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Religious studies is the objective study of religious thought and behavior through several different disciplines including anthropology, psychology, sociology, and the history of religions. It is distinctively different from theology, which is the faith-based study of religion.
Religious studies provide opportunities through which we see you exploring the deepest levels of meaning of human experience and understand its expression in culture. Accordingly, religious studies is highly interdisciplinary. At Cedar Crest College, religious studies courses emphasize experiential education. Field experiences and study abroad are common components of courses in the minor.
Mission Statement
Religious studies prepare students to live in a world in which the four major religions— Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity—are increasing in number and at the same time moving beyond their traditional boundaries as defined by nation-states. Religion is an increasingly powerful force that is used to influence the binary message that accompanies the social construction of knowledge and the symbolism inherent in civilization including order and disorder, truth and illusion, meaning and the absence of meaning. To help prepare students to meet the demands of this changing world, the religious studies minor emphasizes the complex, symbiotic relationship between religion and culture and the changing societal contexts within which religions are practiced. The program helps create global competence and responsibility in keeping with the Strategic Plan of the College. It enhances the College’s Mission Statement by preparing the whole student for life in a global community. Religious studies courses may be taken as part of the minor or as one of the three concentrations within the global studies major.
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Cedar Crest College collaborates with several academic institutions to provide our students with innovative pathways that help them succeed in their chosen fields.
Accreditation
Cedar Crest College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education; 1007 North Orange Street, 4th Floor, MB #166, Wilmington, DE 19801
Faculty & Staff
Who’s teaching you is as important as the curriculum you choose.
Let’s put a face to some of the names you’ll be seeing on the course listings!
John Lichtenwalner
Assistant Professor of Social Work
- School of Adult and Graduate Education
- sage@cedarcrest.edu
- P: 610-740-3770
- Traditional Admissions
- admissions@cedarcrest.edu
- P: 800-360-1222
- F: 610-740-3780