It seems, the broad ranging changes occurred in the last twenty years forced us to rethink our earlier assumptions about religion and secularization. The aim of this course is to reconsider the modernist approaches and theories of religion and secularisation and also to understand the reason why there has been such changes. We will start of with debating the modernist approaches and theories of religion and secularisation and then moving on to the postmodern approaches, theories as well as we will try to grasp the new forms and contents of religion and secularization. In this process we will use many forms and appearances of religion and secularisation all around the world and in Turkey to test the validity of current theories at hand.

The rise of modernity; Erosion of super natural forces, religion, ethnicity and social change; Religion and social life in post-industrial era; Re-thinking secularization (Bruce and Martin); Globalization, religion and secularization; The changing meanings of religiousness; Religion as a diffusion of values; Fundamentalist movements; The end of the ideologies.