REL100.002
REL100.003
Introduction to Religious Studies

Instructor
Merinda Simmons
simmo045@bama.ua.edu

Student Assistant
John Lyles
reldesk2@bama.ua.edu

Office: 204 Manly Hall
Office Phone: 348-9911
Office Hour: See Syllabus
Course: 002 TR 2:00-3:15
Course: 003 MWF 12:00-12:50
Location: 002 ten Hoor 30
Location: 003 Manly 207

About Online Readings

Some course readings are placed in a "secure" folder; you can only access these PDF files (Portable Document Format, that can be opened with the free Adobe Reader) by clicking each link and then entering your Bama User Name and Password. If you have difficulty accessing these readings, contact the instructor by email.

If you have forgotten your Bama ID, but know your Campus Wide ID (CWID), then go here.

Description

As a general introduction to the academic study of religion, Rel 100 examines the relationships between religion and human beliefs, social practices, and culture. In this course we will survey a broad number of important debates in the history of religious studies, such as the definition of religion, the insider/outsider problem, theories on the origins of religion, the comparison of religions, religion's psychological, sociological, and political functions, and the manner in which human communities authorize systems of behavior. We will approach these debates with specific analyses of "myth" and "ritual," especially as found in literature, in order to study the elements of theory and discourse through examples of their material practice and representation.

Studying religion in the University

The study of religion in the university is conducted along the same lines and for the same purposes as are all other forms of disciplined, methodical inquiry. The core premise of the academic study of religion is that religion, whatever else it may be, is a human activity, and is one element of the larger cultural creations of human beings. Within the context of the university, scholars of religion hold themselves to the same principles of reasoned argument from evidence as do all other scholars. We do not seek to teach people how to be religious, but to study religion as a human phenomenon which is commensurate with all other human phenomena. Our task is descriptive and analytical, not normative. We seek to explicate and understand a religious position, not interpret one religious position in terms of another.

Syllabus Fall 2008

REL100.002 Syllabus (TR class) (PDF)

REL100.003 Syllabus (MWF class) (PDF)

Books (required)

Smith, Jonathan Z.
The HarperCollins Dictionary of Religion
Harper San Francisco 1995
ISBN:0060675152

McCutcheon, Russell
Studying Religion: An Introduction
Equinox Press, (US Distributor David Brown Book Co)
ISBN: 1845530128

Online Readings

To be announced