Religious Studies

An Overview for Students

Religious Studies Prize

AN OVERVIEW FOR STUDENTS

Religious Studies is an inter-disciplinary field of inquiry which investigates the religious traditions of humans, in all their historical, cultural, and doctrinal complexity. Rather than teaching a religion from the standpoint of a believer, Religious Studies approaches these complicated traditions of beliefs and practices in the same way as a political theorist regards systems of governance or a literary critic reads canonical literature: that is, we do not attempt to assess the “truth” or the merits of particular religions, but instead seek to understand how they have come about, what they are made of, what their practitioners do, and how they affect culture and society.

NC State courses in Religious Studies provide students with the opportunity to study the history, texts, and practices of well-known religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, for example), as well as those which are lesser known (e.g., Vodou or Wicca). Our faculty strive to help students develop a variety of methods for understanding and interpreting these traditions, focusing on historical studies (the narrative of a particular tradition or geographic territory), textual studies (oriented towards a particular body of sacred texts or towards a specific theme), and critical/theoretical studies (which investigate broad comparative or analytical questions on, for example, the meanings of ritual, the role of gender, or the relationship between politics and religions).

Students are trained to interpret and evaluate these elements of religious traditions, and to think critically, constructively and independently about important issues like the comparison of religious traditions, the relationship between beliefs and practices, the justification of religious beliefs, the interpretation of sacred texts, religious ethics, and the role and impact of religions in modern societies.

Religious Studies helps students to develop their capacity to understand, criticize and construct arguments about religions, to identify and engage major issues in the field, and to elaborate their ideas and present them in a clear, coherent and well-organized form (whether spoken or written). Students who have majored in Religious Studies at NC State are familiar with the history of the discipline, the basic features of multiple religious traditions, and with major theoretical and comparative issues in the study of religion.

Religious Studies majors often tend to register higher scores on objective tests such as the GRE and LSAT, and the major provides an excellent preparation for graduate school in the humanities, as well as for any field that requires critical and constructive thinking.

The NC State Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies offers a Bachelor of Arts Major in Religious Studies (LRS) and a Minor in Religious Studies. Brief descriptions of the Religious Studies courses offered at NC State appear in Courses Offered.

For a recent article about the increasing popularity of Religious Studies, see "Religious Studies Revival" (Newsweek, September 2010).

RELIGIOUS STUDIES PRIZE

The Religious Studies Prize in Honor of Professor W. Curtis Fizgerald was introduced in 2010/11. The prize, which includes a cash award, is presented each Spring to the outstanding senior in Religious Studies. The winners have been as follows:

• 2011: Mary Catherine Hamner
• 2012: Allison Aurora DeLargy
• 2013: Amanda Margaret Jones