CHID 380 A: Theories In The Study Of Religion

This course will allow students to explore a wide range of theoretical and methodological approaches within the discipline of religious studies. There will be three main focal points throughout the course. First, we will study the various theoretical approaches that have arisen in the discipline. This will largely be accomplished through an historical exploration of the field up to and including modern schools of thought. Second, we will study various methods or approaches taken in the field. These will be thematically rather than chronologically studied. Various methodological issues will be examined.  Third, we will study the application of these methods and theories to the study religion. Students will use the tools studied in order to analyze cultural data. We will also examine the more local aspects of the discipline here in the Pacific Northwest (at UW and beyond). Our main focus will be on the meta-level of studying the study of religion, not in studying specific religious traditions.