Religion and Society

3 units

We will take a broad and practice-oriented view of 'religion', including uttering spells, sacrificing to a god, healing through spirit possession, as well as praying and reciting scripture. We will consider religious practices in small-scale societies as well as those characteristic of forms of Judaism, Islam, Christianity, and other broadly-based religions. We give special attention to the ways religions shape politics, law, war, as well as everyday life in modern societies.