Department of Religion

Major Requirements

The major in religion is designed to help students develop a coherent set of academic skills and expertise in the study of religion, while at the same time encouraging interdisciplinary work in the humanities, sciences, and social sciences. The major consists of 11 courses with the following requirements:

• Five courses within an area of concentration: each major is expected to fashion a coherent major program focused around work in one of three designated areas of concentration:
  • Religious Traditions in Cultural Context. The study of religious traditions and the textual, historical, sociological and cultural contexts in which they develop. Critical analysis of formative texts and issues that advance our notions of religious identities, origins, and ideas.
  • Religion, Literature, and Representation. The study of religion in relation to literary expressions and other forms of representation, such as performance, music, film, and the plastic arts.
  • Religion, Ethics, and Society. The exploration of larger social issues such as race, gender, and identity as they relate to religion and religious traditions. Examines how moral principles, cultural values, and ethical conduct help to shape human societies.
    The five courses within the area of concentration must include at least one department seminar at the 300 level. Where appropriate and relevant to the major’s program, up to two courses for the major may be drawn from outside the field of religion, subject to departmental approval.
• RELG H299 (Theoretical Perspectives in the Study of Religion).                                                                         
• RELG H398A and RELG H399B, a two-semester senior seminar and thesis program.                                           
• Three additional half-year courses drawn from outside the major’s area of concentration.                                   
• Junior Colloquium: an informal required gathering of the junior majors once each semester. Students should complete the Religion Major Worksheet in advance in consultation with their major advisor and bring copies of the completed worksheet to the meeting.

At least six of each major’s 11 courses must be taken in the Haverford Religion Department.In some rare cases, students may petition the department for exceptions to the major requirements. Such petitions must be presented to the department for approval in advance.

Final evaluation of the major program will consist of written work, including a thesis, and an oral conversation completed in the context of the Senior Seminar (RELG H398A and 399B).

Advising for the major takes place in individual meetings between majors and faculty advisors and in a departmental Junior Colloquium held once each semester. At this colloquium, junior majors will present their proposed programs of study with particular attention to their work in the area of concentration. All majors should fill out and bring the Religion Major Worksheet, which can be found on the Religion Department website, to the colloquium.

Senior Project

The senior thesis research project in the Department of Religion serves as a capstone experience for our majors. The work of RELG H398A and RELG H399B, the required courses related to the senior research project in religion, consists of five stages: the formulation of a thesis proposal; presentation of the proposal; presentation of a portion of work in progress; the writing and submission of first and final drafts; oral discussion with department faculty.

Senior Project Learning Goals

The goals of the senior thesis process are to:

• further develop research skills and obtain a mastery of academic citation practices.
• provide students with an opportunity to pursue original research questions and to sharpen scholarly interests as one masters a particular field/argument.
• enhance written and verbal analysis through participation in the yearlong senior seminar with department faculty and students, weekly meetings with individual advisors, and the final oral presentation of the thesis to the department.
• nurture group cohesion as a department, through collaborative participation with fellow majors during the course of RELG H398A  and RELG H399B, concretely expressed by way of critical feedback to shared writing.
• build student confidence in the ability to see to fruition a rigorous project requiring prolonged periods of thought, writing, revising, and research.

Senior Project Assessment

You will receive a regular course grade for RELG H399B, which will appear on your transcript. This overall grade is comprised of three separate grades that evaluate:

• Your participation in the seminar process outlined above.
  • Participation in the seminar means: punctual attendance at all seminar events; careful preparation, especially the reading of your colleagues’ work in progress; and regular meetings with your advisor and submission of writing, according to the schedule mutually agreed upon.
• The quality of your thesis.
• Your thesis will be read by all members of the department, who will mutually agree upon a grade for the written thesis. This grade will be factored into your final grade for the seminar.
• The effectiveness of your oral exam.
  • The effectiveness of your oral discussion will be factored into the final grade for the thesis and for the seminar as a whole. All members of the department will participate in your oral discussion, but your advisor will not participate in the process of the final evaluation and grading of your work.

Requirements for Honors

The department awards honors and high honors in religion on the basis of the quality of work in the major and on the completed thesis.