Philosophy and Religious Studies

Philosophy and Religious Studies are two different ways of approaching the most fundamental questions about human existence: How do we relate to the world around us? What can we be sure of? Is there some basic truth that holds all other truths together?

Philosophy has traditionally sought answers to these and other questions through the proper use of rational thought, the application of human intellect to the mysteries of the world around us. Religions have looked for the answers in human connection with the divine, the power that creates and directs the human world and interacts with human beings in community. The field of Religious Studies is concerned with all forms and manifestations of religious faith in world culture, past and present. Both Philosophy and Religious Studies give students the opportunity to examine some of the most fundamental issues in a liberal education, and so provide a basis for life-long learning.

Religious Studies

All the religious traditions teach about ultimate values and their relationship to our worldly lives.  How religious thinkers — and the scholars who study them — develop their ideas about human rights, law, and gender relations from primary sources, and how this changes over time, is an essential part of the academic study of religion.  Some of the traditions are the oldest extant bodies of thought.  The religions of the world are an ancient and living source for values.  The courses in religious studies focus on the study of sources, history, nature, and the relevance of religion.  (See tab at left for course listing.)

Distinctions in Religious Studies

• A department that doesn’t adhere to a particular faith tradition or teach from a theologically determined point of view.  Students are encouraged to study a wide variety of religious traditions and forms of expression.
• Faculty members are actively engaged in scholarship in their field but also deeply committed to teaching and advising undergraduate students.
• The opportunity to develop a Senior Project that explores some aspect of human religious belief and experience in a variety of formats.
• Opportunities for cross-disciplinary study, either within the religious studies major or with a double major in religious studies and a field such as psychology, English, history, international studies, political science, or environmental studies.
• A program distinctive in its emphasis on understanding both the history and nature of religious communities, as well as ritual and written forms of expression.

Key benefits of a Religious Studies major:

• Religious Studies investigates the most basic components of human society and culture.  The key to understanding the fundamental motivations for the behavior of human groups lies in the knowledge of religious beliefs and practices.
• As jobs and world cultures become increasingly diverse, knowledge about other religions and cultures enables students to communicate effectively on the basis of knowledge rather than stereotypes.  Many U.S. government position value knowledge of Islam and Islamic cultures highly.
• Our students have the opportunity to work in close consultation with faculty members, both in courses and in the development of individual research or the Senior Project.
• Students receive excellent preparation for graduate study, as well as an excellent focus for a liberal arts program with immediate employment after graduation in mind.

Other opportunities in Religious Studies:

• The Winslow Ecumenical Lecture series brings to campus speakers representing a variety of Christian traditions.
• The Towns Family Lecture (see tab at left) brings speakers to campus to give campus-wide lectures and meet with classes to discuss a problem of practical ethics from one of the Abrahamic traditions:  Judaism, Christianity, or Islam.
• The department offers a continuing series of lectures on topics related to the Islamic world.
• Some professors in the department have joint research opportunities for students during the school year.

 

Philosophy

Philosophy fosters concern with the big picture and big questions:  Why are we here?  What can we know?  What are good and just ways to live?  Philosophy seeks answers to these and other questions through the proper use of rational thought — the application of human intellect to the mysteries of the world around us.  (Click on the tab at left for more details about a major and courses.)

Distinctions in Philosophy:

• Students have opportunities for collaborative research, presentations, and publication of research findings in national journals.
• Allegheny’s philosophy program is distinctive in its focus on the development and interplay of modern science and the culture that supports it.  The program also focuses on issues of justice that pertain to globalization in business, politics, and culture.
• The Senior Project demonstrates to employers and graduate schools the ability to complete a major original assignment.
• Philosophy students often double major in political science or psychology. Philosophy is a significant focus within neuroscience world for many students at the undergraduate level as well as in graduate schools around the country.

Key benefits of a Philosophy major:

• Students receive excellent preparation for graduate study, as well as excellent focus for a liberal arts program with immediate employment in mind.
• Philosophy majors develop the ability to synthesize information from different sub-fields.
• Students majoring in philosophy do exceptionally well on professional entry exams:  they place the highest of all majors nationally in the verbal and analytical sections of the Graduate Record Exam.
• Undergraduate study in philosophy is particularly good training for students of law because of the analytical and reading skills that it fosters.