Course

Cognitive Science of Religion and the Sunday Service

Participants are trained to analyse Sunday services and other liturgies with methods and perspectives from the cognitive science of religion (CSR) in combination with theological and ethical reflection, in order to learn how different practices form specific communities and inspire differing conceptions of God. The goal is for participants to understand how CSR and related fields may contribute to church formation and theological development. Topics include anthropomorphism in the liturgy and our innate intuitions; worship as a costly signal, identity formation, and the ethics of social boundaries; ritual efficacy, emotional arousal, and the form of the liturgy; knowledge production, memory, and counter-intuitiveness in worship; cognition of language, metaphor and communication in liturgy.

Barrett, Justin, 2012: Born Believers: The Science of Children’s Religious Belief. New York: Free Press (258 s).

McCauley, Robert N. & Lawson, E. Thomas, 2002: Bringing Ritual to Mind: Psychological Foundations of Cultural Forms. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (212 s).

Tremlin, Todd, 2006 eller 2010: Minds and Gods: The Cognitive Foundations of Religion. New York: Oxford University Press (198 s).

Ca 200 sidor litteratur/artiklar väljs i samråd med lärare.

Diverse artiklar


Literature last revised on October 13, 2015.

The schedule is available at the latest one month before the course starts. We do not recommend that you print the schedule as some changes may happen.

Open the Schedule

Rikard Roitto

Docent, senior lecturer

rikard.roitto@ehs.se

Grades

U = Fail, G = Pass, VG = Pass with distinction

Examination Format

  • Papers
  • Seminars

Godkända kurser för en kandidatexamen i teologi/religionsvetenskap, 180 hp, där minst 150 hp utgörs av teologi/religionsvetenskap eller motsvarande. Dessutom kunskaper i engelska motsvarande kraven för grundläggande behörighet.

Vid Teologiska högskolan tillämpas obligatorisk närvaro.

Established by Subject Representative College at Enskilda Högskolan Stockholm on May 26, 2015.