AT3534: RELIGION, POWER AND BELIEF (2018-2019)

Last modified: 22 May 2019 17:07

Course Overview

What is religion? What does ritual do? Does ritual have effects, in the persons performing them, in society, or the world? How might ritual be a means or medium for political action? This course is an ethnographically grounded discussion of how anthropologists have addressed the concept of religion, the interface of religion and power, and is a critical interrogation the concept of belief.

Course Details

Study Type	Undergraduate	Level	3
Term	Second Term	Credit Points	15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits)
Campus	Old Aberdeen	Sustained Study	No
Co-ordinators	Dr Johan Rasanayagam

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

One of AT1003 Introduction to Anthropology: Peoples of the World (Passed) or AT1501 Introduction to Anthropology 2 (Passed) or AT1502 Introduction to Anthropology: Questions of Diversity (Passed) or AT2005 Political Anthropology (Passed) or AT2006 Anthropological Approaches to Religion (Passed) or AT2010 Key Debates in Anthropology (Passed) or AT2515 Reimagining Colonialism (Passed)
Any Undergraduate Programme (Studied)
Programme Level 3

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

None.

Are there a limited number of places available?

Course Description

Contact Teaching Time

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

Teaching Breakdown

More Information about Week Numbers

Details, including assessments, may be subject to change until 30 August 2024 for 1st term courses and 20 December 2024 for 2nd term courses.

Summative Assessments

1st Attempt:

4 x (300 word) tutorial summaries 40% total
Project (1,500-2,000 words) 60%

Resit is resubmission of the above

Formative Assessment

There are no assessments for this course.

Feedback

Written feedback will be given on all written submissions in time for students to reflect and improve their work. Oral feedback will be given on tutorial presentations.

Course Learning Outcomes

- Students will have a good grasp of the major anthropological approaches to religion and ritual.
- Students will be able to critically assess different conceptual approaches to religion.
- Students will identify an issue related to religion that can be approached by drawing upon a variety of sources to understand it, such as published academic texts, media reports, and ethnography.
- Students will develop skills of oral presentation, reasoning and argument
- Students will critically interrogate the concept of belief.
- Students will explore the relation of religion, politics and power.
- Students will further develop critical writing skills.
- Students will bring together material from diverse sources, such as academic published texts, media sources, and policy documents to develop a critical analysis on a theme related to religion.