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
Objectives Students can expect to develop an understanding of the development of Western thought in relation to science and religion and the influence of this on anthropological approaches to the study of non-Western religious traditions; an appreciation of the nature of rationalities underlying behaviour in other cultures; knowledge of some non-Western magico-religious beliefs and practices through the examination of specific ethnographic case studies; critical and reflexive skills that will enable them to provide thoughtful, clearly written and logically argued responses to topics and questions provided or chosen.
Synopsis 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
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