RELIGION AND SOCIETY (SOCIOLOGY 3334)
KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY/FALL 2010
T-TH 6:30 PM – 7:45 PM/SS #3028
DR. RICHARD HUTCHINSON
OFFICE: SS #4051 A
PHONE: 678-797-2894
E-MAIL: rhutch13@kennesaw.edu
OFFICE HOURS: M-T-W-TH 10:00 AM -- 12:00 noon and by appointment
SYLLABUS
Welcome to Religion and Society, a course that introduces the Sociology of Religion along
with a brief overview of the world’s major religions.
The questions sociologists ask about religion include the following: What exactly is
religion? Why are some kinds of religion more common in certain times and places than
others? Why do individuals join religions? How are religious organizations structured?
Why are some kinds of religious organizations more common in certain times and places
than others, and what are the patterns of organizational change over time? What explains
the divergence between official and nonofficial religion, the elaborate doctrines of the
professionals versus the simpler day-to-day beliefs and practices of the nonprofessionals?
What are the most important changes taking place in the nature of religion, both in the
U.S. and elsewhere around the world? Finally, how does religion affect, and how is it
affected by, all the other sociological variables such as socioeconomic class, race, gender,
war, the environment, and so on.
REQUIRED TEXT (available in the KSU Bookstore)
Religion and Social Theory, 2nd Edition (Turner)
OPTIONAL TEXTS (available in the KSU Bookstore)
Introducing Islam (Shepard)
Introducing Buddhism, 2nd Edition (Prebish and Keown)
SCHEDULE
TUESDAY
THURSDAY
WEEK
1
8/17
Syllabus & Overview
*Definitions of Religion
8/19
*Distribution and Size of World
Religions
WEEK
2
8/24
CHAPTER 1
OTHER RELIGIONS
8/26
*The Theological Spectrum
*Beliefs, Rituals & Institutions
WEEK
3
8/31
CHAPTER 2
SOCIAL CEMENT
9/2
Islam and Western Religions
WEEK
4
9/7
CHAPTER 3
SOCIAL OPIUM
9/9
Buddhism and Eastern Religions
WEEK
5
9/14
Chinese Religion Today
9/16
*M.C. EXAM ONE
*ESSAY EXAM ONE DUE
WEEK
6
9/21
*WORSHIP OBSERVATIONS DUE
9/23
*Network Conversion Theory
*WORSHIP OBSERVATION
DISCUSSION GROUPS
*Church/Sect Cycle Theory
WEEK
7
9/28
CHAPTER 4
RELIGION AS EXCHANGE
9/30
Weber: Thaumaturgy, Soteriology,
& Charismatic Leaders
WEEK
8
10/5
CHAPTER 5
RELIGION AS SOCIAL CONTROL
10/7
Judaism: Who Wrote the Bible?
WEEK
9
10/12
CHAPTER 6
FEUDALISM AND RELIGION
10/14
Varieties of Early Christianity
2
WEEK
10
10/19
CHAPTER 7 – INDIVIDUALISM,
CAPITALISM AND RELIGION
10/2
*M.C. EXAM TWO
*ESSAY EXAM TWO DUE
WEEK
11
10/26
CHAPTER 8 – RELIGION AND
POLITICAL LEGITIMACY
10/28
Islam: Religion & Politics Today
WEEK
12
11/2
CHAPTER 9 – RELIGION
AND GLOBAL POLITICS
11/4
The Twelve Tribes of America
(Religion & Politics)
WEEK
13
11/9
CHAPTER 10 – SECULAR BODIES
AND THE DANCE OF DEATH
11/11
Global Pentecostalism & Syncretic
Christianity in Africa & Asia
WEEK
14
11/16
The New Age Spiritual Network and
New Religious Movements
11/18
The Evolution of Religion
WEEK
15
11/23
*M.C. EXAM THREE
*ESSAY EXAM THREE DUE
11/25
FALL BREAK – NO CLASS
WEEK
16
11/30
ONLINE LECTURE & QUIZ
Cycles of Faith
12/2
ONLINE LECTURE & QUIZ
Religion & the Environment
At least 10 of the lectures will cover the 10 chapters of the assigned text. The other
lecture topics are subject to change. You will receive review sheets in advance that
will specify the material that will be covered on the exams.
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EVALUATION
1) There will be three 50-point in-class exams. Each exam will include 25 2-point multiple choice
questions. There will be two 50-point take-home essay exams and one 100-point take-home essay
exam. You will be required to submit your essays to Turnitin.com. I will provide you with the
necessary access code when the time comes, along with detailed instructions for the essays. There
will be two online quizzes during the last week of the semester.
