| CODE | ANT3016 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Anthropology of Religion | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Anthropological Sciences | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The anthropology of religion is considered to be one of the fundamental fields of anthropology. While early Victorian anthropologists foresaw the slow decline and disappearance of religion from the non-Western world and the Western world, empirically this has been far from the case. Religion has not only survived but indeed thrived in the West particularly forms of Protestant Christianity while Islam has undergone a revival. Not only that but new religious beliefs and systems continue to emerge and attract followers and practitioners. This study-unit will look at some of the classical works in the area of the anthropology of religion as well as mapping more contemporary approaches. The study-unit will take a number of case studies to analyse different kinds of religious rituals and beliefs from religions of Asia to the study of secularism. Study-Unit Aims: The study-unit aims to introduce students to the historical developments of the anthropology of religion. Students will be provided with a thorough grounding in some of the major theoretical debates in the field as they have developed historically together with exposure to more contemporary approaches. Students will also be exposed to a variety of ethnographic case studies from across different regions across the globe in the anthropological study of religion encouraging cross-cultural comparison. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Construct an overview of the history of the anthropological study of religion; - Apply the theoretical perspectives in the anthropology of religion to a range of case-studies; - Compare different ethnographic case studies in the anthropology of religion; - Review anthropological theories of religion. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Examine critically and selectively and make sense of a range of case studies in relation to classical and contemporary theory; - Identify with confidence relevant sources; - Perform under exam conditions; - Synthesize knowledge learned throughout the course and its readings in response to set questions; - Write an assignment with proper bibliographic skills. Reading List: - Lambek, Michael (ed.), A Reader in the Anthropology of Religion (Oxford/Malden, Mass.: Blackwell Publishers, 2002). |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Jean-Paul Baldacchino |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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