Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Spring Semester 2026

Anthropology and Sociology of Religion (Face-to-Face)

ANTH 3160-01

Course: ANTH 3160-01
Credits: 3
Term: Spring Semester 2026
Department: HSOC
CRN: 11082

Course Description

This course is an introduction to the sociology and anthropology of religion. We begin by reviewing sociological and anthropological perspectives on the social roles and origins of religious experience, as well as examining some of the controversies that surround its academic study. The remainder of the course is spent exploring various topics within the sociology and anthropology of religion, such as religion and gender, religious symbolism, mythology and creation stories, rituals and rites of passage, mortuary rituals and beliefs in an afterlife, altered states of consciousness, magic, spirits, and witchcraft – each illustrated by ethnographic studies from around the world.

Required Texts

All readings for the first two weeks of class will be available as digital copies on our Canvas site. This should allow you ample time to get a copy of the Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion book which is available at the SUU bookstore or online (as a textbook rental or used paperback).
  1. Moro, Pamela A. (Ed.)
    2012 Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion: A Reader in the Anthropology of Religion, Ninth Edition. McGraw-Hill, Boston, MA.
    ISBN-13: 9780078034947 [abbreviated MWR in the syllabus].
  2. I will also post articles to our Canvas website [they will be abbreviated Canvas in the syllabus]. The first two weeks of readings will all be available on Canvas, even if they come from the MWR text.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students should be able to explain the social functions that religions play in human cultures, understand the similarities and differences between major world religions, and appreciate the diversity of indigenous religious traditions around the globe.

Course Requirements

  • Homework (x 4): 20 points
  • Attendance/Participation: 08 points
  • Midterm Exam: 20 points
  • Final Exam: 20 points
  • Research Paper topic: 02 points
  • Biblio. and Thesis: 05 points
  • Research Paper: 25 points
  • TOTAL: 100 points

Grading Scale

  • 93+%= A
  • 90-92 = A-
  • 88-89 = B+
  • 83-87 = B
  • 80-82 = B-
  • 77-79 = C+
  • 73-76 = C
  • 70-72 = C-
  • 67-69 = D+
  • 63-66 = D
  • 60-62 = D-
  • 0-59 = F

Homework

There will be 4 homework assignments, worth 4 points (4% of your grade) each. Please see CANVAS and the schedule of readings below for due dates. These homework assignments will consist of out-of-class exercises / observations / reflections and their associated 2-3 pages, typed, double-spaced responses. One assignment will consist of your observations and analysis of a religious or secular ritual unfamiliar to you. Another requires you to interview someone from a different religious tradition than your own. A third asks you to think about mortuary rituals within your own local culture and how they differ from death commemoration in other cultures. For the final assignment you will investigate a ‘new’ religious tradition. I will pass out assignment guidelines well in advance of the due dates.

Midterm and Final Exams

Exams will consist of multiple choice, short answer, and short essay questions and will cover all class readings, films, discussions, and lectures. The midterm exam is worth 20 points, or 20% of your final grade. The final exam will be slightly longer than the midterm and will primarily cover material from the second half of the class. It will also be worth 20 points, or 20% of your final grade. I will pass out study guides prior to each exam. Bring a scantron, bluebook, pen and pencil to each exam.

Research Paper

You may select virtually any topic related to the sociology or anthropology of religion for your research paper. Papers should demonstrate application of concepts or information discovered in your additional readings. You must use a minimum of six (preferably more) scholarly sources in your 8-10 double-spaced page paper. The research paper is worth 25 points or 25% of your course grade.

