RELS/SOCY 298: Sociology of Religion
Spring 2011
Instructor: Dr. Donald A. Nielsen
Office: 305 Maybank Hall; Email: nielsend@cofc.edu; Telephone: 953-5738; Office Hours: M,W & F,
10AM-11AM & By Appointment
Course Description: This course focuses on the sociological interpretation of religious institutions,
groups, movements, and religious experience generally, and their functions in society. The ideas of
major pioneers in the sociology of religion will be emphasized, including those of Karl Max and the
Marxists, Max Weber, Ernst Troeltsch, Emile Durkheim, and many other contemporary figures, too
numerous to mention. Although the course text focuses on contemporary developments in the
sociology of religion, the course will also emphasize the historical study of the role of religion in varied
social and cultural settings. The course will deal with the relationship of religion to the economy, politics
and the state, social classes, race and ethnicity, gender, the family, health and healing, education, as
well as other social structures, institutions and roles. Topics covered include the definition of religion,
theories of religion and society, the role of churches, sects, denominations, cults and new religious
movements in social change, the problem of secularization, social change and the globalization of
religions, the impact of mass media on religion, the problem of church-state relations, and a variety of
other topics. In additional to lectures, the course will encourage class discussion of issues in the
sociology of religion.
Required Readings: There are two required books for this course. Students can purchase them in
paperbound edition at the college bookstore:
1. Kevin J. Christiano, William H. Swatos, Jr. and Peter Kivisto, Sociology of Religion: Contemporary
Developments, 2nd edition (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2008)
2. Marcel Mauss. On Prayer: Text and Commentary, edited by Bill Pickering (Berghahn Books,
2009)
Reading Schedule: Students should keep up with the reading in accordance with the following schedule
in order to be prepared to participate more fully and effectively in classroom discussions. Readings
should be completed by the first class session of the week indicated. The references under “readings”
refer to the required text noted above.
Week
January 10
Readings______________________________
Sociology of Religion, Ch. 1
[no class, Monday, Jan. 17]
January 19
Sociology of Religion, Ch. 2
January 24
Sociology of Religion, Ch. 3
January 31
(discussion of Ch. 3 continued)
February 7
Sociology of Religion, Ch. 4
***First Exam , in class, Friday, February 11th***
February 14
Marcel Mauss, On Prayer (read entre book for this week)
February 21
Sociology of Religion, Ch. 5
February 28
Sociology of Religion, Ch. 6
[no classes March 7 – 11]
March 14
Sociology of Religion, Ch. 7
March 21
Sociology of Religion, Ch. 8
***Second exam in class, Monday, March 21th***
March 28
Sociology of Religion, Ch. 9
April 4
Sociology of Religion, Ch. 10
April 11
Sociology of Religion, Ch. 11
April 18
Sociology of Religion, Ch. 12
April 25
***Third and Last Exam in class Monday, April 25th***
NOTE: There is no final exam in this class during the special final exam week. The third exam listed
above will be your final responsibility in the course.
Exams and Assignments: There will be the following required written assignments in the course:
Three exams: The exams will not be cumulative and will combine “objective” type questions ( i.e.
multiple choice, true/false, fill in the blank, etc) with brief essays. The dates of the exams are listed
above in the “Reading Schedule”.
[NOTE ON MAKE-UP EXAMS: No make-up exams will be given for unexcused absences—all absences
from exams must be cleared with the instructor before the exam date. All exams missed must be made
up in a timely manner, in any case, not more than a week after the date of the missed exam. Make-up
exams for excused absences will be given at a time convenient to the course instructor in consultation
with the student.]
Take Home Book Review: You will be asked to write a review essay of the Marcel Mauss book on prayer
listed above and apply its ideas to contemporary realities. Details of the length, format and due date of
this review will be made available early in the term on a supplementary syllabus handout.
Take home research essays: There will be several brief take home research essays related to the
readings in the Christiano-Swatos-Kivisto text. They will require you to engage in some brief research
outside of class in connection with the topics discussed in the text. In general, these assignments will
ask you to apply sociological ideas from the text to your own contemporary observations. Details of
these essay assignments, including the questions to be addressed and the required length and format,
will be made available well in advance of the essay due date and will be discussed in greater detail in
separate handouts.
[NOTE ON TAKE HOME ESSAYS AND ASSIGNMENTS: All take home essays and assignments are due in
class on the day indicated on the assignment—no exceptions. No late essays or assignments will be
accepted without a legitimate excuse and there are no make-ups for take home assignments
uncompleted without a legitimate reason.]
Points for essays and exams: 1. Each of the three in class exams will count for 50 points (for a total of
150 points for the three exams). 2. The take home book review essay on Mauss will count for 50 points.
This adds up to a possible 200 points for the exams and the review essay. The number of brief take
home assignments is somewhat open, but there will probably be three of them, the dates and details to
be announced in class. They will each count for a possible 10 points toward your total grade. The total
points earned on these brief take-home assignments will be added on to your overall points in the
course.
Grading Procedure and Schedule: Students’ final grades will be determined by the percentage of total
points actually earned on the above assignments to the total number of possible points in all
assignments in the course in accordance with the following schedule:
A = 93-100%
A-=90-92%
B+=87-89%
B= 84-86%
B-=80-82%
C+=77-79%
C=74-76%
C-=70-72%
D+=67-69%
D= 64-66%
D-=60-62%
F=Less than 60%
Attendance: In general, educational research has determined that students who attend class regularly
and participate actively earn better grades than those who miss class frequently. Therefore, class
attendance and active participation are mandatory. A class attendance sheet will be handed out during
each class session for your signature. Moreover, you will need to be in class regularly to participate in
discussions of the various readings and topics. Also, lectures will present a good deal of materials not
found in the texts and you will miss this material (as well as several videos) if you are not present. In
cases of borderline grades (e.g. between A and B, or B and C, etc.), regular attendance and active
participation in class discussions will be taken into account in a positive fashion in determining your final
course grade. Please keep in mind that College of Charleston policy allows the instructor to reduce the
final grade of any student who has more than three unexcused absences. In sum, regular attendance is
in your best interest, not only educationally, in terms of your grasp of the material in the course, but
also practically, in terms of your final grade.
Classroom Procedures: Students are expected to conduct themselves in class at all times in accordance
with the norms of civil interaction, mutual respect for all parties involved, and behavior appropriate to
an academic, intellectual setting. Persistently disruptive conduct will be subject to disciplinary action,
including possible expulsion from class and/or dismissal from the course.
Academic Honesty: It goes without saying, perhaps, that students are expected to follow the Honor
Code found in the “Student Handbook”. Students suspected of plagiarism or any other violations of this
code will be dealt with in accordance with standard disciplinary procedures for such cases.
Special Needs: Please do contact me at the beginning of the term if you have any special needs
concerning exams or any other aspects of the course that might need to be discussed and
accommodated in order to facilitate your success in this course. In general, if you have questions or
want to discuss anything, feel free to contact me by email or come to see me at my office during my
office hours or make an appointment.
Final Note: The above syllabus is subject to minor changes as needed at the discretion of the instructor.
Any such changes will be announced well in advance both in class and through mass email messages.