SOCIOLOGY 121: RELIGION AND SOCIETY Spring, 1996

Professor Christian Smith, Hamilton 164 Class Meeting: Tu/Thur 12:30-1:45 Office Hours: Tu/Thur 2:00-3:30; Wed 3:00-4:15 Place: Hanes 209 Phone: 962-4524 (office) or 962-1007 (leave message). TA: Mark Regnerus (Hamilton 254)

Course Description Religion exists in a social context, and always is shaped by and shapes that social context. Furthermore, religion itself is always a socially constituted reality—that is, its content and structure are always formed, at least partially, out of the ``stuff'' of the socio-cultural world (language, symbols, norms, interactions, organizations, etc.). The sociology of religion is interested in understanding both the ``social-ness'' of religion itself and the mutually-influencing interactions between religion and its social environment. In this class, we will analyze religious beliefs, practices, and organizations from a sociological perspective, with a primary focus on religion in the contemporary U.S. We will begin by examining the distinctively sociological approach to studying religion. We will then explore processes whereby individuals acquire religious beliefs and identities, and the functions religion serves for its adherents. Then we will examine changes in the organizational structure of religion, the mutual influence between religion and other specific social institutions and practices (such as family, work, politics), the capacities of religion to inhibit and facilitate social change, and the dynamics of religious decline and resurgence in modern societies.

Course Goals This course is designed:

1. To cultivate in students an understanding of the distinctively sociological approach to studying religion: there are many legitimate approaches to studying religion—historical, psychological, theological, sociological, anthropological, etc. Since, in this class, we take a distinctively sociological approach, our most basic goal is to develop an understanding of and appreciation for the kinds of questions sociologists ask and the kind of explanations they offer when they analyze religion.

2. To familiarize students with some of the major issues, problems, and findings in the sociology of religion: beyond learning sociology's particular analytical perspective and method, students will have the opportunity to learn some of the theoretical and substantive content of the sociology of religion. A second goal, then, is to deepen our sociological knowledge of such things as religious

conversion, shifting church attendance rates, religiously-inspired political activism, the emergence of new religions, and secularization.

3. To introduce students to basic skills of field research: sociology is an empirical discipline that constructs theories and draws conclusions based on evidence that can be observed. Students in this class will go beyond merely reading about religion, to actually doing a simple participant-observation project on a local religious group, involving first-hand observation, analysis, and a written report.

4. To improve cognitive & communication skills: finally, this course aims, through its exercises and requirements, to enhance students' abilities to read, think, discuss, and write skillfully.

To summarize in performance-oriented terms, students who have successfully completed this course ought to be able to: 1) know how to go about analyzing religious beliefs, experiences, practices, and organizations sociologically (as distinct from, say, theologically), 2) carry on an informed and informing conversation with others about the religious issues and problems we will study in this class, 3) have a basic idea about how to go about conducting field research on a religious group or institution, and 4) read, think, discuss, and write more skillfully than when they entered the course.

Required Reading The required reading for this course—which covers Protestantism, Catholicism, and Judaism, in both North and Latin America—consist of eleven journal articles and book chapters (on reserve in the Undergraduate Library) and four paperbacks, all available in the student bookstore:

Peter Berger, The Sacred Canopy: Elements of a Sociological Theory of Religion, Anchor, 1967. Lynn Davidman, Tradition in a Rootless World: Women Turn to Orthodox Judaism, California, 1991. James Hunter, Evangelicalism: The Coming Generation, Chicago, 1987. Christian Smith, The Emergence of Liberation Theology: Radical Religion & Social Movement Theory, Chicago, 1991.

Course Requirements

1. The Basics: The instructor expects all students to attend class regularly and to participate in class discussions as appropriate. An unreasonable number of absences from class will hurt one's final grade.

2. Exam #1: There will be an in-class exam given on Thursday, February 1, covering the reading and lecture materials of Weeks 1-4. The exam questions will be a combination of true-false, multiple-choice, short-answer, and essay questions. This exam is worth 20% of the final course grade.

