Extracurricular option: And What About Religion? Critical Terms, Theories and Methods (5182KWAR)
A new introduction to Religious Studies, a first in International Studies.
Students of all cohorts who wish to include Religious Studies expertise in their curriculum (for instance in their thematic seminar(s), elective space, or BA thesis) but feel they should not embark on such an interesting but knowledge-intensive path without proper grounding can follow this new extracurricular course (10 ECTS, level 200; second semester, Tuesdays 13.15–15.00h; room(s) TBA).
There probably are few areas of study and research in academia that are so intriguingly elusive, yet at the same time also so deeply formative of lived human reality and quest for purpose and meaning as the tangled domain called ‘religion’. From minority world, secular perspectives—which dominate academia and frame the term to begin with—religion hides in plain sight, to the point that some will argue that it does not deserve to be studied as a discipline separate from culture, psychology, art, politics, economy etc. Yet, this perceived (lack of) importance allotted to phenomena labelled as ‘religious’ also demarcates a relevant divide with majority world and with non- and differently modern world views. Any perspective on International Studies that lacks sufficient religious literacy and appreciation for the foundational role of religion in modelling the world in its majority and, more or less hidden, in its minority populations will have to remain blindsided.
In this course we shall familiarise ourselves with critical terms of such elusive entanglements in Religious Studies that each in their own way are foundational to conceptualising International Studies research projects. Terms such as: person or self, world or cosmos, body, gender, experience, rationality, time, sex, death, belief, word, meditation, prayer, ritual, gift, sacrifice, pilgrimage, modernity, power, conflict. As much as possible, we shall approach each of these issues by means of concrete case studies, chosen from different ‘religious’ traditions, regions and time periods. While doing so, we shall also briefly ford the main theories of religion, again by concrete example. Theoretical frames and methodological aspects will be practiced, hands-on, in individual research papers, which you will progressively develop in this course, under close supervision.
This course is specially (but not exclusively) designed for those with an interest in Religious Studies topics in International Studies. Following the various research interests of students, it addresses the many faces of ‘religion’, from yoga and mindfulness to religious wars, deep ecology, conspiracy theories, reclusive asceticism, (inner) jihad, and the eternal search for meaning …
For more information, you are welcome to contact Dr. Henk W.A. Blezer (H.W.A.Blezer@hum.leidenuniv.nl).