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Study information

Religion and Material Culture

Module titleReligion and Material Culture
Module codeTHE1121
Academic year2025/6
Credits15
Module staff

Professor Emma Loosley Leeming (Convenor)

Professor Francesca Stavrakopoulou (Convenor)

Duration: Term123
Duration: Weeks

11

Number students taking module (anticipated)

50

Module description

Religion is inseparable from material culture. From the places, objects and art people create and use, to the rituals and practices they perform, religion is as much about what people ‘do’ and ‘make’ as what they might ‘think’ or ‘believe’. This Level 1 module offers an interdisciplinary introduction to the relationship between religion and material culture, both past and present, by examining a number of methodological approaches to the subject along with further exploration of case studies drawn from the module leaders’ own fieldwork and research to encourage your curiosity and develop your ability to follow the evidence to draw independent conclusions.

While this module provides core content for the Religion, Culture, and Society programme, it is also suitable for those on other CAHRT programmes, as well as those in disciplines such as Archaeology, History and AHVC who are interested in the relationship between religion, ritual and material culture.

Module aims - intentions of the module

In this module you will consider how material culture intersects with notions of the otherworldly and/or divine in order to draw evidence-based and independent conclusions. Whereas the focus of faith and religion is often presented as ‘not of this world’ and essentially intangible, invisible, or immaterial, you will learn how to assess selected examples of material culture, from early human societies to present-day communities, in order to explore the ways in which material culture has shaped religion and developed cultural intelligence, whilst exploring how religion has shaped our material world. In particular, you will examine how human production and ritual activities have attempted to materialize aspects of the otherworldly and divine, and contributed to various constructs of otherworldly beings, deities, and God throughout history. Examples of topics include the materiality of religious spaces and places, the significance and function of visual symbols and iconography, and the creation and use of ‘sacred’ objects, icons and relics. 

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

  • 1. Demonstrate, with guidance, basic knowledge and understanding of the ways in which religion and material culture intersect and learn to link ideas from different sources to build and appraise arguments.
  • 2. Demonstrate, with guidance, an ability to relate selected material objects and/or ritual activities to their wider social, cultural, and religious contexts, whether past or present and demonstrate cultural intelligence and engagement with other societies.
  • 3. Demonstrate an ability to comment on selected methodological approaches to material culture and draw evidence-based independent conclusions.

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

  • 4. Use, analyse and evaluate visual and material evidence as a major source for understanding religion using insightful questioning.
  • 5. Demonstrate an ability to engage critically with interdisciplinary approaches to the academic study of religion

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

  • 6. Select, organise, and communicate information about primary sources and their interpretation in lucid and logical written prose demonstrating effective academic and scientific writing.
  • 7. Engage generously and sensitively with methods and views representing perspectives which may be contrary to your own through professional and respectful communication.

Syllabus plan

Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics: 

  • Object-worlds and human societies
  • Visual cultures, art and iconography
  • Sensory religion
  • ‘Sacred’ spaces and places
  • What’s the difference between an idol, an icon, and a god?
  • Remembering the dead
  • Ritual and the materiality of performance

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
331170

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning and Teaching33Classes include a mixture of lecture, whole-class discussion and small-group elements.
Guided Independent Study117Reading and class preparation, assessment preparation and completion.

Formative assessment

Form of assessmentSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Draft case study/artefact analysis1000 words1-6Written comments

Summative assessment (% of credit)

CourseworkWritten examsPractical exams
10000

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment% of creditSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Case study/artefact analysis401000 words1-6Written comments
Essay602000 words1-7Written comments

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessmentForm of re-assessmentILOs re-assessedTimescale for re-assessment
Case study/artefact analysisCase study/artefact analysis1-6Ref/def period
EssayEssay1-7Ref/def period

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

  • Zainab Bahrani, Mesopotamia: Ancient Art and Architecture. Thames & Hudson; London, 2017.
  • John R. Clarke, Art in the Lives of Ordinary Romans. University of California Press; Berkeley, 2002.
  • Timothy Insoll, Archaeology, Ritual, Religion. Routledge; London, 2004.
  • Thomas F. Mathews. The Dawn of Christian Art in Panel Paintings and Icons. Yale University Press; New Haven, 2017.
  • David Morgan (ed.), Religion and Material Culture. Routledge; London, 2010.
  • S. Brent Plate, A History of Religion in 5½ Objects: Bringing the Spiritual to Its Senses. Beacon Press; Boston, 2014.
  • Jonathan Z. Smith, To Take Place. Towards Theory in Ritual. University of Chicago Press; Chicago, 1987.
  • Sophie Woodward, Material Methods: Researching and Thinking with Things. Sage; London, 2020.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

  • ELE – Faculty to provide hyperlink to appropriate pages

Key words search

Material Culture, Religion, Ritual, Sacred Space, Visual Culture

Credit value15
Module ECTS

7.5

Module pre-requisites

None

Module co-requisites

None

NQF level (module)

4

Available as distance learning?

No

Origin date

02/06/2023

Last revision date

03/03/2025