BA in Religious Studies in Columbus United States | Ohio State University

Religious studies offers a distinctive comparative, cross-cultural, and interdisciplinary approach to exploring global faith traditions. Learners gain comprehensive insight into both historical and contemporary world religions while critically examining religion's interplay with societal and cultural spheres like history, politics, art, literature, science, technology, and media. The program cultivates analytical reasoning, effective communication skills, and cultural awareness by exploring how gender, ethnicity, race, and class intersect with religious traditions. Students select from two specialized tracks:

Religion studies: This path involves detailed examination of diverse religious practices and beliefs within specific historical, cultural, and geographic settings. Rather than isolating religions, it highlights connections and contrasts between traditions while investigating religion's multifaceted relationships with cultural elements like history, literature, arts, and social structures. The curriculum incorporates multiple scholarly perspectives including historical, anthropological, psychological, sociological, cognitive, and aesthetic approaches.

Religion and society: This concentration analyzes religions in connection with cultural, social, and political institutions, as well as identity frameworks. Moving beyond isolated religious examination, it employs methodologies from literary studies, ethnography, historical analysis, social theory, and cross-cultural comparison. Religion is understood as belief systems and practices deeply connected to race, class, gender, ethnicity, and other identity markers. Students also interrogate the concept of religion itself, investigating how knowledge and power interact within academic discussions about religious phenomena.