| Unit name | Religion and Politics |
|---|---|
| Unit code | SOCI30107 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Sealy |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None. |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None. |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None. |
| School/department | School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
What is and ought to be the relationship between religion and politics? In the late twentieth century most political theorists and most West European and North American publics thought these were uncontentious subjects. Yet these topics have emerged as important across the social sciences with some challenging ‘secularism’ as discriminatory and unjust to religious citizens. In Western Europe, Muslim political assertiveness, following a logic of minority rights seem to have unsettled status quo institutional arrangements and provoked debates about religion in the public sphere. Scholars from outside the West have both entered Western European debates, some suggesting that there is a ‘crisis of secularism’ in the West, and have also highlighted the ‘multiple secularisms’ and alternate modes of state-religion relations and public religion to be found in different country contexts. This unit will identify the various modes, compromises, and antagonisms to be found in different contexts and assess the debates on relationships between religion and politics, ideas of secularism, and alternate conceptions of freedom of religion.
Upon completing the unit, students will:
1. Demonstrate a critical understanding of the arguments for and against varied forms of political secularisms and why political secularism is becoming contested in a number of countries
2. Critically engage with and evaluate what secularism means in specific political terms in a number of policy areas in different country contexts
3. Make detailed and appropriate use of these insights in developing an informed perspective on the governance of religious diversity that contributes meaningfully to contemporary debates.
The unit will be taught through blended learning methods, including a mix of synchronous and asynchronous teaching activities
Over the course of the unit, students will:
Plan and draft a 1500 word essay or 15 minute presentation (0% formative assessment);
Plan and draft a 3000 word assessed essay (100% summative assessment)
Learning Outcomes 1, 2 and 3 will be assessed through the assessment.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. SOCI30107).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
