The religion graduate is expected to have an appreciation of
the diversity of humanity's religious traditions. No student will recall all
the factual information related to a religious tradition, but each should have
enough knowledge to form a general picture of the religious traditions she or he has
studied. Beyond the content of religious traditions, a religion graduate should
be able to identify and coherently discuss the conceptual issues that shape the
academic study of religion. There are many such issues, ranging from those
usually identified with the humanities (such as philosophy, literature, music,
history) to those studied more commonly in the social sciences (such as
psychology, sociology, anthropology, political science).
In order to develop a deeper sense of religion as an
academic discipline, students should familiarize themselves with the core
learning goals that motivate the teaching of religion. These learning goals
animate the basic structure and formal requirements of individual courses and
underpin the structure of the major and minor in religion. In addition to the
goals outlined here, individual courses may have more specific goals about the
acquisition of factual information particular to the course. The goals outlined
here are applicable to the entire range of departmental offerings and should be
understood as working in conjunction with the goals specified for individual
courses. The department's broad goals can be divided into three categories:
conceptual learning goals that delineate the principles of the discipline;
knowledge-based learning goals that relate to the specific features of
particular religious traditions; and practical learning goals that define
important skills that students can expect to develop by taking courses in religion.Conceptual Learning
Goals. Students who study religion at Rutgers University can expect to
develop an understanding of the following concepts:
1. How religions are shaped by
their own past and by the past of their society and institutions;
2. How religions continue to shape
and be shaped by contemporary social and political structures;
3. How religions have shaped and
been shaped by various forms of human expression, from philosophical and
theological writing to ritual practices;
4. How the study of religion has
developed as an academic discipline that stands outside particular religious
traditions and studies religions through the methods and standards accepted in
the secular academy;
5. How within the confines of that
academic discipline there are many methods scholars use for understanding
religion and many debates about and among those methods;
6. How to apply such methods to
particular religious questions or situations.
Knowledge-Based
Learning Goals. Students who study religion at Rutgers University can
expect
1. to gain knowledge of the basic
tenets and chronological data of at least one Western religious tradition:
e.g., Judaism, Christianity, Islam. This will include knowledge of its primary
texts, ritual, theology, ethics, and epistemology; its essential vocabulary;
its influence on and the ways it has been influenced by its contexts; and its
basic history as it has moved through time and into different places;
2. to gain knowledge of the basic
tenets and chronological data of at least one eastern religion: e.g., Buddhism,
Confucianism, Taoism, Hinduism. This will include knowledge of its primary
texts, ritual, theology, ethics, and epistemology; its essential vocabulary;
its influence on and the ways it has been influenced by its contexts; and its
basic history as it has moved through time and into different places;
3. to gain knowledge of the
universe of meaning internal to at least one particular religious tradition,
including its central theological and philosophical questions, as well as the
theological and philosophical answers proposed. This includes the ability to
examine critically philosophical and other theoretical issues concerning the
nature of reality, human experience, knowledge, value, ethics, and/or cultural
production.
Practical Learning
Goals. Students who study religion at Rutgers University can expect to
develop the following practical skills:
1. The ability to read,
understand, and discuss a variety of primary sources such as the scriptures of
various religions, memoirs, rules for religious practice, theological and
philosophical texts, and liturgical instructions;
2. The ability to read and
understand analytical studies of religious issues written in academic prose;
3. The ability to conceptualize,
research, structure, articulate, and defend an original thesis in both written
and oral presentation;
4. The ability to work
independently and to conduct independent research.
Programs of Study and Courses for Liberal Arts and Sciences Students 
