Office of the Registrar
Campus Address
Hanover, NH
03755-3529
Phone: (603) 646-xxxx
Fax: (603) 646-xxxx
Email: reg@Dartmouth.EDU

Organization, Regulations, and Courses 2025-26


REL 21.01 Religion and Social Capital

Why are relationships essential? Why does reputation matter? How does trust form, and is there something “sacred” to social bonds? This course explores the concept of social capital and its relevance for understanding religion, culture, and society. We begin by examining what “capital” means when applied to relationships, exploring how social and cultural capital function as resources. We investigate how communities form, trust emerges, and symbolic power is cultivated, asking why such dynamics are often correlated with religion. We also explore concerns about the inequities surrounding access to social capital and its distribution. Through readings in religious studies, sociology, and anthropology, we consider gift exchange, reciprocity, and ritual as practices that forge connection while enforcing boundaries and ask how religious and ethical traditions portray such dynamics in both human and divine relationships.

Instructor

Singh

Degree Requirement Attributes

Dist:SOC; WCult:W

The Timetable of Class Meetings contains the most up-to-date information about a course. It includes not only the meeting time and instructor, but also its official distributive and/or world culture designation. This information supersedes any information you may see elsewhere, to include what may appear in this ORC/Catalog or on a department/program website. Note that course attributes may change term to term therefore those in effect are those (only) during the term in which you enroll in the course.