Course Outline

DatesReadings & Assignments
Week 1
  • Introductions and Course Mechanics; Religio-matic Quiz
Week 2
  • Discuss quiz results; Intro. to Soc. and Anth. of Religion – What is religion?
  • Religion in the U.S. (through the lens of the Simpsons); Video clip: Homer the Heretic, 1992
  • Canvas: Johnstone, Ch. 1 (for T)
  • MWR: Article 57 “Homer the Heretic” (for H)
Week 3
  • Theories on the Origins of Religion; Research Paper Guidelines passed out.
  • Anthropological Perspectives on Religion; HW #1 passed out
  • Canvas: Johnstone, Ch. 2 (for T)
  • MWR: Articles 2 “Why we Became Religious” and 3 “Religious Perspectives in Anthropology” (for H)
Week 4
  • The Function(s) of Religion
  • Some Controversies in the study of religion
  • Canvas: “The Adaptive Value of Religious Ritual” (for T)
  • MWR: Articles 4 “Non-Overlapping Magisteria” and 6 “Anthropologists vs. Missionaries” (for H)
Week 5
  • Bodies as Symbol
  • Taboos and the Body; Film: American Gypsy (?)
  • MWR (also on Canvas): Article 17 “Body Ritual Among the Nacirema” (for T)
  • MWR: Article 10 “Taboo” (for H)
  • Canvas: Okely 1983 (for H)
Week 6
  • Sex, Gender, and the Sacred
  • The Veil; Film or Guest Speaker; Homework #2 Passed Out
  • Canvas: “The Embodied Goddess” & “Adoring the Father” (for T)
  • MWR: Article 49 “Hoodfar: The Veil in Their Minds” (for H)
Week 7
  • Religion, Culture, and Environment; Film: Hopi Songs of the 4th World
  • Religion, Culture, and Environment
  • MWR: Article 15 “Rappaport: Ritual Regulation of Environmental Relations” & MWR: Article 21 “Training for the Priesthood Among the Kogi of Colombia” (for T)
  • MWR: Article 27 “Harner: The Sound of Rushing Water” (for H)
Week 8
  • Midterm Exam
  • The Religious Use of Drugs; Film: The Peyote Way (?)
  • MWR: Article 25 “Kiyaani and Csordas: On the Peyote Road” (for H)
Week 9
  • Religion and Healing; HW#3 Passed Out
  • Religion and Healing, cont.; Film: Eduardo the Healer
  • Canvas: “A School for Medicine Men” & “The Efficacy of Intercessory Prayer” (for T)
  • MWR: Article 30 “Swallowing Frogs” (for T)
  • MWR: Article 32 “Fadiman: The Spirit Catches you” (for H)
Week 10
  • Spring Break
Week 11
  • Shamanism, Priests, and Prophets
  • Ritual Theory
  • MWR: Articles 20 “Dark Side of the Shaman” (for T)
  • MWR: Article 11 “Serpent-Handling as Sacrament” (for H)
Week 12
  • Rites of Passage; Pilgrimage; Film: The Road to Mecca (?)
  • Pilgrimage; Labyrinth walk?
  • MWR: Article 12 “Betwixt and Between” (for T)
  • MWR: Articles 14 “Return to Wirikuta” (for T)
Week 13
  • Festival of Excellence – no classes today
  • Ghosts, Souls, and Ancestors; HW #4 Passed Out
  • MWR: 41 “Death Be Not Strange” (for H)
  • Canvas: “Day of the Dead in Oaxaca” & “A New Weapon Stirs up Old Ghosts” (for H)
Week 14
  • Voudou
  • Witchcraft and Magic
  • MWR: Article 40 “Voudou” (for T)
  • MWR: Article 33 “An Anthropological Perspective on the Witchcraze” & Article 38 “Baseball Magic” (for H)
Week 15
  • New Religions & The Global Politics of Religion; Final Review Sheet Passed out.
  • No class meeting on Thurs. Work on your papers.
  • MWR: Articles 44 “The Ghost Dance Religion” and 45 “Cargo Cults” (for T)
  • Canvas: “Religious Dimensions of the UFO Abductee Experience” & “The Global Rise of Religious Nationalism”
Week 16
  • Work on your papers (no class meetings this week)
  • Submit your paper by Friday, 4/17

Final Exam, day/time TBA

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Late Work Policy

Unless you have a compelling and verifiable excuse, there are no make-up exams. I deduct one point per day for late assignments. I will not accept any late or missing work submitted after the last day of classes.

Attendance Policy

Attendance and Participation

Regular attendance is required at all class meetings. If you must miss a class, you are expected to get class notes from a classmate, review them and discuss them with a classmate, and then see me if you have any questions. You are allowed two no-excuses-required absences before your absences start impacting your attendance and participation grade. Your regular attendance and active participation in class discussions and activities is worth 8% of your course grade.

Other Course Policies

  • You are expected to be courteous and respectful towards other students and your professor. Some of the information and perspectives discussed in class may differ from your own beliefs and practices. Please approach the course materials and your classmates with a  willingness to listen.
  • Cell phones should be put away and on silent/vibrate during class. Please do not interrupt your classmates’ learning experiences.
  • Correct English grammar and spelling is essential for all work in this class; please use spell check and grammar check before turning anything in to me. Points will be deducted for mechanical errors. Allowances will be made for speakers of English as a second language.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.