This R4/SC course introduces students to American megachurches as an important feature of the religious landscape of the United States. Since the 1980s, megachurches have evolved into increasingly complex social forms, more recently with elaborate online dimensions. In this applied research methods course (Lehrforschungsseminar), students will devise individual research projects with the goal of examining the online self-representation of a choice of the largest US megachurches. A special focus will be put on the role of authority and how authority structures are shifting in the digital age as becomes evident in the respective megachurches’ online presence. To methodologically analyse selected digital content, students will reacquaint themselves with the method of sequence analysis and apply this in working groups.
Successful completion of “Introduction to Methods in the Study of Religion” (S2) is mandatory to take this course. The course will be taught in English. The project report may be written in German, but students should be able to read, present, and discuss in English.
- Kursleiter/in: Maren Freudenberg