Last modified: 20 Jun 2025 15:10
What is religion? What does ritual do? Does ritual have effects, in the persons performing them, in society, or the world? How might ritual be a means or medium for political action? This course is an ethnographically grounded discussion of how anthropologists have addressed the concept of religion, the interface of religion and power, and is a critical interrogation of the concept of belief.
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | Second Term | Credit Points | 30 credits (15 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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One or more of these courses have a limited number of places. Priority access will be given to students for whom this course is compulsory. Please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions for more details on this process.
What is religion? What does ritual do? Does ritual have effects, in the persons performing them, in society, or the world? How might ritual be a means or medium for political action? This course is an ethnographically grounded discussion of how anthropologists have addressed the concept of religion, the interface of religion and power, and is a critical interrogation of the concept of belief.
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 50 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
3,000-word Project Essay. |
Word Count | 3000 | |
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | Identify a current issue in the field of religion and develop and anthropological analysis of it. |
| Conceptual | Analyse | Think critically about issues framed as religious, and interrogate the concepts and processes that underlie them. |
| Conceptual | Analyse | Produce coherent and reasoned arguments in written work, class discussions, and oral presentations on a chosen project theme. |
| Conceptual | Understand | Understand the importance of a comparative and critical approach in anthropology. |
| Conceptual | Understand | Identify key arguments made in scholarly texts and present them clearly and concisely in written form. |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
500-word tutorial summary. |
|||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Understand | Understand the importance of a comparative and critical approach in anthropology. |
| Conceptual | Understand | Identify key arguments made in scholarly texts and present them clearly and concisely in written form. |
| Factual | Understand | Understand major anthropological approaches to the topic of religion. |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
500-word tutorial summary. |
|||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Understand | Identify key arguments made in scholarly texts and present them clearly and concisely in written form. |
| Conceptual | Understand | Understand the importance of a comparative and critical approach in anthropology. |
| Factual | Understand | Understand major anthropological approaches to the topic of religion. |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 20 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
5-10-minute oral presentation. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | Produce coherent and reasoned arguments in written work, class discussions, and oral presentations on a chosen project theme. |
| Conceptual | Analyse | Identify a current issue in the field of religion and develop and anthropological analysis of it. |
| Conceptual | Analyse | Think critically about issues framed as religious, and interrogate the concepts and processes that underlie them. |
| Conceptual | Understand | Understand the importance of a comparative and critical approach in anthropology. |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
500-word tutorial summary. |
|||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Understand | Identify key arguments made in scholarly texts and present them clearly and concisely in written form. |
| Conceptual | Understand | Understand the importance of a comparative and critical approach in anthropology. |
| Factual | Understand | Understand major anthropological approaches to the topic of religion. |
There are no assessments for this course.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 100 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback | ||||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Factual | Understand | Understand major anthropological approaches to the topic of religion. |
| Conceptual | Analyse | Think critically about issues framed as religious, and interrogate the concepts and processes that underlie them. |
| Conceptual | Analyse | Identify a current issue in the field of religion and develop and anthropological analysis of it. |
| Conceptual | Analyse | Produce coherent and reasoned arguments in written work, class discussions, and oral presentations on a chosen project theme. |
| Conceptual | Understand | Identify key arguments made in scholarly texts and present them clearly and concisely in written form. |
| Conceptual | Understand | Understand the importance of a comparative and critical approach in anthropology. |
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