B8004 - History of Religions (A-L)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students are able to understand, in the light of the comparative method, in a theoretical and historical framework the phenomena widely documented in human history and identified as religious, in order to identify their characterizations and typologies. They have particular knowledge of contexts in which various religions are in relationship with each other, they are able to formulate problems and understand the typology of the main sources and to identify the conceptual categories prevalent in contemporary critical reflection. In oral communication they have good reading skills and critical understanding of the basic bibliography in relation to the topics addressed in the course and can use the technical terminology of the discipline.

Course contents

The History of Religions course is part of the REMinD – Religious Minorities in Europe: Material Culture in Dialogue project, funded by the European Union as a Jean Monnet Module within the Jean Monnet Actions of the Erasmus+ Programme.

 

Classes begin (per studenti 6 cfu and 12 cfu): 28 September 2026

Last class of Module I for 6 cfu students: 9 November
Start of Module II for 12 cfu students: 10 November

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

 

In line with EU policies aimed at promoting and protecting religious diversity (TFEU, Art. 17), the REMinD Module provides students with knowledge and expertise on religious pluralism in Europe, the role of religions in the history of the European Union, and the relevant policies implemented at the European level. At the same time, the Module aims to foster opportunities for active dialogue at the local level among religious minorities themselves, students, the University, and civil society, thereby promoting inter-community engagement (EU Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion 2021–2027).

In addition to the course instructor, classes are taught by experts from a range of disciplines (historians, anthropologists, sociologists, education scholars, and legal scholars) and are divided into two main sections: an initial series of classroom seminars is followed by workshops focusing on Orthodox Christianity and Buddhism.

Teaching schedule - Jean Monnet Module 2026

September 28, 29, 30 Francesca Sbardella

Models of analysis in the study of religions in Europe: an introduction (Lezione in italiano)

Ottobre 5 Francesca Sbardella

Models of analysis in the study of religions in Europe: the concept of 'religion'

October 5 EIDOLA’s HUB 2026 (aula Prodi)

Annual meeting of the Centre Study Eidola

Optional supplementary activity

‘Magical’ Objects. How to do Things with Materiality

Ottobre 6 Francesca Sbardella

Models of analysis in the study of religions in Europe: the concept of 'sacred'

October 6 EIDOLA’s HUB 2026 (aula Prodi)

Optional supplementary activity

‘Magical’ Objects. How to do Things with Materiality

October 7 Francesca Sbardella e Maria Chiara Giorda

Religious Pluralism and Shared Religious Spaces in Europe (Lezione in italiano)

October 12 Francesca Sbardella e Maria Chiara Giorda

Religious Pluralism and Shared Religious Spaces in Europe (Lezione in italiano)

October 13 Francesca Sbardella e Maria del Mar Griera Llonch

Thinking about Religion in Contemporary Europe: Transformations, Pluralism and Governance (Lezione in inglese)

October 14 Ambrogio Bongiovanni e Francesca Sbardella

Models of analysis in the study of religions in Europe: an introduction (Lezione in italiano)

October 19 Francesca Sbardella

Foundations of Interreligious Dialogue: Challenges and Perspectives in the European Context (Lezione in italiano)

October 20 Roberto Balzani e Francesca Sbardella

The origins of human rights diplomacy: the slave trade and Greek independence in the early 19th century (Lezione in italiano)

October 21 Roberto Balzani e Francesca Sbardella

The origins of human rights diplomacy: the slave trade and Greek independence in the early 19th century (Lezione in italiano)

Teaching suspension at Unibo from October 26 to 30

November 2 Geraldina Boni, Ilaria Samorè e Francesca Sbardella

Case law on the protection of religious minority rights (Lezione in italiano)

November 3 Laura Pasquini e Francesca Sbardella

Iconography and interreligiosity (Lezione in italiano)

November 4 Francesca Sbardella

Modelli di analisi nello studio delle religioni in Europa: la materialità

(last lesson of Module I)

_______________

November 9 Geraldina Boni e Francesca Sbardella

Case law on the protection of religious minority rights (Lezione in italiano)

(start of Module II for 12-CFU students only)

November 10 Francesca Sbardella

Objects, symbols and magical-religious materiality (lezione in italiano)

November 11 Francesca Sbardella

Objects, symbols and magical-religious materiality (Lezione in italiano)

November 16 Winnifred F. Sullivan e Francesca Sbardella

Religious Minorities and US exceptionalism (Lezione in inglese)

November 17 Federico Squarcini e Francesca Sbardella

Workshop: Buddhism. History, Institutions, Representations, Contemporary affairs (attività in italiano)

November 18 Federico Squarcini e Francesca Sbardella

Workshop: Buddhism. History, Institutions, Representations, Contemporary affairs (attività in italiano)

