HISTORY OF RELIGIONS

Course objectives

A) Knowledge and understanding - Students will be required to demonstrate basic knowledge and understanding of the topics covered during the course and presented in the reference bibliography; they will be able to prove to possess abilities of analysis, reflection and comparison concerning the main areas of history of religions. B) Applying knowledge and understanding - Students will be able to demonstrate the full understanding of the syllabus of the course; they should apply the knowledge acquired to relevant issues in a thoughtful and critical way; they will be able to demonstrate they possess the appropriate skills to build and support arguments related to the topics covered by the course, and to apply the suitable techniques and methods to the field. C) Making judgements - Students will be able to express judgments in an autonomous form, on the basis of examples provided in the lectures and/or in the bibliographic resources provided, and prove to be able to find and interpret data in order to formulate answers to general – both concrete and abstract – problems. D) Communication skills - Students will be able to communicate information, ideas, problems and related solutions; to demonstrate adequate capacity of synthesis and expressive ability in the light of the specific terminology. E) Learning skills - Students will develop the skills necessary to undertake further studies with a certain degree of autonomy.

Channel 1
ANGELA BERNARDO Lecturers' profile

Program - Frequency - Exams

Course program
This course aims to provide an overview of the main theoretical-methodological issues and problems related to the History of Religion(s) in Europe and in the United States. It will focus on the analysis of issues linked to the definition of the concept of “religion”, in its historical-geographical and cultural declinations, on the problem of the classification of different religious systems in the past and in the present and on their comparison. With reference to the Course of Study (CoS) within which it is included, this course will pay particular attention to contemporary cultural and religious diversity. In particular, it will analyze the concept of “pluralism” and the issues related to this concept in the various fields of contemporary societies. The main objectives of the module are: - to analyze the concept of “religion” and how this concept is theorized and developed in different historical-geographical and cultural contexts; - to examine the various institutions that have characterized the concept of “religion” in the past and the declinations that these institutions have assumed over time, modifying the object to which they refer; - to study, in a comparative way, how the definition of the concept of “religion” and its classifications have influenced the construction of societies in the past and how they affect the construction of contemporary ones.
Prerequisites
None
Books
1. A. Brelich, Introduzione alla Storia delle religioni, Roma 2006 [1965] (ONLY part I, III, and IV) 2. D. Sabbatucci, Sommario di Storia delle religioni, Roma 1991 (ONLY part I, pp. 1-128) 3. Chosen readings (articles and chapters of books) provided during the course
Teaching mode
This course will be implemented through lectures and case studies. It will be held in a hybrid form (in presence and at distance) and in Italian. Attending is highly recommended.
Frequency
This course will be held in a presence and in Italian. Attending is highly recommended.
Exam mode
The final exam is oral and will focus on the textbooks and materials provided during the course. This exam will aim to evaluate the student’s knowledge and mastery of the concepts and methodologies acquired during the course as well as her/his ability to analyze and reflect independently and to apply the acquired knowledge adequately on the concept of “religion”, of “religious pluralism”, and on topics linked to these concepts.
Lesson mode
This course will be implemented through lectures and practical exercises. It will be held in presence and in English. Attending is highly recommended.
  • Lesson code1026984
  • Academic year2025/2026
  • CourseIntercultural and Linguistic Mediation
  • CurriculumSingle curriculum
  • Year3rd year
  • Duration12 months
  • SSDM-STO/06
  • CFU6