An undergraduate course.

Religion is a powerful force in today’s world, as almost any newspaper or news broadcast will make clear. Inextricably linked with nationalism, popular culture, social norms and the lives of individuals, it touches almost every area of public and private life. This course will be of interest to those who are curious about the role of religion today and who wonder whether secularisation means the eventual death of religious practices and institutions. It studies examples of religious ideas, practices and teachings from around the world, and sets religion in the wider context of the societies in which it is embedded.

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What you will study

Religion, though often considered an agent of stability, has been changing rapidly in the last few decades. At the same time it remains of crucial importance for many individuals, and for all societies in all countries. This course examines many of the most exciting and controversial issues in religion today from an international and multi-faith perspective. It will enable you to assess the current trends in religious ideas and practice, and to deepen your understanding of how these changes affect the societies in which the traditions exist. The course  allows you to select, to a certain degree, the themes you want to concentrate on.

The course begins by introducing a ‘toolkit’ of methods and ideas that are of use in understanding religion. It then takes up issues of representation and symbolism, discussing how religions have been represented traditionally through text and image and how they are depicted today in contemporary media such as the cinema and on the internet. This part of the course emphasises the influence of the new communication media on the ways in which religious traditions present their messages, and how religions relocate themselves in novel geographic and social settings. The course also includes an examination of ethical and social issues as they are experienced in different societies, ranging from the role of nationalism in Eastern Europe to Buddhist environmentalism and Anglo-American feminism. Human rights and the challenges associated with globalisation are central to this inquiry.

The concept of civil religion is examined as it is understood within a range of different contexts and cultures, including rituals of remembrance in the UK and USA, as well as the 'Palio' in the Italian city of Siena. Next, the expansion of Evangelicalism is studied in relation to the UK, the USA and Latin America, considering it both as an agent of globalisation and, allegedly, of Americanisation. For comparison, the spread of a form of Buddhism and of Islam are considered.

One of the possible futures of religion is examined in a series of studies centred on the concepts of New Age religion and alternative spiritualities, ranging from Celtic spirituality to Wicca. Concepts of marginalisation, differentiation and post-modern religion are central to this exploration of alternative spiritualities. The conclusion to the course pulls the themes together.

By the end of the course, you will have developed your ability to:

• understand and work with academic methods and terminology used in the scholarly discussion of religion
• demonstrate sophisticated understanding of the multi-faceted complexity of religions, for example in the relationship between specifically religious beliefs, texts, practices and institutions and wider social and cultural norms, aesthetics and aspirations, in a context of social change
• recognise and appreciate ways in which religious ideas, forms, and processes change
• critically assess religious contributions to debate in the public arena about, for example, human rights, identity, environmentalism and justice
• demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of how personal and communal identities and motivations are shaped by religion, and how important such identities are
• gather, process, criticise and present knowledge and understanding of a subject in an appropriately scholarly manner by writing an end-of-course extended essay
• expand your understanding of the role of religion in recent history and contemporary politics in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The course will benefit those who work regularly with the general public, whether in business, catering or caring professions; teachers, religious professionals, those who work in the media, and those who simply want a broader understanding of religion.

Entry

This is a Level 3 course. Level 3 courses build on study skills and subject knowledge acquired from studies at Levels 1 and 2. You are not expected to have any special knowledge, but some experience of interdisciplinary work in arts or social sciences would be an advantage.

If you would like more information about this course or the course team, you can visit the AD317 website.

If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.

Preparatory work

If you are unfamiliar with the world religions, we advise some preparatory reading such as the readily available The World's Religions by Ninian Smart (Cambridge University Press, 1998).

Regulations

As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the Module Regulations and the Student Regulations which are available on our Essential documents website.

If you have a disability or additional requirement

The study materials are available in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). Components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader and mathematical, scientific, and foreign language materials may be particularly difficult to read in this way. Written transcripts are available for the audio-visual material. The written study material is available in comb-bound format. Other alternative formats of the study materials may be available in the future. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.

If you are a new student, or new to courses using a computer or the internet, you will need to inform us of your particular needs as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Details of how to do this and our range of support services are described in our publication Meeting Your Needs.

You can also find information about accessible study materials, the Disabled Students' Allowance, equipment and other services, on our Services for disabled students website. It also includes our contact details for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.

Study materials

What's included

Course books, other printed materials, audio CDs, DVDs.

You will need

Audio CD and DVD players.

Computing requirements

You will need a computer with internet access to study this course which includes online activities. You can only access these using a web browser with Flash and Java.

• If you have purchased a new desktop or laptop computer since 2006 you should have no problems completing the online activities.
• If you’ve got a netbook, tablet or other mobile computing device check our Technical requirements section.
• If you use an Apple Mac you will need OS X 10.5 or later.

You can also visit the Technical requirements section for further computing information including the details of the support we provide.

Teaching and assessment

Support from your tutor

You will have a tutor who will help you with the study material and mark and comment on your written work, and whom you can ask for advice and guidance. We may also be able to offer group tutorials or day schools that you are encouraged, but not obliged, to attend. Where your tutorials are held will depend on the distribution of students taking the course.  Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.

Assessment

The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above.

You can choose whether to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) on paper or online through the eTMA system. You may want to use the eTMA system for some of your assignments but submit on paper for others. This is entirely your choice.

Future availability

The details given here are for the course that starts in January 2012 when it will be available for the last time. A new course, in the same area, is planned for October 2013.

Students also studied

Students who studied this course also studied at some time:

• Introducing religions (A217)
• Religion in history: conflict, conversion and coexistence (AA307)
• The arts past and present (AA100)
• World archaeology (A251)
• From Enlightenment to Romanticism c.1780-1830 (A207)

How to register

We regret that we are currently unable to accept registrations for this course. Where the course is to be presented again in the future, relevant registration information will be displayed on this page as soon as it becomes available.

Student Reviews

Distance learning

The Open University is the world’s leading provider of flexible, high quality distance learning. Unlike other universities we are not campus based. You will study in a flexible way that works for you whether you’re at home, at work or on the move. As an OU student you’ll be supported throughout your studies – your tutor will guide and advise you, offer detailed feedback on your assignments, and help with any study issues. Tuition might be in face-to-face groups, via online tutorials, or by phone.

For more information about distance learning at the OU read Study explained.

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