ANTHRO 319
World-view and Religion
Please note: this is archived course information from 2019 for ANTHRO 319.
Description
This course covers some of the many anthropological approaches to “religion” and a few of the myriad aspects of the field. It is cross-cultural and historical in scope, ranging from ancient Greek myth to late twentieth-century “secular religion”, from the indigenous religions of small-scale societies to world religions, such as Christianity. Themes studied include cross-cultural approaches to meaning, belief, religious experience, ritual and myth, and issues of religion, ideology, syncretism and symbolism in social conflict and change.
By the end of the course, you should:
- Broadly understand a range of anthropological perspectives and theories
- Understand religion and world-views as social and cultural phenomena
- Be able to place religious topics in comparative perspective
- Recognise the relationship of religious phenomena to wider social issues
- Be able to draw upon relevant theoretical and comparative material to analyse religious phenomena
This subject is far broader than a single course can encompass. I welcome suggestions for topics, themes or case studies.
Assessment
Coursework only
Availability 2019
Semester 1
Lecturer(s)
Coordinator(s) Dr Christine Dureau
Reading/Texts
TBA
Points
ANTHRO 319: 15 points
Prerequisites
ANTHRO 203 or 30 points at Stage II
Restrictions
ANTHRO 250
