印第安納大學與普渡大學印第安納波里斯聯(lián)合分校

Religious Studies offers students opportunities to explore the patterns and dimensions of the many different religious traditions of the world from the perspectives of the academic study of religion. The courses are designed to help students develop basic understandings of the many ways in which religions shape personal views of the world, create and sustain the communities in which we live, and interact with politics, economics, literature and the arts, and other structures of society. Through this curriculum, students are provided the skills that will allow them to understand religions as a part of the study of human history and traditional and nontraditional values. The department offers both a major and a minor, allowing students to investigate religious phenomena in depth and encouraging connections with other areas of the humanities and social sciences.

Religious studies majors have gone into careers in a variety of fields that require critical thinking, subtle analysis, and skilled articulation. Some graduates have obtained positions in education, business, medicine, social work, journalism, the arts, politics, and the administration of nonprofit organizations. Others find employment in a variety of areas, including religious ministries, social service organizations, health and welfare agencies, and not for- profit communities. Many students continue their education in graduate or professional school.

Students completing the Religious Studies B.A. program will achieve the following:

Know

• the basic worldviews and practices of a variety of religious traditions (e.g., Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, and Native American religions) and
• the concepts and methods of religious studies as a nonsectarian, interdisciplinary way of exploring the amazing diversity of the world’s religions.

Understand

• the dimensions of religion (experiential, mythical, doctrinal, ethical, ritual, social, aesthetic) as a tool for analyzing and comparing religious traditions and
• how religions change over time in response to both internal and external circumstances.

Be able to

• read and analyze religious sources, both textual and non-textual, in social and historical context;
• speak and write about competing religious claims in a fair-minded and informed manner; and
• deal comfortably with complexity and diversity in a way applicable not only to careers in religion but also to jobs in business, communication, education, international relations, fine arts, government, law, medicine, nonprofit management, social services, and other fields.