Course Syllabus
Course: Sociology 322-001 (Religion in Society)
Spring 2018
11:10-12:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday
Grise Hall 138
Instructor: Dr. Steve Groce
Office: 134 Grise Hall
Phone: 745-2253
E-mail: steve.groce@wku.edu
Web Page: http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/Home.htm
Text: Religion in
Sociological Perspective (6th edition) by Keith A. Roberts and
David Yamane. Additional reading
material comes in the form of articles online at my web page. Follow the course outline to know which
articles you need to read for which class meetings.
Note: Different versions of Adobe
Acrobat react somewhat differently to .pdf files. If you try to open
an article from the web page and you get either a blank page or an error
message, try downloading the most recent (newest) version of Acrobat
(free). If that doesn’t solve the
problem, try the following:
1) right click on the link
2) click “Save Target As”
3) save to your desktop
4) either double click on the icon on your desktop, or open Acrobat and
then open the file
From within
Acrobat
Course Objective:
In this course we will attempt to
answer three general questions: 1) What is religion; 2) Where did it come from;
and 3) What does religion do—in terms of both individuals’ lives (attitudes,
beliefs, behaviors) and the structure and functioning of society? It is my hope that students will come away
from this class with a deeper understanding of and appreciation for: a) How
religion is a multi-dimensional system of beliefs and practices; b) How the
system of religion in the United States influences and impacts other social
institutions—such as our system of government, our economic system, and the
family; c) the ways in which religion acts as a source of both conflict and
cohesion at the macro level, and; d) how religion functions as a significant
source of meaning for individuals at the micro level.
A couple words of
caution: In this class, I require that students maintain an attitude of
respect toward others whose beliefs are different from their own. Also, though it is certainly not my objective to cause any student to
doubt his/her faith, both the openness of this course in particular and the
sociological perspective in general may cause students to rethink their own
belief systems in a manner which could either strengthen or weaken them.
Attendance:
I have no set attendance policy. I do, however, expect to see you in class
each time because much of our effort will be devoted to material not included
in the assigned readings (guest speakers and films, for example). You will be responsible for all material we
cover on the exams.
Grade Determination:
I assign grades based on: 1) three
in-class exams; 2) three out-of-class projects; 3) a journal in which you write
(at least twice a week) about your thoughts on religion and its effects on your
life; and 4) a number of unannounced in-class quizzes.
I
expect you to take exams and turn in projects and journals on the days
designated in this syllabus. I accept
only legitimate, documented excuses. In
all other cases I will deduct one letter grade for each day your project or journal
is late. You MUST turn in hard copies of projects and journals. I will NOT accept projects or journals emailed
to me (the Sociology Department does not have sufficient resources to act as
your personal printing service—which it would, in effect, become if I had to
print out your projects and journals in my office).
I grade on the standard ten-point
scale (90-100=A, 80-89=B, etc.). You
will have five major grades this semester, all of which carry the same weight—the
three exams, plus the average of your three journal grades and the average of
your three project grades. You will have one minor grade--the overall
grade on pop quizzes. The five major
grades count two and one-half times more than the minor grade in the
determination of your final grade.
Office Hours:
My office in 131 Grise
Hall. My office hours are 7:00-8:00 a.m on Tuesdays
and Thursdays, and 3:00-4:30 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. If these times are not convenient for you,
just call me at the office or e-mail me and we'll schedule an appointment.
Students With Disabilities:
In compliance
with university policy, students with disabilities who require accommodations
(academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids or services) for this course must
contact the Office for Student Disability Services in DUC A-200 of the
The
DUC-A330)
Should you
require academic assistance with this, or any other, course, there are several
places that can provide you with help. TLC tutors in most major undergraduate
subjects and course levels throughout the week . To
make an appointment, or to request a tutor for a specific class, call 745-6254
or stop by DUC A330. Log on to TLC’s website at www.wku.edu/tlc
<http://www.wku.edu/tlc> to find out
more. TLC hours: M-Thur. 8am-9pm, Fri. 8am-4pm, Sat.-Closed, and Sundays
4pm-9pm.
Tentative Schedule
Jan. 23 Introduction;
Defining religion (pp. 3-24); Social scientific research on religion
(pp.
26-48)
Additional
Readings:
Berger,
“The Sacred Canopy”
http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/thesacredcanopy-berger.pdf
Nowakowski
and Cragun, “An Interactionist Approach to the Social
Construction of Deities ”
http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/The
Social Construction of Deities.pdf
Jan. 25 Religion
and sociological theory: Macro perspectives (pp. 50-77)
Additional Readings:
Durkheim, “The
Elementary Forms of the Religious Life”
http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/theelementaryforms-emiledurkheim.pdf
Marx,
“From ‘Contribution to the Critique of Hegel’s
Philosophy of Law”:
Introduction”
http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/fromcontributiontothecritique-marx.pdf
Weber:
“The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism”
http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/theprotestantethic-weber.pdf
Jan. 30 Continue
macro perspectives; Film
Feb. 1 Continue
macro perspectives; Film
Additional
Reading:
Kucinskas, “The Unobtrusive Tactics of Religious Movements”
http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/The
Unobtrusive Tactics of Religious Movements.pdf
Froese, et al, “Political Tolerance and God’s
Wrath in the United
States”
http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/Political
Tolerance and God’s Wrath.pdf
Steffy, “Religious Orthodoxy and the American Worker”
http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/Religious
Orthodoxy and the American Worker.pdf
Feb. 6 Religion
and sociological theory: Micro perspectives (pp. 78-99);
Assign Project Project #1
Additional Readings:
Petts and Knoester,
“Parents’ Religious Heterogamy and Children’s
Well-Being”
http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/ParentsReligionandChildrensWellBeing.pdf
Milevsky and Leh “Religiosity in
Emerging Adulthood”
http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/Religiosity
in Emerging Adulthood.pdf
Petts,
“Parental Religiosity and Youth Religiosity. . .”
