Archaeology and religious studies major builds hands-on skills through studying Maya ceramics
Teagan Knutson ’25, an archaeology and religious studies major at The College of Wooster, found the footing to thrive at a career in archaeology […]
Overview
What kinds of careers do religious studies majors from The College of Wooster typically pursue after graduation?
With an academic environment that allows students to pursue a wide range of interests, religious studies students at The College of Wooster graduate with a diverse set of skills and pursue a wide range of careers. Our graduates have gone on to jobs in education and academia, politics, non-profit organizations, social work, and at libraries. A large percentage of students go on to graduate or professional schools, pursuing careers as counselors, administrators, clergy, physicians, nurses, or other public health professionals.
Religious Studies at The College of Wooster
Religious Studies at Wooster is interdisciplinary because we believe the academic study of religion is best done by integrating multiple disciplinary perspectives,such as history, anthropology, sociology, political science, theology, philosophy, art history, literature, and languages. This makes the Religious Studies major or minor an excellent choice for any Wooster student with a broad spectrum of diverse but interlocking academic interests.
Pre-Ministry Program at Wooster
The College of Wooster recently launched its Pre-Ministry program which provides students a structure for discernment and fellowship with others who may be considering seminary, rabbinic school, graduate theological education, or religious vocations and study.
More Information on Pre-MinistryFive Things Worth Knowing About Being a Religious Studies Major at The College of Wooster
- We study religions…and many other things. We study the many ways of being religious and the many ways that religions are present in our lives. Our courses and IS projects address religions all over the world and throughout human history. Students investigate religion in relation to science and environmental issues, national and global politics, peace and violence, gender and sexuality, the arts and popular culture. Our double majors connect religion with Anthropology, Art History, Communication, English, Molecular Biology, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology.
- You can be religious and be in Religious Studies. As you might expect, many Religious Studies majors are themselves part of religious communities, with an interest in understanding the nature of their own and other religious commitments more deeply. Religious Studies provides ways for religious persons studying from an academic perspective to broaden and enrich “insider” perspectives.
- You don’t have to be religious to be in Religious Studies. As you might not expect, many Religious Studies majors are not part of religious communities, but come to Religious Studies with an interest in understanding the ways that religions are part of history and culture. Religious Studies provides ways for religious “outsiders” to understand the many forms of religious life to which people commit themselves.
- Religious Studies graduates pursue religious vocations—and many other things. Religious Studies graduates are all over the world, employed or in graduate school, as teachers, lawyers, counselors or social workers, international aid and development specialists, in organic farming, human rights, or other politically engaged NGOs, business, and the medical fields. And, of course, many are in seminary or are clergy.
- Studying religions can make you a more interesting person! The study of religions requires engagement with aspects of life ranging from public and global concerns to the deepest, most private individual devotions. It challenges you to understand both different persons and traditions and your place in the world.
Faculty & Staff
Mark Graham
Associate Professor of Religious Studies; South Asian Studies; East Asian Studies; Co-Liaison to the Museum & Archival Studies Pathway; Associate Dean of Academic Advising
Sarah Mirza
Associate Professor and Department Chair of Religious Studies; Middle Eastern and North African Studies; South Asian Studies; Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies
Chan Sok Park
Associate Professor of Religious Studies; Classical Studies; Department Chair of Middle Eastern and North African Studies
Santha Schuch
Administrative Coordinator - Africana Studies, Archaeology, East Asian Studies, Middle Eastern & North African Studies, Religious Studies, Sociology and Anthropology, South Asian Studies, Urban Studies, Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Latest Religious Studies News
Tyler Rak | 2024 I.S. Symposium
Name: Tyler Rak Title: Crossing the Rubicon: Brazilian Water Access from Public Provision to Privatization Major: Political Science; history Minor: Religious studies; South Asian […]
Alaina Cline ’25 gains intercultural competencies and conflict mediation skills at inaugural Leaders Across Borders workshop
At a time when violence is erupting across the globe, Alaina Cline ’25 participated in an inaugural gathering of young global leaders learning how […]
Wooster student explores social media management at local theater during APEX Fellowship
Tyler Rak ’24 spent his summer working as an intern for Lyric Theater of Wooster researching small theater operations, managing social media accounts, and […]
Major
A Religious Studies major consists of 10.25 courses:
- One introductory (100 level) course in the study of religion.
- One .25 credit course, Sophomore Workshop “Experience in the Discipline,” normally taken in the second half of the student’s sophomore spring semester. In this class, new Religious Studies majors will work with a department faculty member to explore how the academic study of religion can help to facilitate their personal, academic, and professional interests and to develop a plan for their future Religious Studies work that will help them to develop Wooster’s graduate qualities and their post College plans. While this class is not required for Religious Studies minors, minors are strongly encouraged to take it.
- Any two 200-level Area I courses (religious traditions and histories)
- Any two 200-level Area II courses (topics, religious traditions in cultural contexts)
- RELS 20100, “Approaches to the Study of Religion,” a seminar class about the major theories and methods that inform the discipline of Religious Studies, normally taken fall semester of the junior year. See appendix for the course proposal
- One Religious Studies elective (any course the department offers)
- RELS 401, Junior IS, normally taken spring semester of the junior year
- RELS 451, Senior IS
- RELS 452, Senior IS
Other Major Recommendations
In addition, each Religious Studies major is encouraged to consider adding one of the following to their academic program: (a) a minor in a field appropriate to their professional and personal interests, or (b) an approved experiential learning opportunity appropriate to their professional and personal interests, or (c) a Pathway program appropriate to their professional and personal interests.
Special Notes
- No more than two 100-level courses may count toward the major or minor.
- Only grades of C-or better are accepted for the major or minor.
