5XÉçÇøÊÓƵ

Religion, Ritual & Global Transformation (L6072)

15 credits, Level 5

Autumn teaching

On this module, you'll explore anthropological approaches to religion and ritual, examining their role in shaping and transforming modern economic, political and socio-cultural landscapes. You'll engage with key theoretical debates in the anthropology of religion and ritual, fostering an understanding of their historical and contemporary significance.

Key questions include:

• what is religion?
• what is the secular?

Through ethnographic texts and discussions, you'll critically examine topics such as:

• cultural taboos on clothing
• totemism in contemporary politics
• belief in science
• witchcraft in economics
• magic in daily practice
• animism in environmental contexts.

This module challenges assumptions about modernity, progress, rationality, and science, offering new insights into the intersections of religion, ritual and daily life.

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 150 hours of work. This breaks down into about 20 hours of contact time and about 130 hours of independent study. The 5XÉçÇøÊÓƵ may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2024/25. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum.

We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.