This course introduces students to the concepts and tools central to the social scientific study of religion. It is divided into two sections. In the first section, we discuss what social scientific study of religion is by studying methodologies of social sciences and their relations to sociology, anthropology, psychology, and feminist study of religion. The second section focuses on topics and research methods students are interested in as a class. Materials throughout the course are drawn from across theoretical and methodological approaches, as well as application of theories and research methods in studying religion.