Religion
At Carleton, religion is viewed as a field that has intrinsic importance and significance in human life and culture. The historic traditions of the major religions are studied, as well as the problems and issues addressed by religion, such as the nature and goals of human existence, the problem of human estrangement, and the question of the objects of a person’s ultimate allegiance. Religion is interdisciplinary in nature and draws upon many disciplines, including the social sciences, history, philosophy, theology, and literary and linguistic studies. Students are encouraged to participate in overseas study.
You can major in this subject.
For more information, see the Religion department site.
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Julia Busiek '09 majors in Religion.My comps [senior comprehensive project] topic will probably examine the impact of China's invasion and occupation on the religious, ethnic, and political lives of Tibetans. From here the topic seems dauntingly large and complex, and I'm curious to see where my interests and previous study will take me within it. For my Environmental Studies capstone project I want to look at land management in National Parks. The relationship between conservation, preservation, and fair access to our Parks is really engaging, and I want to think more about ways in which they can all interact, rather than being mutually exclusive aims.A couple of papers I've written for religion classes really swept me away and I had fun writing. Last spring I wrote about the experience of GLBT Christians in America, and sophomore year I wrote about the three forms of yoga laid down in the Bhagavad Gita. -
Which Carleton classes have been your favorites? Why? Julia Busiek '09 says:Intro to Religion: studying religion well asks you to open up your mind to levels of subtlety that I'd never really explored in my high school classes. It felt like I was learning a whole new way of thinking, and it was compelling and fun, and it wound up as my major. Ecosystems Ecology: taught by the biggest rock star of a professor Carleton has ever seen. In class, he was organized, thoughtful, and explained complex science in terms that even the religion majors understood. The labs took advantage of our own local ecosystem (the Arb), which brought the concepts home.