This course introduces you to the central tools and concepts within the disciplines of sociology and psychology that provide insights into the spiritual care work of chaplains across a variety of settings. The course explores how religion is present and influential in public and private life, with particular attention to everyday lived religious practices, religious communities, and religious identities. The course design and assignments create a dialogue between the theoretical and the practical, giving chaplains insight into assessing the never-ending negotiation of religion’s place in society and institutions through in-depth case studies and training in ethnographic research.