Postgraduate Course: Professionals, Revolutionaries and Holy Fools: Power and Authority in Cross-religious Perspective (REST11004)
Course Outline
| School | School of Divinity |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Religious Studies |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/divinity/current-students-staff/postgraduate/handbooks-pg |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | This course has at its centre the question of religious authority/leadership of one person, or a group of persons, over others. Drawing mainly from sociological and anthropological theory, various scholarly models to explain the sources and the functions of religious authority will be discussed. Three sociological 'ideal types' of religious authority - professional (rabbis, priests, ulema), revolutionary (messiahs, millenialists, mahdis), and liminal (holy fools) - will be examined in the light of a number of historical case studies. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | No |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
By the end of this class, students will
- have a nuanced understanding of the historical dialectics between charisma and institution across the three Abrahamic traditions;
- show an advanced grasp of the basic characteristics of institutional organization of Judaism, Christianity and Islam in its various historical manifestations;
- handle competently a number of advanced theoretical approaches in the Study of Religion, with a possible view toward further PG work. |
Assessment Information
| Students are required to write a 3,000-4,000 word essay on an agreed topic. |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Not entered |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Religion, Religious Studies, Sociology, Islam, Judaism, Christianity |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Christian Lange
Tel: (0131 6)50 8781
Email: c.lange@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Karoline Mclean
Tel: (0131 6)50 8952
Email: k.mclean@ed.ac.uk |
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