Religion: Studies in Religion, B.A.

School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Program Overview

This major is a great choice if you are looking for an interdisciplinary course of study focused on the study of religious ideas, behaviors, values, rituals, texts, institutions, and communities. As a religion major, you will take classes on major world religions, such as Islam or Daoism, as well as classes on religious movements less widely studied, such as Zoroastrianism or Syriac Christianity. The Studies in Religion program requires you to double major with another department.

Religion: Studies in Religion, B.A.

Where You'll Go

As a religion double major, you will have the skills to find a job in fields that value analytic, research, reading, and writing skills, and that benefit from an understanding of diverse perspectives. Your career choices may include law, business, medicine, education, teaching, social work, and public policy.

Major Details

The program information listed here reflects the approved curriculum for the 2024–25 academic year per the Brooklyn College Bulletin. Bulletins from past academic years can be found here.

Major Requirements (21 Credits, Plus a Major in Another Department)

Students must complete 21 credits chosen from the required courses listed below, in addition to completing a dual major.

A dual major may apply up to six credits from his or her primary major toward fulfilling the requirements of the Program of Studies in Religion.

Students must complete parts:

  1. Two of three introductory courses (6 credits):
    1. Studies in Religion 3003 (this course is the same as Classics 3246)
    2. Studies in Religion 3005 (this course is the same as History 3373)
    3. Classics 3237 (this course is the same as History 3310)
  2. One of the following courses in methodological approaches to religion (3 credits), plus any prerequisite of the course: Anthropology 3185, Philosophy 3730, Sociology 2700. Note that many of these methodological courses have prerequisites in their respective departments that are required and often satisfied by Pathways/College Option classes in that department. Students may also e-permit the Approaches to Religion course or any of the Theoretical Studies courses in Hunter College’s Department of Religion.
  3. Students must take three courses from at least two different academic disciplines/departments. The courses are ordered into categories by department below for the student’s ease in discerning which courses come from which departments/disciplines. Note that many of the below courses have prerequisites in their respective departments that are required and often satisfied by Pathways/College Option classes in that department.
  4. One seminar in Studies in Religion: Studies in Religion 4001, History 4001, Philosophy 4105, or Classics 4012

Courses other than those listed above, including Studies in Religion 3060, 3070, 5002, and 5003, may be credited toward requirements 1, 2, 3, and 4 with permission of the program director. Students must take at least 12 credits in residence at Brooklyn College. Substitutions for any one of the above requirements can only be made in consultation with the program director.

Student Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

  • Recognize and examine the significance of the roles of religion in history and in the contemporary world.
  • Critically analyze and compare diverse cultural products (art, literature, language, philosophy, music, etc.) of religious lives, thoughts, and practices.
  • Through engagement with primary and secondary sources, students will use the tools of various disciplines to critically assess religious thoughts and practices and their contributions to world history and culture.
  • Situate religious practices in their historical contexts and religious cultural products in multiple historical and artistic perspectives, with an eye toward both continuity and change over time.
  • Build cogent and critically rigorous arguments rooted in textual, artistic, and material evidence, through low- and high-stakes writing assignments and through oral presentations.

Degree Maps

To help you pursue your studies in the most efficient manner, and to maximize your efforts to graduate in four years, Brooklyn College has created four-year degree maps for all its majors.

View degree maps for this major and others.

Contact

Andrew Arlig, Program Director

3311 Boylan Hall
E: aarlig@brooklyn.cuny.edu
P: 718.951.5000, ext. 3228

Or contact:

Office of Undergraduate Admissions

222 West Quad Center
2900 Bedford Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11210
E: adminqry@brooklyn.cuny.edu

To make an appointment with an undergraduate admissions counselor, visit:

Virtual Admissions Counselor Appointments

Internships and Employers

Through job fairs, the internship database, and internship panels, the Magner Career Center gives students in the religion B.A. program access to career opportunities at a wide variety of employers, including:

  • 5LINX
  • Adelphi University
  • Bloch Graulich Whelan
  • Chabad
  • Charitable Foundation
  • The Convention of Covenanting Churches
  • Harvard University
  • Jumpstart
  • Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation
  • Ohel Children’s Home and Family Services
  • Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
  • Rock of Israel
  • St. Charles Hospital
  • St. John’s Baptist Church
  • Yeshivat Eretz HaTzvi

Learn More

Student Resources

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