AT4564: Religion, Power, and Belief

AT4564: RELIGION, POWER, AND BELIEF (2025-2026)

Last modified: 22 Jul 2026 13:41

Course Overview

What is religion? What does ritual do? Does ritual have effects, in the persons performing them, in society, or the world? How might ritual be a means or medium for political action? This course is an ethnographically grounded discussion of how anthropologists have addressed the concept of religion, the interface of religion and power, and is a critical interrogation of the concept of belief.

Course Details

Study Type	Undergraduate	Level	4
Term	Second Term	Credit Points	30 credits (15 ECTS credits)
Campus	Aberdeen	Sustained Study	No
Co-ordinators	Dr Johan Rasanayagam

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

Any Undergraduate Programme
Programme Level 4
Anthropology (AT)

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

AT3064 Religion, Power and Belief (Passed)
AT3534 Religion, Power and Belief (Passed)
AT3564 Religion, Power and Belief (Passed)
AT4064 Religion, Power and Belief (Passed)

Are there a limited number of places available?

Course Description

Contact Teaching Time

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

Teaching Breakdown

More Information about Week Numbers

Details, including assessments, may be subject to change until 21st September 2026 for Term 1 and Full Year courses and 8th January 2027 for Term 2 courses.

Summative Assessments

Essay

Assessment Type	Summative	Weighting	50
Assessment Weeks		Feedback Weeks		Look up Week Numbers
Feedback	3,000-word Project Essay.	Word Count	3000

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge Level	Thinking Skill	Outcome
Conceptual	Analyse	Produce coherent and reasoned arguments in written work, class discussions, and oral presentations on a chosen project theme.
Conceptual	Analyse	Identify a current issue in the field of religion and develop and anthropological analysis of it.
Conceptual	Analyse	Think critically about issues framed as religious, and interrogate the concepts and processes that underlie them.
Conceptual	Understand	Understand the importance of a comparative and critical approach in anthropology.
Conceptual	Understand	Identify key arguments made in scholarly texts and present them clearly and concisely in written form.

Tutorial Summary 3

Assessment Type	Summative	Weighting	10
Assessment Weeks		Feedback Weeks		Look up Week Numbers
Feedback	500-word tutorial summary.

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge Level	Thinking Skill	Outcome
Conceptual	Understand	Identify key arguments made in scholarly texts and present them clearly and concisely in written form.
Conceptual	Understand	Understand the importance of a comparative and critical approach in anthropology.
Factual	Understand	Understand major anthropological approaches to the topic of religion.

Tutorial Summary 2

Assessment Type	Summative	Weighting	10
Assessment Weeks		Feedback Weeks		Look up Week Numbers
Feedback	500-word tutorial summary.

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge Level	Thinking Skill	Outcome
Conceptual	Understand	Identify key arguments made in scholarly texts and present them clearly and concisely in written form.
Conceptual	Understand	Understand the importance of a comparative and critical approach in anthropology.
Factual	Understand	Understand major anthropological approaches to the topic of religion.

Project Presentation

Assessment Type	Summative	Weighting	20
Assessment Weeks		Feedback Weeks		Look up Week Numbers
Feedback	5-10-minute oral presentation.

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge Level	Thinking Skill	Outcome
Conceptual	Analyse	Think critically about issues framed as religious, and interrogate the concepts and processes that underlie them.
Conceptual	Analyse	Produce coherent and reasoned arguments in written work, class discussions, and oral presentations on a chosen project theme.
Conceptual	Analyse	Identify a current issue in the field of religion and develop and anthropological analysis of it.
Conceptual	Understand	Understand the importance of a comparative and critical approach in anthropology.

Tutorial Summary 1

Assessment Type	Summative	Weighting	10
Assessment Weeks		Feedback Weeks		Look up Week Numbers
Feedback	500-word tutorial summary.

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge Level	Thinking Skill	Outcome
Conceptual	Understand	Understand the importance of a comparative and critical approach in anthropology.
Conceptual	Understand	Identify key arguments made in scholarly texts and present them clearly and concisely in written form.
Factual	Understand	Understand major anthropological approaches to the topic of religion.

Formative Assessment

There are no assessments for this course.

Resit Assessments

Re-submit the in-course assessments.

Assessment Type	Summative	Weighting	100
Assessment Weeks		Feedback Weeks		Look up Week Numbers
Feedback

Learning Outcomes

Sorry, we don't have this information available just now. Please check the course guide on or with the Course Coordinator
Knowledge Level	Thinking Skill	Outcome

Course Learning Outcomes

Knowledge Level	Thinking Skill	Outcome
Factual	Understand	Understand major anthropological approaches to the topic of religion.
Conceptual	Analyse	Think critically about issues framed as religious, and interrogate the concepts and processes that underlie them.
Conceptual	Analyse	Identify a current issue in the field of religion and develop and anthropological analysis of it.
Conceptual	Analyse	Produce coherent and reasoned arguments in written work, class discussions, and oral presentations on a chosen project theme.
Conceptual	Understand	Identify key arguments made in scholarly texts and present them clearly and concisely in written form.
Conceptual	Understand	Understand the importance of a comparative and critical approach in anthropology.

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