The sociology is the academic study of power structures, identity formation, and cultural institutions. Scholars observe what difference these make in the world around human beings. The sociology of religion is a systematic examination of society, religion, and their relationship. Are they the same, different, unrelated, intimately connected…and what does it matter?
We are going to look at the basic premises of the sociology of religion. You will be introduced to some foudnational concepts, debates, and thinkers in this field. These ideas will help us unpack a case study on religion in contemporary society. Then we will play around with two data sets, one qualtitative and one quantitative as a way of getting our feet wet in research.
Key Words
* Simply make a note of the names beacuse they will come back in the next chapter in greater detail.
- Auguste Comte
- Causality
- Explanation (individual, relational, and structural)
- social forces
- from below v. from above
- Max Weber
- Karl Marx
- Talcott Parsons
- Empiricism (empricial science)
- Positivism
- normative/subjective v. descriptive/objective
- Methods (qualitative and quantitative)
- International Society for the Sociology of Religion
- Nonreligion
- Psychology
- Anthropology
- History
- Religious Studies/History of Religion
- David Hume
- Sigmund Freud
Textbook Readings
Inger Furseth and Pål Repstad, “Sociological Perspectives on Religion,” 1-16 in An Introduction to the Sociology of Religion: Classical and Contemporary Perspectives, Second Edition. Routledge.
Rebekka King, “Can One Study One’s Own Religion Objectively?” 290-292 in Religion in 5 Mintues. Equinox.
Jennifer Eyl, “Is the Study of Religion Related to Other Academic Disciplines? 278-281 in Religion in 5 Mintues. Equinox.
Case Studies
David Crary, “Some critics see Trump’s behavior as un-Christian. His conservative Christian backers see a hero,” July 21, 2023, Associated Press.
Tiffany Stanley, “What to know about Mariann Budde, the bishop who upset Trump with her inaugural sermon,” January 24, 2025, Associated Press.
Datasets
“Methods for Exploring Religion,” ARDA: The Association of Religion Data Archives.
Puffenberger Digital Collection of Religion Artifacts, Elizabethtown College.
*Take 500 words (total) to answer the following reflection questions:
- What is “religion” as represented in this dataset?
- What does this dataset tell you about religion in society?
- What datum stands out to you?
- Were you invited to join the research team behind this project, what question or issue would you want to study and why?
