Religions address some of the most interesting and compelling questions in human life:
What is the nature of the world, of time and reality? - What is the true nature of human beings?
- Why are we here, and how should we then live?
- Who are we as a people, and who do we want to be?
The study of
religion explores human understandings of these key issues from diverse places
and cultures as they develop across changing circumstances and in encounter
with each other. A key feature of the identities of individuals
and communities, religions have tremendous power and impact on our personal
lives and our local, national and global communities. With their divergent worldviews, moral codes,
and conceptions of the life’s meaning and purpose and the crucial roles
religion plays in history, politics, law, the arts and so much more,
understanding religion and developing interreligious literacy is an essential
requirement for living productive and ethical lives as global citizens in our
world today.
The Religious Studies Department at Chapman
University offers courses that are global in scope and cover a broad range of
religious traditions and contemporary ethical issues. Courses explore not only diverse
understandings of the nature of reality, the meaning of life and death, and the
relationship of faith and reason but also how we might address contemporary
challenges of social justice, war and peace, the environmental crisis, medical
ethics, human rights and globalization. The study of religion is necessarily
interdisciplinary, employing methods from textual studies and archeology to
philosophy, history, politics, anthropology, sociology, economics, literary
theory, and more, to analyze religious phenomena, ideas, practices and
texts. In this global and
interdisciplinary study of the religions of the world, the department reflects
the broad ecumenical and pluralistic interest of the Disciples of Christ, the
founding denomination of the university.
A religious studies major is excellent preparation for graduate studies in a variety of fields, with religious studies majors consistently scoring among the highest on the analytic sections of graduate entrance exams like the GRE and LSAT. Our graduates have embarked on such careers as teaching, research, ministry, medicine, law, government, business, and journalism. Whatever your future holds, knowledge of religion will enhance your understanding of contemporary politics, history, art, culture, and so much more. And whether you become a health professional or a teacher, a lawyer or a psychologist, an international business person or a politician, interreligious literacy will be an invaluable asset to you and to your future employers.
