RELS 250 Studying Religion: Multiple Approaches

The academic discipline of Religious Studies is focused around a subject of study rather than a uniform methodology (unlike the disciplines of History Economics Sociology etc.). For this reason scholars in the field approach their work with many different methodological perspectives and tools; they are historians sociologists philosophers anthropologists theologians and ethicists. The purpose of this course is to orient students to this broad landscape of the academic study of religion. By reading and analyzing a range of contemporary books and articles that illustrate the latest trends in the field students will compare diverse approaches to the study of religion assessing the value and limitations of each.