Religious Studies Group Major at UC Berkeley

The religious studies undergraduate major at University of California, Berkeley provides opportunities for securing a broad background in the liberal arts while at the same time allowing for a focus on a thematic concern or a particular religious tradition. It views religion from a global perspective and combines aspects of the humanities and the social sciences. The major is open to anyone interested in the symbolic and mythic dimensions of world cultures, the ethical aspects of human societies, and existential issues. It is not restricted to those who have a religious background or are pursuing a religious vocation. Members of the major will be challenged to view religion multiculturally and from critical as well as appreciative perspectives.

Graduates in the program have gone on to careers in law, journalism, medicine, international business, counseling and religious vocations. Others have entered graduate schools in history, sociology, anthropology, international policy, and religious studies.

The program requires both a general understanding of the study of religion as well as a particular emphasis on one specific tradition or thematic concern. The general requirement involves courses that present the methodological approaches to the study of religion such as sociology of religion and psychology of religion and courses that examine thematic issues and cross-cultural phenomena such as myth, ritual, transformative experience, and comparative ethics. The religious traditions that may be included as major fields of emphasis or as supplementary courses include the Jewish, Islamic, Christian, Hindu, and Buddhist traditions, as well as the religious cultures of China, Japan, Africa, and the Americas.

Most of the courses available for the program are religion-related courses taught within such departments as history, sociology and near eastern studies. As a supplement to these courses, the program offers a small number of courses sponsored by religious studies (one of which surveys the world's religious traditions, and the other of which introduces the study of religious phenomena thematically).

How to support us You can support Religious Studies and UC-Berkeley by making a gift, securely via the web. Make a gift now to Religious Studies or find out more about giving to Cal programs.