Special Topics/Seminar: Religion and Society
The course will serve as an introduction to the major religions of the world, giving a sense of their histories,
the societies of which they are part, and the institutions with which they interface, such as the economy, the
polity, family and the law. Religious traditions considered include: Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism,
Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and indigenous traditions.
| Dates | March 18 - April 2, 2023. |
| Last day to enroll or drop without penalty | February 17, 2023 |
This is a three-credit hour online course. Please see your local Site Director or email our online site coordinator at [email protected]
| Course Professor | Thomas J. Burns, Ph.D. |
| Mailing Address | OU Dept. of Sociology |
| 331 KH | |
| Norman, OK 73019 | |
| Telephone Number | (405) 325-1751 |
| Email Address | [email protected] |
| Professor availability | The professor will be available via e-mail to students. |
Student materials are available at the OU Bookstore Website at https://ou.textbookx.com/institutional/index.php. The website has book selling, renting, buying, returning, and order tracking capabilities. If you need help with an order, or if you have any questions contact the toll-free phone at 1-(855)-790-6637, agents are available from 9a – 5p (EST) Monday – Friday. Text prices are available online
(please note that it is typically most efficient and cost-effective to order this Canonical Texts book directly
from the publisher. To do that, go to the following website: https://store.cognella.com/80366-1-ni-010)
Note that the Canonical Texts book is also used in other courses, but is listed under SOC 3873, so if you
see SOC 3873 on the website, you have the right book!)
Recommended Books:
{Note: These following books are recommended only—they are not required. You may find them
interesting and useful, but you can do fine in the course without them.}
This course requires the ability to communicate both verbally and in writing. If you feel like you could
use some direction in writing, you will probably find the following recommended text helpful:
Schmidt, Judy H., et al. 2002. Six Steps to Effective Writing in Sociology. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
The following is a recommended (but not required) text. It touches on many of the ideas we will be
covering in the class, coming at it from a bit of a different angle:
Kurtz, Lester R. 2012. Gods in the Global Village: The World’s Religions in a Sociological Perspective, 3e.
Los Angeles: Sage.
The following text has a wide selection of much shorter readings. Any of the editions from the 3rd on is
fine:
Fieser. James, and John Powers. 2008. Scriptures of the World’s Religions, 3e. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Also, at times during the semester, there will be other materials given that are not necessarily in a text,
but that are important nevertheless. These materials will either be on the class website at
canvas.ou.edu or may be handed out in class.
All official correspondence from instructors will be sent only to students’ ou.edu address.
Email Account and Canvas: Students are expected to check their OU email accounts and the course site on Canvas daily for updates from the instructor
Goals of the Course:
• To develop an understanding and appreciation of the major religions of the world
• To understand how religious institutions develop historically
• To develop a sense of how social science can study religion
• To see how religious institutions are influenced by, and have an influence on, societies
and the people in them
Major Religious Traditions Considered in the Course.
The course will be organized around a discussion of history and social practices associated with major
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religious traditions from around the world. There are multiple online lectures for each of the
topics, so pull them up as you work your way through the material, learn and enjoy! The segments
of the course, along with the reading for each are:
1. General Introduction and Orientation
Go over the syllabus and discuss general ideas in the discipline
Read Smith Chapter 1
Also, read Chapter 1 of Drs Burns & Boyd’s book (available on class CANVAS site. Click on the
section under Content that says “Chapter from Thomas J Burns & Tom W Boyd’s World Religions
Text”)
2. Hinduism
Read Smith Chapter on Hinduism
Read from Burns Volume on Hinduism
3. Buddhism
Read Smith Chapter on Buddhism
Read from Burns Volume on Buddhism
4. Confucianism/Religions of China
Read Smith Chapter on Confucianism
Read from Burns Volume on Confucianism
5. Taoism/Religions of China
Read Smith Chapter on Taoism
Read from Burns Volume on Taoism
<Midterm Exam>
6. Judaism
Read Smith Chapter on Judaism
Read from Burns Volume on Judaism
7. Christianity
Read Smith Chapter on Christianity
Read Selection from Burns Volume on Christianity
8. Islam
Read Smith Chapter on Islam
Read from Burns Volume on Islam
9. Native Traditions
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Read Smith Chapter on Native Traditions
Read from Burns Volume on Native Traditions
10. Course Conclusion and Wrap-up
Read Chapter from Burns & Boyd book (available on class Canvas site)
<Final Exam>
There are three grading components to the course: Exams (50%); Mini- Essay Discussion Posts (20%);
and a Post-Seminar Final Paper (30%).
