Introduction to Religious Studies

For many religion is a captivating topic; for others, a controversial one. In this class we’ll examine the modern history of this subject matter and the social dynamics behind its cultural impact. As an academic course, we will calibrate our investigation around the aims and methods of the human sciences. And finally, we will consider what religion’s legacy helps us observe in the world around us—even and especially instances that seemingly have no relation to “religion.”

Guiding Texts

Craig Martin, A Critical Introduction to the Study of Religion, Second Edition (New York: Routledge, 2017).

This book is a guide to the academic study of religion. It frames the aims of the discipline while introducing you to the methodological concerns, nuances, and subtleties to which students and scholars alike should be privy. I will also assign readings and media from other sources as well. Links to these will be published on Blackboard.

Lecture Video Playlist

Interactive Notebook Assignments

Below you’ll find the guided notes to help you with select course readings. These should be seen as resources to help you (1) hone in on priorities for further discussion and (2) launchpads for your own curiosity.

Cover of the book, Brent Nongbri's Before Religion: A history of a Modern Concept

Religion Before and During Modernity

The dictionary–at least in the way we commonly use it– presents the illusion that the meaning of words is timeless. However, if you read closely in a dictionary of note, say Merriam-Webster’s, the Oxford English Dictionary, or the American Heritage Dictionary, you’ll see that meanings change over time. The case of “religion” is no exception.…

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An infographic that says "The State of Influencer Theory" with depictions of a flow chart of seemingly disparate cultural points and historical events but illustrating that public opinion is constructed

Religion and Postmodernism

Postmodernism describes a perspective that questions ideas, values and assumptions associated with modern history. Postmodern art like the “Pop Art” of Andy Warhol challenged modern ideas about abstract, impressionistic, and even unaccessible styling that were all the rage in the 19th and early 20th century art scene of the US and Europe. As in the…

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A picture of a pipe. Underneath it says, "Ceci n'est pas one pipe." French for, "this is not a pipe."

Religion and Essentialism

In the next two class sessions, we are going to further distinguish some of the hallmarks of the academic study of religion. Just as those in the health sciences (e.g. medical doctors, kinesiologists, therapists of various kinds) practice a more robust approach to conceptualizing health than the general public, scholars of religion similarly have a…

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An Image of three popular, fashionable high school girls from the movie Mean Girls.

Insiders and Outsiders

You may have heard the language of insiders and outsiders before. These terms are commonly used to talk about dynamics of inclusion–the “in-crowd,” the cool table, the accepted v. the rejects and all those on the outside looking in at all the fun. While this dynamic of inclusion is important, this is not what the…

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Pee-Wee Herman with the caption, "I know you are, but what am I?"

Classification and Social Constructionism

The academic study of religion first and foremost understands that whatever “religion” is taken to mean by a group of people, it is a social phenomenon. Religion happens in society and can thus be observed and analyzed. We’ve also learned guidelines for how to study religion. Before we discuss how religion works, we need to…

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The Life-changing manga of tidying up: a magical story, by Marie Kondo, author of the life-changing magic of tidying up, illustrated by yuk uramoto. A graphic novel to spark joy in life, work, and love. Kondo is illustrated as a manga character with her finger pointed in the air and a smile on her face.

Non-Essential(ism)

We are going to keep the preparatory work pretty light for this week. Part of the rationale is because we’ve either discussed some of these ideas before. I also want you to concentrate your efforts on putting all of what we’ve learned together. For the first class, please define essentialism and study the table on…

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A picture of the defunct men's clothing store, Structure

Structure Structure Everywhere

Structures are everywhere. And while part of our job as scholars of religion is to deconstruct the structures around us so as to better understand them. Another part of our job is coming to notice the structures that are functionally invisible—the ones that escape our view because they area so engrained in our lives. Philosopher…

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Audrey Hepburn in a nun's Habit

Kicking the Habit

Our discussion of society continues with a look at the term habitus. This is one of the trickier concepts we’ll be tackling this semester, but it is crucial to astute social analysis. It also dovetails with a lot of other social theory terms and, in my view, helps to clarify some of the more public…

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Made in USA stickers on a role.

Too Legit to Quit

Thus far we have come to an understanding of how society works. Now we turn our attention to the ways that the history of religion helps us realize somethings about the forces that facilitate social ordering. One thing religion has us recognize is the process known as legitimation. Please summarize Martin’s discussion of the following…

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A young Disney's Arthur pulling the sword from the stone.

Author-Me

Craig Martin’s chapter on authority is a key one for thinking about the power dynamics in examples of culture that people deem religious. That is to say that when people talk about religion, they often have instances of authority in mind. And when we focus in on the role of authority in a scenario, we…

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"The Real Ghostbusters" ad for the late 1980s/early 1990s cartoon.

The One and Only?

In this final section on how religion works, Craig Martin has us consider claims of authenticity. Claims of authenticity, he remarks, is a form of essentialism that should prompt scholarly observers to ask about the functions, stakes, norms, and authorities at play in a social situation. I’m going to leave you to take free notes…

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