As its Mission
Statement declares, Saint Mary's College seeks to
cultivate a "Christian community of intellectual inquiry." As an
instance of
this goal, the College seeks to provide "an open forum where students
freely and
critically study the rich heritage of the Catholic tradition." The
Department
of Religious Studies plays a crucial role within this part of the
College's
mission by seeking to create an academic environment for the open study
of
religion and for serious theological inquiry. The department is firmly
committed to St. Anselm's definition of theology as "faith seeking
understanding." This both grounds our commitment to the rigors and
virtues of
the intellectually examined religious life and distinguishes us from the
primarily pastoral approach of Campus Ministry. Our respect for the
faith life
of our students is shaped by our desire to give them the critical skills
they
need to appropriate that faith more maturely and responsibly and to live
it more
fully and truly. We hope, therefore, to offer students (a) the
occasion for
investigating without inhibition the meaning and truth of religious
claims, (b)
the obligation and the courage to risk a conversation with people, ideas,
texts
and traditions which appear different and challenging to their own
perspectives,
and (c) the responsibility for critical thinking and reasoned
argumentation in
the development and advancement of their own views.
These broad departmental objectives--ultimately, what we take to
be the
basic tasks of Religious Studies and theology--translate into a number of
more
specific goals for student achievement. Department faculty work, on the one
hand, to
familiarize students with representative content from the field of
Religious
Studies and from the more specific discipline of theology. Through the
department's courses, its professors seek to make students cognizant of
some of the major
features of religious experience and traditions; and, in particular, we
work to
introduce students to the central ideas, authors and practices of the
Catholic
tradition of Christianity.
We hope, on the other hand, to initiate students in some of the
basic
cognitive skills and habits of mind at play in Religious Studies and
theology.
Courses in the Department of Religious Studies variously seek to acquaint students with the
skills
of critical interpretation and the methods of explanation current in the
field,
to convey to them a respect and appreciation for the classic sources of
the
Christian tradition, and to help them make the connections between
religious
tradition and the rest of personal and cultural life.
As ideals, these goals reflect (a) the long-standing Catholic
tradition of
bringing faith and reason (or belief and intellect) together in a
complementary,
dialectical relationship; (b) the open and ecumenical ethos of the
post-Vatican
II Catholic church; and (c) Religious Studies professors' own position as
faculty in the academic world of
twenty-first century America. Given the relative absence of women in the
history
of Catholic theology, the advancement of these goals in an institution
dedicated
to educating women also reflects (d) the College Mission's commitment to
"the
rights and responsibilities of women in the worlds of work, church and
community."
Two Religious Studies core courses form part of the General Education
Requirement at Saint Mary's by sharing in that requirement's stated goals of
fostering the ability to think clearly about complex problems, promoting
the capacity to communicate with precision and style, and studying freely
and critically the rich heritage of the Catholic tradition. Please
also know that students who are not Catholic or not Christian are at
no academic disadvantage in relation to other students in the class who
are.
Everyone starts college Religious Studies classes in roughly the same
place, and differences of viewpoint, background or tradition are
essential in furthering the learning process for everyone.
The
first
core course (RLST 101--formerly numbered RLST 201), usually
taken in the student's first
year, is meant to enlarge her understanding of religion and stretch her
imagination
beyond the familiar to think about religious life and culture from new
and
unexpected angles. Taught with different reading lists by different department members, this course
explores the nature of religion
and its place or function in personal and cultural life. Quite
frequently, this course incorporates texts which go beyond the
boundaries of Catholicism or even Christianity. By design, this course
creates a wider context within which the student may then understand and
evaluate her
own particular religious tradition or stance. This means that students read
materials
which encourage them to re-think their assumptions, and consequently, to
consider religion with more depth, greater range, and increased nuance.
