Methodology and sources in cultural and religious studies I 3305-MZBR1-1U
The aim of the proseminar is to familiarise students with selected methodological traditions in the field of cultural and religious studies, with elements of political and social science. In the first part of the course, students will be introduced to selected theoretical schools/research orientations through the reading of texts and discussions. The proposed texts will include not only excerpts from the foundational works of each orientation, but also examples of research stemming from a specific theory on cultural or religious creations or phenomena related to Spanish-speaking countries. The aim of the second and third part of the course is to provide the knowledge and develop the skills necessary to convey a research and write a Master's thesis in the discipline of cultural and religious studies or political science, therefore they are workshop-based. Following textbooks and discussions of selected elements of methodology and examples of their application, students will carry out exercises: Researching and critically discussing textual and audiovisual sources, designing and conducting ethnographic interviews, applying selected methodological strategies and methods of analysis.
The description covers both semesters of the course (Methodology and Sources in Cultural and Religious Studies I and II).
|
Term 2025Z:
The aim of the proseminar is to familiarise students with selected methodological traditions in the field of cultural and religious studies. In the first part of the course, students will be introduced to selected theoretical schools/research orientations through the reading of texts and discussions. The proposed texts will include not only excerpts from the foundational works of each orientation, but also examples of research stemming from a specific theory on cultural or religious creations or phenomena related to Spanish-speaking countries. The aim of the second and third part of the course is to provide the knowledge and develop the skills necessary to convey a research and write a Master's thesis in the discipline of cultural and religious studies or political science, therefore they are workshop-based. Following textbooks and discussions of selected elements of methodology and examples of their application, students will carry out exercises: Researching and critically discussing textual and audiovisual sources, designing and conducting ethnographic interviews, applying selected methodological strategies and methods of analysis. |
Type of course
Prerequisites (description)
Course coordinators
Mode
Term 2025Z: Classroom Remote learning Blended learning | General: Remote learning Blended learning Classroom |
Learning outcomes
KNOWLEDGE:
Upon completion of the course, the student knows and understands:
[S1K_W01, S2K_W02] the subject and methodological characteristics specific to the field of Iberian studies, which he/she is able to develop creatively and apply in his/her professional activity, the general terminology of the study of culture and religion, especially the most recent developments in their field, to an extended degree in the field of cultural and religious sciences in Spanish-speaking countries;
[S1K_W02, S2K_W02] the connections of the cultural and religious studies with other disciplines in the humanities and social sciences, especially anthropology, ethnography and political science;
[S1KW_03; S2KW_03] the basic concepts and principles of intellectual property protection and copyright law and the necessity of intellectual property management;
[S1K_W04, S2K_W04] scientific and cultural phenomena in Spanish-speaking countries and, in particular, has an in-depth knowledge of the connections between new research and trends in the field of study and other humanistic and social discourses, including political discourses;
[S1K_W05, S2K_W05] the terminology, theory and methodology of cultural and religious studies relevant to Iberian studies, in particular the main assumptions of research orientations such as phenomenology, social constructivism, critical theory, new materialism and qualitative research methodology, including research strategies such as case study or comparative analysis and methods of analysis such as discourse analysis
[S1K_W06, S2K_W06] contemporary achievements of research centres and schools in cultural and religious studies.
SKILLS:
On completion of the course the student is able to:
[S1K_U01, S2K_U01] apply the acquired research skills, including critical analysis of the methodology of works in the discipline of cultural and religious studies, selection of methods and construction of research tools, elaboration and presentation of results, allowing for original solutions to complex problems in cultural and religious studies;
[S1K_U02, S2K_U02] independently acquire knowledge in cultural and religious studies, including independently conduct library and Internet searches, search, acquire and analyse textual and audiovisual sources, and expand research skills and take autonomous actions to develop their abilities and direct their own career as a researcher in cultural and religious studies;
[S1K_U03, S2K_U03] use acquired language skills in understanding and producing oral and written texts using professional terminology in cultural and religious studies.
