Understanding the power of religion in human history and culture. Comparing religions to appreciate both their similarities and differences. Arriving at an intelligent, compassionate spirituality of your own—these are just a few of the themes we explore in Religious Studies.

Why Choose Nazareth for Religious Studies?

In this program, you will join a community of scholars passionate about the connections between the academic study of religion and what it means to engage the challenges and opportunities of living in the 21st century.  Studying religion at Nazareth College is interdisciplinary by nature and in practice, setting the stage for you to draw on the perspectives of history, literature, and philosophy, health care and business management, theology, natural and social sciences, and the fine arts, to name a few.  You will pursue questions of meaning and purpose asked by humanity across every culture and each time period as you discover the common themes of religions and make sense of their enlivening differences.  And as part of this intellectually challenging journey, you may find yourself participating with students from multiple religious tradition in national leadership programs.  View the Democrat and Chronicle article Better Together. 

Your study will take place in a unique context because of our department's partnership with The Hickey Center for Interfaith Study and Dialogue, The Center for International Education, The Asian Studies Program, and The Shannon Chair for Catholic Studies. Your participation in this dynamic constellation of academic programs opens the way for you to probe the cutting edge issues of today's world: ethical questions raised by scientific breakthroughs; emerging insights of brain research into religious experience, ritual practices, and mysticism; the impact of spirituality on (re-)construction of gender, race, class, and sexuality; religiously motivated violence, war, and genocide as factors in world affairs; interfaith dialogue as a catalyst for social activism, political engagement and peace building; and the intersection of religion with the media, political elections, and supreme court decisions.  Visit our "Students and Alumni Spotlights" to discover the ways in which the academic study of religion can contribute significantly to your professional life - from education and physical therapy to business and law to public administration and pastoral ministry, among many others.  View the Connections article:

Program Highlights

• Graduates go in to a wide a variety of careers including law, education, social work, business, ministry, and counseling. Religious Studies provides an excellent entry point for those pursuing graduate studies or professional preparation, testimonial. Please see the article, Better Business, Better World.
• Close-knit community of scholars; small classes; opportunities for short term study abroad programs with department faculty members. View: Footsteps to the Future (2011), and personal attention of faculty.
• Multidisciplinary approach which studies religion from the perspective of liberal arts, health and human sciences, business management, and education. View: Lives Caught Between Cultures: Native American Lecture Series.
  
• Multicultural and Interfaith context for the study of religion through Nazareth's First Year Program, service-learning partnerships, community service, and civic engagement. View: Religious Pluralism in Kerala, India.  Service Learning events: Ganondagan Social Dance, Community Read Blog.
  
• Professional Development in a Liberal Arts Context through individually designed internships to prepare for  graduate studies and/or professional careers.
  
• Majors may choose to double major or minor in related areas of study and professional expertise, such as, double major with Peace and Justice, Psychology, or History; Ethics minor and the DPT degree in Physical Therapy or pre-med in Biology or Teacher Certification through Inclusive Childhood/Middle Childhood Education. 

Program Director

Dr. Susan Nowak
snowak8@naz.edu
585-389-2731
GAC - 303

Dr. Nowak received her B.A. degree from Nazareth College, her M.A. degree from Temple University and her Ph.D. from Syracuse University. She studies and teaches comparative religion, Jewish-Christian interfaith relations, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, and feminist studies.