The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the much-discussed (but less often understood) concept of culture and its implications for theological study and pastoral ministry today.  After attending to more theoretical concerns, we will investigate the manner in which a nuanced construal of culture is essential for better understanding such things as secularization, religious change, and the salience of religiosity in shaping people’s perceptions, identities and strategies of action.  By attending to these (and other) topics, students should acquire the theoretical and methodological tools necessary for becoming more sophisticated observers of religion as it is actually lived out as well as for deepening their studies in theology and ministry. [25 max enrollment]