The sociology of religion is the study of the beliefs, practices and organizational forms of religion using the tools and methods of the discipline of sociology. Thus, the purpose of this comprehensive exam is to give me an opportunity to demonstrate mastery over relevant theories, methods, and empirical findings in major subfields of the sociology of religion. This reading list also provides a strong foundation in the central theoretical perspectives, main classic and current debates, and prominent published empirical studies in the field. Hence, this reading list includes a core set of readings to which we most often refer in our studies and enables comprehensive analyses about the
In this article, the woman in question is Carole Smith, a security worker at a major airport who identifies as a Wiccan witch. She has had numerous incidents of workplace complaints from those she works with and she herself has filed complaints against her coworkers unrelated to her religion. However, all of these serious complains came in after her report of religious discrimination. These c...
Jones, T. and Erickson, E. (2013). Recent Developments in Religious Accommodation in the Workplace. Employment & Labor Relations Law, 12(1), 8-13
Faith in the workplace and the level of accommodations employers should allow is an increasing problem. Moreover, the influx of people from different backgrounds bringing with them different religious practices has caused organizations to seek help from organizations such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the courts, and legal firms on how to deal with this new reality. Thus, the complexities surrounding religion and spirituality in the workplace and recommendations on the cause and solutions were examined.
Morgan, James F. (2015). How Should Businesses Respond to a more Religious Workplace? Web. 29 June 2015.
The circumstances, images and fallout related to September 11, 2001 have caused many Americans to revisit their spiritual beliefs in attempt to process the horrific events of such an unimaginable day (Smith, 2003). In the years since the Fall of 2001, employees have developed an increasing desire to integrate their personal spirituality and religious beliefs with their professional lives (Cunningham, 2010). Managers are now faced with the difficult task of accommodating the varying spiritual beliefs of their workforce while tactfully mitigating religion-based issues in accordance with Title VII.
Williams, R. (2010). Space for God: Lived Religion at Work, Home, and Play Sociology of
Moeller, Philip. “Religion Makes People Happier--But Why?” Chicago Tribune. N.p., 13 Apr. 2012. Web. 15 June 2015.
The article “Faith in the workplace”, featured in The Economist, is about a new admonition that came up last month from America’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission which stated that last year there were 3, 721 religious discrimination cases in the workforce, which makes the year 2013 with the most amount of religious discrimination cases. Therefore they enforced a law, because it’s a human right for firms to respect their workers and provide them with religious needs, that all the bosses and managers of the Western part of the world, must respect and have to allow their employees to display their religious faiths and beliefs and let them practice it while at work, for example: letting Muslim women wearing their Hijab (head scarf), letting people celebrate their special holidays. That is why all Business firms and companies have changed their rules in order to meet employee’s expectations such Abercrombie Fitch, because if they don’t meet their expectations and discriminate them they will have suffer from lawsuits and so on.
“The most dangerous leap is the leap to conclusions” (Kroll, 2015, para. 7). Leaping to conclusions is what led the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Frederic Jones (Jones) to sue Alliant Techsystems (Alliant) in 1998. The allegations against Alliant were violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (Title VII); specifically the refusal to accommodate Jones’ religious beliefs. The legal action was a result of Alliant’s interpretation of Jones’ reasoning behind his request, his religious beliefs, and the desire to acquire union fees. Title VII does not limit religious beliefs to only traditional religions but extends the definition to ethical and moral beliefs as well (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, n.d.a). More often than not, the law is a gray area that judges must decipher to determine which party is right and which is wrong, EEOC v. Alliant Techsystems is no different.
I remember sitting in that office, with all the little crosses and religious knick-knacks and shelves lined with endless religious texts. Today was the day I would figure out how well I could survive college life. Today was the day I would figure out how well a religious college could practice tolerance. My hands turned white as I gripped the chair, my heart beating ever faster as the moment slowly approached. Father Hart proceeded to clear his throat and an eerie, long silence hung in the air. “The College’s President says it can’t happen.”, Father Hart managed to start, “He’s concerned that it will affect the Monastery.” There it was. After the endless talks of compromise, toiling work of religious research, and tapping all the right people
Workforce diversity has become a reality in organizations. More organizations have written workforce diversity policies or programs. Although there is still no consensus on how to define workforce diversity, diversity policies and program are producing positive effects in organizations. Diversity in the workplace is a way of defining acceptable behaviors of employees. Diversity represents all the ways in which individuals are both similar and different. It involves a variation of characteristics such as: age, sex, color, religion, national origin, disability, or any other differences. Although diversity initiatives are common in the workplace today, this is due mainly to the federal government use of constitutional amendments, legislation, and executive orders, along with court decisions to interpret the laws for equal rights (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, & Wright, 2010). The way an organization defines diversity and how it manages its diverse workforce may determine its effectiveness.
Eileen P. Kelly was a tenured professor in Ithaca College’s School of Business and specialized in management, business ethics, and employment law. She was noted for her scholarly work and publications concerning business ethics, employment rights, religion and employee workplace rights, privacy rights, labor and management history. In this article, Kelly (2008) discusses the degree of religious diversity in the United States, the factors influencing religious expression in the workplace, the most common types of religious expression in the workplace and the extent of the legal obligations an employer has to accommodate them. “Clearly, religion and spirituality are key concerns of the American population. It should come as no surprise therefore that Americans would bring those beliefs into the workplace” (Kelly, 2008, p. 46).