3. Exam #2: There will be an in-class exam given on or about Thursday, February 29 (the exact date will be announced in advance) covering the reading and lecture materials of Weeks 5-8. The exam will be similar to Exam #1, and is worth 20% of the final course grade.

4. Participant Observation Project: Students are required to do a fairly simple participant-observation project that will involve choosing an unfamiliar religious group, attending two of their services or gatherings, interviewing participants, writing field notes on those experiences, and writing a 6-8 page sociological analysis of that religious group. Students may not study the religious tradition within which they were raised or with which they are very familiar. The field notes and paper are due by 4:00 PM, Friday, April 26, at the professor's office, Hamilton 164. They are worth 20% of the final course grade. Details on this project will be forthcoming shortly.

5. Final Exam: There will be a final, in-class exam given on Thursday, May 2 at 9:00 AM, covering the reading and lecture materials of Weeks 9-15. The exam questions will be a combination of true-false, multiple-choice, short-answer, and essay questions. This exam is worth 40% of the final course grade.

Grades for the semester will be calculated and assigned based on the following distribution and scale:

20% = Exam #1 90-100% = A-, A 20% = Exam #2 80-89% = B-, B, B+ 20% = Paper 70-79% = C-, C, C+ 40% = Final Exam 60-69% = D-, D, D+ <60% = F

Honor Code All provisions of the University Honor Code—which prohibits giving or receiving unauthorized assistance on graded course work—will be in effect for all exams and written assignments. If you have any questions about the application of the Code in a specific situation, please come and talk to me beforehand.

Bibliographical Resources Those interested in researching the literature in the sociology of religion should consult these helpful resources:

Anthony Blasi & Michael Cuneo (eds.), The Sociology of Religion: An Organizational Bibliography, Garland, 1990 [Davis Lib: Z 7831.B54 1990]. Robert Wolcott & Dorita Bolger (eds.), Church and Social Action: A Critical Assessment and Bibliographical Survey, Greenwood, 1990 [Davis Lib: Z 7831.W65 1990].

Roger Homan (ed.), The Sociology of Religion: A Bibliographical Survey, Greenwood, 1986 [Davis Lib: Z 7831.H65 1986].

Course Schedule

WEEK 1 (JAN 9-11): Introduction & Organization * begin Berger (Chs. 1-3)

WEEK 2 (JAN 16-18): The Sociological Perspective on Religion * Berger (Chs. 4-5, Appendix II)

WEEK 3 (JAN 23-25): Sociological Theories of Religion * Berger (Chs. 6-7)

WEEK 4 (JAN 30-FEB 1): The Social Functions of Religion * Finke & Stark, ``A New Approach...'' AND Finke & Iannaccone, ``Supply-Side...'' (on reserve) --> Exam #1 on Thursday the 1st

WEEK 5 (FEB 6-8): The Individual's Religion * Davidman (Chs. 1-4)

WEEK 6 (FEB 13-15): Religious Conversion and Commitment * Davidman (Chs. 5-8)

WEEK 7 (FEB 20-22): The Organization of Religion * Johnstone, ``Religion and Class'' (on reserve) * Slade, ``Popular Spirituality as an Oppressive Reality'' (on reserve)

WEEK 8 (FEB 27-29): Religion and Stratification * Rose, ``Women Warriors...'' (on reserve) * Brusco, ``The Reformation of Machismo'' (on reserve) --> Exam #2 on Thursday the 29th

SPRING BREAK

WEEK 9 (MAR 12-14): Religion and Stratification * Smith (Introduction, Chs. 1-3)

WEEK 10 (MAR 19-21): Religious Conflict * Smith (Chs. 4-6)

WEEK 11 (MAR 26-28): Religious Conflict * Smith (Chs. 7-10, Conclusion)

WEEK 12 (APR 2-4): American Religion

* Johnstone, ``Major Historical Developments'' AND ``Denominational Society'' (on reserve) * Finke & Stark, ``How the Upstart Sects...'' (on reserve) * Glock, ``The Churches and Social Change...'' (on reserve)

