Religious studies: teachers not preachers

Do you go to church?

What religion are you? These are questions that are unimportant when pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in religious studies.

From Moses to Mohammed, all religions and all perspectives are studied in the religious studies major. 

"The academic study of religion is inherently interdisciplinary," said Claudia Schippert, associate professor of humanities and director of the religious studies program.

Students in the major study religion in an academic context and look at it from different methodological perspectives. Religion is examined historically, through literature, psychology and philosophy. Students learn about religious histories, religious cultures,  different peoples' practices, and what religion does in different contexts of the world.

Schippert said that one cannot study religion without studying it through many perspectives. One must study religion through text, historical developments and philosophical questions, for example.

"No student has to have one particular faith in order to excel in the religious studies major," Schippert said. "The academic study of the major is not built on faith statements or on having to be religious."

The program includes classes such as Psychology of Religion and Sociology of Religion, which focus on the methodologies of studying religion.

Topics and issues that are explored include the significance of religion in contemporary American culture, religion in music, animal ethics or religion and medicine. Students are also allowed to focus on specific strands within religious studies that interest them.

"Religion is very important to this world," Schippert said. "A lot of people are very uninformed about religious traditions. A lot of times people only know what they know from their own religious upbringings."

Schippert said that religion is not always discussed intelligently in the media or in contemporary culture.

But what exactly does a student do with a religious studies degree?

Schippert said people become critical readers of texts and learn to look at different traditions from different perspectives.

These tools are very important in the contemporary job market. Employers look for skills of flexibility and the ability to think within someone else's position.

Understanding cultural conflict and what motivates people is valuable, she said.

Students who graduate with a degree in religious studies may go on to graduate school or law school. Some students work in policy, non-profit organizations or social service.

"They bring with them cultural literacy understanding that you know how to read text critically, how to understand cultures, how to do research and how to write well is of use," Schippert said.

Victoria Markwalder, a senior religious studies major, said her world religions class in high school was very interesting.

"The class and the teacher really inspired me to want to be a teacher in world religions," Markwalder said. "He brought in different guest speakers from each religion, like a Buddhist monk, which made it interesting."

Markwalder plans to continue on to graduate school and pursue a doctorate in religious studies. 

Because UCF does not offer a masters program in religious studies, she plans to attend the University of South Florida. She hopes to become a religious studies teacher. 

Another UCF senior majoring in religious studies, Christina Butler, said she originally wanted to go to a Christian school, but it was too expensive, so she chose to attend UCF.

She has always been interested in humanities and human existence so she chose to major in religious studies. 

"I've never had a, ‘I want to be a doctor,' dream; there was no trade I needed to learn," Butler said. "When I went to college I wanted to study something I was interested in."

Butler hopes to pursue a master's degree and doctorate in a humanities area.

Her dream job is working for the International Justice Mission, which would take her to countries such as Thailand and China.

"IJM is a search and rescue program where you recapture girls in sex slavery — some at the age of 13 — and turn their life around," Butler said.

Jonathan Westberry, a senior religious studies major, said he enjoyed theology, and it gave him the opportunity to learn about all sorts of world religions.

The religious studies major offered a broad spectrum of classes to choose from.

Westberry said that within the arts and humanities department, usually only one main religion is focused on within a major. However, the religious studies major covers a broad overview of all religious areas, not just one in particular.

"I don't plan on doing anything with it," Westberry said of his degree, "I did it to please my parents, to make them proud. I want to fly helicopters."

Westberry plans to attend a flight school in the near future.  He said the bachelor's degree today isn't what it used to be. 

"Students pursue a bachelor's degree for their own enlightenment and their own pleasure and to further their own knowledge," Westberry said. "The fact that they can put it on a resume is a surplus. The new standard is the master's degree. I've worked at several places and no one has ever asked me if I have a degree." 

Westberry said he hasn't met anybody at UCF that plans on using their degree, but they are just using it to have on a resume.

The job market today is individualistic, he said: "No one is the renaissance man anymore. People do one thing, they have one job, that's all they do, and they do it well."