13753 - History of Religions (1)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will be able to understand religious phenomena by a comparative historical method, and identify their features and types, focusing on areas and events where religion and culture interacted. They will be able to describe and illustrate specific instances of interrelation among various religions, and understand multicultural contexts. They will also know how to listen, understand and debate respectfully with different cultures and viewpoints, spotting the tie-ups among different disciplines.

Course contents

Classes begin: 15 September 2025

Mon, Tue, Wed, h 13-15 aula Grande (DISCI)

Studying magic-religious phenomena: fundamental theories

This course will address a number of classic topics in religion anthropology and focus on some of the conceptual issues in the study of the sacred and of magic and religion practices, including lay ones.

In this course students will acquire the fundamental notions to interpret the complexity of religious systems, recognize their mutual relations and focus on their structural patterns. They will possess knowledge that is suitable to favor inter-religious understanding and communication.

The course includes a micro ethnographic field experiment for attending students interested in the topics (see below).

During the course the following subjects will be addressed:

• Rites, myths and sacrificial apparatus
• Beliefs and practices
• Terminology of the history of religions (holy, religion, etc.)
• Classification of religions
• Religious Studies: origin, authors and main theories
• Religion as a product of man and historical document
• Components and structure of the religious system
• Corporality in religious systems
• Religious scriptures and text construction
• Religious identity and plurality

At the end of the course the student shall be able to:

• determine and analyze the distinguishing features of religious facts;
• acquire competences to interpret the relations between religions and society;
• develop collaboratively a functional analysis model applied to historical-anthropological research;
• read, analyze, summarize, understand, and explain explicit and implicit information in texts about historical-religious theories;

• provide some basic means to develop the necessary skills in collecting, processing, analyzing, and interpreting genuine empirical data concerning the magical-religious field.

Some of the issues discussed in the course will also be reconsidered by watching some documentaries, short videos and movies, including On fait les reliques, Francesca Sbardella (2002).

Educational Experimentation Project (for interested attendees)

For those attending who are interested in the course topics, a field ethnographic micro-experiment will be organized, consisting of an interview about the practice of prayer or evil eye.

Readings/Bibliography

Programme for attending and non-attending students (12 cfu)

1. Jensen Sinding Jeppe, 2018, Che cos’è la religione?, Roma, Bulzoni
2. Durkheim, 2013 [1912], Le forme elementari della vita religiosa, Milano, Mimesis
3. A classic (any edition) of your choice from:

   Boyer Pascal, 2010 [2001], E l’uomo inventò gli dèi, Bologna, Odoya

   De Martino Ernesto, 2021 [1958], Morte e pianto rituale. Dal lamento funebre antico al pianto di Maria, Bologna, il Mulino, edizione curata da Marcello Massenzio.

   Dumézil Georges, 1977 [1966], La religione romana arcaica, Milano, Rizzoli

   Eliade Mircea, 1984 [1957], Il sacro e il profano, Torino, Boringhieri

   Evans-Pritchard Edward E., 1965 [1956], La religione dei Nuer, Firenze, Sansoni

   Evans-Pritchard Edward E., 1971 [1966], Teorie sulla religione primitive, Firenze, Sansoni

   Frazer J. G., 1992 [1922], Il ramo d'oro, Roma, Newton & Compton

   Freud S., 2012 [1929], Il disagio della civiltà e altri saggi, Torino, Bollati Boringhieri.

   Gallini Clara, 2024 [1973], Dono e malocchio, Bologna Pàtron.

   Geertz Clifford, 2008, L’islam. Lo sviluppo religioso in Marocco e in Indonesia, Milano, Raffaello Cortina.

   Hubert H. - Mauss M., 2002 [1899], Saggio sulla funzione e la natura del sacrificio, Brescia, Morcelliana

   Jung, Carl Gustav, 1984 [1938-40], Psicologia e religione, Torino, Boringhieri

   Leeuw G. Van der, 2017 [1933], Fenomenologia della religione, Torino, Boringhieri

   Levi-Bruhl, Lucien, 1982 [1922], La mentalità primitiva, Torino, Einaudi

   Lewis Joan M., 1972, Le religioni estatiche. Studio antropologico sulla possessione spiritica e sullo sciamanismo, Roma, Ubaldini

   Malinowski Bronislaw 1676 [1948], Magia, scienza e religione, e Baloma: gli spiriti dei morti nelle isole Trobriand, Roma, Newton Compton

   Marx Karl, Engels Friedrich 1958 [1845-46], L’ideologia tedesca, Roma, Editori Riuniti

   Mauss Marcel 1997 [1909], La preghiera e i riti orali, Morcelliana Brescia

   Mauss M., 2000 [1950], Teoria generale della magia e altri saggi, Einaudi, Torino

   Otto R., 1976 [1917], Il sacro: l’irrazionale nella idea del divino e la sua relazione al razionale, Milano, Feltrinelli

   Schmitt Carl, 2014 [1922-1953], Le categorie del 'politico'. Saggi di teoria politica

   Tambiah Stanley J., 1993 [1990], Magia, scienza, religione, Napoli, Guida

   Tillich Paul, 1967 [1957], Dinamica della fede, Roma, Ubaldini.

   Turner Victor W., 1972 [1969], Il processo rituale, Brescia, Morcelliana

   Tylor Edward B., 2000 [1871], Alle origini della cultura, vol. IV Animismo. L’anima e le anime. Dottrine e funzioni, Pisa-Roma, Istituti Editoriali Poligrafici Internazionali

   Van Gennep Arnold 2012 [1909], I riti di passaggio, Torino, Bollati Boringhieri

   For students participating in the educational experiment, the texts by Marcel Mauss (Prayer and Oral Rites) or by Clara Gallini (Gift and the Evil Eye) are recommended.

