Director of Undergraduate Studies: Prof. Courtney Bender, Room 202, 80 Claremont; 851-4134; cb337@columbia.edu

Academic Department Administrator: Meryl Marcus, Room 103B, 80 Claremont; 851-4124; mm3039@columbia.edu

Departmental Office: Room 103, 80 Claremont; 851-4122

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/religion/

The contemporary approach to study of religion is both multidisciplinary and multicultural. Religious traditions that were formerly associated with particular social, historical, and cultural contexts, and could be neatly parceled out in area studies, are now in daily interaction with other traditions that might differ in their approaches to belief, ritual, scripture, or sacrifice.

The commitment of the Religion Department at Columbia to comparative and interdisciplinary investigation is reflected not only in the areas of research covered by its faculty, but also in its integrated curriculum, which draws substantially from other resources at the University and neighboring institutions. Faculty members subscribe to a variety of methods and theoretical approaches, from text-based criticism, and philological and linguistic analysis, to theoretical insights drawn from engagement with other disciplines including history, philosophy, sociology, and anthropology.

A solid foundation in the study of religious traditions in their historical context is an essential part of the department’s teaching. This firm grounding in traditions also reinforces our students’ ability to engage in current theoretical debates in the field of religious studies with a deeper awareness of the issues involved. They are thus able to draw upon the department’s strength in comparative study, philosophy, history, and theory to balance in-depth study of religion in a particular focus area with a critical introduction to a wide range of religious practices, ideas, histories, and texts. Students are expected to pursue a course of study that develops this “double vision,” so that they learn and develop the tools and knowledge with which to pose important questions about religious phenomena. Breadth, like depth, can be defined along various parameters. A student with a background in philosophy and ethics might be encouraged, for example, to pursue courses that offer an historical approach to religious traditions; a student who develops a specialization in Hinduism might take courses in Christianity or Islam. A major in the study of religion provides a broad-based liberal arts education.

The study of religion at Columbia is enhanced by the University’s wide offerings in the languages of the major religious traditions of the world: Arabic, Chinese, Greek, Hebrew, Japanese, Latin, Persian, Sanskrit and other Indic languages, and Tibetan, among others.

The Jewish Theological Seminary of America and Union Theological Seminary are located near the campus. Students are encouraged to use the resources that they offer, including their world-renowned libraries.

Students are encouraged to declare their major/concentration by the end of the sophomore year, or the beginning of their junior year. Prospective majors should first arrange to meet with the director of undergraduate studies. All students are then allocated a faculty adviser, and must submit a copy of the Declaration of Major form to the director of undergraduate studies. Those students interested in applying for the honors track should see the appropriate section below. After meeting with their adviser, and agreeing upon a plan for the major or concentration, students must obtain final approval and confirmation from the director of undergraduate studies.

Senior Thesis

Many students choose to write a senior honors thesis or paper in order to pursue an advanced topic in greater depth, or to work on a particular area of interest with a professor of their choosing. This opportunity is available to all students who major in the department, regardless of GPA, and serves for many as the capstone experience of their undergraduate career.

Students who write a senior thesis may apply for up to 4 points of directed reading with their thesis adviser toward the major. An application for the honors thesis in religion must be submitted for approval to the director of undergraduate studies no later than the spring of the junior year. The application must include both a prospectus for the paper and a letter of support by the faculty member who has agreed to direct the thesis. The prospectus (5–7 pages) should detail a research program and the central question or questions to be pursued in the paper, preparation for the thesis, and a timeline. The primary adviser of the thesis must be a member of the Religion Department faculty.

The application submission date is set sufficiently early in the spring semester to allow students to prepare a prospectus that is suitable for use in applying for outside funding for summer research, should such funds be available.

Grading

Courses in which a grade of D has been received do not count toward the major or concentration requirements.

Departmental Honors

Students who write a senior thesis and who maintain a GPA of 3.66 or above in the major may be considered for departmental honors. Writing a senior thesis qualifies a student for consideration for departmental honors but does not assure it. Normally, no more than 10 percent of graduating majors in the department each year may receive departmental honors.

Graduate Courses

Courses of possible interest to College students, which are open to qualified undergraduates with the instructor’s permission, are described in the bulletin of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Course Numbering

Courses are numbered by level and type:

1. 2000 level: Introductory and “traditions” lectures
2. 3000 level: Intermediate lecture
3. 4000 level: Undergraduate seminar and field:
4. x000 -099: Buddhism
5. x100-199: Christianity
6. x200-299: Hinduism
7. x300-399: Islam
8. x400-499: East Asian religious traditions
9. x500-599: Judaism
10. x600-699: North American religions
11. x700-799: Philosophy of religion
12. x800-899: Comparative
13. x900 -999: Methodological, theoretical, research