Humanities - Religion and Culture Concentration, BA

Department of Liberal Studies, College of Humanities and Social Sciences

65-70 credits

Introduction/What is the Study of Humanities?

The humanities include the disciplines which study philosophy, religion, history, literature, and the arts. The B.A. in Humanities programs attracts students who want to major in more than one Humanities discipline, using interdisciplinary methods of investigation. The department supports study of religions and of cultural history in Europe and the Americas, China, Japan, South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and in predominantly Islamic areas. Its courses give attention to historical development and cross-cultural interaction, both in the past and in the modern period.

The small size of classes and seminars in the Humanities B.A. programs encourages close relationships between students and faculty. Students conduct independent research on topics of their own choosing. Working closely with faculty, students learn to formulate problems clearly, to consider and evaluate different methods and concepts, to do efficient and thorough research, and to write clearly, concisely and effectively.

Graduates have gone on to a variety of professional graduate schools and careers, including teaching, law, library science, archive administration, and research and administrative positions with business and non-profit organizations. Students who have done excellent work in the department have succeeded in graduate academic programs in literature, history and the study of religion.

Why Consider a Religion and Culture Concentration in the Humanities Major? 

The Religion and Culture Concentration provides scholarly, non-sectarian study of religions. Students study religious beliefs, practices, arts, identities, and institutions and examine how religions have influenced and been influenced by historical changes in other aspects of society and culture. The concentration includes study in the origin, history and methods of the academic study of religion as it has developed in modern Europe and North America, along with a broad survey of Western culture as a context for understanding its religious traditions. Students also become familiar with religious traditions in at least one non-Western culture. Learning how to understand people of different religions helps students exercise leadership in settings of religious diversity and conflict.

Students acquire skills which are broadly applicable to professional careers. These skills include problem solving, critical thinking, research skills, integrative skills, and written and oral communications skills. The Religion and Culture concentration is particularly helpful for students who plan careers in education or the ministry, or graduate study in religion.

Contact Information

Department Chair Scott Pearce Bond Hall 152A 360-650-3897 Scott.Pearce@wwu.edu

Secretary Supervisor Kim Kolb Ayre Bond Hall 152 360-650-3031 Kim.Ayre@wwu.edu

Sample Careers

Attorney | Teacher | Professor | Librarian | Writer | Business Administrator | Historian | Non-Profit Organization Administrator | Congressional Aid | Research Assistant | Editor | Lobbyist

Major/Career Resources

http://www.wwu.edu/careers/students_choosingamajor.shtml

How to Declare (Admission and Declaration Process):

Students interested in the Humanities degree should contact the Liberal Studies Department as soon as possible.

Grade Requirements

A grade of C- or better is required for a student’s major or minor courses, and supporting courses for majors and minors.

An average grade of B in Liberal Studies courses is required for admission to LBRL 302. (NOTE: LBRL 302 is ordinarily offered spring quarter only.) LBRL 302 is prerequisite to LBRL 421, 422, 423, 424. It is recommended that students undertake study of a foreign language concurrently with the major.