Magic, science and religion
D Ryan
8 points * 3 hours per week * First semester * Clayton * Prerequisites: Appropriate first-year anthropology sequence or permission of head
The subject examines some of the contributions that anthropologists and sociologists have made to our understanding of religion. The subject concentrates in particular on the relevance of the concepts of `magic,' `science' and `religion' for a comparative understanding of rituals and associated cosmologies in a variety of sociocultural settings.
Assessment
Written (4000 words): 65% * Examination (2 hours): 35%
Recommended texts
Morris B Anthropological studies of religion CUP, 1987
Tambiah S J Magic, science, religion and the scope of rationality CUP, 1990