Theories of Religion

Theories of Religion is a Humanities, Arts and Cultural Studies class taught by Alan Hodder and Bong Seok Joo.

Course Description
What is "religion?" Why are human beings religious? Is religion primarily a matter of individual experience and belief? Or is it essentially a social phenomenon? Is religion some sort of evolutionary throwback, or is it crucial for our individual and collective wellbeing? These are just some of the questions this seminar is designed to address. To assist us, we will consider a broad range of theories that have been particularly influential in the Modern West. These theories will be drawn from such disparate disciplines as history, philosophy, anthropology, sociology, psychology, and biology. Possible theorists include Feuerbach, Marx, Tylor, James, Durkheim, Freud, Jung, Levi-Strauss, Geertz, Otto, Eliade, W. C. Smith, Derrida, Boyer, and Asad. Our purpose throughout will be to arrive at a critical understanding of each of these viewpoints in order better to understand the pervasive role of religion in human life. Prerequisite: one class in religion or philosophy.