ASC211 - Religion and Social Change
Unit details
| Year | 2025 unit information |
|---|---|
| Enrolment modes: | Trimester 3: Online |
| Credit point(s): | 1 |
| EFTSL value: | 0.125 |
| Unit Chair: | Trimester 3: Anna Halafoff |
| Prerequisite: | Nil |
| Corequisite: | Nil |
| Incompatible with: | Nil |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - online unit enrolment: | 1 x 1-hour online lecture per week (recordings provided) 1 x 1-hour online seminar per week |
| Typical study commitment: | Students will on average spend 150-hours over the teaching period undertaking the teaching, learning and assessment activities for this unit. This will include educator guided online learning activities within the unit site. |
Content
Religion was catapulted into the public mind at the turn of the 21st Century, following the tragic events of September 11, 2001. Religions have long played a role in promoting both cultures of peace and cultures of violence. Notable examples include religiously inspired social movements such as Gandhi's Satyagraha movement in India, the Civil Rights movement in the USA, and the global multifaith movement. From the 1970s onward, due to processes of globalisation, many societies have also become increasing religiously diverse and everyday religion and spirituality continue to play a role in many people’s lives. All of these factors have led to a questioning of secularisation theory, which had predicted the decline of religious influence from public and political life. More recently, however, the rise of New Atheism, the public scrutiny of religious organisations and an increasing number of people declaring themselves to have no religious affiliation indicates that those who were quick to declare a new post-secular age may have been mistaken. This Unit will explore and critically evaluate the current state of religion in society, and the role of religious movements in social change, both peaceful and violent.
Learning Outcomes
| ULO | These are the Unit Learning Outcomes (ULOs) for this unit. At the completion of this unit, successful students can: | Alignment to Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLOs) |
|---|---|---|
| ULO1 | Analyse major sociology of religion theories and concepts on religion and globalisation, religious social movements, religion and the internet, spirituality, religion and terrorism, religion, gender, and the rise of New Atheism | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities |
| ULO2 | Clearly communicate the findings and analyses of sociology of religion concepts and theories in written and oral formats to a range of audiences | GLO2: Communication |
| ULO3 | Critically evaluate theoretical approaches to religion and social problems, and current policies and practices of governments at local, state, national and international levels | GLO4: Critical thinking GLO5: Problem solving |
Assessment
| Assessment Description | Student output | Grading and weighting (% total mark for unit) | Indicative due week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment 1: Essay | 1000 words or equivalent | 25% | Information not yet available |
| Assessment 2: Presentation | 1000 words or equivalent | 25% | Information not yet available |
| Assessment 3: Report | 2000 words or equivalent | 50% | Information not yet available |
The assessment due weeks provided may change. The Unit Chair will clarify the exact assessment requirements, including the due date, at the start of the teaching period.
Learning resource
The texts and reading list for ASC211 can be found via the University Library.
Note: Select the relevant trimester reading list. Please note that a future teaching period's reading list may not be available until a month prior to the start of that teaching period so you may wish to use the relevant trimester's prior year reading list as a guide only.
Unit Fee Information
Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study and their study discipline, and your study load.
Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.
For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current Students website.