Theory and Method in the Study of Religion
- Course Code:
- 15PSRC010
- Unit value:
- 1
- Year of study:
- Any
- Taught in:
- Full Year
This course is offered both as a training MA programme in the Studies of Religions and available for First Year research students in the Department. Though conceived as one unit, the course can be divided into 3 major components:
Examining the place of the Study of Religion in postmodern thought with particular reference to critical theory and the works of Nietzsche, Foucault, Derrida, Vattimo, Agamben.
Objectives and learning outcomes of the course
On successfully completion of the course the student will have:
- Assessed the relevance of postmodern thought for the Study of Religions;
- Become acquainted with the Hermeneutical tradition, as a possible reply to the postmodern condition and as a different approach to the Study of Religion;
- Examined the contribution of some relevant authors to theoretical approaches in the Study of Religion;
- Approached a literary/religious text critically;
- Effectively conveyed ideas by way of written submission and seminar presentations;
- Worked in small groups on research projects;
- Conducted research independently;
- Reflected on a range of research methodologies.
Scope and syllabus
Introducing Hermeneutics as a response to the ‘postmodern condition’ and as a basis for a relevant theoretical approach to the study of religion. For those interested in ‘interpreting’ data, texts and phenomena relating to religion, Hermeneutics might provide the tools to concentrate on this task by examining the contribution of Schleiermacher, Dilthey, Husserl, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, Bultmann, Ricoeur, Gadamer and Habermas.
In line with critical hermeneutics and the ‘dialogical disposition of language’, the final part of the course covers a reflection on ‘Otherness’ and the Self-Other encounter as exemplified in the works of Levinas, Bakhtin, de Certeau and Gramsci. Despite the overwhelming presence of western theorists, the course aims to foster a positive dialogue with the diversity of other philosophies and religious experiences. The course is comprised of a two-hour lecture and one hour seminar per week. Students are expected to contribute to the course by conducting in turn the seminar - discussing the topic of the previous week's lecture - either through class presentation or by proposing common readings around which to centre the discussion.
