Sociology · Year 12

Active learning ideas

Religion in a Global Context

Challenge your students to look beyond the headlines and explore the complex, often contradictory, role religion plays in our interconnected world.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• AQA A-Level Sociology: Paper 2, Option B - Beliefs in Society: Religion in a global context

• 30–60 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Case Study Analysis
• 60 min · Small Groups

Fundamentalism Case Study Analysis

In small groups, students research a specific fundamentalist movement (e.g., the New Christian Right in the USA, Hindu nationalism in India). They then present their findings, analysing the group's characteristics against sociological definitions of fundamentalism.

Explain the key features of religious fundamentalism.

Facilitation Tip

Provide a structured template to guide research, ensuring students focus on sociological features rather than just theology.

What to look for

Write an essay responding to an A-Level style question, such as 'Assess the view that religion has become more significant as a source of social conflict in a globalised world.'

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

Activity 02

• Case Study Analysis
• 45 min · Whole Class

Globalisation and Religion Debate

Divide the class into two sides to debate the motion: 'This house believes that globalisation has made religion more, not less, important.' This encourages students to use theorists and evidence to construct and defend a coherent argument.

Analyse the relationship between globalisation and the rise of new religious movements.

Facilitation Tip

Assign specific theorists or concepts to different students to ensure a wide range of sociological ideas are discussed.

What to look for

Students complete a concept map linking the key terms: globalisation, fundamentalism, postmodernity, and secularisation, explaining the connections between them.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

Activity 03

• Case Study Analysis
• 30 min · Individual

Postmodern 'Spiritual Supermarket' Simulation

Create stations around the room representing different beliefs (e.g., crystals, yoga, online church, traditional worship). Students 'shop' for their own belief system, then reflect on how this activity illustrates postmodern concepts of choice and identity.

Evaluate the claim that religion has become more, not less, important in a postmodern, globalised world.

Facilitation Tip

Conclude with a class discussion linking their individual choices to the decline of meta-narratives and detraditionalisation.

What to look for

Students use a 'confidence grid' to rate their understanding of different theorists (e.g., Giddens, Bauman, Bruce) and their arguments, identifying areas for revision.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

A few notes on teaching this unit

Start by grounding the abstract concept of globalisation in students' everyday experiences. Introduce key theoretical dichotomies, such as cosmopolitanism versus fundamentalism, to structure their thinking. Use contemporary case studies to bring these theories to life and encourage students to apply concepts to new examples.

Upon completing these activities, students will be able to critically evaluate how globalisation both revitalises and challenges religious belief, using sociological theory and evidence.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• Religious fundamentalism is the same as extremism and is exclusive to Islam.

  Fundamentalism is a broader mindset based on a literal interpretation of sacred texts as a reaction against modernity. It exists in most major religions, including Christianity, Hinduism, and Judaism, and is not inherently violent, though it can be associated with extremism.

• Globalisation simply means Westernisation and the end of local cultures.

  While Western culture is spread through globalisation, it is a two-way process. Sociologists use the term 'glocalisation' (Robertson) to describe how global ideas are adapted to local contexts, often resulting in hybrid forms of culture and religion.

• Postmodernity means nobody believes in anything anymore.

  Postmodernity describes a decline in the belief in single, all-encompassing truths (meta-narratives). This doesn't mean a loss of all belief, but rather a shift towards individual choice, spiritual seeking, and the rise of diverse, personalised belief systems.

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Methods used in this brief

• Case Study Analysis