Description

Conducting fieldwork with groups and people based on their religious/spiritual beliefs requires a complex understanding as well as critical knowledge of both the theory and methods of the "field research" process. This year-long course will provide students interested in conducting anthropological style "field research" with religious/spiritual groups/peoples, an in-depth and critical survey of theory and methodological approaches towards an anthropology of "the religious." The first semester will focus primarily on the theoretical questions/problems in the study of religion in anthropology, including what is a field site, how is it constituted, and how do we understand our own research and theory in relation other academic projects? The second semester is a methodological workshop, where students will be required to conduct method-intensive weekly projects. Through different methodological modalities, students will be required to think about what their research means to the communities they intend to work with as well as questions of positionality, the divide between participant/observer, new forms of research methods and other problematics of research.

Enrollment Limited: Limited to 15 students. Instructor's permission required.
Open to BTI Students: Yes
Jointly offered as Religion 1025b

Scheduling

0.50 credits
Expected to be offered Spring 2015
Wed 1pm-4pm
Course location to be announced.

Relationship to Program Requirements

Program Requirement	Area / Category / Art / Designation
MTS Area(s) of Focus	Comparative Studies Religion, Literature, and Culture Religion and the Social Sciences
MDiv Distribution Category/ies	None
MDiv Art(s) of Ministry	None
Language Course Designation(s)	None