November 23 Alessandro Ferrari e Francesca Sbardella

Religious Minorities Across the Two Shores of the Mediterranean (Lezione in italiano)

November 24 Grace Davie e Francesca Sbardella

The concepts of secularism and religious dynamism (Lezione in inglese)

November 25 Grace Davie e Francesca Sbardella

Religious dynamism and secularism in Europe (Lezione in inglese)

November 30 Angela Bernardo e Francesca Sbardella

Workshop: Framing Orthodoxy: narratives on trans-nationalism, migration, and heritage in and outside Europe (attività in italiano)

December 1 Angela Bernardo e Francesca Sbardella

Workshop: Framing Orthodoxy: narratives on (trans)nationalism, migration, and heritage in and outside Europe (attività in italiano)

December 2 Francesca Sbardella

Objects, symbols and magical-religious materiality (Lezione in italiano)

December 7 Alessandro Ferrari e Francesca Sbardella

Religious Minorities Across the Two Shores of the Mediterranean (Lezione in ialiano)

December 8 no class; holiday

December 9 Francesca Sbardella e Caterina Fratesi

Laboratory teaching: Ethnographic methodologies (Lezione in italiano)

December 14 Francesca Sbardella e Caterina Fratesi

Laboratory teaching: Ethnographic methodologies (Lezione in italiano)

Experimental Teaching Phase related to the European project
(optional and open only to interested students attending the course)

In addition to regular class hours, an experimental component is offered to a group of approximately fifteen students and consists of ethnographic fieldwork conducted with the active participation of the Buddhist and Orthodox Christian communities of Bologna. The ethnographic fieldwork will focus on religious materiality as a privileged lens through which to understand the realities of local religious communities.

Students will be selected on the basis of a motivation letter.

The expected outcomes concern both teaching and learning in the strict sense—specific skills in the study of religions, knowledge of the role of religion in Europe, and understanding of European policies on religious pluralism—and the local social context, through the promotion of interreligious dialogue among students, the academic community, religious communities, and civil society.

The information and data collected through participatory teaching and learning activities will contribute to an open-access publication, to which the students involved in the project will also contribute.

December 16 (provisional date)

Francesca Sbardella, Giuseppina P. Viscardi Caterina Fratesi, Gaetano Spampinato, Ilaria Samorè

Laboratory teaching: Ethnographic activities in religious communities

December 17 (provisional date)

Francesca Sbardella, Giuseppina P. Viscardi Caterina Fratesi, Gaetano Spampinato

Laboratory teaching: Ethnographic activities in religious communities

December 18 (provisional date)

Francesca Sbardella, Giuseppina P. Viscardi Caterina Fratesi, Gaetano Spampinato

Laboratory teaching: Ethnographic activities in religious communities

 

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• identify and analyse the distinctive forms and manifestations of religion;
• demonstrate knowledge of the contemporary history of Europe and the European Union;
• understand and apply the legal concept of religious minority;
• demonstrate knowledge of the jurisprudence and policies developed by the European Union to regulate and safeguard religious minorities and promote interreligious dialogue;
• understand the relationship between religious diversity, migration, citizenship, and public space, including from a comparative perspective;
• understand and use basic research tools for collecting, processing, analysing, and interpreting empirical data relating to religious and magical-religious phenomena.

Readings/Bibliography

Programme for attending students 12 cfu

1. Francesca Sbardella e Fabio Dei (ed), 2026, Antropologia e storia delle religioni, Brescia, Morcelliana.
2. Durkheim, 2013 [1912], Le forme elementari della vita religiosa, Milano, Mimesis, (qualsiasi edizione)

3. Lettura tematica.

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

4. Appunti delle lezioni con materiali forniti durante le lezioni dai diversi docenti.

Programme for non-attending students 12 cfu

1. Francesca Sbardella e Fabio Dei (ed), 2026, Antropologia e storia delle religioni, Brescia, Morcelliana.
2. Durkheim, 2013 [1912], Le forme elementari della vita religiosa, Milano, Mimesis, (qualsiasi edizione)

3. Un classico (qualsiasi edizione) a scelta tra:

   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

4. Lettura tematica. Un testo a scelta tra:

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. Francesca Sbardella e Fabio Dei (ed), 2026, Antropologia e storia delle religioni, Brescia, Morcelliana.
2. Un classico (qualsiasi edizione) a scelta tra:

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 does not include additional requirements; however, non-attendance necessitates a greater commitment to independent study.

Teaching methods

Traditional lectures alternate with in-depth seminar sessions led by international experts.

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.

The use of generative AI in the assessment of learning is prohibited. Any recourse to such tools is to be considered a violation of academic integrity.

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