300625 Anthropology of Religion (30-M25) (S) (SoSe 2025)

At the end of the course you will be able to:

1. Identify and describe a variety of different anthropological approaches to religious phenomena

2. Show critical understanding of anthropology’s specific contributions to the understanding of religion

3. Develop a comparative approach through drawing on a wide range of ethnographic examples

4. Analyse religious phenomena through the application of anthropological theories and methods

Key skills to develop:
• Discussion skills: able to present ideas clearly, formulate a coherent argument, respond to other ideas constructively, and develop confidence in one’s ability to engage with other people in a discussion.
• Reading skills: able to prepare for the weekly seminars and the essay, identify key arguments and evidence used in a piece of writing and then critically appraising them.
• Writing skills: able to prepare an essay, including the abilities to identify a relevant topic and synthesize academic sources, and construct an original and well-presented argument.
• Research skills: locate information that is relevant to the themes of the module.
• Self-reliance: able to manage time efficiently and be sufficiently reliable for group work, and to independently locate, evaluate, and use anthropological literature.
• Group work: able to prepare presentations, organize meetings of group members, constructively collaborate, and fully and equally participate.

Please come to all sessions. You will gain so much more from the course if you participate in discussions. For anyone who feels that doing this in English is a challenge, please come and try. Perfect English is not essential, and this is a good opportunity to take a university-level course in English.

Requirements for participation, required level

This course is intended as an introduction to the fascinating domain of the anthropology of religion. It introduces some of the many ways anthropologists have approached the study of religions and religious phenomena. It raises questions concerning what counts as ‘religious’ and includes within the remit of the course consideration of a variety of non-human agents (gods, God, spirits, witches) and religious practices (meditation, worship, performances). In the first part, we will cover some of the classic topics that have long occupied anthropologists of religion such as ritual, witchcraft and the transmission of religious ideas. We’ll also think critically about how the study of religion emerged in anthropology and the trajectory of anthropological interests in religion. In this module, you will be introduced both to older approaches and to new approaches to old topics. The second half of the course focuses more directly on some new developments in the field and on how anthropologists are approaching contemporary topics such as the role of new media, controversies over religious dress and issues of radicalisation.

Bibliography

For those totally new to anthropology, you will find this book useful:

Engelke, M (2018) How to think like an anthropologist London: Penguin Books