SOCIAL COMPETENCES:
Upon completion of the course, the student is ready to:
[S1K_K01, S2 K_K01] interact in a group, performing different roles in the group resulting from the specificity of conducting research in cultural and religious studies;
[S1K_K02, S2 K_K02] resolve dilemmas related to the performance of their future profession, in particular the work of a researcher in the field of cultural and religious studies.
Assessment criteria
A requirement for passing the course is:
1. passing a written test to check knowledge of the theoretical and methodological texts discussed during the course (50% of the final mark);
2. completion of project tasks consisting in searching for and critically discussing sources and conducting an analysis of sources using appropriate tools (50% of the final mark).
Two unexcused absences are allowed. Each additional absence results in a half-grade reduction of the final grade. It is possible to make up an absence during a duty period (oral answer form).
Bibliography
Antropología visual y epistemes de la imagen. 2018. Arturo Gutiérrez del Ángel, Christoph Schabasser y Cecilia Fuentes (ed.). San Luis Potosí, El Colegio de San Luis, A.C.
Baudrillard, Jean. 2009. La sociedad de consumo. Sus mitos, sus estructuras. Madrid, Siglo XXI.
Baudrillard, Jean. 2012. Cultura y Simulacro. Barcelona: Kairós.
Banks, Marcus. 2006. Using visual data in qualitative research. London etc., Sage Publications.
Banks, Marcus. 2007. Visual methods in social research. Los Angeles, Sage Publications.
Bourdieu, Pierre. 2006. Génesis y estructura del campo religioso. Relaciones. Estudios de Historia y Sociedad.108, 29-83.
Citro, Silvia (coord). 2010. Cuerpos plurales: antropología de y desde los cuerpos. Buenos Aires, Biblos.
Cliford, James. 1988. The Predicament of Culture. Twentieth-Century Ethnography, Literature, and Art. Cambridge; London, Harvard University Press.
Coole, Dian y Frost, Samantha. 2010. New Materialisms. Ontology, Agency, and Politics. London, Duke University Press.
Denzin Norman K., Yvonna S. Lincoln. 2017. The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research. SAGE Publications, Inc.
Estudiar el fenómeno religioso hoy: caminos metodológicos. 2019. Hugo José Suárez, Karina Bárcenas Barajas, Cecilia Delgado Molina (coord.). Ciudad de México, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Instituto de Investigaciones Sociales.
Flick, Uwe. 2014. The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Data Analysis. SAGE Publications Ltd. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446282243
Foucault, Michel. (1970) 2013. El orden del discurso. México, Tusquets.
Hall, Stuart; Gay, Paul. 2003. Cuestiones de identidad cultural. Buenos Aires: Amorrortu.
Hall, Stuart (Ed.). 1997. Representation: Cultural representations and signifying practices. Sage Publications, Inc; Open University Press.
Horkheimer, Max (1937) 2003. Teoría crítica. Buenos Aires, Amorrortu.
Husserl, Edmund. (1949) 2010. Ideas relativas a una fenomenología pura y una filosofía fenomenológica. México, FCE.
Latour, Bruno. 2007. Can we Get our Materialism Back, Please? Isis, 98(1), 138-142.
Latour, Bruno. 2007. Nunca fuimos modemos. Ensayo de antropología simétrica. Buenos Aires, Siglo XXI Editores.
Lipovetsky, Gilles. 2006. La era del vacío. Ensayos sobre el individualismo contemporáneo. Editorial Anagrama.
Maturana, Humberto. 1995. La realidad, ¿objetiva o construida? Barcelona, Anthropos.
Merleau-Ponty, Maurice. (1949) 1994. Fenomenología de la percepción. Planeta Agostini.
Palacio, Marta. (ed.). 2018. Neo-materialismo. Buenos Aires, Prometeo Libros.
Reynoso, Carlos. 1998. Corrientes en antropología contemporránea. Buenos Aires, Universidad de Buenos Aires.
Rose, Gillian. 2010. Visual methodologies: an introduction to the interpretation of visual material. Los Angeles, SAGE.
Símbolos, rituales religiosos e identidades nacionales: los símbolos religiosos y los procesos de construcción política de identidades en Latinoamérica. 2014. Aldo Ameigeiras (comp.). Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires : CLACSO.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: