Religious Studies
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- Message from Director
- Goals of the Program
- Minor/Individualized Major in Religious Studies
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A Message from the Director
Welcome! You have found us! Thanks for considering Religious Studies as your minor or individualized major. Now you can take all of your classes online! We promise to take you on a journey that we think you will never forget. Our classes aim to open a window to the religions of others while visiting the most interesting places on the planet. In a twinkling of an eye we will slide our way along the Great Wall of China while considering the Confucian principals that have guided Chinese society for 2,000 years. Or we may climb the great Mayan pyramids of Central America and marvel that the personal blood of the kings and queens was given as an offering to their deities.
We may discuss "ahimsa," the practice of non-violence to any living thing, and the great Shiva traditions centered in Varanasi, India. At other times we question the Buddha who tells us to become, "a lamp unto our own feet." The Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, the Vatican in Rome, and the Monte Mart in Paris become focal points for discovering the Judeo-Christian traditions. Sometimes we wander into one of the great Gothic Cathedrals of Europe and stare at the massive expanse. We also grapple with the issues of social justice, peace, sexism, racism, classism, and political mythology.
We may continue our journey by a 4x4 vehicle through Ghana east to the Nile River valley where Akenaton of ancient Egypt ruled under the Sun God, Aton. We examine Kachinas, Kwaba dolls, rain sticks, and Bodhisattvas, while listening to the chants from monks around the world. We touch and admire prayer wheels, statues of the Buddha, and prayer clothes during class. We marvel as we listen to the beautiful "Call to Prayer" in Islam while walking through the fabulous ocean mosque in Casablanca constructed by Hassan II.
Welcome to our site, but more importantly, we welcome you to one of the most fascinating studies on earth. In fact, by studying the religions of the earth, you will most certainly become a "citizen of the world." Religions permeate our lives. Discovering them can be one of the most enlightening and fulfilling experiences we ever encounter. Our classes help students to intelligently evaluate the influence and power of religions within the cultures of the world, even our own! We offer a minor and individualized major in Religious Studies. Join us! and all the fascinating classroom discussions inside, online, and outside the classroom.
For information email: selvidge@ucmo.edu
Director of the Center for Religious Studies
Marla J. Selvidge, Ph.D.
