For Religion Day 1 Exam
Please answer the following question (two hours recommended).
1. The debate over secularization theory has been clouded by disagreement and confusion over
core issues, even among its proponents. Please identify both the most significant variations of
secularization theory. Note the key points of commonality and variation among them, with
particular attention to (a) views of the processes underlying secularization; (b) types of evidence
admitted as evidence in the debate; and any other issues you believe to be important. In your
view, which version(s) of secularization theory are weaker, which are stronger, and why? Does
secularization have a future in explaining patterns and trends on the international religious
scene? Then describe the primary theoretical competitors to secularization theory, that is,
theories that dispute claims around secularization. In general, what does the evidence—here in
the U.S. and elsewhere—suggest?
Please answer one of the following two questions (one hour recommended).
2. Measuring religiosity (and to an increasing extent, spirituality) is a perennial topic of interest
among social scientists of religion. Describe in some detail what is known about: (a) key aspects
of religiosity, drawing both on older and more recent findings; (b) developmental or “life course”
variations in different aspects of religiosity, and explanations for these; and (c) identify at least
three types of “secular” processes and social forces (besides age) that are thought to shape
religiosity (and in what directions?). Conclude with a brief description of emerging debates about
“selection effects” in social scientific studies involving religion.
3. In your view, what are the three (3) most important, far-reaching trends in religious affiliation,
practice, and belief among the American public? What are their implications for the ways in which
religion will be lived and practiced in the US over the next 30-40 years, and why? Finally, please
offer your most persuasive and nuanced explanations for each of these trends, and indicate how a
better understanding of each will advance the sociology of religion.
Please answer one of the following two questions (one hour recommended).
4. In the United States and elsewhere, religious affiliation(s) and greater religiosity are associated
with higher levels of fertility. Summarize the existing research on the causal link between
religion and fertility, attending specifically to the mechanisms through which religion is thought
to influence individual fertility behavior and to the possibility of selection effects. What features
of religion does the current consensus overlook and how might you address these shortcomings?
Conclude with a discussion of the potential demographic consequences of religious differentials
in fertility, focusing on the United States.
5. Increasing attention is being given to what scholars have called religious “contexts.” Describe in
some detail what is meant by the term, how they have been variously measured, and how they is
thought to be influential (on what? under what circumstances?). Are there general conclusions about
such contextual studies involving religion that can be identified?