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Elective: Religions in the Modern World

Vak
2017-2018

Admission requirements

This course is only available for second year students in the BA International Studies.
The number of participants is limited to 25.

Description

Religion is everywhere and the academic study of religion has never been more relevant than it is today. Religious traditions and practices are ubiquitous across the globe and reach deeply into all facets of human culture and society. This course will introduce students to today’s major religious traditions and movements and how they encounter modernity and the transnational forces that continue to shape and transform the twenty-first century. Beyond being introduced to the history and modern practices of well-known traditions such as Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, and Hinduism, students will also acquire a basic knowledge of lesser-known traditions such as Paganism, New Age, Chinese Religions, and Indigenous African Religions. Within the course readings, students will read primary texts from each tradition and engage in academic articles related to prominent issues in the study of religion, including issues of violence, gender, sexuality, secularization, globalization, and politics. By the end of the course, students will have a broad knowledge of what religion is, how it is being practiced in the modern world, and how to analyze and understand it as a cultural and social phenomenon.

Additionally, the students will work through:

  • W.C. Booth, G.G. Colomb, J.W. Williams, The Craft of Research, third edition, Chicago/London: University of Chicago Press, 2008.

Course objectives

The elective courses for International Studies are designed to teach students how to deal with state-of-the-art literature and research questions. They are chosen to enhance the students’ learning experience by building on the interdisciplinary perspectives they have developed so far, and to introduce them to the art of academic research. They are characterised by an international or comparative approach.

Academic skills that are trained include:

Oral presentation skills:

1. to explain clear and substantiated research results;
2. to provide an answer to questions concerning (a subject) in the field covered by the course a. in the form of a clear and well-structured oral presentation; b. in agreement with the appropriate disciplinary criteria; c. using up-to-date presentation techniques; d. aimed at a specific audience;
3. to actively participate in a discussion following the presentation.

Collaboration skills:

1. to be socio-communicative in collaborative situations;
2. to provide and receive constructive criticism, and incorporate justified criticism by revising one’s own position;
3. adhere to agreed schedules and priorities.

Basic research skills, including heuristic skills:

1. to collect and select academic literature using traditional and digital methods and techniques;
2. to analyze and assess this literature with regard to quality and reliability;
3. to formulate on this basis a sound research question;
4. to design under supervision a research plan of limited scope, and implement it using the methods and techniques that are appropriate within the discipline involved;
5. to formulate a substantiated conclusion.

Written presentation skills:

1. to explain clear and substantiated research results;
2. to provide an answer to questions concerning (a subject) in the field covered by the course a. in the form of a clear and well-structured oral presentation; b. in agreement with the appropriate disciplinary criteria; c. using relevant illustration or multimedia techniques; d. aimed at a specific audience.

Timetable

The timetable is available on the BA International Studies website.

Mode of instruction

Seminars are held every week, with the exception of the midterm exam week. This course includes supervised research.

Course Load

Total course load for this course is 10 EC (1 EC = 28 hours), this equals 280 hours, broken down by:

  • Attending lectures: 2 hours per week x 12 weeks = 24 hours

  • Independently visiting religious sites and writing reports: 24 hours

  • Responding to discussion questions: 20 hours

  • Time for studying the compulsory literature: 72 hours

  • Writing the final research essay (including reading / research): 140 hours

Assessment method

Assessment & Weighing

Partial grade Weighing
Written responses to discussion questions 10%
Religious sites reports 20%
Public policy proposal and oral presentations 20%
Final research essay (5,000 words) 50%

End grade

To successfully complete the course, please take note that the end grade of the course is established by determining the weighted average.

Resit

Students who have been active participants in class and submitted the final essay on time, but scored an overall insufficient mark, are entitled to a resit. For the resit, students are given a chance to hand in a new version of the final paper.
In case of resubmission of the final essay (insufficient grade only) the maximum possible final grade for the essay will be a 6.0. The deadline for resubmission is 10 working days after receiving the grade for the final essay.

Retaking a passing grade

Please consult the Course and Examination Regulations 2017 – 2018.

Exam review

How and when an exam review takes place will be determined by the examiner. This review will be within 30 days after official publication of exam results.

Blackboard

Blackboard will be used for tutorial groups. Students are requested to enroll on Blackboard for this course, but only after correct enrolment in uSis.

Reading list

No single textbook will be used for the course. Primary texts and academic articles will be made available to studens via Blackboard or the University Library.

Additionally, students are encouraged to work through the following text to assist with writing their research essay:

  • W.C. Booth, G.G. Colomb, J.W. Williams, The Craft of Research, third edition, Chicago/London: University of Chicago Press, 2008.

Registration

Enrolment through uSis is mandatory.

General information about uSis can be found here.

Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs

Not applicable.

Contact

Drs. S.R. Goldstein

When contacting the lecturer, please include your full name, student number and tutorial group number.

Remarks

The deadline for submission of the final essay is 15 June 2018.
Passing this course is an entry requirement for the thesis and thesis seminar.