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Birmingham-Southern College Catalog 2017-2018
106
ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
Religion
Bachelor of Arts
Amy C. Cottrill, Keely Sutton, Mary Page Wilson-Lyons
Religion is a fundamental part of the human experience and an inextricable dimension
of thought, belief, ethics, politics, society, culture, and the arts. The discipline of
religious studies asks how different cultures have put together the worlds in which they
live. Areas of inquiry include the history of local and global religious traditions,
spiritual dimensions of human experience, religious dimensions of culture, and the
place of religion in society. Ultimately, the study of religion helps students to
understand the complex processes by which individuals and groups create meaning for
themselves and imbue those meanings with power.
Religious studies is inherently intercultural and interdisciplinary, and creativity and
connection are encouraged. The department of religion offers courses on topics such as
ecological spirituality, the cultural context of the Hebrew Bible, Buddhist meditation, the
history of Christian thought, religion and gender, religion and film, and religion and
politics. The department also offers opportunities to study Hebrew and organizes
Exploration term study-travel projects to England, India, and the forests of northern
Alabama. All of these offerings share a common focus on inquiring into the religious
worlds that humans create.
Religion students are frequently motivated by concerns about social justice, curiosity
about both familiar and unfamiliar cultures, an interest in religious experience and
practice, and a general desire to understand people more fully. Because the academic
study of religion teaches such valuable and transferrable skills as critical and creative
thinking, effective and purposeful communication, and rigorous research, religion
majors and minors are prepared upon graduation to pursue a variety of vocations:
graduate work in religious studies or theology, social work, public health, law,
medicine, business, and more.
Upon completion of the religion major, students will be able to
•
demonstrate a significant familiarity with at least one religious tradition,
recognize its diverse manifestations in particular cultural contexts, and engage in
informed discussion of its history and practices
•
interpret “textual religion” and apply the methodologies (linguistic, literary,
sociological, historical, rhetorical, or ideological) that relate to the critical
interpretation of sacred texts and religious writings
•
integrate the study of religion into other disciplinary studies
•
conduct original scholarly research in the academic study of religion
•
present scholarly research to a public audience