A more detailed discussion of each follows, but in a nutshell here in bold, is the structure. Please read this
carefully and understand the following schedule. It is designed so that you can succeed, as long as you
adhere closely to it and follow the reading and lecture scheduled as outlined.
Relevant Course Milestones & Deadlines for the Course Are:
First Half Assignments: Discussion Posts 1-5 should be completed by March 25 (11:59 p.m. U.S.
Central Time). The Midterm Exam should be completed during the Midterm Exam Window, which
opens on March 25 (at 12:01 a.m. U.S. Central Time) and closes April 7 (11:59 p.m. CT).
Second Half Assignments: Discussion Posts 6-10 should be completed by April 2 (11:59 p.m. U.S.
Central Time). The Final Exam should be completed during the Final Exam Window, which opens
on April 2 (at 12:01 a.m. CT) and closes April 16 (11:59 p.m. CT).
Paper (Post-Seminar): Due by April 23 (11:59 p.m. U.S. Central Time)
Exams (50%):
We will have two exams—a Midterm (25%) and a Final (25%). The window for the Midterm and
the Final Exams are 2 full weeks (with some overlap, which students in the past have found helpful), and
you can take as much time as you need during the respective open windows. If you feel you need the
entire time you may have it, as long as you make absolutely sure to turn in the exam by the deadline
(11:59 pm of the last day of the respective window). Once the window opens, you can go in and get
access to the exam. It would be a good idea for you to download the questions, so you have them available
for the entire time you take the exam. Please be clear about which questions you
are answering (and state that clearly). There is plenty of time in both exam windows, so short of an all-out
emergency, there should be no excuse for not finishing comfortably in time.
The Midterm Exam will cover the material for the first half: (Introduction, Hinduism, Buddhism, and the
Religions of China). The essays tend to balance “big picture” sorts of questions, with some important
detail. It is important to give a sense of how those tie together.
While the Final Exam will build on what we learned in the first half of the course, it focuses on the
material from the second half of the course (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Native Traditions, and Overall
Lessons). Its format will also be essay, structured precisely as was the midterm.
In the past, students who have done the reading and thought it through, and who pay close attention to
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lectures, and thought them through, tend to get a great deal out of the class, and to do high quality work
on the exams in the process!
In addition, there are study guides for what we cover in the course. In doing your studying and
preparation, students typically find those to be good guides in helping you organize the material going
into the exam.
Mini-Essay Discussion Posts (20%):
The other 20% of the grade is a function of online participation; for that, you will make at least 10
posts, each worth 2% of the grade, for a total of 20%. The online posts and discussions are a key
component of the course, and therefore of your grade.
For each section, you will attach an article or a video clip of something from the news, that
touches in some significant way on the religion we are covering in class. You can find articles or video
clips from anywhere you want, typically from an internet or library search (and there are literally
thousands of examples out there—it is pretty hard to miss on this aspect of the course!).
You will write a post about it, describing it and attaching a clip (preferable) or URL web link (if
attaching it does not work). Your post should also tie it to some aspect of what we talked about in lecture
or the readings.
Not to worry--there are literally hundreds, if not thousands of examples to be found readily on the
internet or your local library or newsstand, of articles or news items about any of the religious traditions
covered in the course. Part of this exercise is to get you used to being an educated news reader. Part of
that process is to be able to connect what you are reading to what you are learning in your formal
education, to do it readily and in a depth that goes beyond a mere surface reading. There is more detail
given later in the syllabus.
You will make a post a mini-essay to our class’s CANVAS discussion board for each of the
articles you read. In those posts, you should give the members of the class a sense of something you
learned in the article, and your thoughts about how it is relevant to the reading in the books or in lecture.
