The UNM Religious Studies Program is an interdisciplinary unit within the College of Arts & Sciences, with participation from faculty and students from across the entire University of New Mexico, including the various colleges, professional schools, branch campuses, and the evening/weekend program.
Our undergraduate program provides both an introduction to the scholarly study of religion and broad training in the liberal arts. We study religion in its own right and as a lens through which to view the human condition, contemporary human societies, intellectual and social history, spirituality, and ethics. Students take courses in religious studies as a way to broaden their understanding of the world, to explore the sources of meaning and commitment in their own lives, and to deepen their knowledge of other cultures. Students major or minor in religious studies in order to pursue careers as scholars of religion, to become clerical or lay ministers in a variety of traditions, to prepare for professional school, and/or to explore their own deepest interests.
At present, we are working to extend the Religious Studies Program in three ways. First, to heighten its profile as an intellectual nexus for scholars whose research, writing, and teaching include religion as a key arena of specialization or creativity. Such specialists include university-based and community-based scholars in the humanities, social sciences, physical and biological sciences, fine arts, business, law, and medicine. Second, we seek to build stronger links to faith communities and spiritual traditions in New Mexico, in order to promote public dialogue across the boundaries between those traditions and between the university and community. Third, we hope to launch a master's degree in the near future, for excellent students seeking advanced training in religious studies.
More information:
Also see:
Religious Studies Links
College of Arts & Sciences homepage
UNM Catalog
