专业描述

The faculty of the Religion department helps students to grasp the stunning diversity of faith traditions of the past and present from around the globe. Religion students become experts in interdisciplinary methods of study and analysis, learning how to interpret textual, archaeological, visual, and material evidence. Our typically small classes allow faculty to work closely with students and get to know them as scholarly colleagues in the study of the world's religions, especially in the two courses required of every Major (see below.) Students in Religion also take elective courses in many other departments in order to investigate, discuss, and interpret religious phenomena in a cross-cultural, historical, and interdisciplinary perspective. REL 301 - Introduction to the Study of Religion, which teaches students key concepts in Religious Studies (such as “comparison” or “experience”). REL 401, the capstone seminar required in the final year of studies. In this seminar, students draws on the skills, methods, and insights that accumulated throughout their undergraduate years. Each Seminar student develops and writes an original research paper on a topic of his/her choice related to the seminar theme. Each year, REL 401 is taught by a different professor on a selected broad theme (such as religion and the body; visual religion; comparative religion; etc.) The seminar format promotes the close collaboration of graduating majors and faculty members in lively class discussions as well as the research and re-writing process.