LFU:online

The students know different empirical approaches in the religious studies, they understand the relations between them and can critically assess their results.  

After an elementary survey of various forms of empirical research on religions (e.g. geography, economics, psychology of religion), the lecture introduces to important theoretical approaches in the sociology of religion. These are relevant, e.g., for the issues of an adequate definition of “religion” and the controversial evaluation of the oft-invoked “secularization thesis”. The lecture introduces to qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods of research as well as selected examples of their results, and it invites to their critical evaluation.  

Lecture with discussion. The lecture will be in presence mode, in case of deteriorating epidemiological conditions it will also be recorded or transferred to the internet. Students who cannot attend for medical reasons are requested to contact the instructor.

Oral exam.

General information on exams, dates and sign-on at the department: https://www.uibk.ac.at/philtheol/pruefungen.

G. Pickel, Religionssoziologie (Wiesbaden 2011); D. Pollack u.a. (Hgg.), Handbuch Religionssoziologie (Wiesbaden 2018); ; a PPT and texts will be available on OLAT.

None.