Theory · Religion
How to read theory, how to formulate an opinion, how to THINK, how to write....plus immeasurable knowledge and insights.
In this seminar focused on the study of religion, I engaged in an in-depth exploration of the methods and theories used by scholars to understand and analyze religion. The course provided a unique perspective on how contemporary people perceive, theorize, and reflect upon the concept of religion, both implicitly and explicitly. This initial discussion was crucial in developing an understanding of the epistemological and methodological stakes involved in studying religion – essentially, how we come to know our subject and the approaches we take in studying it.
I learned about a lot of interesting philosophical perspectives full of depth that gave me better perspective on the events occurring around me, my life, and the stories I'm writing. I also learned a few ways to account for not having time to complete unfairly long and dense readings and still being able to somewhat keep up.
This course offered an exceptionally warm and pleasant atmosphere, which greatly enhanced the learning experience. The reading materials selected by the professor were not only highly engaging but also immensely valuable. I gained a substantial amount of knowledge and insight from them. I highly recommend this course for its thoughtfully curated content and the enriching environment it provides. 1 Columbia University: Arts & Sciences Fall 2023 Course: RELIUN3199_001_2023_3-THEORY : RELIUN3199_001_2023_3 - THEORY Instructor: Courtney Bender
I learned a lot about the history of how religious theory has been approached by a wide variety of different thinkers. I learned a lot about how to direct a text, determine an author's motivations, and incorporate one reading with the next.
Improved my ability to read and synthesize complex texts, new theoretical approaches to the study of religion, how to grapple with complicated or problematic ideas.
How to write and think about religion in the most unexpected ways.
You learn about various theorists + philosophers of religion like Durkheim, Masuzawa, K Lofton, Marx, James, Foucault, etc. This class is typically for juniors and I'd recommend taking it then so that you can write a thesis with a lot of theory under your belt. I learned a lot about theories of reading/writing as well and about mediation through language. Time, god, religion, bodies, sex, priests, buddhists, machines, whatever. GREAT CLASS
I gained exposure to various ways to approach religious theory.
A broad survey of different theoretical approaches to understanding what religion is and how scholars can/should study religion. Some of the thinkers/ perspectives we read included William James, Max Weber, Emile Durkheim, Michel Foucault, Marx and other Marxist philosophers like Gramsci, and others. Our first reading was from Tomoko Masuzawa explored the history of the concept of "world religions"