Students
POIR3050 – Religion and Politics
2021 – Session 1, Special circumstances, North Ryde
Notice
As part of Phase 3 of our return to campus plan, most units will now run tutorials, seminars and other small group activities on campus, and most will keep an online version available to those students unable to return or those who choose to continue their studies online.
To check the availability of face-to-face and online activities for your unit, please go to timetable viewer. To check detailed information on unit assessments visit your unit's iLearn space or consult your unit convenor.
General Information
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| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Ian Tregenza
Margaret Sampson
|
|---|---|
| Credit points |
Credit points
10
|
| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
130cp at 1000 level or above OR (20cp in HIST or MHIS or POL or POIR or MHIX or POIX units at 2000 level)
|
| Corequisites |
Corequisites
|
| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
|
| Unit description |
Unit description
Since the eighteenth century Enlightenment philosophers have predicted that religion would vanish as capitalism, science and state separation from religion progressed. To some extent this has happened in some European countries, but on the whole, the 'secularisation thesis' has not come true. Not only is religion still with us, but in many regions of the world it has grown and its impact has become more intense. This unit examines the nature of the relationship between religion and politics by analysing the history of political thought, as well as recent developments in global and national politics. |
Important Academic Dates
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- ULO1: analyse and express arguments about the relationship between religion and politics in oral and written form.
- ULO2: show familiarity with, and critically interpret, some classic and contemporary texts on the relationship between religion and politics.
- ULO3: form a critical and systematic argument about concepts related to politics and religion, including secularism and secularisation, religious freedom, religious nationalism, religious pluralism, and civil religion.
- ULO4: articulate a reasoned response to contemporary controversies about religion and politics in the light of the controversies’ broader philosophical and historical contexts.
General Assessment Information
Late Assessment Penalty
Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – two (2) marks out of 100 will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submissiondeadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests.
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Article review | 20% | No | Week 4 |
| Essay | 40% | No | Week 9 |
| Test | 40% | No | Week 13 |
Article review
Assessment Type 1: Literature review
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Week 4
Weighting: 20%
Write a critical summary of one or more articles
On successful completion you will be able to:
- analyse and express arguments about the relationship between religion and politics in oral and written form.
- show familiarity with, and critically interpret, some classic and contemporary texts on the relationship between religion and politics.
- form a critical and systematic argument about concepts related to politics and religion, including secularism and secularisation, religious freedom, religious nationalism, religious pluralism, and civil religion.
Essay
Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 40 hours
Due: Week 9
Weighting: 40%
An essay of 2500 words, on a topic distributed during the unit.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- analyse and express arguments about the relationship between religion and politics in oral and written form.
- show familiarity with, and critically interpret, some classic and contemporary texts on the relationship between religion and politics.
- form a critical and systematic argument about concepts related to politics and religion, including secularism and secularisation, religious freedom, religious nationalism, religious pluralism, and civil religion.
- articulate a reasoned response to contemporary controversies about religion and politics in the light of the controversies’ broader philosophical and historical contexts.
Test
Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: Week 13
Weighting: 40%
An online test covering all of the content in the Unit.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- analyse and express arguments about the relationship between religion and politics in oral and written form.
- show familiarity with, and critically interpret, some classic and contemporary texts on the relationship between religion and politics.
1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:
- the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
- the Writing Centre for academic skills support.
2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation
Delivery and Resources
Readings will be available through the ilearn site.
All lectures are recorded and available on ilearn.
For internal students tutorials are either face to face or via Zoom. External students participate through the online discussion page.
Unit Schedule
Week 1. A Secular Age?
Week 2. Inventing ‘Religion’ and the ‘Secular’
Week 3. The Two Cities: Augustine to Luther and Beyond
Week 4. The Enlightenment(s) and Religion
Week 5. Toleration and the Separation of Church and State
Week 6. A Secular State? Religion and Secularism in Australian History
Week 7. Reading Week.
Week 8. Religious Liberty in the Modern World, part 1.
Week 9. Religious Liberty in the Modern World, part 2: Faith in the Public Sphere
Week 10. Revolt against Modernity? Fundamentalism
Week 11. Migrations of the Holy: Nationalism and Human Rights
Week 12. Conclusion: Can religion and politics be separated?
Policies and Procedures
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
- Academic Appeals Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progression Policy
- Assessment Policy
- Fitness to Practice Procedure
- Grade Appeal Policy
- Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public
- Special Consideration Policy
Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.
Student Code of Conduct
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct
Results
Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
Student Support
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to help you improve your marks and take control of your study.
The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources.
Student Services and Support
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
Student Enquiries
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
IT Help
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
Unit information based on version 2021.04 of the Handbook