Upon completion of this course:
- you have a better understanding of the most important classic and present-day theories and approaches in the sociology of religion;
- you are able to use these theoretical views and approaches to explain current religious developments in Western-Europe and the United States.
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An introduction for students of Religious Studies, the Social Sciences and Theology
Although we are used to think of religion as a matter of personal faith, religion is also a social phenomenon. Religion always manifests itself as part of social reality and exerts its influence on society, while societal developments in turn affect the way in which religion may manifest itself as a social phenomenon. Studying this interaction between religion as a social phenomenon and societal developments is the task of the sociology of religion. In order to do this, the sociology of religion considers the emergence and further development of religious groups and institutions, the behavior of individuals within these groups and institutions as well as the causes and consequences of possible conflicts between religious groups. This course offers an introduction to the sociological study of religion. It starts with a brief introduction into the discipline, after which attention is paid to three classic views on the relationship between religion and society (Durkheim, Marx and Weber), to four ideal-typical ways in which religion may manifest itself in the social world (church, denomination, sect and cult), to three present-day theories on the relationship between religion and modernity (secularization, rational choice theory and existential security thesis) as well as to three topics regarding religious change at the micro level of the individual (religious socialization, religious individualization and religious radicalization). The course ends with the sociological analysis of a present-day religious phenomenon.
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