For example, students in the first course may read texts which introduce
them to ancient mythic worlds
(reading The Epic of Gilgamesh, for instance) or which invite them to consider
the
claims to truth arising in other cultures (by reading witnesses from
native
American traditions, Hinduism, or Islam, for example). Along the same lines, students may
be exposed to materials which encourage them to struggle with the
diversity of experiences and
perspectives in the history of religions. Or, students may encounter
texts
which confront them with the voices of religious diversity--whether by
examining
the similarities and differences of Jewish, Orthodox, Protestant and
Catholic
viewpoints or by reading autobiographies representing the life-worlds of
various
religious traditions, to name just two examples. So too, students may read
texts
which offer them models for interpreting or theories for explaining
religious
thought and practice. Students in this first course, consequently,
examine
reading materials which provide them with tools for analyzing religious
phenomena--whether they be from the works of Martin Buber, Sigmund Freud,
E.P. Sanders, or other sources. In sum, the content of the first course works
to
help students achieve a fresh understanding of the nature of religion and
its
place in personal and cultural life, one marked by an appreciation for
the depth
of meaning and the diversity of expression.
The second
course (RLST 200-299) in Religious Studies,
usually taken in the sophomore year, tries to channel the broadened
understanding opened up by the first core to specific issues and
applications
within the Christian tradition, and most especially to issues, events,
and
authors arising in the Catholic world. Faculty teach different courses
to
fulfill this second requirement, but each considers a major theme in the
Christian doctrinal tradition (e.g., Christian reading of the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, God, Jesus, church,
sacraments,
ethics,
social teaching, etc.).
In this way, the second core
offers a more intensive, focused and systematic inquiry into Christian
faith and
the perspectives of Catholic theology.
In the second core, students are expected to achieve an
awareness of some of the basic issues and questions which have shaped
Christian
theology or which dominate current thinking in Christian thought. To
this end,
students choose their second course and read materials which either (a) introduce them to Scripture
studies, (b) introduce them to classic
writings from
the history of the Christian tradition (Athanasius, Augustine, Anselm,
Aquinas, for
instance); or (c) confront them with contemporary authors reflecting on
the
meaning and truth of particular doctrines or religious practice (the doctrine of God, personal or liturgical prayer,
the Catholic sacramental system); or (d) introduce them to current
issues in Christian (especially Catholic Christian) experience (notably,
matters
of controversy in moral life or social thought or issues relating to
the nature of the Christian community known as Church). In each of these
cases,
students are encouraged to examine the viewpoints and lines of reasoning
forwarded by Christian authors reflecting on the meaning and truth of
Christian
teaching. In sum, the content of the second course works to help
students
achieve an appreciation and understanding of major works of theological
reflection arising in the Christian tradition and Catholic faith and life.
In addition to the two courses in Religious Studies
required of every Saint Mary's student, the department offers a major in
Religious Studies and a minor in
Religious Studies. The major consists of a total of 9 courses (that
is, 7 courses
beyond the 2-course core requirement), and the minor
consists of a total of 5 courses (3 beyond the core requirement). It's
also possible to double major in
Religious Studies. Many of our students do this and link their
Religious Studies program with some particularly interesting
combinations (math & religion, economics & religion, psychology &
religion, social work & religion, and so one.) In
addition, many Saint Mary's students who have completed their two core
requirements in Religious Studies, and who are neither majors nor minors,
frequently take Religious Studies
elective courses during their junior or senior years for their own
personal enrichment or enjoyment.
The best place to go next to find out more about the Religious Studies
major is to hear
from some of our own present and past majors about
their experiences in the program, what they've gotten out of their study
of religion, and where they wish to go next with it. You can also e-mail
particular students directly through that site if you find someone whose
interests, background or aspirations match your own. We also know that
many students (and their parents!) have questions about why they should
major in Religious Studies, whether it's
practical to study religion, and what they can do
with a degree in Religious Studies.
Outstanding junior and senior Religious Studies majors may also be
eligible for
The David J. Murphy Carmelite Scholarship in Theology, the largest
endowed scholarship in the humanities at Saint Mary's.
