SOCY 3223 Tattoos and Religion. Studying a neglected spiritual practice.
This course explores tattoos as a religious practice, from a sociological perspective. There are no previous requirements for this class; we will read some sociology classic authors during the course. We will investigate contemporary religious, spiritual tattoos in the U.S., the Americas and Europe. After paying attention to the role of tattooists, we will study Pierre Bourdieus field theory to discuss who has the power to define if tattoos are religious practices or not.
Course overview
- Department
- Sociology
- School
- MCAS
- Credits
- 3
- Level
- Undergraduate
- Offered
- Annually
Requirements fulfilled
- Applied Psychology and Human Development: Major electives — any Psychology (PSYC) or Sociology (SOCY) course (no more than two electives from outside LSEHD) (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
- Sociology: Sociology electives (18 credits, generally six courses) (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
- Sociology: Upper-level Sociology electives (at least 9 of the 18 elective credits must be SOCY3000 or higher) (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
Course evaluations
- Course rating
- 4.32 / 5 · Very Good
- Instructor rating
- 4.56 / 5 · Excellent
- Terms evaluated
- 2
| Term | Instructor | Course overall | Instructor overall | Well organized | Clear learning objectives | Intellectually challenging | Helpful assignments | Applicable beyond course | Attendance necessary | Weekly effort | Responses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2024 | Gustavo Morello | 4.3 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 1–3 hrs/week | 15 of 19 |
| Spring 2023 | Gustavo Morello | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4–6 hrs/week | 20 of 29 |