Welcome
2007 Graduation Class of Religion Majors and their Faculty Have you every wondered what the Dalai Lama believes or why Joan of Arc was burned at the stake? Have you ever wanted to be an archaeologist and dig up 2000-year old artifacts in Israel? Have you noticed that Christians use the Bible in different ways to come up with opposing stands on issues ranging from war to gay rights? Have you thought about why Muslims yearn to make the arduous pilgrimage to Mecca, why cows are sacred in India, or why kamikaze pilots believed they would become gods? If so, you may want to consider a major or minor in Religion. In Religion courses students explore life, death, sex, justice, ecology, God, money, medical ethics, Star Wars, meditation, AIDS, politics, genetic engineering, love, war, yoga, sinners, saints, and science. You will read, write, and debate about these topics--an endeavor that will place you smack in the middle of liberal arts education. And if you go on and major in Religion, your studies will prepare you for most careers: law, medicine, education, business, and social work, to list a few. Recently a professor in another Puget Sound department wrote, "The best preparation for a career in medicine might be a major in Religion. Religion would lead a premed student to face Truth and Doubt, and assure complexity of thought, and this would, in my judgment, inform a more insightful delivery of the science of human health."
In fact, Religion just might be the most interdisciplinary of all studies. Why? Because studying religions brings you into contact with history, literature, archaeology, philosophy, anthropology, sociology, politics, science, and economics--truly a liberal arts education. Here's what a former Religion major (who currently practices acupuncture and Chinese medicine) told us: I truly value and appreciate my religion degree, even though there are so many other majors more commonly accepted by common (secular) society like business or biology. I still am as interested in the question of the real, true meaning of being a human being as I was when I took my first comparative religion course, and I can't imagine anything more important than pondering the questions that religion provokes, whichever religion/tradition it is.
Whatever your interests, check out course offerings in Religion, or head on over to the first floor of Wyatt Hall to talk with Religion faculty--we're not into saving souls but we do ask the big questions. Thank you for your interest in our department and please send me an e-mail if you have any questions. Best Wishes,
Suzanne Holland | 
