Chabot College
Fall 2003
Replaced Fall 2006 with Humn 75
Course Outline for Humanities 30
RELIGION IN CONTEMPORARY CULTURE
Catalog Description:
30 - Religion in Contemporary Culture
3 units
Attitudes and beliefs about religion evidenced in contemporary culture through contemporary social life,
politics, art, music, literature, drama, and film. Place, function, and role of religion in contemporary life
against the backdrop of traditional and contemporary theories about religion. 3 hours
Prerequisite Skills:
None
Expected Outcomes:
Upon completion of this course students should be able to:
1. describe how religion or religious motifs, themes, and subtexts appear in various literary and
cultural forms;
2. identify multiple cultural forms as well as a diversity of religious traditions;
3. describe the various academic approaches to religion in contemporary life, including sociological,
anthropological, and psychological approaches;
4. articulate the traditional and contemporary critiques of religion as a means of social, political, and
economic control.
Course Content
1. Attitudes and beliefs about religion as evidenced in contemporary culture
2. Place, function, and role of religion in contemporary life
3. Traditional and contemporary approaches to the study of religion, including anthropological,
phenomenological, sociological, psychological, and critical theories
Methods of Presentation:
1. Lecture
2. Multimedia presentations
3. Discussion
Assignments and Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:
1. Typical Assignments
a. In an essay, discuss the use of themes and motifs of various religious traditions in terms of
various academic approaches to religion. For example, connect the use of Native American
beliefs about the environment and current political events to the structural-functionalist
approach to religion.
b. In a research paper, consider the underlying religious themes of a given film and connect
them to a particular traditional or contemporary critique of religion.
c. In an essay, compare and contrast two motifs from different genre (film vs. book, play vs. art).
2. Methods of Evaluating Student Progress
a. Quizzes and Exams.
b. Essays.
c. Research paper
d. Final Exam
Chabot College
Course Outline for Humanities 30
Page 2
Fall 2003
Textbook(s) (Typical):
Theory and Method in the Study of Religion: Theoretical and Critical Readings, Carl Olson,
Wadsworth, 2003
Special Student Materials:
None
dk 10/2/02 rev 10/28/02
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