The location of the program within the Humanities Collegiate Division and its use of courses from a variety of programs imply that neither the study of religion nor its data are the privileged possession of a single discipline. The basic courses, being problem oriented, imply that there is an intellectual tradition of the study of religion that must be mastered. Program Requirements Basic Courses. All students in the program are required to take a one-quarter course in each of four areas that serve as a disciplined base for further work. These areas emphasize either key methodological questions in the academic study of religion or characteristic religious data.
Any variation requires the written consent of the program coordinator.
The intent is to isolate a key problem in the study of religion and to examine critically a representative sample of the kinds of data that give rise to the problem and the sorts of answers that have been proposed. One or more fundamental approaches to the study of religion is carried through a given body of religious materials with rigor and criticism. A study of those texts whereby a religious tradition interprets itself to its community and to those who are outside the tradition. The focus is on specific religious texts or artifacts and techniques for their interpretation. Other Courses in the Program.