Religious experiences, practices and worldviews in social sciences perspective WF-PS-REPW-ER
1. Introduction
I Religious experience
2. Religious experience - classic interpretations
3. Religious experience – research review
II Religious choices; Religion and change
4. Religious choices: conversion, reafiliation, deconversion - introduction
5. Religious experience and techniques of conversion as presented in the documentary “Jesus Camp” (by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady)
6. Religious choices: conversion, reafiliation, deconversion – research review
7. Religious experience within the Pentecostal Churches; „mass” conversion and rapid development of the Pentecostal movement
8. Rites of passage
III Religiosity in the process of coping
9. The mechanisms of religious coping
10. When it may work? The conditions of religious coping
11. Religion and death
12. Religion and mental disorder
IV Religiosity and worldview
13. Magic and religion
14. Religion and science in conflict?
15. Presentation of the participatory observation reports
(in Polish) E-Learning
(in Polish) Grupa przedmiotów ogólnouczenianych
Subject level
Learning outcome code/codes
Type of subject
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
KNOWLEDGE
EK1 Student knows classical works of famous scholars representing various social sciences, focusing on religious phenomena (e.g. William James, James George Frazer, Arnold van Gennep) as well as new texts introducing original theoretical concepts.
EK2 Student describes most important issues often analysed in psychology, sociology and anthropology of religion such as: quality of religious experience, motives of conversion, religious group dynamics, religious coping with critical experiences, religious coping with death, religion and its possible relations with mental disorders
EK3 Student may share up-to-date knowledge concerning empirical findings in these topics.
SKILLS
EK4 Student can read with understanding texts written in English by the psychologists, sociologists and anthropologists working in the field of religious studies.
EK5 Student can see the differences between the perspectives of various disciplines focusing on religious phenomena and may combine these perspectives in the analysis of a given phenomenon.
EK6 Student can prepare short reviews (in English) of the texts, including most important contentions of the author, description of research methods used by the author as well as the personal point of view of the student.
EK7 Student can prepare presentation (in English) of a given research issue, religious group or a chosen text.
EK8 Student can use the method of participatory observation and can prepare a report from participatory observation of religious event.
SOCIAL COMPETENCE
EK9 Student can observe the phenomena of religious life, define their meaning for the participants, preview their development and possible changes they may undergo;
EK10 Student has open attitude towards various forms of religious life and restrains from easy valuations and prejudices;
EK11 Student may understand the experience of conversion and can define its role for the development, cognitive, emotional and social functioning of a person who was converted;
EK12 Student who will choose to become a therapist, will use the knowledge concerning religious coping with critical experiences in his/her work with patients. Student will differentiate the adaptive and non-adaptive ways of religious coping. Restraining himself/herself from any type of suggestion concerning religious activities, he/she will help the patient to understand the role various forms of religious activity described by patient may have in patient’s life.
ECTS [1 ECTS = 30(25) hours]:
participation in the lecture: 30 h
individual readings: 90 h
preparation of 5 texts’ reviews: 20 h
preparation of the presentations for the seminar meetings: 10 h
participatory observation of a chosen religious event: 10 h
preparation of participatory observation report and presentation: 20 h
sum: 180 hours [180/30(25)=6]
ECTS: 6
Assessment criteria
Knowledge (EK1-3), Skills (EK4-7), Competence (EK11-12)
Student prepares himself/herself to the lectures and classes by reading fragments of texts and actively participates in discussing them during classes. He/She prepares reviews of 5 chosen texts, proving understanding the content and critical thinking regarding discussed issues. He/She presents two chosen texts to the other students during classes.
unsatisfactory - student is not prepared to the classes, he does not have knowledge based on individual readings and does not participate in discussion; he does not prepare any reviews nor presentations based on texts;
satisfactory - student is rarely prepared to the classes, rarely participates in discussion; he/she prepares less than 5 reviews, and reviews does not prove full understanding of texts' content;
good - student prepares himself/herself to the classes, knows basic literature and actively participates in discussion; he/she prepares adequate number of reviews and presentations, showing good understanding of texts' content
very good - student knows very well basic literature, as well as some additional readings; he participates actively in discussion, proving critical thinking and creativity in solving research problems; prepares critical reviews, creatively using information from reviewed texts.
Skills (EK8) and Competence (EK9-10)
Student conducts participatory observation of the chosen religious event, prepare report based on it and presents it during classes
unsatisfactory - student does not conduct participatory observation and does not prepare report;
satisfactory – student conduct participatory observation but prepare only part of the report and way he/she presents it does not show full understanding of social and psychic processes taking place during event;
good – student conducts participatory observation and prepares complete report, with only minor inaccuracies in description of social and psychic processes taking place during religious event;
very good - student conducts participatory observation and prepares complete report, containing all important information on religious event with only minor inaccuracies n description of social and psychic processes taking place during religious event (time and place, number of participants, characteristics of the observed religious group), proving very good understanding of the psychic and social processes taking place; he/she does not use value judgments and he/she stays open for the world of experience of the members of observed religious group;
Bibliography
Student chooses 3 texts from among classical ones listed below and 2 from among newly published articles in journals such as: Archive for the Psychology of Religion, International Journal for the Psychology of Religion.
