Believers maintain the beliefs and practices of their religion from a subjective point of view. Therefore, the focus of our department is on the objective study of religious beliefs and practices, rather than on the actual practice of religion. Because of our small size, we can offer our majors personal attention, including directed studies in areas of students' interests. It is a department policy to guarantee every Religious Studies major entry to any class in Religious Studies, even if it is filled. Directed Studies allow upper-class students to pursue a subject of particular interest in which no specific course is offered in the department.
Students can petition individual faculty members for directed studies.
Upperclass students pursuing a professional track in the major can choose to arrange an internship in conjunction with the department and the college chaplain, or other supervisor. Senior majors are encouraged to do a Senior Honors Thesis under the supervision of a Religious Studies faculty member for Departmental Honors . These theses may have an interdisciplinary focus. The thesis option is highly recommended for students considering graduate studies in religion .