SOC423 Religion in contemporary world: concepts and problems

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2015

The course is not taught in Spring 2015

Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 10 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
PhDr. Roman Vido, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
prof. PhDr. Ladislav Rabušic, CSc.
Department of Sociology – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Ing. Soňa Enenkelová
Supplier department: Department of Sociology – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Mon 13:30–15:00 U34
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 20 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/20, only registered: 0/20
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The objective of this course is to make students acquainted with selected theoretical contributions from the contemporary sociological study on religion. The course is sociologically oriented with cross-disciplinary contributions (religious studies, political science, political philosophy). After an introductory summary of the main elements of secularization paradigm, new sociological perspectives on religion will be presented. The focus will be concentrated on selected fresh theoretical conceptions in the sociological study of religion in the West as well as on methodological and empirical topics, primarily with respect to issues of religion in the public sphere and the religious-secular divide. After successful graduation of the course students will understand the most important sociological concepts related to the problems of the position and the role of religion in contemporary (Western) world, be able to apply selected theoretical concepts to empirical reality of contemporary societies and to analyze the place of religion in a broader social, cultural and political context.
Syllabus
  • 1. Secularization and privatization of religion
  • 2. Secular age.
  • 3. Deprivatization of religion
  • 4. Post-secular age
  • 5. Religion, state and the public sphere
  • 6. Secularism, multiculturalism and liberal democracy
  • 7. Multiple faces of secularism
  • 8. Secularism in a comparative-historical perspective
  • 9. Multiple secularities
  • 10. Secularization, secularism, secularity
Literature
  • Casanova, J. 1994. Public Religions in the Modern World. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
  • Religion in public spaces : a European perspective. Edited by Silvio Ferrari - Sabrina Pastorelli. Farnham, Surrey: Ashgate, 2012, xv, 391. ISBN 9781409450580. info
  • The post-secular in questionreligion in contemporary society. Edited by Philip S. Gorski. New York: New York University Press, 2012, 375 p. ISBN 9780814738733. info
  • TURNER, Bryan S. Religion and modern society : citizenship, secularisation, and the state. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2011, xxvii, 344. ISBN 9780521675321. info
  • Rethinking secularism. Edited by Craig J. Calhoun - Mark Juergensmeyer - Jonathan VanAntwerpen. Oxford, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, 2011, ix, 311. ISBN 9780199796670. info
  • KURU, Ahmet T. Secularism and state policies toward religion : the United States, France, and Turkey. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009, xvii, 313. ISBN 9780521741347. URL info
  • Secularism, religion and multicultural citizenship. Edited by Geoffrey Brahm Levey - Tariq Modood. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009, xxiv, 274. ISBN 9780521695411. info
  • TAYLOR, Charles. A secular age. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2007, x, 874. ISBN 9780674026766. info
Teaching methods
Lectures, class discussions, reading of prescribed literature
Assessment methods
Students must submit written position papers from prescribed literature each week. They must also elaborate and present a paper. Activity at classes is expected. The key output of the course is a written analytical essay and its public defense.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2007, Spring 2008, Spring 2009, Spring 2010, Spring 2012, Spring 2016.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2015, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/spring2015/SOC423