Overview

Fr. William Graf, Chair

Fr. John A. Colacino, C.PP.S., Fr. Michael Costanzo, Jane Hicks, Linda MacCammon

The mission of the Religious Studies Department at St. John Fisher College is to foster the academic study of religion in all its diversity in order to equip students to live in and appreciate a culture of religious pluralism.

To accomplish this, we expect those who take our foundational 100- and 200-level classes to: 1) be able to recognize the texts of the major world religions and recognize at least two ways of interpreting these texts; 2) be able to describe a religion using its sacred words, rituals, normative actions, and institutional composition; 3) be able to recognize contemporary intra- and inter-religious controversies; and 4) be able to use the library facilities, including the Internet, to aid them in accomplishing these tasks. Ordinarily, at least two foundational courses at the 100 level are required for a major or minor in Religious Studies.

Minor

Minor in Religious Studies

Prospective minors must consult with the chair of the Religious Studies Department. With the help of a departmental advisor, students plan a series of courses totaling 18 credits in one of the following areas of concentration:

Note: Only two courses may be applied from the 100 level.

• Roman Catholic Theology (to recognize the methods and sources of Roman Catholic Theology).
• World Religions (to recognize and research world religions, both Eastern and Western).
• Ethics (to emphasize a personal and communal process of moral decision-making from professional, cultural, and religious perspectives).
• World Scriptures (to read and explore the original sources of various world religions in translation to appreciate the literary richness of selected World Religions).

Note: Courses to be used for each of the minor concentration areas must be approved by the chair of the Religious Studies department and must include at least one course at or beyond the 200 level. Courses taken to meet a student’s major requirements may NOT also be applied to a Religious Studies minor. A grade point average of 2.00 is required for all courses taken in residence that may be applied to the minor.

Program Requirements

Requirements for the Religious Studies Major

• Ten REST courses chosen in consultation with a departmental advisor, for a total of 30 credits in Religious Studies. Only two courses may be applied from the 100 level.
• Four of the courses must be at or beyond the 300 level and include REST 496 Independent Study.
• In the Independent Study course, a major research paper is written under the direction of a member of the Religious Studies department, culminating in an oral presentation to the Religious Studies majors and minors.
• Six of the courses must be completed in one of the Religious Studies concentrations. Courses that are to be applied to the particular concentration must be approved by the department chair. See areas of concentration listed under minor requirements.

Students are encouraged to select a foreign language—biblical, classical, or modern—that will help them explore the primary sources of their major study. Double-majors may wish to select a slate of courses in Religious Studies that complements their work in a related field such as Anthropology, Business, Communication, History, International Studies, Languages, Literature, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, or Sociology.

For students majoring in Religious Studies, all courses designated as Religious Studies (REST) that may be applied to the major are included in the determination of the grade point average in the major.