Minor
A Religious Studies minor consists of six courses:
- Two courses in Area I
- Two courses in Area II
- Two elective Religious Studies courses
Special Notes
- No more than two 100-level courses may count toward the major or minor.
- Only grades of C-or better are accepted for the major or minor.
- Sophomore Workshop “Experience in the Discipline” seminar is recommended
Independent Study
Independent Study (I.S.) is an exciting and challenging prospect in Religious Studies. We take your ideas and interests in the study of religions seriously, and work closely with you through Junior and Senior I.S. to develop, implement, and complete research projects appropriate to your interests and to the field of Religious Studies.
Junior I.S. (normally completed in the Spring Semester of the junior year) includes a combination of seminar course work with other Religious Studies juniors and individual work with a faculty member in the department. Through these two approaches, you will develop an understanding of how to conduct research and writing in Religious Studies, and will complete a 20-25 page research paper of your own. The Junior I.S. experience will provide the foundation and preparation for the more in-depth and individualized work of Senior I.S.
Senior year you will work for two semesters on a larger I.S. research project — either a continuation of I.S. work performed junior year, or an entirely new project culminating in a paper of about 60 pages. This is the capstone experience for our majors. Guided by your adviser, you will conduct in-depth research, analyze diverse data, and learn how to make an original contribution to knowledge about religion.
I.S. in Religious Studies sharpens your ability to think creatively, critically, and empathetically, and teaches you how to express those thoughts clearly, in the form that scholars and professionals in the field use.
Search the I.S. Database
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Alumni
The Religious Studies department generally has between 30-40 majors. Each year we host a number of functions to bring faculty and students together for discussion, speakers, and research talks. Our students know one another and the faculty members well. Because Religious Studies majors are quite diverse in terms of their interests and backgrounds, after graduation they pursue a wide range of careers. Many of our majors become teachers/professors, political staffers, librarians/archivists, social workers, lawyers, counselors, administrators, pastors/youth leaders, physicians, web page designers.
Related Articles
Mark Bergen ’07 publishes book on YouTube
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Vocation for All Voices: UMC Reverend chooses joy to equip congregations and transform community-building relationships
Joy E. Bronson ’07 insisted from a young age that she wouldn’t be following in her father’s and grandfather’s footsteps as a pastor because […]
Geology alumna researches landslides after natural disasters
As a geologist for the United States Geological Survey, Kelli Baxstrom ’16 put much of the expertise learned from her time at The College […]
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Prizes & Scholarships
The J. Arthur Baird Prize Fund
This prize honors the memory of J. Arthur Baird, Synod Professor of Religious Studies and a member of Wooster’s faculty from 1954 until his retirement in 1986. This prize is awarded annually to the student who, in the estimation of the Department of Religious Studies, has demonstrated the greatest aptitude in the area of New Testament studies.
The Paul DeWitt Twinem Bible Award
This award was established in 1925 by Mrs. Mary Fine Twinem in memory of her husband, Paul D. Twinem, of the class of 1915, and is given at graduation to the senior who, in the opinion of the staff of the Department of Religious Studies, has shown the highest degree of excellence in Biblical studies.
College-Wide Honors and Honor Societies
The Dean’s List includes students meeting the following criteria during a semester: enrollment for at least four full credits in letter-graded courses, semester grade point average of 3.650 or higher, no final grade of I (Incomplete) or NC (No Credit). Students who demonstrate satisfactory progress in 451 or completion of 452 are eligible for the Dean’s List with three courses which are letter-graded.
Departmental Honors are awarded at graduation to students who meet the following standards: (1) a grade of “H” on the Senior I.S. Thesis or unanimous vote of the department; (2) an average of 3.5 in all courses taken in the major department; (3) an overall average of 3.2 for four years at Wooster.
Latin Honors, first awarded in 1998, are awarded at graduation based on overall grade point average in Wooster-graded courses: summa cum laude for 3.900 to 4.000; magna cum laude for 3.750 to 3.899; and cum laude for 3.500 to 3.749. To graduate summa cum laude, a student must receive a grade of “H” on the Senior I.S. Thesis. Latin Honors are not a substitute for Departmental Honors.
Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest national society for the recognition of high scholarship, has a chapter, the Kappa of Ohio, at Wooster. The student membership is made up of those seniors who are first in academic rank, a few being elected at the beginning of the senior year on junior standing, and others at the end of the year.
Lectures
Academy of Religion Lecture Series
The Religious Studies Department, along with RSL, invites the campus community to attend the 53rd Annual Fall Academy of Religion Lecture series. This year’s theme is “The Changing Religious World.” Many people associate religion with tradition. Religious communities maintain critical beliefs and practices that unite people in meaningful communities across time. But they can, and frequently do, change. Like an any social organization, religious groups can change to accommodate the surrounding culture, they can change to better fit their members desires or interests, or they change due to outside pressures forcing them to change.
In this lecture series, members of The College of Wooster Religious Studies faculty, Wooster students, and a panel of local religious leaders will examine various aspect of change in religious traditions, exploring questions such as:
- How changing attitudes affect religious communities
- The effects of cultural change on religious communities
- How religious communities deal with change both within and outside their traditions
Lectures
- Wednesday, September 14: Dr. Jeremy Rapport, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, The College of Wooster, “What Has Happened to Religion in the United States?”
- Wednesday, September 21: Bhakti Mamtora, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, The College of Wooster, “Hindu Perspectives on the Self and Transformation.”
- Wednesday, October 19: Terry Hawley Reeder, Visiting Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, The College of Wooster, “Columbus, Christianity, and Change.”
- Wednesday, October 26: Dr. Mark Graham, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, The College of Wooster, “Change(s) in Buddhism(s).”
- Wednesday, November 9: Wooster Students Speak on Religion
- Wednesday, November 16: Local Religious Leaders Speak
Faculty Emeriti
