Aerial view of campus with Williamsport, the Susquehanna River and Bald Eagle Mountain as a backdrop

Religion Learning Goals

Students who major in religion can expect to achieve the following learning goals:

  1. The Nature of Religion
    • Be able to define “religion” per se in terms of both theory and practice
    • Have a basic understanding of the nature of religion
  2. The Comparative Study of Religion
    • Have a foundational knowledge of the major world religions specifically, as well as fuller exposure to one or more religious traditions not their own
    • Be able to engage open-mindedly and respectfully in dialog concerning religious traditions
    • Be able to reflect on the ultimate questions of meaning in life, death, and concepts of the afterlife using a comparative approach
  3. The Critical Analysis of Sacred Texts
    • Have competence in the critical and analytical study of scriptures, and in the ability to reflect on the nature of other-/self-revealed traditions
    • Be able to recognize and discuss the distinctive and varied perspectives of individual portions of sacred texts
  4. Self-Reflection
    • Have begun to develop a personal, self-examined religious world-view that can be applied to life choices
  5. Learning Skills
    • Have developed critical thinking skills with respect to religious traditions and their literature
    • Have developed information literacy and research skills for the study of religion generally and for the study of religious texts specifically
    • Have an ability to communicate effectively about religious topics in both oral and written form