Course Description

Instructor: Kemal Budak, PhD Student, Emory University

Faith helps give people their individual and social identity, inspires social action, and motivates political participation. Designed as an introduction to the broad field of sociology of religion, this course intends to explore the importance of religion in social life. We will look at global and American religious landscape, the relationship between religion and politics, and finally delve into Muslim-Americans and their views during the Trump Administration. We will also strive to answer questions such as “Why women are more religious?� “What does spiritual but not religious mean?� “Why do immigrants become more religious in their new settings?� “Is religion a barrier to integration?� Through such questions, we will examine the sociological and cross-cultural issues surrounding religious ideas, beliefs, and practices with an extra emphasis on Islam.