Teaching Durkheim

Abstract Emile Durkheim's work on religion occupies a central place in religious studies classrooms today. Durkheim is widely taught, in the social sciences and in phenomenology and history of religions. This diverse classroom use within religious studies is reproduced in other disciplines, where Durkheim's work on religion is regularly taught in courses in sociology, anthropology, history, and philosophy, as well as in such interdisciplinary programs as Jewish studies and women's studies. This book provides practical advice about productive ways to approach central texts and difficult pedagogical issues. It represents diverse points of views and a range of disciplines. The chapters in Part One address large issues arising from the whole of Durkheim's work on religion, such as what material to assign in what sorts of courses, and on how to present the material to students of varying background and motivation. Part Two turns to context, with chapters assessing the available English translations of the Elementary Forms of Religious Life, and exploring how to teach the historical, critical, and biographical framework of Durkheim's work on religion. Part Three takes up questions of how to incorporate Durkheim's work in courses concerned with ethics, gender studies, and social theory.