http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/Religiosity
and Family Structure.pdf
Feb. 8 Film
Feb. 13 Guest
speaker Project #1 due
Feb. 15 Film
Feb. 20 Guest
speaker
Feb. 22 Conversion
and commitment (pp. 102-156)
Additional
Reading:
Gooren, Henri, “Reassessing Conventional Approaches
to Conversion: Toward a New Synthesis
http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/Reassessing
Conventional Approaches to Conversion.pdf
Covington,
“Salvation on Sand Mountain”
http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/salvationonsandmountain-covington.pdf
Stolz, “All Things Are Possible: Toward a Sociological
Explanation
of Pentecostal Miracles and Healings”
http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/Pentecostal
Miracles and Healings.pdf
Loveland,
“Religious Switching. . .”
http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/Religious
Switching.pdf
Review for exam; Turn in journals
Feb. 27 Exam #1
Mar. 1 Return
exams; Film
Mar. 6 Charisma
and routinization (pp. 158-186); Film; Assign Project #2
Additional
Reading:
Weber, “Domination
and Stratification”
http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/dominationandstratification-weber.pdf
Corcoran
and Wellman, “People Forget He’s Human: Charismatic
Leadership
in Institutionalized Religion”
http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/Charismatic
Leadership.pdf
Mar. 8 Charisma
and routinization; Denominations and congregations (pp. 187-221)
Additional Readings:
Doughterty and Whitehead, “A Place to Belong: Small
Group
Involvement
in Religious Congregations”
http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/Small
Groups in Religious Congregations.pdf
Stroop,
“Social Networks and Religion. . .
http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/Social
Networks and Religion.pdf
Mar. 12-16 No
Class (Spring Break)
Mar. 20 Religion
and social inequality: Social class (pp. 224-247; 310-319)
Additional
Readings:
McFarland et al, “Educational Attainment and
Religiosity. . .”
http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/Education
and Religiosity.pdf
Baker, “An Investigation of the
Sociological Patterns of Prayer. . .”
http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/Patterns
of Prayer.pdf
Schwadel, “Poor Teenagers’ Religion”
http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/Poor
Teenagers’ Religion.pdf
Mar. 22 Guest
speaker
Mar. 27 Religion
and social inequality: Race (pp. 248-272; 326-337)
Additional
Readings:
Roof and Manning,
“Cultural Conflicts and Identity: Second
Generation
Hispanic Catholics. . .”
http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/culturalconflictsandidentity-roofmanning.pdf
Lee, “The Structure of a
Spiritual Revolution: Black Baptists and Women in Ministry”
http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/Black
Baptists and Women Pastors.pdf
Nelson, “Sacrifice of Praise:
Emotion and Collective
Participation in an
African-American Worship Service”
http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/sacrificeofpraise-timothynelson.pdf
Mar. 29 Religion
and social inequality: gender (pp. 276-295); Turn in journals;
review for exam
Additional
Readings:
Irby, “Dating in
Light of Christ. . .”
http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/Dating
in Light of Christ.pdf
Wallace, “The Social
Construction of a New Leadership Role: Catholic Women Pastors”
http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/thesocialconstruction-wallace.pdf
Sumerau
and Cragun, “The Hallmarks of Righteous Women. . .”
http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/The
Mormon Church and Gender.pdf
Apr. 3 Exam #2
Apr. 5 Guest
speaker
Apr. 10 Guest
speaker
Apr. 12 Religion
and sexuality (pp. 295-308); Project #2 due
Additional Readings:
Burdette and
Hill, “Religious Involvement and Transitions into
Adolescent Sexual
Activities”
http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/Religion
and Adolescent Sexual Involvement.pdf
Whitehead, “Male and Female He
Created Them. . .”
http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/Religion
and Attitudes Toward Same-Sex Unions.pdf
Sumerau and Cragun, “Why Would Our Heavenly Father Do That. . .”
http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/Why
Would Our Heavenly Father Do That.pdf
Apr. 17 Religion
and Popular Culture
Readings:
Greve, “Jesus Didn’t Tap: Masculinity, Theology, and
Ideology in
Christian Mixed
Martial Arts”
http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/Christian
Mixed Martial Arts.pdf
Harrison,
“Why Southern Gospel Music Matters
http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/Gospel
Music and Religion.pdf
Schaefer, “Oh, You Didn't Think Just the Devil Writes
Songs, Do
Ya?: Music in American Evangelical
Culture Today
http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/Music
in American Evangelical Culture.pdf
Miller,
Mundey and Hill, “Faith in the Age of Facebook”
http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/Faith
in the Age of Facebook.pdf
Apr. 19 The
marketing of religion (pp. 363-390); Assign Project #3
Additional
Readings:
Alexander,
“Televangelism”
http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/televangelism-alexander.pdf
Coleman, “Appealing to the
Unchurched: What Attracts New Members?”
http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/Church
Marketing.pdf
Apr. 24 Film
Apr. 26 Film
May 1 Project #3
due; discussion
May 3 Conclusions
(pp. 420-421); Turn in journals; Review for exam
Additional
Reading: King, “I Have a Dream”
http://people.wku.edu/steve.groce/ihaveadream-king.pdf
Final Exam: Monday,
May 7, 8:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.