2) You will venture forth to a religious denomination other than your own to observe a worship
service and report on your observations. We will then analyze the results of all the observations in
class. Your observations, report and participation in the discussion will be worth 100 points. You
will receive detailed instructions on what to look for and how to record it later in the course.
3 multiple-choice exams
2 take-home essay exams
1 take-home essay exam
1 worship service observation + report + discussion
2 online quizzes
50 points each>
50 points each>
100 points each>
100 points >
25 points each>
150 points
100 points
100 points
100 points
50 points
COURSE TOTAL: 500 points
POLICIES
1) ATTENDANCE
This is a lecture class. Reading the required textbook is important, but it is no substitute for
attending and taking good lecture notes -- I do not lecture straight out of the book.
If you ever have to miss class, make sure to get the notes for the lecture you missed from a fellow
student. If you have a university-sanctioned reason to miss an exam, such as an athletic event,
you must notify me in advance in order to make-up the exam, preferably prior to the regularly
scheduled time. If you are sick, you must let me know the day of the exam in order to qualify
for making up the exam.
2) CHEATING
It is your responsibility to maintain academic integrity. Do not cheat or plagiarize, and do not aid
and abet others in cheating or plagiarizing. My policy for a first offense is that if you are caught
cheating or helping a fellow student cheat your grade for that assignment will be a ZERO. Any
subsequent infractions will result in your expulsion from the course with an F, and a referral to the
University Administration for further sanctions.
3) ACCOMMODATIONS
Any student requiring accommodations or services due to a disability must contact the disabled
Student Support Services office in the Student Development Center (Student Center #267 – 770423-6443), which is located in the Carmichael Student Center addition. I will work with dSSS to
make a reasonable accommodation for testing once verification has been provided to me by the
office.
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Ethnographic Observation Assignment
Hutchinson//Sociology of Religion//Kennesaw State University//Fall 2010
Raw field notes & report (50 points)
due Tuesday, September21st – 75 points
in-class discussion group participation (25 points)
Tuesday, September 21st
This assignment is an example of ethnographic fieldwork, a social science method used by
sociologists, anthropologists and others to learn about real-life social and cultural settings. You are
to attend the worship service of a religion other than your own. I am defining “your religion”
narrowly, as Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, or Pentecostal, for instance, rather than Christian. So
you don’t have to search for an Islamic mosque or center, a Jewish synagogue or a Buddhist
temple. Of course you are free to attend those services, but you can choose a Christian
denomination different from your own. If you are a Baptist, you can’t attend a Baptist church, with
one exception – since most religious congregations are highly segregated, you can attend a church
of your own denomination if it is a different ethnic/racial group. European American Baptists can
attend an African American Baptist church, and vice versa.
What you do is locate a church and the time of its worship service (not a prayer meeting or some
other form of meeting, but a worship service), and go! They will be glad to see you. I suggest that
you sit toward the back so you have a good view of everything, including the members of the
congregation. Dress and act respectfully, of course. It is not necessarily appropriate to take notes
during the service, so pay close attention and plan to sit down and write up everything you see and
hear immediately after the service before you forget. Here is what to look for:
1) the order of worship
Be sure to get a copy of the bulletin with the order of worship – this is crucial data which
usually identifies the hymns (if any) and the topic of the sermon, but most importantly gives
the order of worship.
2) symbolism
A) visual images (crosses, baptismal founts, colors, etc)
B) words (sermon, prayers, songs, unison readings)
What is the theme of the service, or of the sermon?
Look specifically for how God/the object(s) of worship are portrayed – wrathful?
loving? rewarding? punishing? etc.
3) emotion
Pay attention to the emotional tone – is it joyful? somber? angry and/or fearful?
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4) music
A) What is the form of music? Traditional hymns with piano or organ? Contemporary with
electric rock instruments and praise music?
B) What moods does the music evoke?
5) congregation
Is the congregation actively involved or more passive? Do they shout out their agreement
with the preacher? Are they friendly and outgoing? Is there a “greet your neighbors” time
in the service?
6) what else do you notice?
Make a note of anything at all that strikes you as significant, including your reactions to
aspects of the service that are different from your own church.
As you can see, there is a lot to look for. Do your best to remember and record as many details as
possible.
Please hand in your rough hand-written notes along with word-processed notes in
complete sentences and paragraphs, along with the program from the service.
I will provide information in class on possible churches to attend. See me individually if you have
problems locating a church to attend or if you have any concerns about the assignment.
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