Program: BARLST - 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.
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completing the Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies, graduates will:
Religious Studies is organized into three principal areas:
The department offers a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies, consisting of ten (10) courses, and a Religious Studies minor, consisting of six (6). A 2.5 GPA is required of all seeking a major or minor from this department. The study of a foreign language is highly encouraged for all students in this major.
A Religious Studies major requires:
A minimum of ten (10) courses in RLST (One [1] CST from the RLST curriculum list can count for an RLST major):
A Religious Studies minor requires:
A minimum of six (6) courses in RLST (One [1] CST from the RLST curriculum list can count for an RLST minor):
Students also minoring in Catholic Studies may double count one (1) course between their RLST and CST programs (thus a minimum of fifteen [15] unique courses for the RLST major + CST minor and a minimum of eleven [11] unique courses for an RLST minor + CST minor).
Traditions, Texts, and History
Pluralism, Comparison, and Society
Theology, Philosophy, and Ethics
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.
Required Courses:
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