4. Thematic reading. A text of your choice from:

Sbardella F., Abitare il silenzio. Un’antropologa in clausura, Viella, Roma 2017.

Sbardella F, Antropologia delle reliquie. Un caso storico, Morcelliana 2007.

Programme for attending and non-attending students 6 cfu

1. Jensen Sinding Jeppe, 2018, Che cos’è la religione?, Bulzoni, Roma
2. Geertz C., «La religione come sistema culturale», in Id.,Interpretazione di culture.

   Geertz's text is available in Virtuale.

3. A classic (any edition) of your choice from:

Boyer Pascal, 2010 [2001], E l’uomo inventò gli dèi, Bologna, Odoya

De Martino Ernesto, 2021 [1958], Morte e pianto rituale. Dal lamento funebre antico al pianto di Maria, Bologna, il Mulino, edizione curata da Marcello Massenzio.

Dumézil Georges, 1977 [1966], La religione romana arcaica, Milano, Rizzoli

Eliade Mircea, 1984 [1957], Il sacro e il profano, Torino, Boringhieri

Evans-Pritchard Edward E., 1965 [1956], La religione dei Nuer, Firenze, Sansoni

Evans-Pritchard Edward E., 1971 [1966], Teorie sulla religione primitive, Firenze, Sansoni

Frazer J. G., 1992 [1922], Il ramo d'oro, Roma, Newton & Compton

Freud S., 2012 [1929], Il disagio della civiltà e altri saggi, Torino, Bollati Boringhieri.

Gallini Clara, 2024 [1973], Dono e malocchio, Bologna Pàtron.

Geertz Clifford, 2008, L’islam. Lo sviluppo religioso in Marocco e in Indonesia, Milano, Raffaello Cortina.

Hubert H. - Mauss M., 2002 [1899], Saggio sulla funzione e la natura del sacrificio, Brescia, Morcelliana

Jung, Carl Gustav, 1984 [1938-40], Psicologia e religione, Torino, Boringhieri

Leeuw G. Van der, 2017 [1933], Fenomenologia della religione, Torino, Boringhieri

Levi-Bruhl, Lucien, 1982 [1922], La mentalità primitiva, Torino, Einaudi

Lewis Joan M., 1972, Le religioni estatiche. Studio antropologico sulla possessione spiritica e sullo sciamanismo, Roma, Ubaldini

Malinowski Bronislaw 1676 [1948], Magia, scienza e religione, e Baloma: gli spiriti dei morti nelle isole Trobriand, Roma, Newton Compton

Marx Karl, Engels Friedrich 1958 [1845-46], L’ideologia tedesca, Roma, Editori Riuniti

Mauss Marcel 1997 [1909], La preghiera e i riti orali, Morcelliana Brescia

Mauss M., 2000 [1950], Teoria generale della magia e altri saggi, Einaudi, Torino

Otto R., 1976 [1917], Il sacro: l’irrazionale nella idea del divino e la sua relazione al razionale, Milano, Feltrinelli

Schmitt Carl, 2014 [1922-1953], Le categorie del 'politico'. Saggi di teoria politica

Tambiah Stanley J., 1993 [1990], Magia, scienza, religione, Napoli, Guida

Tillich Paul, 1967 [1957], Dinamica della fede, Roma, Ubaldini.

Turner Victor W., 1972 [1969], Il processo rituale, Brescia, Morcelliana

Tylor Edward B., 2000 [1871], Alle origini della cultura, vol. IV Animismo. L’anima e le anime. Dottrine e funzioni, Pisa-Roma, Istituti Editoriali Poligrafici Internazionali

Van Gennep Arnold 2012 [1909], I riti di passaggio, Torino, Bollati Boringhieri

The syllabus for non-attending students is not subject to any integration. Non-attending students will need to make a greater effort in preparing the exam individually.

Teaching methods

Traditional lectures will alternate with seminars for in-depth discussion in which students are invited to actively take part with personal investigations, presentations and reports concerning the proposed issues.

Assessment methods

During the academic year exam sessions are scheduled on a monthly basis for both students with exam debt and those in progress.

The final examination is an interview. The students will be asked some questions concerning the texts included in the syllabus and the subjects presented in them.

For attending students, the assessment of the final interview is complemented with specific questions on the subjects discussed in class and with the research report on the fieldwork assignment.

Exam registration should be completed via the Almaesami website.

Assessment criteria:

• in-depth and detailed knowledge of the syllabus text contents
• teamwork and problem solving skills
• quantity and quality of each student’s participation in e-learning activities
• active participation in class discussion: ability to present, contrast, and defend one’s ideas with data that are relevant to the proposed subjects
• argument and critical skills
• language appropriateness
• the evaluation of the written report will consider the typical conventions of academic writing (orthography, layout, and presentation), and also the ability to ponder, analyze, and draw conclusions.

The achievement by the student of an organic vision of the topics addressed together with their critical use, a good command of expression and of specific language will be evaluated with marks of excellence.

A mnemonic knowledge of the subject, together with ability to synthesize and analyze articulated in a correct, but not always appropriate language, will lead to discrete evaluations.

Training gaps and/or inappropriate language - albeit in a context of minimal knowledge of the exam material - will lead to grades that will not exceed the sufficiency.

Training gaps, inappropriate language, lack of orientation within the bibliographic materials offered during the course will be evaluated negatively

Disabilities and DSA

Students with learning disorders and\or temporary or permanent disabilities: please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students ) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

Teaching tools

Multimedia tools will be used, e.g. audio recordings and videos. For some fieldwork activities the students will work in a team and use collaborative digital resources, such as e-learning tools.

Slides and Power Point presentations will also be used in some classes.

Office hours

See the website of Francesca Sbardella