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Students choose to study the religious dimensions of culture for many different reasons.
You might be motivated by concerns about social justice, an interest in religious experience, a desire to study the history of religious traditions, curiosity about unfamiliar cultures, or simply by the sense that one cannot understand the world without understanding religion.
At BSC, you'll study how different cultures have put together the religious worlds in which people live. You'll have the opportunity to learn more about local and global religious traditions, the spiritual dimensions of human experience, and the place of religion in culture and society.
Interested? Fill out the form to the right and an admissions representative will follow up with you to start your Hilltop journey.
Chart your course with Religion at BSC!
Why study Religion at BSC?
- Religious studies at BSC are inherently interdisciplinary and intercultural. You’ll be able to study ecological spirituality, the cultural context of the Hebrew Bible, Buddhist meditation, and the intersection of religion and film—plus much, much more.
- We also ground students in the basics. Read sacred texts in their original Hebrew or Sanskrit, if you choose.
- Our unique January Exploration Term offers the opportunity to travel the world, join one of many service projects abroad or here in Birmingham, or spend time pursuing your own projects.
- You can put what you learn into practice through internships and volunteer positions. Recent religion students have worked with the anti-poverty group Alabama Arise, the Glide Foundation in San Francisco, and the World Council of Churches in Switzerland. The BSC’S Bunting Center for Engaged Study and Community Action and the Office of Religious Life both coordinate service-learning and internship opportunities.
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Learning Outcomes
The purpose of the study of religion is to introduce the student to the religious heritage of humankind and to challenge the student to think critically and constructively in dialogue with this heritage. An academic understanding of religion is an essential ingredient of a liberal arts education, and thus the faculty of religion teaches a variety of courses in Biblical studies, religious thought and practice, and history of religions to aid students in interpreting the religious dimension of life.
Upon completion of the religion major, students will be able to:
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demonstrate a significant familiarity with at least one religious tradition, recognize its diverse manifestations in particular cultural contexts, and engage in informed discussion of its history and practices,
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interpret “textual religion” and apply the methodologies ( linguistic, literary, sociological, historical, rhetorical, or ideological) that relate to the critical interpretation of sacred texts and religious writings,
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integrate the study of religion into other disciplinary studies,
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conduct original scholarly research in the academic study of religion,
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present scholarly research to a public audience.
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Success Stories
BSC religion majors go on to successful careers in a wide variety of vocations. Many go on to attend some of the nation’s most prestigious seminary schools or graduate programs in theology. Others have built successful careers in public health, social work, medicine, business, and the non-profit world. BSC gives you the tools you’ll need no matter what profession you choose.
Recent graduates have gone on to:
Boston University
Duke University
Emory University
Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley
Southern Methodist University
University of Alabama at Birmingham
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
Yale University
Yale University Law School
Reconciliation Internship, Coventry Cathedral, Coventry, UK
Teach for America, San Francisco
“As a student who spent most of her time in the science lab, I found studying religion at BSC was the most formative part of my time in college. Religion pervades our world’s cultures, history, politics and conflicts. To begin to understand our complex world community, one must look deeply at its religious traditions and philosophies. I would not have experienced the depth and meaning in my other classes at ’Southern if I hadn’t also been majoring in religion.”
--Mary Page Wilson ’08
Masters in Divinity at Chandler School of Theology, Emory University -
Faculty
Associate Professor of Religion
Office Phone: (205) 226-4973
E-mail: [email protected]My general areas of interest include South Asian religious traditions, religious boundaries and interactions, South Asian Islamic and Islamicate traditions, Interfaith Studies, and Malayalam literature. My current area of research is the Muslim song literature of Kerala, India known as Mappila pattu. I am particularly interested in the ways in which this literature illustrates the development and shifting of religious boundaries over time, and how political and social pressures influence such shifts.
Courses taught include Religions of Asia, Religious Conflict and Peace, Sainthood and Power, Sacred India: Traditions of Hinduism, Islamic Traditions and Cultures, Islam and Hip-hop (E-term), and Buddhism.
