CURRENT & PROSPECTIVE STUDENT INFORMATION
From the Student Desk | Religious Studies Club |
What Can I Do With a Religious Studies Major?
While some students who major in Religious Studies go on to graduate school in Religious Studies or to the ministry, many more students follow post-graduate paths to law school, medical school, foreign service, education or business. In today's professional job market, admissions committees and personnel offices seek applicants with well-rounded educations who have truly profited from a liberal arts education, who are intellectually curious with a thirst for learning. A degree in Religious Studies prepares you to be empathetic to diverse points of view, an attribute increasingly needed and valued in medical and law schools. For jobs in foreign or civil service you will be expected to demonstrate some ability to negotiate cross-cultural and geographic boundaries and understand regional conflicts, and your Religious Studies training hones these important skills. Any business requiring international relations will look favorably upon the kind of intellectual training offered by a Religious Studies degree from the College of Charleston. Indeed, even the business community at home is growing more ethnically diverse; and as a prospective business person you will inevitably encounter people of other cultures and value systems in your workplace. Finally, as the American public education system finds itself increasingly confronted with the necessity of teaching religious history and topics in a pluralistic society, a background in the academic study of religion will prove an important credential for aspiring teachers. In today's employment market it is your experience in the world and your critical thinking skills that count. Many religion majors will attest that their skills in cross-cultural understanding and critical analysis have served them well in a wide variety of careers.
For more reasons to study religion, and what you can do with a Religious Studies degree, see:
Why Study Religion?
What can I do with a Religious Studies Major?
Careers for Religious Studies Majors
Vocations in Religious Studies
From the Student Desk
Each year the faculty in the Religious Studies department nominate excellent essays written by undergraduates to Chrestomathy, the College of Charleston's journal for outstanding undergraduate research in the humanities and social sciences. The essays published by Chrestomathy listed below represent essays initially written for a Religious Studies class that were then substantially revised, edited, and polished by the individual authors.
Cameron Read, "In Search of Sophia: Origins and Interpretations of the Gnostic Demiurge," 2007.
Chelsea Diffendal, "The Modern Hijab: Tool of Agency, Tool of Oppression," 2006.
Corey Wallace, "Developing an Ecofeminist Ethic Within the Hindu Tradition," 2006.
Andrew Aghapour, 'Identity and Religion of the Status Quo: The Rushdie Affair in the West," 2005.
Chelsea Diffendal, "SpongeBob SquarePants and the Emasculating Arm of Flesh," 2005.
Meghan Brinson, "Engaging Zenamatography: Why Has Bodhidharma Left for the East?" 2004.
Erin Burke, "Karmic Calculations: The Social Implications of Karmic Causality in Tibet," 2003.
Jenni Prueitt, "Ritual, Revolution, and the Consecration of Symbols: A Turner-Style Analysis of Ahmad Kamal's The Sacred Journey," 2003.
Jay Laughlin, "Songs of Power and Appeasement: The Magic/Religion Distinction in Cherokee Songs and Prayers," 2002.
Students have also written impressive Bachelor Essays (for RELS 499) and Independent Tutorial Essays (for RELS 399), some of which are available for perusal in the Religious Studies Lounge.
Recent Bachelor Essay topics include:
Alicia O'Brian, "African Christian Syncretism in Sea Island Religion"
Jenni O'Donnell, "Death Rituals in Balinese Religion and Culture"
Jay Laughlin, "Sacred Sound: Language, Prayer, and Song in the Cherokee Worldview"
Erin Burke, "Religious Conceptions of Causality in Tibet"
Jenni Prueitt, "Religion and Political Identity in Modern Lebanon"
Jason Purvis, "Japanese Rituals and the Ethics of Personhood: Ambiguities over Abortion and Brain Death"
Amanda Pearce, "The Woodcraft Movement"
Corey Wallace, "In a Wash of Blood: The Religious Symbolism of Blood in Judaism and Hinduism"
Chelsea Diffendal, "Gender Identity in Native American Religions"
Andrew Aghapour, "Postmodern Meta-narratives and Religious Identity"
P.J. Schwartz, "The Concept of Evil within Kabbalah"
Sean Connolly, "Religious Themes in Japanese Films"
Religious Studies Club
The Religious Studies Club was formed by a group of students interested in discussing issues in the academic study of religion. Unlike other student religious clubs and organizations on campus, there is no sectarian focus in the Religious Studies Club.The Club allows students to engage in more extensive dialogue and personal discussion of topics and issues that arise in the classroom setting. The Club has sponsored movies and invited guest speakers, it has organized a panel discussion on holy war, convened speakers on the near-death experience, and arranged field trips to local sites of religious interest, among other events. The Club is open to all students at the College of Charleston. For more information about the Religious Studies Club, speak to any faculty member in Religious Studies.
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