ASPO 25A27 - Religion, Politics and Society

This course is an introduction to the study of religion in the social sciences. It examines what people do with religion and what religion does to people. The guiding thread of this course is to investigate how “religion” itself as a category is debated and contested. A question we will regularly return to is: what counts as religion and who gets to decide? The course is divided into three parts. Part 1 explores the definitions of religion that have been provided by classical authors. Part 2 analyzes the intersections of religion with other social categories such as class, gender and race. Part 3 interrogates the politics of religion and how States, international organizations, political actors and citizens grapple with religion, how they seek to regulate it or use it to further political ends. The course is interdisciplinary and exposes students to various approaches of religion rooted in political science, sociology, and anthropology. By the end of this course, students will be equipped with theoretical and methodological tools to best appraise the place of religion in contemporary societies and discuss such complex and debated issues as secularism, religious freedom, religious discrimination, religious violence.

There is no prerequisite for this course. Students should have some general knowledge in social sciences and be ready to engage in collective discussions on topics related to religion, secularism, inequality.

The course will unfold in 12 sessions of 2 hours, taking place every week, over the course of the semester. Each session includes:

a short discussion based on students’ written comments on the readings (uploaded to the course Moodle forum before the session)

a lecture by the professor

a Q&A session.

Some sessions will welcome guest speakers.

Students can interrupt the professor at any time of her lecture to make comments, ask questions, or seek clarification.

This course encourages students to think like social scientists: they will learn how to apply classical concepts to current events and trends. It also invites them to think independently and to critically examine when the category of “religion” is used and with what consequences. The course requires sustained engagement with the readings throughout the semester. Students must also learn how to work as part of a team and demonstrate their collaborative skills and their ability to contribute to a collective effort.

Participation (10%): oral participation in class and posting short comments on Moodle about weekly readings.

In class mid-term exam (50%): Students will be presented with a news article regarding a recent event related to religion and will have to use an author from the syllabus to analyze this event.

Collective case study (40%): Students will gather in groups to work on a case study of their choice (a predetermined list of topics will be provided). The case study will focus on a controversy involving different actors over the category of religion. The group will analyze the arguments made about religion by each side of the controversy.