Studying
religion in a college classroom is quite different from the study of religion
that takes place within a religious institution (like Sunday school in a
church). Here we do not presume that the student is or is not religious nor what
religion he or she may be. Here we expect all students, regardless of religious
background or lack thereof, to approach the study of religion objectively and
non-judgmentally.
In
this unit of study you are introduced to the study of religion in this academic
context. We look at just what an academic study of religion is, consider how to
approach such a study and take a look at some classic theories regarding the
nature and origins of religion.
Learning
Objectives
At
the end of this unit, you will be able to:
Discuss
your own experience with and perspective on religion
Identify
and reflect upon reasons to study religion
Identify and distinguish between different methodologies used in the study
of religion
Identify classic thinkers and their theories of religion
Assess the strengths and weaknesses of both insider and outsider
perspectives in the study of religion
Required Resources
My
Story
Click "play" to hear about my experience as a student of religion:
Use Quiz as your study guide. You may open the quiz while watching
the video lecture.
Terms to Know:
theology
reductionism
phenomenology
Emile Durkheim
Sigmund Freud
Rudolf Otto
MirceaEliade
"insider" and "outsider" perspectives
Print out the two resources from Open University.
We will return to these readings throughout the course. Links in the
assignment folders will take you to the assigned reading but you may
prefer to have this on paper to read and study.
Video
Lecture
This YouTube video gives a good
overview of much of what you will study over the first few weeks
in this course:
