42571 - Introduction to Religion Studies (M-Z)

Learning outcomes

The course provides a theoretical and historical framework on religious phenomena, and then turns to an internal examination of certain religions as systems - Judaism, Hinduism, Christianity and Islam; at the end of the course the student acquires skills for interpreting the relationship between religions and contemporary society.

Course contents

The course offers students an introduction to themes and issues in the study of religions, privileging the analysis of some theoretical classics and analytical approaches that have played a significant role in international scholarly debate. The first part of the course traces the genesis and articulation of some foundational perspectives and theorizing fundamental to the history of religions between the second half of the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century, devoting particular attention to their historical and epistemological contextualization. The second module, on the other hand, has a thematic trend by dwelling on the analysis of the reception and critique of some of the main categories of the religionist lexicon introduced by the authors covered in the first part of the course. The ultimate goal of the course is to introduce students to the critical study of religion(s), to the formation of a specialized disciplinary field, gradually bringing out the construction, expansion and rectification of its primary categorical canon.

PART I

Prof.ssa Cristiana Facchini

1 -- The 'long nineteenth century': politico-religious changes, nation-state, empires and modern science. Orientalism, primitivism, modernism: protagonists and critics (F. Max Müller, E. Renan, W.R. Smith, E.B. Tylor). Interlude: the construction of Eastern religions.

2 -- British and French schools: J.G. Frazer and The Golden Bough, story of a best-seller. Emile Durkheim, Marcel Mauss and Henri Hubert. Key terms: sacred/profane; ritual; myth.

3 -- The German laboratory: the impact of biblical criticism and the relevance of theology. Max Weber, Ernst Troeltsch, Rudolf Otto. Interlude: Judaism and Christianity and the dilemma of 'Semitic religions'.

4 - Psychological perspectives: the trajectories of the self (William James) and the origin of civilization (Sigmund Freud). A path through Freud's work (From Totem and Taboo to The Man Moses).

5 -- The crisis of European culture: racism, totalitarianism, war. The theorization of 'political religion'. US anthropological approaches: a look at the Franz Boas school. Bronislaw Malinowski's functionalism.

PART II
Prof. Emiliano Urciuoli

The categories subjected to historical-historical study and theoretical-methodological critique in the second module are as follows:

religion - world religion - comparison - classification - evolution - magic - ritual - myth - sacrifice - function - soul/animism - totem/ism - experience - sacred

Readings/Bibliography

Attending and non-attending students

1) H. Kippenberg, The discovery of the history of religions. Science of religions and modernity, Morcelliana, Brescia, 2021.

2) Powerpoint sheets prepared by the lecturer (in Virtual) and essays C. Facchini (Virtual).

3) One text of your choice from:

E. Durkheim, The Elementary Forms of Religious Life, Mimesis Milan 2013 (also more recent edition).

S. Freud, Totem and Taboo (any edition)

M. Weber, Protestant Ethics and the Spirit of Capitalism (each edition).

W. James, The various forms of religious experience, Morcelliana, Brescia, 1998.

B. Malinowski, Magic, science, religion, Jouvence, Milan, 2020

Teaching methods

Frontal lessons.

Assessment methods

A student who attends at least 75% of the lectures is considered to be a frequent attendee.

Oral test.

The assessment takes into account the soundness of the preparation, the ability to analyse and summarise, clarity of presentation and the ability to use appropriate terminology.

- The achievement of an overall and synthetic view of the topics addressed, combined with the ability to critically analyse them and the use of precise and appropriate language will be assessed with marks 28-30L.

- Fair but not in-depth knowledge of the subject, limited ability to synthesise and analyse, and the use of imprecise language will be assessed with marks 24-27.

- Poor knowledge of the course topics, use of imprecise terminology and lack of familiarity with the course bibliography will result in marks of 18-23.

Teaching tools

Text reading, powerpoint presentation, analysis of sources, films and documentaries.

Office hours

See the website of Cristiana Facchini

See the website of Emiliano Urciuoli