Our academics have a broad range of specialisms, from the relationship between religion and social development in. If religion means primarily God-consciousness, or the realization of God both within and without, and secondarily a body of beliefs, tenets and dogmas, then, strictly speaking, there is but one religion in the world, for there is but one God. This allows us a 360 degree view of religion. We cross list with a greater variety of departments and programs than any other department – while providing the same powerful opportunities for developing your capacities to analyze, communicate, create, collaborate, and continue to learn everywhere you want to go in life. Our religious studies department is comprised of historians, ethnographers and sociologists of religion, with each bringing their own unique perspective to the subject. It is a great place to weave together and integrate a liberal arts education that includes the social sciences, humanities, natural sciences, and community-engaged learning. It also provides language, insights, and conceptual frameworks for understanding and naming your own experience – “religious” or not, “spiritual” or not, atheistic, agnostic, or otherwise – and for communicating and acting on your own deepest sense of meaning and purpose.Īnd have you ever heard from Bates alums about how, in their careers, they rely a great deal on the critical thinking skills they honed and the broad perspectives they developed in pursuing a liberal arts education? Religious Studies provides skills for a lifetime. religion, human beings’ relation to that which they regard as holy, sacred, absolute, spiritual, divine, or worthy of especial reverence. Have you ever wanted to harness your curiosity about the world to your passion for making a meaningful difference through whatever work you choose to do? T he academic study of religion examines how people make meaning. Bochums Center for Religious Studies (CERES) provides an excellent and research-focused infrastructure for the Masters degree programme, as it is closely. Have you ever noticed how often religion appears in the headlines? How people point to religion to justify their actions and challenge those of others? How religion seems to motivate both violence and nonviolence, both destruction and protection of life? The academic study of religion provides critical tools for analyzing how powerful ideologies, institutions, and values of the past continue today to animate not only “religious” people and societies but even the most “modern” and “secular” ones, as well. From politics and art to science and war, the study of religion opens a gateway to understanding the world around us. The academic study of religion provides an opportunity to explore how different cultures – throughout history and in the present – grapple with these enduring questions and many others. Have you ever wondered about the meaning of life? Of death? Love? Compassion? Commitment? Welcome to Religious Studies.

Religious studies