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Religious Studies begins with questions about faith, the sacred, and the experience of the transcendent. The program is rooted in the social, personal and religious values of the Christian and Catholic faith traditions and encourages dialogue with other religious traditions. The program welcomes students from a variety of faith traditions and courses encourage students to explore their own spirituality and their relationship to God/the divine in accord and dialog with their own traditions.

Many of our courses are taught from an historical perspective. At the same time, the predominant emphasis in the program is on religion in the contemporary world. Consistent with Catholic social teaching, emphasis throughout the curriculum is placed on an intercultural perspective and on the perspective of non-dominant groups, such as women, people of color, and the poor.

Religious Studies majors must take four core classes, in which philosophical and religious perspectives on human personhood, human and social political life, human values, and world wisdom traditions are examined and compared. The remainder of the religious studies requirements is designed to meet discipline specific goals. The Senior Seminar in Religious Studies and the student’s portfolio are used to assess the program.