while I was lecturing. This is inexcusable. All pagers and cell phones are to be turned off or to vibrate when you are in this class. If there is a special circumstance that you think justifies you having a pager or cell phone that does not have a vibrate function then talk to me. Otherwise be prepared to be embarrassed or academically penalized if your cell phone goes off in class.
Tests
The tests in this course will be short answer and essay. They will be given on the assigned date. No student will be allowed to make up a test without a written excuse. The instructor should be notified prior to the student missing the examination if possible. During the test no student will be allowed to leave the classroom until he/she has finished the test. Furthermore, no student will be allowed to take the final exam at a time different from the assigned time unless they talk to me at least three weeks before the assigned time unless there is a medical emergency. The final exam will be Friday, December 11 from 10:30 to 12:30.
Audio Recording
To preserve the privacy of the professor and the students I do not allow audio recordings in this class without prior permission. Those who gain permission will have to sign a form promising that the recordings are only for study purposes and not to be made available to the general public. Failure to abide by the terms of the form or recording the lecture without signing the form will result in an academic penalty.
Topics
Below is a schedule of topics to be discussed in this course. The schedule is subject to slight changes but I will attempt to adhere to it as much as possible.
Week of Subject Readings
8-29Introduction/Theory 1
9-5Theory/Individual Religiosity 12
9-12Conversion/Secular Ideology 14
9-19Secular Ideology/Secularization Theory 5
9-26Atheism/Test 1 (9-28)
10-3Civil Religion/Walk4
10-10Organization/Walk7
10-17New Religion Movements 6
10-24Terrorism/World Religions
10-31World Religions 2
11-7Test 2 (11-7)/Stratification
11-14Racism 10, 11
11-21Multiracial Churches/Thanksgiving
11-28Sexism/Anti-Religion Perspectives9
12-5Anti-Religion Perspectives8
5-8Final