The mini-essay should give a sense of something you learned from the article and the related text
material. It is also good (not required, but a good idea) to sometimes include in your writing a response
to something written by your classmates on the board. You may, for example, find that you read an
article that relates to something posted by another student, or you may find you got something different
out of the reading. Either is fine, as long as you articulate your position and support it with something
from the article itself and from the text material and do so in a mutually uplifting and respectful way.
Assuming your mini-essay post is of the requisite length and complexity (which in this case
means about the length of 2-3 paragraphs, 6-8 sentences each), shares something from the reading with
your classmates, and has been reasonably thought out, you will receive full credit. If it does not say
something that is relevant to what we are covering, appears to be “tossed off,” or is gratuitously
offensive, it will receive a zero. For something basically in the ballpark but falling short, you may receive
partial credit. You should be able to get full credit in this section of the course, assuming you take it
seriously and make the postings in a reasonable fashion.
Basically, you will average one post for a reading to accompany each of the religions we discuss
in the lectures. For your 5th (toward the midterm) and your 10th and final post, the assignment is a little
different, but one I hope you will enjoy and find a great stimulus to your own study. For the 5th post,
write a brief (also 2-3 paragraphs of 6-8 sentences each) mini-essay telling us any one or two take-away
lessons from the first half of the class—basically through Eastern Religions. There are no wrong answers
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here (assuming you write it in good faith and give it some thought). Tell us what one or two of the ideas
of the class to which you have given some thought, and how they might be things you will remember and
perhaps use as a tool in your own social analysis, once the class is over.
The 10th Mini Post will be something like the 5th but will focus on the second half of the course
(anything from Judaism on…), or something from the course in general.
There are literally thousands of examples…For examples, you can look on the class Canvas site
consider the Other Items of Interest module under the Modules tab. In there, you can find the kind of
article you will be looking for. Click, for example on the National Geographic article about the Dalit or
“Untouchable” under-caste. It would be the kind of article you could use for Hinduism (the article itself
would not be eligible for you to use, because one of the major points of the exercise is for you to find an
article on your own).
That would be the kind of article you would attach to your discussion board post under Hinduism.
You will talk about the main points of the article in one paragraph, tie it to something we covered in the
class (in this case, the situation of the Untouchables, the overall caste system and their relation to it, and a
few of the more sociological processes that bear on how it has unfolded over time; in this case, the
phenomenon of cultural lag, where cultural norms and beliefs may take years or decades or even
centuries to catch up to changes in material conditions such as the transition from feudalism to capitalism,
or that merely changing a law without changing the cultural conditions underlying it can be associated
with widespread social dislocation. Welcome to the world of comparative religions as filtered through the
lenses of a sociologist! Stick with it, embrace it, and you will get more out of this course than you may
have thought possible. It is a wonderful learning experience (dare I use the word fun in the syllabus—but
there you go!).
The posts on our class’s CANVAS discussion board will, I hope, allow us to use the medium of
our computers to full advantage, giving us an online parallel to class participation. While only ten posts
are absolutely required, I do hope that people will interact above and beyond that via the postings, so that
it becomes an interesting discussion board rather than a dry place to simply dump assignments.
Post Seminar Assignment -- Final Paper (30%):
A brief paper (12-15 pages) on one of the religious traditions covered in the course, is
required. A number of guidelines are below here in the syllabus, under Useful Things to Look For.
Due date is April 23, 2023.
The class paper accounts for 30% of the grade. You will write a paper (in standard American Sociological
Association format, a handbook for which is posted on our class site) discussing one of the major
world’s religions covered in the Canonical Texts Reader. The target length is 12-15 pages, typed, doublespaced.
While there is some flexibility here, I have included some guidelines in this syllabus for the study of
religions in general, and for how they are situated within their respective societies. These guidelines are
also quite useful in terms of organizing your thinking for when you write your paper. There are numerous
references generally available for virtually all of the major world’s religions. As a target, you should plan on
having about 16-20 references for your paper’s bibliography. Each reference should be properly cited. You can
write your course paper on any of the traditions covered during the semester.