WEEK 13 (APR 9-11): American Religion * Hunter (Chs. 1-3)

WEEK 14 (APR 16-18): Secularization & Disenchantment * Hunter (Chs. 4-6)

WEEK 15 (APR 23): Secularization & Disenchantment * Roof, ``Toward the Year 2000...'' (on reserve) --> Field Observation Paper Due Friday the 26rd by 4:00 PM at Hamilton 164

FINAL EXAM: Thursday, May 2, 9:00 AM

Rules of the Road 1. Please come to class on time; coming late either holds up the class from starting or disrupts the class that has already begun.

2. Students must take the exams at the times scheduled. The only exceptions might be instances of severe illness or family tragedy, in which case the student must contact and make alternative arrangements with the professor before the scheduled exam. Do not simply skip the exam, then come afterwards and announce that you could not make the exam.

3. Late papers will have their grades reduced by two-thirds of a letter grade for each late day (e.g., from B to C+ for 1 day late). You know now—many weeks ahead—when things are due. You simply need to do whatever is necessary by way of self-discipline and planning between now and then—including building in extra time for potential delays and problems (e.g., computer failures)—to complete the assignments on time. In ``the real world'' (to which we are presumably related), written reports, applications, presentations, and analyses are simply due when they are due. When you graduate and get a job, you will not have the luxury of turning things in late, without it damaging your reputation and career. So it's a good idea to learn in college the kind of planning skills and self-discipline that are necessary for consistently performing and completing tasks and assignments when they are due.

Suggestions for Success I offer the following suggestions for success in this course. Apply them as needed:

1. There are two keys to success in any task-oriented activity, including academic work: planning and self-discipline (conversely, the two keys to failure are disorganization and laziness). Planning involves assessing your resources and goals for a given period of time and developing a realistic schedule and strategy for accomplishing your goals, given your resources. This means stepping back and organizing the big picture, rather than always and only focusing on whatever obligation confronts you next. Weekly academic planners, in which you record all of your assignments, appointments, and deadlines, are essential here. Self-discipline means exercising the willpower to overcome the laziness and inertia that would prevent us from carrying out what we have planned. We all know that things don't just happen—we have to make them happen, and that usually requires that we discipline ourselves to work at it. My experience and observation, however, is that those students who plan best and exercise the most self-discipline not only get the best grades, but are also the ones who are freest to enjoy their extra-curricular activities—they get their work done early and efficiently, then go out to play with nothing hanging over their heads.

2. To prepare for exams, first, make sure that you understand the meaning and function of all of the terminological concepts covered in the unit that the exam tests. That is, you should be able both to define each concept accurately and to demonstrate how it is related to the rest of the material in that unit and properly employed in sociological analysis. Second, you should be able to use the specific content of the unit the exam tests to illustrate or illuminate the general theories and themes developed in the course. Finally, you should be able to develop analytical arguments—with theses, evidence, and justifiable conclusions—that explain the social causes, dynamics, and consequences of the specific issues studied in the unit the exam covers. If you can do these things, you should do well on the exams.

3. When studying and note-taking, always distinguish the centrally important issue or argument in the reading or lecture from the less-important details, facts, and other data that are only meant to illustrate, support, or nuance the central issue or argument. The danger of not doing so is treating all material as equally important, becoming overwhelmed with information, and failing to see and grasp the major point. It's not that supporting details and illustrations are unimportant and can be disregarded, just that they should not be cognitively processed in a way that obscures the reading or lecture's main argument. A helpful exercise here is to try to summarize concisely the essential point of a reading or lecture in one or two sentences. If you can't, something's wrong, and you probably need to go back and work at it more.

4. If you develop any worries, confusion, frustrations, logistical difficulties, or other sorts of problems related to this course, please, come to me and let's talk about it in time to take constructive action. Please don't wait to talk to me until things have become hopelessly complicated or disastrous. It will be much better for all involved if we are able to say, ``Why don't you try X,'' rather than, ``You should have done X.''