Program Codes:
BARLSTSOC
Bachelor of Arts
Program Mission Statement
The academic study of religion is a central component to the humanities curriculum of Mercyhurst University. Through diverse course offerings, the Religious Studies department cultivates understanding of the human experience. It provides students with a breadth of knowledge within the field and essential skills for full participation in a globalized world. Students will cultivate reflective and critical thinking skills through the study of religion’s broad impact on human life and society.
They will also develop communication, argumentation, and research skills as well as cultural awareness and creative and critical problem-solving abilities for managing diverse environments. Students in the religious studies department are engaged in campus and community life and have opportunities to present at academic conferences. Graduates have gone on to work in ministry and service organizations, the arts, health professions, social work, business, and intelligence positions.
The Religious Studies department is rooted in its Catholic origins and committed to the classical critical inquiry of the Catholic intellectual tradition. It is simultaneously defined by a spirit of intellectual openness that welcomes students of diverse faith traditions, or none at all. The structure of the curriculum allows students to explore their own interests: academically, professionally, and personally.
Some students might wish to focus their major or minor in the cross-cultural study of religion, for example. The department offers a broad major and minor in Religious Studies, but also a concentration and an additional minor in Religion and Society for students who are more interested in the historical, social, and contemporary issues of religion. At the same time, the department also supports students wishing to pursue deeper studies in the Catholic tradition by making specific courses available for the Catholic Studies minor.
Religious Studies is organized into three principal areas:
Catholic Studies Interdisciplinary Minor
CST 100 Exploring Catholicism - 3 credits
CST Any other CST course - 3 credits
RLST Any RLST course - 3 credits
Interdisciplinary Studies (Choose 1 of the following):
FREN 135 Religion, Politics and Drama in 17th Century France - 3 credits
DANC 175 Liturgical Dance - 3 credits
POLI 201 Catholic Social and Political Thought - 3 credits
ECON 250 Economics of Poverty - 3 credits
PHIL 270 Foundations of Catholic Philosophy - 3 credits
ENG 354 Catholic Literary Imagination - 3 credits
Upon completing the Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies, graduates will:
Religion and Society Minor and Concentration
The Religion and Society minor and concentration are designed to complement programs throughout the university in particular, those students who will be working in medical or public health, public service, social work, politics, business, criminal justice, and intelligence fields. The courses provide both breadth in general understanding of the relationship between religion and social life and depth to explore issues of particular significance facing the contemporary world.
A Religion and Society minor requires A minimum of five (5) courses in RLST
• RLST 100 What is Religion?, RLST 110 Sacred Texts, or RLST 115 World Religions (Required)
• One (1) course from each category of the Religion and Society curriculum (see below)
• One (1) elective from the Religion and Society curriculum
• RLST senior seminar is recommended but not required and can be taken as the elective
• At least one course must be 300 level or higher
• 0-1 credit service learning/experiential learning component arranged with the department chair
A Religion and Society Concentration
Students majoring in RLST can choose to add a concentration in Religion and Society. The major with concentration will require thirteen (13) unique courses.
• Two (2) courses from each of the three categories in the Religious Studies general curriculum
• One (1) course from each category in the Religion and Society curriculum
• RLST Senior Seminar
• Three (3) electives from the Religious Studies general curriculum or Religion and Society curriculum
• At least 2 courses must be 300 or higher
• 0-1 credit service learning/experiential learning component arranged with the department chair
Global Civil Society
A survey of religious beliefs and practices in an American context. This course examines various expressions of American religiosity and aims to contextualize, understand, and analyze the variety and plurality of the American religious landscape.
Global Awareness
This course examines the impact of significant Christian thinkers on Western culture. As we will see, the development of a Western Christian heritage was neither monolithic nor predetermined. It is rather the historical result of argument and debate among a plurality of voices throughout the centuries. We will explore the influence these voices have on the way various contemporary Christians groups conceptualize theology and authority.
An historical and thematic introduction to Hinduism which will examine its array of beliefs and morals, myths and rituals, philosophies and poetry, gurus and teachers, gods and goddesses. Particular attention will be given to developments in Hinduism including the host of philosophical, historical, social and political contexts that have generated plural expressions of Hinduism in India and have contributed to a more global expression of Hinduism worldwide.
An introduction to the various world views encompassed under the rubric of Buddhism. This course surveys religious, philosophical and ritual developments in the history of Buddhism, beginning in the Indian context and extending throughout Asia and even into the West. The nature of reality, human community, suffering and liberation articulated in various versions of Buddhism will be primary themes for study.
Global Issues
Issues surrounding death and dying are both deeply personal and central to the human experience. This course is designed to explore ideological frameworks around death and relate them to concrete issues. The course is designed in two parts. The first part engages ideas found across the globe related to death and dying. The second part of the course examine practical and ethical considerations.
An examination of key texts, historical movements, and ideas pertaining to the relationship between "religion" and "the environment." Several religious traditions are considered, including: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Native American religions.
100 or 200 level RLST or CST course
In the face of oppression, people of faith and people of good will have argued for a principled world of peace and justice for all. This course examines how it is that oppressed people and groups have grounded the pursuit of peace and justice in terms of social and spiritual liberation. This course will explore global and domestic cases of oppression, which may include: imperialism and exile, racism and civil rights, sexism and homophobia. Diverse religious responses to oppression may include: Jewish, Christian, Islamic, Buddhist, and Hindu views.
100 or 200 level RLST or CST course
At the end of two years, each major student’s progress is reviewed to determine continuation in the program. Special attention is paid to an ongoing commitment to intellectual growth and to the maintenance of the 2.5 GPA minimum requirement. A formal request for delay of this review into the third year requires special permission from the department chair.