Notice: Failure to meet assignment due dates could result in a lowered grade or a grade of I (Incomplete) and
may adversely impact Tuition Assistance and/or Financial Aid.
This is a letter-graded course: A, B, C, D, or F.
The following course grades and their associated course averages are:
A: 90% and over B: 80 – 89.9% C: 70 – 79.9%
D: 60 – 69.9% F: 59.9% and below
There is plenty of time to complete the material and take the exams and make the postings, but
only if you are prepared; if the time seems “rushed” to you, take it as a sign that more preparation time
might be called for on future the Final Exam. So, do yourself a favor – plan to be prepared, take a deep
breath, and enjoy demonstrating a command of your newly acquired knowledge!
| Assignment | Percent of Course Grade |
| Posts to the Discussion Board (10 Total; turned in as two groups of 5) | 20% |
| Exams (there are 2 exams @ 25% each) | 50% |
| Post Seminar Assignment (Final Paper) | 30% |
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Materials posted on the OU CANVAS system:
Access CANVAS at http://canvas.ou.edu; enter your OU NetID (4+4) and password, and select course to access the material.
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Your responses will be kept confidential. They will be reviewed by the department and only supplied to the professor once grades for the course have been submitted.
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Statement on Respect
The classroom should provide a safe learning environment where students can express their views without fear of reprisal. That freedom of expression must be balanced by demonstrated respect for other’s viewpoints and appropriate and reasonable sensitivity, especially within the context of scholarly disagreement. Disrespectful or uncivil dialogue (including, but not limited to, personal attacks, insults, or harassment) will not be tolerated.
Recording Devices/Phones/Computers
It is important for students to be fully present during class to fully benefit from lectures, discussions, and experiential assignments. Class sessions may not be tape-recorded. All telephones and pagers should be turned off or placed on silent mode. Computers may not be used during class. Students who require an exception to this policy should discuss exceptional circumstances with the professor.
Thomas J. Burns, Ph.D.
Education 1990 Ph.D., University of Maryland (M.A. University of Delaware; B.S.University of Maryland)
Current Positions
Professor of Sociology at the University of Oklahoma, and active in the Religious Studies,
International Relations, and Environmental Studies programs.
Frequently Taught Advanced Programs Courses
SOC 5970 Religion and Society SOC 5790 Environment and Society
Major Areas of Teaching and Research Interest
Dr. Burns’s research focuses on the outcomes, evolution and emergence of social institutions from a comparative
and historical perspective, particularly as they pertain to issues of religion and the environment.
Representative Publications and Presentations
• Burns, T.J., and B.S. Caniglia. 2017. Environmental Sociology: The Ecology of Late Modernity, 2e.
Norman, OK: Mercury Academic.
• Burns, T.J., and T.K. Rudel. 2015. Metatheorizing Structural Human Ecology at the Dawn of the Third
Millennium. Human Ecology Review, 22(1):13-33.
• Burns, T.J. (ed.). 2012. Canonical Texts: Selections from Religious Wisdom Traditions. San Diego:
Cognella;
• Burns, T.J. 2012.What Is Old and What Is New? Considering World-Systems in the 21st Century and
Beyond. In C. Chase-Dunn and S. Babones (eds.), Handbook of World-Systems Analysis. London:
Routledge;
• Burns, T.J. 2012. Marine Pollution. In G. Ritzer (ed.), Blackwell Encyclopedia of Globalization.
London: Blackwell;
• Burns, T.J. 2009. Culture and the Natural Environment. In A. Begossi and P.F. Lopes (eds.), Current
Trends in Human Ecology, Newcastle upon Tyne, U.K.: Cambridge Scholars Press;
• Burns, T.J., E.L. Kick, and B.L. Davis. 2006. A Quantitative, Cross-National Study of
Deforestation in the Late 20th Century: A Case of Recursive Exploitation. In A.K. Jorgenson and E.L.
Kick (eds.), Globalization and the Environment, Leiden: Brill;
• Burns, T.J., and T. LeMoyne. 2001. How Environmental Movements Can Be More Effective:
Prioritizing Environmental Themes in Political Discourse. Human Ecology Review, 8(1):26-38.
