Description: Introduction to the study of religion through the lenses of sociology and cultural studies. Explores the mutual influence of religion and social institutions, politics, social movements, and popular culture. Topics may include pluralism, new re- ligious movements and “spirituality”, popular culture, Religious Studies in the Hindu religious tradition during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, inside and outside of India. Topics covered include the impact of colonialism and nationalism on Hinduism, the rise of neo-Hindu movements, modern Hindu “fundamentalism,” and Hinduism in the modern Western world.