What will I learn in a religious studies minor?
The interdisciplinary minor in religious studies includes coursework from the departments of anthropology, art, dance, world languages, history, philosophy and sociology. Your classes will draw on the different perspectives offered in these fields to explore fundamental questions concerning the nature of religion and its continuing relevance to contemporary life in a rapidly globalizing world.
In the minor, you will:
- Learn about religions around the world
- Read religious texts, commentaries and analyses, and reflect on their meaning and importance
- Discuss the concept of religion, its origin and construction
- Think about religions as cultures with specific identities tied to language, region, bodily practices, texts and beliefs
- Consider how religions are shaped by interaction and exchange with other cultures, by technological change, by changing conceptions of gender, and by globalization
- Study contemporary religious movements and their relation to secularism, law, sovereignty and violence
- Look at religious art and artifact and consider how they reflect and produce religion
The Religious Studies minor is offered by the Department of Anthropology in the College of Liberal Arts. The department offers degree programs in Anthropology and also houses interdisciplinary minors in Religious Studies, Museum Studies and Historic Preservation.
