Religion in the Modern World

Living religion: Challenge what you know, or think you know, about religion!

Are you interested in religion and the way that it influences our society, culture and politics? Would you like to know more about this phenomenon, which influences the daily lives of billions of people all over the world? Choose the Religion in the Modern World Minor at the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies!

Religions are dynamic, continually subject to discussion, lead to conflicts and are internally contradictory. In short, religions are practised by concrete people in concrete societies. Through these people, religions form part of our culture and our views of the world. So what is religion exactly? In this Minor you will research primarily how religion is experienced. In other words, it will concentrate more on religious practices than on doctrines. The question ‘what do people do’ is central, not just the question ‘what do they believe’. The starting point is that religions are not isolated phenomena, but have to be studied in their historical and cultural contexts. When you follow this contextual approach, many preconceptions vanish – preconceptions that are the result of approaching ‘religion’ as an isolated object.

Key to this Minor are the approaches of socio-cultural anthropology and religious studies, in addition to the psychology of religion. We offer two kinds of courses that complement each other in each block: a) more theoretical modules that focus on particular approaches in the study of religion and b) courses introducing particular religious traditions. However, all courses combine theoretical questions with the discussion of particular cases. It will enable you to get acquainted with the general debates and the big questions in the study of religion and culture and to gain insights of particular religious life-worlds that you may hitherto have not yet explored. At the end of the Minor you will be able to better understand one of the strongest driving forces in humanity.

Study Scheme

Semester I, blok 1	Semester 1, blok 2
Inhabiting Cultural Worlds: Introduction to Anthropology 7.5 ECTS K	Christianity and Religious Diversity 7.5 ECTS K
Spirituality and Secular Religion 7.5 ECTS K	Religion in South Asia 7.5 ECTS K
Rituals in Theory and Practice 7.5 ECTS K	Climate Change, End Times and Sustainable Futures 7.5 ECTS K
	Anthropology of Muslim Societies 7.5 ECTS K
Total: 15 ECTS (2 out of 3)	Total: 15 ECTS (2 out of 4)

Registration

Students have to register for the whole minor as well as for the electives of their choice within the minor.

RCS students can choose to enrol in the course Spirituality and Secular Religion in Block 1A in combination with Quranic Arabic 1 or a university minor course at another faculty.

Non-UG Students should contact the minor coordinator for more information about registration.

Programme options

30 ECTS or 15 ECTS

More information and contact

Please visit the UG minor page for more information about the information events, the registration procedure and frequently asked questions.

Our please contact Dr Peter Berger, coordinator of the minor Religion in the Modern World.

Quality Assurance

A. 'Home base' of the minor Religion in the modern world is the Bachelor Religious Studies.

B. The minor is covered by the programme committee of the Bachelor's Theology and Religious Studies.

C. The minor is covered by the Bachelor's Teaching and examination regulations (OER) of Religious Studies.

D. The minor is covered by the Board of Examiners of the Faculty of Religion, Culture and Society.