After completion of this course, the student:
A) has been familiarized with the corpus of knowledge on the relationship between religion, secularism and gender in postsecular societies;
B) has been introduced to contemporary critical approaches and questions on (post)secular theory;
C) has learned to critically analyse current political and social issues in society that are related to the role of religion and secularism in Western societies;
D) has presented the acquired knowledge in both written and oral form.
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Central in the course is the idea that the Western secularization thesis - which considers the privatization and decline of religion an inevitable consequence of ‘modernization’ - fails to explain important social developments such as the resurgence and diversification of religious traditions and new forms of religiosities in Western societies. To investigate the role of religion and secularism in current Western societies, we will read different interpretations of the secular and secularism and discuss the changing scenery of religion (including practices, affiliations, faith-based activities and organizations, and new spiritual movements) in contemporary societies. In this context we will also discuss public perceptions of religion in modern, so-called secular, societies. Students will learn about the notion of the postsecular as an alternative way of grasping the relationship between religion and secularism. We will read various interpretations of the postsecular and will discuss critiques of this concept. The course explores these issues related to the relationship between religion and secularism and the so-called postsecular through multidisciplinary reading, including postcolonial and gender critical approaches.
Career orientation:
This course brings together cutting edge critical theory with public debates about religion and secularism in current Western societies. Students will thus get familiar with the most recent literature about these topics and learn to apply this literature to current debates in the public sphere. They will develop skills to critically analyse and reflect on current discourses about religion and secularism, which they can directly apply in their professional life.
This course is for students enrolled in the RMA Gender Studies and GEMMA; students from Musicology, History, Religious Studies, CLS, NLC and MAPS should check with the course coordinator before enrolling.The entrance requirements for Exchange Students will be checked by International Office and the Programme coordinator. You do not have to contact the Programme coordinator by yourself.
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