Department
of Religious Studies
What Religious Studies Students Say 
On Being a Religious Studies Major
by Heather R. McArthur
Only weeks ago as I exited the elevator and made my way into the
Stadium Club for the Career Fair, I was faced with the reality of the
stigma attached to my major. I bent over the welcome table and filled
out my name tag: one line for my name, the other for my major. The
Career Center greeter glanced at my sticker, paused, and commented
that I would have to "be sure and emphasize my specific skills and
abilities to the potential employers." I noticed she did not feel the
need to impart the same warning to my fellow Liberal Arts majors who
clustered around me. My blood boiled. This was the stigma I have
feared since I signed the declaration of major card. I am a Religious
Studies major . . . hear me roar.
I do not stand on the edge of campus with a cardboard box full of
small, green, faux-leather New Testaments. I am not studying to be a
minister. I am not even a steady churchgoer. I am a major of Religion
just as others are majors of History or Biology. I am a student of
culture, not a pusher of religious doctrine. I'm not here to save
your soul; I'm just here to learn.
What do you know about the Religious Studies Department? It is a
part of the College of Arts and Sciences. The study of Religion is a
subset of humanities or social sciences. The study of Theology begins
with the definition of what we're trying to define, namely God. Only
since 1877 and the Dutch Universities Act has comparative Religious
Studies been considered a separate entity from seminaries and
theological schools. The Religious Studies department is made up of a
diverse group of people all working from within the context of their
own particular beliefs, trying to come to an understanding of
religious history, thought, and behavior. We come in peace and mean
no harm. Well, that may not be entirely true. Scholars of Religious
Studies poke and prod at the rituals and dogma of various religious
traditions in an attempt to better understand particular behavior,
often forcing people to question their own spirituality.
The Vanderbilt course catalog describes the department as
"exploring the significant dimensions of religion in various
traditions. These dimensions include religious experience and
conviction, worship and ritual, the formation of religious groups,
issues of religious leadership, the problem of belief and non-belief,
and ethics and religion." Courses in the Religious Studies Department
vary from Freudian theories of the religious experience to Women in
the Buddhist Tradition. Students are expected to gain a
cross-sectional representation of the world's religions and the
leading scholarly interpretations. But most importantly, Religious
Studies courses center on discussion. The students themselves are
often one of the most beneficial resources available to the class.
Students are encouraged to challenge each other and push the
boundaries of belief, and the structure of ritualistic dogma and
creed. Students examine the psychology, anthropology, sociology, and
history of religion. Without examining the role of religion in a
given society, how can we expect to understand the products of that
society, such as their art, literature, and music?
Many students enter into a Religious Studies course expecting to
deepen their preexisting faith in a given religious tradition;
instead, they are forced to reexamine their own beliefs and
preconceived ideas. However, my intent in writing this article is to
emphasize the fact that the Religious Studies department is not about
faith.
There are no prerequisites of belief, heritage or practice to be
a Religious Studies major. In fact, many students of religion, like
myself, are continually assessing the various traditions and
ideologies in hopes of eventually discovering a tradition that
corresponds to our ever- changing world view.
So with graduation becoming more of a reality than a point on the
distant horizon, I'm beginning to get a little nervous. How will a
potential employer view a Religious Studies major? Will it be a
disadvantage or will it spark their curiosity? The Career Fair was
hardly a success. A few of my resumes will be filed away in the Human
Resources Department of several banks. I watched enviously as the
Economics majors scurried from one booth to the next. But Career
Fairs aren't everything, and unlike peyote pilgrimages and Islamic
sacrifice, economic theory will never make for interesting cocktail
party conversation. Seriously though, religious studies has
challenged me to look behind belief and continue to grapple with the
existential questions of life.
This article originally appeared in the December/January 1995
issue of Versus
magazine. Copyright 1994 Versus. Used by permission.