https://studiegids.vu.nl/en/courses/2024-2025/G_CLASSStudents who have successfully completed this course should be able to:place Weber's book The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (PE) into the perspective of cultural-historical debatedescribe the main argumentative steps of PEsummarize the so-called Weber thesis in its subtletiesdiscern anomalies and ambiguities in PE and bring them to bear on its argumentative powerconfront ideas proposed by Weber with their own theological and economic viewsdo research on primary literature related to PE and present the findings in classwrite a paper building on or criticizing (specific parts of) PEstate the theological relevance of PE in light of the economic questions todayreflect critically on and develop skills in reading classics in a scholarly and independent wayIs there a relationship between the Protestant Reformation and the rise of capitalism in the West? In this 'Classics' course master students are encouraged to look beyond their own specialization as they cross the disciplinary boundary into the sociology of religion and economic history. It is devoted to “one of those audacious and robust texts for which the term ‘classic’ could have been invented”:Die protestantische Ethik und der Geist des Kapitalismus, written in 1904-5 by the founding father of modern sociology, Max Weber. In a seminar setting, the students will be introduced to the background, context, and content of the text, discuss its strengths and weaknesses, and learn to discover the contemporary relevance of this classic. Over the course of 12 classes, the entire text of PE will be subjected to close reading and brought into discussion with other relevant texts. The second half of the course will be devoted to the reception of PE, an examination of the Dutch case, and Weber’s essay on the Protestant sects in America. Overall, these activities should make clear that Weber’s PE deserves the epithet ‘classic’ and forms a must read for students of theology and religious studies.Seminar, including:lecturesclose-reading sessionsdiscussionspresentationsThe final grade of this course is made up of the following components:participation in class (35%)presentation of own research (15%)final paper (50%)Max Weber, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (London/New York: Routledge, 2001 or later) Max Weber, ‘The Protestant Sects and the Spirit of Capitalism’, from The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, trans. and ed. Stephen Kalberg (New York/Abingdon: Routledge, 2012), 127-147 – will be supplied on Canvasadditional papers and book chapters that will be supplied on CanvasThis course is part of the Research Master and Divinity Master of the Faculty of Religion and Theology. It is open to all other master students.