Why are people religious? Do religious beliefs and practices fulfil some psychological function? Is religion an evolutionary adaptation? This short course considers various twentieth and twenty-first century psychological theories of religion, and introduces current social scientific approaches to the study of religion.

ZOOM DETAILS:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88513978385?pwd=R1FhanpFcUgwTGN2c3Fwc2FHY3lJZz09

Meeting ID: 885 1397 8385

Passcode: jung

Session 1: What is religion? (18 January 2022, 6-7pm)

The course begins with debates over defining religion itself, and over whether it can be the subject of social scientific study. We will consider especially the work of E. B. Tylor, Emile Durkheim, William James, and Mircea Eliade.

Learning outcomes

Students will be able to answer these questions:

1.     What are the major approaches to defining religion?

2.     How does the definition of religion inform theories of religion?

3.     What are the major objections to the social scientific study of religion?

Session 2: Early Theories: From Xenophanes to Hume (25 January 2022, 6-7pm)

Well before the emergence of the social and psychological sciences in the 19th century, philosophers and theologians have speculated about the origins of religion. This session considers ideas put forth by ancient Greek and Roman philosophers, early Christian theologians, and Enlightenment thinkers.

Learning outcomes

Students will be able to answer these questions:

1.     What is the major shift from ancient and medieval to early modern theories of religion?

2.     Were early theories of religion ideologically neutral?

3.     Can early theories of religion be said to be empirical theories?

Session 3: Cognitive Theories (1 Feb 2022, 6-7pm)

Cognitive theories are those that emphasise the psychological naturalness of religious ideas. This naturalness might come from an innate sense of the divine or from habits of the mind to anthropomorphise nature. This sessions considers both options, especially through the work of E. B. Tylor, James Frazer, Ludwig Feuerbach, Sigmund Freud, and Carl Jung.

Learning outcomes

Students will be able to answer these questions:

1.     What was E. B. Tylor’s theory of religion?

2.     How do Freud’s and Jung’s accounts of religion differ?

3.     What evidence is 19th and 20th century thinkers provide for their theories?

Session 4: Functionalist Theories (15 Feb 2022, 6-7pm)

Functional theories are those that emphasise the social and psychological benefits of religious beliefs and practices. The psychological benefits might be the fulfilment of emotional needs, whereas the social functions might be the strengthening of group cohesion. This session considers both, especially through the work of Sigmund Freud, Bronisław Malinowski, Ernest Becker, Emile Durkheim, and Karl Marx.

Learning outcomes

Students will be able to answer these questions:

1.     What are the major candidates of psychological needs purportedly fulfilled by religion?

2.     What are the major candidates of social needs purportedly fulfilled by religion?

3.     What is the difference between an effect and a function?

Session 5: Evolutionary Cognitive Science of Religion (22 Feb 2022, 6-7pm)

Since the 1990s, there has been an interdisciplinary turn in the social scientific study of religion, among anthropologists, social psychologists, developmental psychologists, and evolutionary theorists. The work that has emerged has come to be called “the cognitive science of religion”. This session consider their major ideas as well as their research methods and findings.

Learning outcomes

Students will be able to answer these questions:

1.     What is the “standard model” in the cognitive science of religion?

2.     How does the cognitive science of religion differ from its predecessors?

3.     What are the major challenges for the cognitive science of religion?

Session 6: Theology and the Science of Religion (1 March 2022, 6-7pm)

The scientific study of religion has met with various theological responses, ranging from hostile to apathetic to enthusiastic. This sessions considers this range, including evolutionary debunking arguments, arguments about the “sensus divinitatis”, and arguments about the practical value of scientific research on religion.

Learning outcomes

Students will be able to answer these questions:

1.     What are evolutionary debunking arguments, especially as applied to religion?

2.     Is the sensus divinitatis interpretable in scientific terms?

3.     How might religious people and communities use social scientific research on religion for their purposes?

The Rev’d Dr Jonathan Jong is an Assistant Professor at Coventry University and Rector of Cocking with West Lavington, Bepton and Heyshott. His research is in the cognitive science of religion.