Prof. Carmel U. Chiswick
Room 2120 UH, e-mail cchis@uic.edu
Phone 996-8721, Fax 996-3344
Office hrs: MW 2:00-3:00 or by appt.
Web site: www.uic.edu/~cchis/class/classes.htm
Spring 2008
M W 11-12:15
Room B21 BH
CRN 26898
Hon 123: Religion and the World: Economics of Religion
Honors Core: Understanding Individual and Society, Understanding U.S. Society
Syllabus
This course will introduce students to an economic perspective on religious
behaviors. It will explore how everyday economic decisions made by individuals
have implications for the life of groups, institutions, and public policy. The focus will
be on religion and religious life in the United States.
There are no prerequisites for this course. Economic concepts will be introduced
and explained as appropriate for the study of religion. By the end of the term
students will have a basic grasp of economic principles and be able to apply them to
a variety of problems.
The textbook is:
Barry A. Kosmin and Ariela Keysar, Religion in a Free Market: Religious and
Non-Religious Americans. Paramount Market Publishing, Ithaca, NY 2006.
(ISBN 978-0-9766973-6-7)
Students are also required to complete assignments on Learning Modules at the web
site for the Association of Religion Data Archives (www.thearda.com), Other
readings may be assigned from time to time and useful materials will be posted on
the instructor’s web site, as appropriate.
The grade for this course will be determined by written assignments (25%), a
mid-term exam (25%) and a final exam (50%).
Final Exam week is May 5-9.
Prof. Carmel U. Chiswick
Room 2120 UH, e-mail cchis@uic.edu
Phone 996-8721, Fax 996-3344
Office hrs: MW 2:00-3:00 or by appt.
Web site: www.uic.edu/~cchis/class/classes.htm
Spring 2008
M W 11-12:15
Room B21 BH
CRN 26898
Hon 123: Religion and the World: Economics of Religion
Outline of Course
I.
Text
Chapters
Introduction – An economic perspective
on religious life in America.
ARDA Modules
1. Attitudes v. Behavior
II. Tradition and Change in American
Religious Life – How economics helps us
understand why religious practices and
institutional structures in the US often differ
from their counterparts in other countries.
1-2
III. Religious Education – The business of
intergenerational transmission of religious
values and ideas.
3-5
2. Measuring Religiosity
3. Exploring Denominations
4. Religious Landscape
Midterm – February 27
IV. Family Life – The economics of the family
and its overlap with religious expression.
6-9
V. Immigrant Religions – How the economic
adjustment of immigrants affects their
religious practices and institutions.
14-16
VI. Religion and Social Life – The economics
of “clubs” and its implications for the social
aspects of religious life in America.
Final Exam – Thursday, May 8, 10:30-12:30
5. Death and Mourning
6-8. Choice of Three