Students participate in a candlelight vigil

Religion

Religious studies at Centre College is an ideal major for the liberal arts student. Religion courses are interdisciplinary and draw from a range of fields, such as politics, history, art, literature, social justice, philosophy, gender studies, and medicine.

Overview

Through a wide variety of course offerings both on campus and away, internships, and faculty-mentored research the religion program seeks to fulfill several goals. The first is to foster student’s understanding of the diversity of religious ideas, texts, practices, rituals, and histories. A second goal is to instill in students the ability to interrogate power structures and understand social locations (i.e., sexuality, race, gender, caste, class, national identities). A third goal is to develop student’s ability to investigate proper sources and develop methods of research analysis on topics related to religion.

Your major or minor took you where?

Religion students have gone on to a variety of graduate programs and careers.

Employers

  • ACLU of Kentucky
  • Georgia Law Center for the Homeless
  • Kentucky Refugee Ministries
  • Kentucky Supreme Court
  • Medical Microbiology at Duke
  • USAID

Postgraduate Study

  • Brown University (MD, Medicine)
  • Columbia University (MA, Journalism)
  • Harvard Divinity School (MTS, Theology)
  • University of Arizona (PhD, Anthropology)
  • Vanderbilt Divinity School (MDiv, Religion)
  • William & Mary Law School (JD, Law)

Curriculum

Religion majors acquire general knowledge in the discipline through survey courses in a variety of global traditions. Beyond the introductory courses, students take courses focused on particular topics and themes in religious studies, such as social ethics, religious art and architecture, archaeology and material culture, science and religion, and scriptural studies. All majors also take a research seminar that allows them to do an in-depth study of a topic of their choice while practicing the research tools and methods of the discipline.

Major Requirements

Minor Requirements

Experiential Learning

Students engage in hands-on learning experiences and reflection to develop skills and increase knowledge retention.

The diversity of students at Centre includes the variety of religious traditions each brings to campus. Many of these are represented in campus clubs and organizations that share their traditions and celebrations of different faiths through campuswide events each year.

Internships

We're committed to helping students find quality internship experiences in the career area of their choice.

Students have had internships in areas such as law, education, medicine, and non-profits (focused on poverty, incarceration, immigration, racial justice, philanthropy, interfaith understanding, data analysis, etc).

Careers

Our extraordinary liberal arts and sciences education prepares students for meaningful lives and careers.

Graduates are well prepared for graduate and professional study in religion, as well as careers in banking, computer science, counseling, law, medicine, social work, teaching, theater management, writing, youth ministry, and various organizations in the private and public sectors.

Religion Faculty

Bosco Bae headshot

Bosco Bae

  • Visiting Assistant Professor of Religion
Man short dark hair wearing camel corduroy jacket and light pink button up in front of black backdrop

Lee M. Jefferson

  • Nelson D. and Mary McDowell Rodes Associate Professor of Religion
  • Chair Social Science Studies Division
Man with beard and glasses wearing dark brown button up shirt with white t shirt underneath

Matthew Pierce

  • Associate Professor of Religion
  • Chair of Middle East Studies
Black and white photo of lady with dark hair wearing glasses, necklace and longsleeve top in front of book shelf

Shana Sippy

  • Associate Professor of Religion
  • Chair of Asian Studies and Religion Programs

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