Religious Studies
Office: B-10 Cocke Hall
Phone: (434)924-3741
| All Religious Studies courses apply toward fulfillment of the College area requirement in Humanities. |
The Department of Religious Studies is a multidisciplinary department that attempts to define and interpret dimensions of human culture and experience commonly regarded as “religious.” Courses in the Department stress critical thinking, clear writing, and persuasive use of evidence to support one’s views; these skills are central to the analysis and interpretation of the social and intellectual systems that constitute the data of religious studies.
All introductory courses at the 100- or 200-level have no prerequisites and are open to first-year students. The Department offers a wide range of courses that cover different approaches to religious study. Students have the opportunity to examine the major religious traditions of human history, principally Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and African religions.
There are more than 100 students majoring in Religious Studies. A number of them are double majors. To complete a major in Religious Studies, students must take at least three courses in one world religion and at least two courses in another. The required majors seminar, taken in the third or fourth year, provides an overview of the different methodologies employed in the study of religion, and emphasizes the development of the humanistic and social-scientific skills needed to interpret religious phenomena. Most students begin their study of religion in a large introductory level course (between 100 and 250 students) that covers a broad topic (e.g., RELG 101: “Introduction to Western Religions,” or RELG 104“Introduction to Eastern Religions.” All large survey courses are supplemented by small discussion sections (maximum of 20 students per section) that are led by advanced graduate students. Advanced courses generally have between 25 and 50 students enrolled in them, and seminars are limited to 20 students. These courses focus on more specialized topics (e.g., “medieval Christianity,” “religion and the literature of American immigrants,” “Islamic fundamentalism”). Independent study, in which a student works closely with a faculty advisor, is also an option.