For four days from September 27 to 30, Special Lecture on Sociology: Contemporary Sociology of Religion and Spirituality was held as a newly established course offered by Hokkaido Summer Institute (HSI) 2021. Professor Yoshihide SAKURAI was in charge of this lecture, which was held online with Professor Adam POSSAMAI from the University of Western Sydney in Australia as an invited foreign lecturer.
Beginning with the definition of religion (“What is religion?”), Professor Possamai explained modern religion and spirituality while referring to Emile Durkheim, Karl Marx, Max Weber and other sociologists. He also described polytheism and various other religions as well as the current situation surrounding religion in modern Australian society. At the end, he considered the future of religion and participants were assigned with writing essays.
Participants, who were unaccustomed to the way the lecture was delivered on the first day, began actively participating in the question-and-answer sessions held on and after the second day. These lectures provided Hokkaido University graduate students with a great opportunity to grow by participating in lectures from overseas.