82240 - Methodologies of Religious Studies (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

This course gives students insights into the historiographical ways through which it is possible to embark on the analysis of religious phenomena. The interpretation of religious practices is characterized by a constant methodological tension between the difficulty to decode people’s beliefs in non-visible otherness and the difficulty to elaborate on the unresolved dichotomy between one’s creed and the rite. It is thus necessary to develop a specific kind of research on methodological theories.

Course contents

Represent beliefs: concepts, methods and participation

This course looks at some of the main conceptual and interpretative issues in the study of the history of religions, focusing on the methodological challenges involved in fieldwork research. More specifically, the concept of ‘participation’ will be discussed in detail, as it is one of the most topical issues in the relevant research field.

Attending students can decide to engage in experimental work (recommended, but not compulsory) on the catholic rite of the sacrament of reconciliation (i.e. confession). Small working and focus groups will be created with an expert in theology to address some of the practical-theoretical issues concerning the notion of ‘sin’ and 'guilt'. On the basis of the field experience, the students will be required to submit to analytical papers (5-7 pages each):

1. In the first paper, the students should critically discuss the theoretical-interpretative aspects addressed in the working/focus groups, with a special focus on the subjective dimension of the student-scholar (essay 1);
2. The second paper should discuss the methodological questions incurred (essay 2)

The IOL platform will be used in the experimental work. Should the essays be evaluated positively, they will be taken into account for the final exam. During the course, the following subjects will be addressed:

• Construction and representation of ‘sacred’
• Historical and phenomenological approach
• Distance and estrangement
• Observation and participation
• Emotional and fluctuating participation
• Method, validity and authority of scientific report
• ethnographic postmodernism
• the nature of models
• Participation in belief?

Some of the issues discussed in the course will also be reconsidered by watching the movie Lisbon Story by Wim Wenders (1995).

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

• Take advantage of the Internet as a framework enabling self-study and collaborative learning; also knowing the implications of an open, real, and participatory space to develop collaborative writing techniques and strategies online using e-learning tools.
• Read, analyze, summarize, understand, and explain explicit and implicit information in texts on historical-ethnographic theories, with special attention on methodological questions in religious studies.
• Develop the necessary skills to collect, process, analyze, and interpret genuine empirical data related to the magic and religion field.
• Be able to become aware of one’s own interpretative subjectivity during fieldwork research and consider one’s own participation.
• Recognize and manage the ethnographic variables involved in magic and religion fieldwork research.

Readings/Bibliography

Programme for attending students

1) Jonathan Z. Smith, Relating religion: essays in the study of religion, Chicago-London, The University of Chicago Press, 2004 (capitoli 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 12).

2) Sbardella F. (a cura di), Etnologia del sacro. Religione e modernità nella riflessione francese, Pàtron, Bologna 2019

3) Franz-Josef Nocke, Dottrina dei Sacramenti, Queriniana, pp. 150-192.

The chapters by Smith 1) and Nocke 2) are available in the course pack Sbardella 2021/2022 Metodologie dello studio delle religioni - frequentanti in ebook in www.bonomoeditore.com

Programme for non-attending students

1. Jonathan Z. Smith, Relating religion: essays in the study of religion, Chicago-London, The University of Chicago press, 2004 (capitoli 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 12).
2. Dupront A., «Antropologia religiosa», in Il sacro. Crociate e pellegrinaggi, pp. 433-557. Il capitolo è disponibile nella dispensa Sbardella Metodologie dello studio delle religioni 2018/2019 presso Master Copy, via Cartoleria 4 (Bo)
3. Sbardella F. (a cura di), Etnologia del sacro. Religione e modernità nella riflessione francese, Pàtron, Bologna 2019.
4. M. Mauss, «le tecniche del corpo», in Id., Teoria generale della magia.

The chapters by Smith 1), Dupront 2) and Mauss 3) are available in the course pack Sbardella 2021/2022 Metodologie dello studio delle religioni - non frequentanti in ebook in www.bonomoeditore.com

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.

Part of the programme will be completed by using IOL platform: this activity will be based on collaborative writing applied to ethnographic research through the use of collaborative digital tools.

Assessment methods

The final examination is an interview via Teams. 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:

• 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
• In-depth and detailed knowledge of the syllabus text contents
• 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.

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 platform IOL.

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

Office hours

See the website of Francesca Sbardella