Department of Religious Studies
What Religious Studies Students Say 
On Being a Religious Studies Major
by Heather R. McArthur
Only weeks ago as I exited the elevator and made my way
into the Stadium Club for the Career Fair, I was faced with
the reality of the stigma attached to my major. I bent over
the welcome table and filled out my name tag: one line for
my name, the other for my major. The Career Center greeter
glanced at my sticker, paused, and commented that I would
have to "be sure and emphasize my specific skills and
abilities to the potential employers." I noticed she did
not feel the need to impart the same warning to my fellow
Liberal Arts majors who clustered around me. My blood
boiled. This was the stigma I have feared since I signed
the declaration of major card. I am a Religious Studies
major . . . hear me roar.
I do not stand on the edge of campus with a cardboard
box full of small, green, faux-leather New Testaments. I am
not studying to be a minister. I am not even a steady
churchgoer. I am a major of Religion just as others are
majors of History or Biology. I am a student of culture,
not a pusher of religious doctrine. I'm not here to save
your soul; I'm just here to learn.
What do you know about the Religious Studies
Department? It is a part of the College of Arts and
Sciences. The study of Religion is a subset of humanities
or social sciences. The study of Theology begins with the
definition of what we're trying to define, namely God. Only
since 1877 and the Dutch Universities Act has comparative
Religious Studies been considered a separate entity from
seminaries and theological schools. The Religious Studies
department is made up of a diverse group of people all
working from within the context of their own particular
beliefs, trying to come to an understanding of religious
history, thought, and behavior. We come in peace and mean
no harm. Well, that may not be entirely true. Scholars of
Religious Studies poke and prod at the rituals and dogma of
various religious traditions in an attempt to better
understand particular behavior, often forcing people to
question their own spirituality.
The Vanderbilt course catalog describes the department
as "exploring the significant dimensions of religion in
various traditions. These dimensions include religious
experience and conviction, worship and ritual, the formation
of religious groups, issues of religious leadership, the
problem of belief and non-belief, and ethics and religion."
Courses in the Religious Studies Department vary from
Freudian theories of the religious experience to Women in
the Buddhist Tradition. Students are expected to gain a
cross-sectional representation of the world's religions and
the leading scholarly interpretations. But most
importantly, Religious Studies courses center on discussion.
The students themselves are often one of the most beneficial
resources available to the class. Students are encouraged
to challenge each other and push the boundaries of belief,
and the structure of ritualistic dogma and creed. Students
examine the psychology, anthropology, sociology, and history
of religion. Without examining the role of religion in a
given society, how can we expect to understand the products
of that society, such as their art, literature, and music?
Many students enter into a Religious Studies course
expecting to deepen their preexisting faith in a given
religious tradition; instead, they are forced to reexamine
their own beliefs and preconceived ideas. However, my
intent in writing this article is to emphasize the fact that
the Religious Studies department is not about faith.
There are no prerequisites of belief, heritage or
practice to be a Religious Studies major. In fact, many
students of religion, like myself, are continually assessing
the various traditions and ideologies in hopes of eventually
discovering a tradition that corresponds to our ever-
changing world view.
So with graduation becoming more of a reality than a
point on the distant horizon, I'm beginning to get a little
nervous. How will a potential employer view a Religious
Studies major? Will it be a disadvantage or will it spark
their curiosity? The Career Fair was hardly a success. A
few of my resumes will be filed away in the Human Resources
Department of several banks. I watched enviously as the
Economics majors scurried from one booth to the next. But
Career Fairs aren't everything, and unlike peyote
pilgrimages and Islamic sacrifice, economic theory will
never make for interesting cocktail party conversation.
Seriously though, religious studies has challenged me to
look behind belief and continue to grapple with the
existential questions of life.
This article originally appeared in the December/January
1995 issue of Versus magazine. Copyright 1994 Versus. Used
by permission.