REL 440.001
Theories of Religion
T | 3:30-5:50
MA 210
Download Syllabus
Instead of simply describing or comparing religions, there is a long history of scholars offering explanations for why religions exist in the first place; beginning with the late-19th century writers, this course will examine classic and contemporary explanatory theories of religion that aim to identify either the origin or the function of religion.
Russell T. McCutcheon
- Office hours:
By appointment
- (205) 310-7546
- russell.mccutcheon@ua.edu

Readings
Braun, Will and Russell McCutchoen (eds.)
Guide to the Study of Religion
Bloomsbury Academic, 2000
978-0304701766
Hughes, Aaron W. (ed.)
Theory in a Time of Excess: Beyond Reflection and Explanation in Religious Studies Scholarship
Equinox Publishing, 2017
978-1-78179-424-1
Waardenburg, Jacques (ed.)
Classical Approaches to the Study of Religion: Aims, Methods, and Theories of Research (new edition)
Walter de Gruyter, 2017
978-3-11-047359-9