In this course we explore the dynamics of public debate on religion against this backdrop, focussing on how religion, religious and secular identities are constructed in public discourse in contemporary Western societies, with an emphasis on Europe and the Netherlands.
Religion, Gender and Diversity in the Public Debate
Course Description
Course Objective
The course has the following learning objectives:
- The student is able to explain how gender, sexuality, race/ethnicity, national identity and other forms of difference figure in contemporary public debates on religion in contemporary Western societies.
- The student knows how to use the method of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), using the conceptual toolbox offered in this course
- The student is able to compare the social construction of religions in relation to each other and in relation to secularity
Course Content
In public debate in secularized Western societies, religion is often portrayed as a cause for polarization. Through debates on religious bodies, practices, public visibility and speech acts, the place of religion in modern societies is regulated. Issues of gender, sexuality, national identity and race/ethnicity figure prominently in these debates. Different actors have different stakes in defining religion in certain ways, or mobilizing certain concepts when talking about religion: often the problematization of religion seems to function as a way to mark dominant secular identities as distinct from gendered, sexualized and racialized religious Others. This has become even more pressing since debates about immigration, Islam and multiculturalism have become more prominent in countries such as the Netherlands.
In this course we explore the dynamics of public debate on religion against this backdrop, focussing on how religion, religious and secular identities are constructed in public discourse in contemporary Western societies, with an emphasis on Europe and the Netherlands. The aim of this course is to analyse the ways in which religion in public discourse is constructed along the lines of gender, sexuality and race, and to be able to suggest alternatives to harmful (e.g. generalizing, stereotypical, exclusionary) representations. The method taught and used in this course is that of Critical Discourse Analysis, complemented with conceptual tools from gender studies, LGBTIQ studies, post-colonial and post-secular studies.
Additional Information Teaching Methods
In the course, the following teaching methods are used:
- Lectures
- Class discussions
- Student presentations
- Film / documentary analysis
- Academic writing
Study Characteristics
- Teachers: prof. dr. C.A.M. van den Berg (c.a.m.vanden.berg@vu.nl)
- Language: english
- ECTS: 6
- Academic skill: Discipline related
- Graduate School: FRT
- Discipline: Religion and Theology
- In class/online: In class
- Available to: PhD students VU
- Including assessment: yes
- With certificate: no
- Assessment type: The course is graded by means of a final paper (60%), student presentations (30%), and active participation (10%). Students need to pass the final paper in order to pass the course.
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Course Description & Study Characteristics
Course Description
Course Objective
The course has the following learning objectives:
- The student is able to explain how gender, sexuality, race/ethnicity, national identity and other forms of difference figure in contemporary public debates on religion in contemporary Western societies.
- The student knows how to use the method of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), using the conceptual toolbox offered in this course
- The student is able to compare the social construction of religions in relation to each other and in relation to secularity
Course Content
In public debate in secularized Western societies, religion is often portrayed as a cause for polarization. Through debates on religious bodies, practices, public visibility and speech acts, the place of religion in modern societies is regulated. Issues of gender, sexuality, national identity and race/ethnicity figure prominently in these debates. Different actors have different stakes in defining religion in certain ways, or mobilizing certain concepts when talking about religion: often the problematization of religion seems to function as a way to mark dominant secular identities as distinct from gendered, sexualized and racialized religious Others. This has become even more pressing since debates about immigration, Islam and multiculturalism have become more prominent in countries such as the Netherlands.
In this course we explore the dynamics of public debate on religion against this backdrop, focussing on how religion, religious and secular identities are constructed in public discourse in contemporary Western societies, with an emphasis on Europe and the Netherlands. The aim of this course is to analyse the ways in which religion in public discourse is constructed along the lines of gender, sexuality and race, and to be able to suggest alternatives to harmful (e.g. generalizing, stereotypical, exclusionary) representations. The method taught and used in this course is that of Critical Discourse Analysis, complemented with conceptual tools from gender studies, LGBTIQ studies, post-colonial and post-secular studies.
Additional Information Teaching Methods
In the course, the following teaching methods are used:
- Lectures
- Class discussions
- Student presentations
- Film / documentary analysis
- Academic writing
Study Characteristics
- Teachers: prof. dr. C.A.M. van den Berg (c.a.m.vanden.berg@vu.nl)
- Language: english
- ECTS: 6
- Academic skill: Discipline related
- Graduate School: FRT
- Discipline: Religion and Theology
- In class/online: In class
- Available to: PhD students VU
- Including assessment: yes
- With certificate: no
- Assessment type: The course is graded by means of a final paper (60%), student presentations (30%), and active participation (10%). Students need to pass the final paper in order to pass the course.