The Religious Studies Program (REL) prepares students to think critically and creatively, connecting differing perspectives as an essential foundation for intercultural civic engagement. The REL minor offers students flexibility to tailor their studies to fit within a larger degree program, including the option to complete all needed courses online. All students in Religious Studies learn to:

• Demonstrate the ability to interpret religious diversity;
• Apply critical thinking and textual analysis to compare and contrast religious phenomena;
• Apply concepts and methods of religious studies to analyze human society and culture within and across specific historical and geographic contexts;
• Demonstrate the ability to communicate effective analysis and argumentation in written and oral formats;
• Integrate various disciplinary and interdisciplinary frameworks within analysis of religious phenomena; and
• Interrogate religious phenomena within the context of societies and cultures, including the interplay among religion and other broad social, cultural, political, and environmental factors.