Course syllabus

THEOREL 201: Religions in New Zealand

SEMESTER 2, 2019

15 points

 Image: BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (Temple), Avondale, Auckland. Hinduism is the second biggest religious grouping in New Zealand after Christianity (Credit: Nick Thompson)

Course Convenor: Nick Thompson 

Course delivery format:

2 hours of lectures and 1 hour of tutorial

(Timetable and room details can be viewed on Student Services Online)

 Summary of Course Description:              

Auckland is one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world. According to Statistics New Zealand, Auckland's current population is made up of 220 different ethnicities.

This ethnic diversity is also reflected in the diversity of Auckland's religious life. The city has the highest rates of religious affiliation in New Zealand, and higher proportions of most of New Zealand's smaller religious groups live in Auckland than elsewhere in the country.

This course is designed to help students make sense of this diversity in belief and religious tradition by addressing the following the following questions.

• What is religion? Can we find a definition that fits both the pre-Christian Maori worldview, post-contact Maori religion, and the immigrant religions like Christianity, Hinduism or Islam, which have taken root in New Zealand? Do other activities like sport and ANZAC Day commemorations also meet the definition of a religion?
• Is there really any difference between religion and "spirituality," or between religions and "cults"?
• How do migrant religions have to change in order to adjust to life in New Zealand, and Auckland in particular?
• Is New Zealand religiously tolerant? How tolerant should we be? Who needs to "tolerate" whom?
• What does it mean to be secular? How should we understand the rapidly growing number of people who claim to have "no religion"? How should members of religious communities and those with no religion negotiate their lives together?
• What kind of future do religions have in this country?

Image: Niuean Women's choir, Pacific Island Presbyterian Church, Auckland (Credit: Nick Thompson)

Course outcomes:

A student who successfully completes this course will:

• be able to use some of the basic tools from the academic field of Religious Studies to analyse and assess religious life in Aotearoa/New Zealand  
• be able to present a well-informed analysis of media coverage and political debates about religion in Aotearoa/New Zealand
• be able to present a well-informed analysis of the dynamic relationship between religion, place and culture - e.g religion and matauranga Māori (Maori epistemology), religious change as a result of migration and cultural diversity.

 Assessment Summary:

• 40%: Ten quizzes on the readings for weeks 2-11 (5% each) (Grade is based on your best 8 quizzes)
• 40%: 2000 word research report on an Auckland religious community
• 20%: 1200 word site visit report

Image: Gravestone of an Irish Catholic family in Naseby, Central Otago. The verse suggests that, like other migrant communities, they were sharply conscious of the connection between their faith and the country of from which they came (Credit: Nick Thompson)

Weekly Topics:

1.  Introductions
2. Definitions: What is Religion?
3. Definitions: Spirituality
4. Definitions: Matauranga Māori
5. Religion and Death
6. Religion and Immigration
7. Charisma and New Religious Movements
8. Cults?
9. [No classes: essay preparation]
10. Pluralism and Secularity
11. Tolerance and Hate Speech
12. Secularisation

Image: Poster for a festival based around what's sometimes called "New Age" spirituality, Symonds Street, Auckland (Credit: Nick Thompson)

Prescribed Texts:

There is no textbook for this course, but weekly readings will be supplied via the Reading List linked in the menu on the left hand side of this screen

Workload and deadlines for submission of coursework:           

The University of Auckland's expectation is that students spend 10 hours per week on a 15-point course, including time in class and personal study. Students should manage their academic workload and other commitments accordingly. Deadlines for coursework are set by course convenors and will be advertised in course material. You should submit your work on time. In extreme circumstances, such as illness, you may seek an extension but you may be required to provide supporting information before the assignment is due. Late assignments without a pre-approved extension may be penalised by loss of marks – check course information for details.