Religion is a major force in human experience. It has shaped the world’s history, literature, art, culture, politics, ethics, and economics. Across the globe religious agendas have fueled conflict and encouraged acts of terrorism and ethnic cleansing, dislocating populations and destroying economies. Religion has consequently proven to be one of the greatest threats to world peace and prosperity. But religious traditions have also laid the foundation for human rights, social justice, toleration, and world peace. Religious Studies is therefore by nature an interdisciplinary field with direct relevance to the Arts, Humanities, Sciences, and Social Sciences.

It is impossible to open a newspaper, listen to the radio, or watch television without being bombarded by debates about the religious and ethical dimensions of cloning, euthanasia, abortion, divorce, aids, gay marriage, feminism, animal rights, preemptive war, capital punishment, and a host of other issues that fiercely divide the public both in this country and abroad. Since moral and ethical issues are at the heart of every religious tradition, encouraging students to discuss them in an academic setting is of the greatest importance in creating educated, thinking individuals.

What Can I Do with a Degree in Religious Studies?

Because critical thinking, writing, and reading skills are essential in any field, students who major in Religious Studies are well prepared to enter a variety of careers, including the health professions, law, business, government, and teaching. In an increasingly global society university graduates cannot know where their life and careers may take them. But wherever students end up, knowledge of the religious traditions of the people with whom they interact is essential. As we have learned from the events of 9/11 as well as from our own political debates, religion is potent force in the world today.

Religious Studies at UC Davis

The Religious Studies Program offers courses in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Chinese and Japanese religions as well as course in cross-cultural aspects of religion, such as religious experience (pilgrimage), religious practice (sacrifice), and religious mythologies (death and the afterlife). In addition, the Program offers courses dealing with religious concepts, symbols, myths, and rituals as they appear in texts, art and architecture, theater, and film. Courses also deal with key contemporary issues, for example, "Religion and Science," "Religion and the Body," "Religion and Violence," and "The Rise of Fundamentalism."

Religious Studies Faculty and Students at UC Davis

What do students think about Religious Studies at UC Davis?

"I am fascinated by religion. It seems to be able to evoke both the most beautiful and most ugly sides of humanity."

"Religious Studies courses have forced me (in a good way) to read a lot about different religions and it has exposed me to new ideas, which I never thought were out there. I wish I could go back four years and change my major to Religious Studies."

"Religious Studies classes remain the most interesting and provocative classes offered. Religion penetrates every aspect of human culture."

Religious Studies provides an opportunity for students to discuss the great existential questions about the meaning and purpose of life, something they are clearly willing and anxious to do:

"Studying religion has enlightened my mind and allowed me to dig deeper into what I believe. It has allowed me to discover a part of myself that I have never felt before."

"Religious Studies has affected my religious views very much. It has helped me ask even more questions and broadened my horizons. It's helping me shape my beliefs and find out who I want to become."

"Religious Studies classes have challenged me. Faced with ideas and people that are not Christian, not what I grew up with, I have to decide and think over what I truly believe. It's hard, but good."

As these quotations show, our students are both thoughtful and eloquent when it comes to dealing with the complexities of their own and others' religious traditions.

The Religious Studies Faculty is recognized for its dedication to students and teaching. Majors are encouraged to write an Honors thesis, which gives them the opportunity to work closely with faculty on a project of their own choice.

Some Facts, Figures, and Questions:

Islam is the fastest growing religion on the planet; and with more than a billion Muslims throughout the world, understanding Islam and the questions of modernity is crucial for anyone living and working in the twenty-first century.

Islam has a rich past and vibrant now: beyond the shibboleths of the war on terror, Islam constitutes a fascinating field in which to ask questions about mysticism, scholasticism, the relationship between high and folk religion, science and epistemology.

In 1822 Thomas Jefferson claimed that "there is not a young man now living in the United States who will not die a Unitarian." How could Jefferson have been so spectacularly wrong? Why have fundamentalist and conservative religions flourished as never before, while more liberal denominations like Unitarianism have actually declined?

How true is Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code? Who was Mary Magdalene? Did she really marry Jesus? Why are so many people upset by the idea that Jesus married?

Why is the Chinese government so critical of the Falonggong movement and suspicious of religion in general?

Why did the majority of Jews reject Jesus as the Messiah?

What does it mean when a religion claims it is the source of exclusive truth? Is this claim possible in a pluralistic society?

AUM Shinrinkyo is only one of the many "New Religions" that have appeared in Japan. What accounts for the popularity of these "New Religions"?

As the mother religion of both Christianity and Islam, knowledge of Judaism is crucial for understanding the history of the three religions and conflicts between them.