Anthropology of Religion in the Modern World

3 units

This course will provide students with the bibliographic, conceptual, ethnographic, and methodological basis to critically engage with the religious nature and diversity of contemporary societies. We will examine the origins and history of the roles of religion in the modern world and how these roles shape our understanding of contemporary societies. We will also study religious subjects and how societies deal with them. We will consider the relationship between religion and issues such as politics, race, gender and science. Finally, we will discuss the present and future of the study of religion, and specifically, of the anthropology of religion.