[ Wesleyan Home Page ] [ WesMaps Home Page ] [ Course Search ] [ Course Search by CID ]

The Sociology of Religious Movements
SOC286 SP

Contrary to the expectations (and hopes) of some, religion persists and even thrives. Indeed, as some institutional forms and denominations do become hollow and inert, new religious movements arise. How does sociology account for the death and resurrection of religious fervor in the age of global capitalism? What accounts for the rise of contemporary fundamentalist movements around the globe? In this age of cults, charisma, and eschatological ecstasy, what can be said of the traditional relat ionship between religion, social transformation, and movements of political liberation? How do contemporary religious movements confront the challenges posed by feminism and queer theory? How does religion intersect with racial and caste hierarchies? D rawing on cases from various religious traditions and movements, this course will use the tools of sociological analysis to investigate the soul and form of contemporary religious life.

MAJOR READINGS

Thomas Robbins, CULTS, CONVERTS, AND CHARISMA: THE SOCIOLOGY OF NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS Martin Marty & Scott Appleby, THE GLORY AND THE POWER: THE FUNDAMENTALIST CHALLENGE TO THE MODERN WORLD Anson Shupe & Jeffrey Hadden, THE POLITICS OF RELIGION AND SOCIAL CHANGE Robert Wuthnow, MEANING AND MORAL ORDER: EXPLORATIONS IN CULTURAL ANALYSIS Ursula King, RELIGION AND GENDER Gary Comstock & Susan Henking, QUE(E)RYING RELIGION: A CRITICAL ANTHOLOGY Timothy Fulop and Albert Raboteau, AFRICAN-AMERICAN RELIGION: INTERPRETIVE ESSAYS IN HISTORY AND CULTURE Thomas Robbins and Dick Anthony, IN GODS WE TRUST: NEW PATTERNS OF RELIGIOUS PLURALISM IN AMERICA N.J. Demerath, Peter Hall, Terry Schmitt, Rhys Williams, SACRED COMPANIES: ORGANIZA TIONAL ASPECTS OF RELIGION AND RELIGIOUS ASPECTS OF ORGANIZATIONS

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Reading journal, in-class deliberative presentations, three take-home essays (8-10 pages each), or a major research paper (25-30 pages).

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS and/or COMMENTS

Unless preregistered students attend the first class meeting or communicate directly with the instructor prior to the first class, they will be dropped from the class list. NOTE: Students must still submit a completed Drop/Add form to the Registrar's Office.

COURSE FORMAT: Lecture

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UGRD    Credit: 1    Gen Ed Area Dept: SBS SOC    Grading Mode: Graded   

Prerequisites: SOC151

Last Updated on MAR-24-2000

Contact wesmaps@wesleyan.edu to submit comments or suggestions.

Copyright Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, 06459