Representative Honors and Awards Received
• University of Utah, College of Behavioral and Social Science Superior Teaching Award
• University of Oklahoma, Good Teaching Award
• Society for Human Ecology, Gerald L. Young International Book Award
• Society for Human Ecology, Distinguished Leadership Award
• Book Review Editor, Human Ecology Review
• Editorial Board, Journal of World-Systems Research
• Representative Professional Affiliations: Society for Human Ecology, American Sociological
Association, Society for the Study of Social Problems, Oklahoma Sociological Association
(Past President)
In seeking to understand a religion and the societ(ies) of which it is part (note: these are many of the questions we
have in mind as we cover the respective religions. Also, this can serve as an outline for your final class paper):
1. Demographic characteristics
Estimates of numbers of people and their distribution (e.g. age, sex ratio, urban/rural,
developed/developing countries, geography and history of parts of the world where it is most
predominant.
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2. Key beliefs
e.g. monotheistic/polytheistic/animistic, afterlife, approaches to God
3. Orientation to the world
inner-worldly/other-worldly, ascetic/mystical
4. Sacred objects and people
e.g. Bible, Bhagavad Gita, Priests, Communion, Prasadam
5. Rituals and other practices
e.g. dietary proscriptions, daily prayer, proselytization practices. How do these relate to key
beliefs?
e.g. sacraments, (routinized action with others, promoting commonality of focus and
perceptions and facilitating social solidarity)
6. Interface with other societal institutions
Promotion of social solidarity and other functions in, for example, economy, polity, and
family. How separate are the other major institutions and social structures (e.g. class and
status stratification systems) from religion?
7. Religion as an ethical guide to everyday life
Given our discussion of religion and ethics, much as Max Weber has discussed a Protestant
Ethic, what are some characteristics of the ethics of the religions we are studying (e.g.
Confucian Ethic, or Taoist Ethic?) What effects have these had on individuals and institutions
in society?
8. Explication of Sacred Texts
Based on your reading and discussion how would you explain the meaning in a passage from
a tradition’s scripture? What are some of the different levels of meaning, from the personal to
the organizational, to the most macro level? What are some of the metaphors in play? Is there
extended metaphor, or allegory? If so, what are some of the larger ideas? What can we make
of mythos and logos based readings? How can they inform one another? How does the society
influence how a scripture is read and interpreted, and how does that reading in turn feed back
to the society itself?
9. Generally…
In general, when studying about a religion, to the extent possible, try to consider it from the standpoint of
the people practicing that religion. In all cases, understanding is more important than judgment.
Methodologically, an important concept here is Max Weber’s idea of Verstehen.
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In addition to any specifics about a religion, you should generally be able to give the central ideas of the
religion in a few paragraphs. You should then be able to expand on those central ideas with meaningful
detail.
Also, attend to the considerations in the syllabus about the specifics in a given religion.
One sign of intellectual maturity is the ability to think about ideas in more than one way. In general,
rather than memorizing lists of things from the books or lectures, try to integrate them into your thinking,
come up with examples, and discuss them.
In the brief time of the course, we will cover the same amount of material and do the same
amount of readings as a course that is, during a full semester, spread out over 16 weeks. There are
tradeoffs to this intense format. On the positive side, you cover the material quickly, but it is important to
keep a good pace throughout, as there is not the “down time” many people find during the longer full
semester. Students who tend to do best, make the course a priority during these few weeks
Given that the course is less than three weeks, and a total of 10 postings are graded, in order to
stay on pace, you should plan on writing a posting several times per week during the course. The good
news: If you stay up with the lectures and the ancillary materials provided and do your reading of the
news in a timely and focused fashion, you should be in good shape in the course.
You will be taking the exams at home (or wherever you choose that works for you – one of the
beauties of taking it online!) but you will need to prepare before taking them. Take this as fair warning—
trying to “wing it” will not lead to a good result. The exams are long enough to parallel a “take home”
exam from a physical classroom sort of format. The exams are both designed for you to be able to finish
well within the timeframe, assuming you have prepared and maintain a reasonable and steady pace.
