Religion and Social Movements

3 credits · Divinity School

This sociology/social theory course focuses on the roles of religious organizations, individuals, and cultures in social/political change movements. Some of the questions we will discuss: What makes an activist? In what ways do religions provide resources (materially, ideationally, and culturally) for the emergence and maintenance of social movements? In what ways are religious groups transformed by their interaction with the political process? Within these questions, this course engages the growing interdisciplinary conversations around the contributions and constraints that religious groups provide for social movements. To this end, we will read and work with both foundational theories in social movement theory and case studies on several movements. We will also practice some of the skills of scholarship necessary for studying the social structure of moral outrage. There is a theory/practice learning option for those who wish to work with a local social movement organization. [3]