As part of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies, our mission is to pursue the investigation of religious ideas, values and practices from a core perspective in the Humanities that engages the social and behavioral sciences and other disciplines at Arizona State University. From this interdisciplinary approach we study religion through three distinct but interdependent frames: traditions, regional contexts and themes.
The beginnings of a new century have made all too clear the relevance of understanding the function of religious ideas and practices. To understand the world in our present – but also in the past and in the future – you must understand religion. To aid in the tasks of knowing and evaluating the role of human participants in religious activities, our Religious Studies program stresses the role of religion in culture: how humans have generated various religious practices, products, and remains.
The B.A. in Religious Studies includes 36 semester units of course work.
This includes 9 units of lower division introductory work in: 1) the Study of Religion; 2) Western Religions Traditions; and 3) Non-western Religious Traditions.
The 27 units in upper division courses are comprised of: 1) Methods of Studying Religion; 2) two courses on Western Religious Thought; 3) two courses on Non-western Religious Thought; 4) two courses in the Experience of Religion; 5) a text course; and 6) a capstone senior seminar.
There are a number of course options within each area.
The Department of Religious Studies, established in 2005, offers both B.A. and M.A. degrees. The Department offers a broad range of courses, with particular focus on 1) religion and public life and 2) religion and globalization. Research and coursework in religion and public life recognize the impact that religion has on U.S.
The B.A. program in Religious Studies is designed to provide a balanced, nonsectarian, cross-cultural approach leading to a better understanding of the phenomenon of religion in human experience.
All known civilizations, cultures and nations have been deeply affected by religion. Religions have created institutions such as temples and schools, produced great works of literature and art, and organized rituals to mark the continuities and changes in individual and communal lives. Religions have both legitimated political structures and inspired revolutions. Whether we are concerned with international affairs or our everyday experience in multicultural cities like Hamilton, religious diversity is a key element of social interaction.
The academic study of religion is central to the creation of a
community of world citizens. Our program is designed for students
who live in a pluralistic society and who wish to investigate the role
religions play in human life and society. Because religion has shaped
the human story of almost every culture, it is difficult to understand
human behavior or to interpret world events without grasping how
religion has helped to determine them. As United States Supreme
Court Justices Clark and Goldberg wrote in their decision allowing the
As a Religious Studies major you will develope core skills that are needed to flourish in today's changing world: thinking carefully and critically, writing clearly, speaking persuasively, exhibiting an impressive awareness of cultural and religious diversity, working cooperatively with people who are different from you, understanding some of the religious causes of human conflict and violence, and cultivating your curiosity about matters of life and death.
Religious ideas and practices shape behavior throughout the world. Those who have a deep understanding of religion—how its features interact with and depend upon social and cultural contexts—are in a better position to grasp the salient aspects of religiously-based communication and interactions.
Religious Studies is an inquiry into the fundamental stories, myths, symbols and practices by which communities have attempted to make sense out of themselves and the worlds in which they live. The department offers courses in Asian and Western religions, both ancient and modern, and courses that explore topics in religion in modern culture that are not limited to any one religious tradition. Attention is given to a wide range of attempts to deal with basic questions about the nature of the cosmos, the nature of human beings, and the origins and destiny of human life.
At the University of South Florida the Department of Religious Studies primary area of academic strength is the interdisciplinary scholarly analysis and interpretation of religion, culture, and society using the theories and methodologies of the humanities, social sciences, and sciences.
The University of Texas at Austin offers an undergraduate major in Religious Studies leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree. It provides a multi-disciplinary curriculum that draws on the rich expertise of over seventy faculty from nineteen departments across the University. Religious Studies courses encompass various approaches to the study of religion: they explore ritual and textual traditions, consider the early formation of religions, and investigate the interaction of religious beliefs and practices with political, social, cultural, and economic developments.
Some of the earliest scholars of Religious Studies conceived of religion as the “belief in superhuman beings”, or they focused on a Sacred that is “wholly other”. The contemporary study of religion, however, is largely the study of people and of the unique ways that people make meaning in their lives. The main goals of the Religious Studies program at UWO are to study how individuals and communities around the world do this through their use of religious language, imagery, and performance. In studying the five major World Religions – Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism –
The major is 36 credit hours, designed to prepare students for graduate work in religious studies or theology.
Requirements = 3 credits of Intro level coursework, 9 credits of Monotheistic traditions, 9 of Asian/Non-Monotheistic, 3 in methodological approaches, 1 seminar/capstone, and the rest as electives.
The major and minor programs in Comparative Religion are designed for those who, whether they are religious or not, want to know more about religion, the role and significance of religion in societies today and in the past, and the ways in which academics think about and analyze religion and related concepts.
The Religion Department at Wright State University uses an academic, non-confessional methodology in teaching religion that does not aim to argue for the truth of one, all, or no religions. Instead, faculty analyze religious beliefs, practices, texts, and institutions both descriptively and critically as intellectual, historical, and cultural phenomena.