1) James, W. (2004). The Religion of Healthy-Mindedness. In: The Varieties of Religious Experience. A Study in Human Nature. New York: A Touchstone Book, p. 60-95.
2) James, W. (2004). The Sick Soul. In: The Varieties of Religious Experience. A Study in Human Nature. New York: A Touchstone Book, p. 96-124.
3) Spilka, B., Hood, R.W., Hunsberger, B., Gorsuch, R. (2003). Religious Experience. In: The Psychology of Religion. An Empirical Approach. New York, London: Guilford Press, p. 246-288.
4) James, W. (2004). Conversion. In: The Varieties of Religious Experience. A Study in Human Nature. New York: A Touchstone Book, p.142-161.
5) Stark, R., Finke, R. (2000). Religious Choices: Conversion and Reafiliation. Acts of Faith: Explaining the Human Side of Religion. Berkeley, Los Angeles, London: University of California Press, p. 114-140.
6) Peperkamp, E. (2003). Conversion and subjectivity. The making of an Oazowicz and social change in Poland. A paper presented at the CESNUR 2003 Conference, Vilnius, Lithuania. Available on the Internet: www.cesnur.org/2003/vil2003_peperkamp.htm
7) Spilka, B., Hood, R.W., Hunsberger, B., Gorsuch, R. (2003). Conversion. The Psychology of Religion. An Empirical Approach. New York, London: Guilford Press, p. 341-374.
8) Hunt, S. (2000). The „New” black Pentecostal Churches in Britain. A paper presented at CESNUR International Conference, Riga, Latvia. Available on the Internet: www.cesnur.org/conferences/riga2000/hunt.htm
9) Iovino, A. (2007). The Pentecostal movement and the ecumenism of the Spirit. A paper presented at the 2007 CESNUR International Conference, Bordeaux, France. Available on the Internet: www.cesnur.org/2007/bord_iovino.htm
10) Martin, B. (2001). A Pentocostal gender paradox: a cautionary tale for the sociology of religion. In: Richard K. Fenn (ed.) The Blackwell Companion to Sociology of Religion. Malden, Oxford, Carlton: Blackwell Publishing, p. 52-66.
11) Van Gennep, A., (2006). Obrzędy przejścia. (Beata Biały: tłum.) Warszawa: PIW, p. 29-39 and two chapters chosen by the students.
12) Pargament, K.I. (1997). The Psychology of Religion and Coping. Theory, Research, Practice. New York, London: Guilford Press. Optional: Chapter 7: „The many faces of religion and coping”, p. 163-197; Chapter 8: „Religion and the mechanisms of coping: conservation of significance”, p. 198-233; Chapter 9: „Religion and the Mechanisms of Coping: Tranformation of Significance”, p. 234-274.
13) Kemper, F. (2000). Meaning Among Moroccan Muslim Migrants. In search of an Islamic Theodicy. Journal of Empirical Theology 13 (2000)2, p. 5-18.
14) Ganzevoort, R. (2006). Masculinity and Post-Traumatic Spirituality. (Paper for the international workshop Christian Religious Education in Coping with Sexual Abuse, organised by J.G. Nadeau, Montreal, 25-26 May 2006.) www.ruardganzevoort.nl/a06mascul.htm.
15) Pargament, K.I. (1997). The Psychology of Religion and Coping. Theory, Research, Practice. New York, London: Guilford Press. Optional: Chapter 10 „Does it Work? Religion and the
Outcomes of Coping”, p. 275-314 or Chapter 11 „When Religion Fails: Problems of Integration in the Process of Coping”, p. 315-358.
16) Spilka, B., Hood, R.W., Hunsberger, B., Gorsuch, R. (2003). Religion and Death. In: The Psychology of Religion. An Empirical Approach. New York, London: Guilford Press, p. 207-245.
17) Spilka, B., Hood, R.W., Hunsberger, B., Gorsuch, R. (2003). Religion and Mental Disorder. In: The Psychology of Religion. An Empirical Approach. New York, London: Guilford Press, p. 507-534.
18) Frazer, J.G. (1993). Selections from The Golden Bough. In: Adler, M.J. (ed.) Great Books of the World 58 vol. II Social Science: Selections from Twentieth-Century Anthropology, History and Sociology. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica.Chapter III Sympathetic Magic, p. 7-32. Chapter IV Magic and Religion, p. 32-40.
19) Glock, C., Stark, R. (1969). On the Incompatibility of Religion and Science. In: Religion and Society in Tension. Chicago: Rond McNally & Company, p. 263-288.
20) Glock, C., Stark, R. (1969). Religion and the Social Sciences: Images of Man in Conflict. In: Religion and Society in Tension. Chicago: Rond McNally & Company, p. 289-306.
21) Rioux, D., Barresi, J. (1997). Experiencing Science and Religion alone and in Conflict. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 36:3, p. 411-428.
22) Stark, R., Finke, R. (2000). Secularisation, R.I.P. In: Acts of Faith: Explaining the Human Side of Religion. Berkeley, Los Angeles, London: University of California Press, p. 57-79.
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