Admission requirements
Tools and Theories is a mandatory course in the MA Religious Studies.
The course is also open to MA students from other programmes who have a good BA level knowledge of the study of religion (for example, students who have followed the minor Religion in a Changing World).
The course also usually attracts a few PhD students from across the humanities.
Students who are interested in following the course but have little prior knowledge of the study of religion, should contact the instructor. In some cases, students can be admitted upon working through extra readings over the summer.
Description
In this course we scrutinize theories of religion and practice the art of theorizing in the study of religion. To do so, we work with two kinds of material. On the one hand, students are introduced to a range of influential theories about aspects of religion, i.e. religious narratives and text use, religious beliefs and cognition, religious practices, religious traditions, and religious fields. On the other hand, literature on how to theorize well make students aware of such theorizing steps as conceptualization, comparison, and explanation, both in the work of others and in their own work. As the course moves on, students first use the shared meta-language on theorizing to analyse theories on aspects of religion, before they move on to improve, synthetise, and apply those theories. The theories drawn on in the course, both those on religion and those on how to theorize well, are drawn from a wide range of humanistic and social-scientific disciplines, including literary studies, cognitive science, sociology, and history.
Course objectives
Knowledge, insight, and content-bound skills
After successfully completing this course,
students can reflect on the fundamental epistemological assumptions of the study of religion and on broad strokes of the discipline’s research history;
students can identify the ‘theorizing logic’ in theories on (aspects of) religion;
students can apply up-to-date analytical tools in the study of religious narratives, religious beliefs, religious traditions, and religious fields; and
students can independently apply, combine, and improve theories on (aspects of) religion in the context of independent research projects.
Transferable skills
After successfully completing this course,
students have refined their research skills, including their skills at formulating an independent research problem with only minimal supervision, and at operationalising abstract theory into analytical methods;
students have refined their cooperation skills, including their skills at giving and receiving good quality peer feedback;
students have refined their skills at writing well-argued, academic papers; and
students have refined their skills at oral discussion and oral presentation in English.
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
Mode of instruction
Seminar
Attendance and participation are mandatory. Absence is possible only in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the instructor and only with prior notice. Students who miss more than two classes cannot complete the course.
Assessment method
Assessment
The course includes five constituent exams:
1. Weekly assignments (students are required to hand in at least 4 of the 7 weekly assignments). This constituent exam is graded passed/failed.
2. Written and oral peer feedback on draft versions of the Final Paper. This constituent exam is graded passed/failed.
3. Oral contributions in class, including two short presentations. This constituent exam is graded and counts 20 % towards the final mark of the course.
4. Theorizing Paper. This constituent exam is graded and counts 20 % towards the final mark of the course.
5. Final Paper. This constituent exam is graded and counts 60 % towards the final mark of the course.
To be entitled to hand in the Final Paper, students must:
1. have been present and active in class and have given the two short presentations, have handed in the weekly assignments on time, and have provided peer feedback on draft versions of the Final Paper,
2. have handed in the Theorizing Paper on time, and
3. have handed in a draft version of the Final Paper on time.
Weighing
Please take note of the following: The final mark is determined as the weighted average of the oral contributions in class (20 %), the Theorizing Paper (20%), and the Final Paper (60%). To pass the course, students must obtain at a sufficient mark (5.5 or higher) as the weighted average of the four marks AND pass the weekly assignments and the peer feedback assignments AND receive a sufficient mark (5.5 or higher) on the final paper. If the weighted average is 5.5 or higher, but the paper scores 5.0 or lower, the final mark for the course will be a 5.0.
Resit
Students who score an insufficient mark for the Theorizing Paper, may retake the assignment by submitting a new version. The new version should be resubmitted before the deadline for the paper draft.
Students who score an insufficient mark for the Final Paper, may retake the Final Paper by submitting a new version.
In the rare case that students score an insufficient mark for the oral contributions which they cannot sufficiently compensate by the marks for other constituent exams, they will be given a substitute assignment.
Inspection and feedback
Students receive individual, written feedback from the course instructor on the Theorizing Paper and Final Paper. In addition, students are invited to make an appointment to discuss the feedback on the Final Paper and their mark for the course.
Reading list
We will primarily read research articles that are accessible online via the university library. Students are responsible for downloading, printing, and reading these article before class. We will also read a number of book chapters and articles from journals that are not available online from the UB. Where copyright rules allow, this material will be made available via Brightspace.
Registration
Enrolment through MyStudyMap is mandatory. General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website.
Exchange students having questions regarding registration, may contact the Humanities International Office.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office Herta Mohr
Remarks
None.