Degree in the Study of Religions

Basics

We clarify the specific academic perspective of the Study of Religions and how this differs from the perspectives of other religion-related disciplines such as the various theologies. We learn about the history of the discipline including the complex relations between the histories of religion and science and political contexts such as colonialism. We study classical and contemporary theories of religion as well as current research approaches such as the aesthetics of religion.

Religion in past and present

After an introductory class providing an overview of the global history of religion, students can choose from different classes on specific contemporary and historical religious traditions from Germany, Europe and worldwide. This includes non-institutional forms of religion and aspects of contemporary religiosity such as spirituality and atheism or personal and fluid religiosity. In the context of detailed and in-depth studies of specific religions, we address research perspectives such as religious dynamics, transculturation, globalization, secularization and re-sacralization, political religion or migration and diaspora.

Methods and languages

Students are introduced to key academic methods of researching religions, such as various forms of text analysis, discourse analysis, media analysis, interview techniques, or participant observation. As a next step, students choose from a range of languages and methods suitable for studying primary sources of specific religious traditions.

Systematics

The systematic study of religions focuses on (theoretical) topics concerning more than one religion. In addition to aspects that can be studied on a comparative basis (e.g., martyrdom, pilgrimage, concepts of time and history, or post-mortality concepts in various religions), we address aspects of religion in the context of politics and society; art, culture, and media; materiality, body, and ritual; and cosmovision, nature, and world interpretation.

Practice

Linking the academic study of religions to future employment, several classes teach aspects and skills relevant to professional practice. Students learn basics of project management and discuss issues of research ethics. Another practice-oriented class applies academic perspectives to issues relevant to contemporary society. This may include projects such as mapping the local religious landscape, producing guided tours of religious sites, organizing panel discussions, and writing articles or journalistic essays.

In addition to acquiring knowledge of specific religions, the study program helps to develop a broad spectrum of interdisciplinary and transferable skills and competencies. These include:

• the ability to distinguish different levels of discourse on religion ranging from descriptive neutrality to normative (religious) statements as well as the ability to distinguish between insider and outsider perspectives on religion,
• the ability to reflect on one's own and other people's religious backgrounds with an attitude of open-mindedness and a willingness to empathize with other people's interpretations of the world and ways of doing things,
• an understanding of the complex interrelations between religion and politics, society, economy, media, art, literature, or music as well as an understanding of the interrelations between cognitive, emotional, physical, material, and media dimensions of religious practice,
• the ability to deconstruct stereotypical representations of religions and to analyze power constellations and discourses,
• the ability to think critically and analytically, to find and justify one's own positions and to solve theoretical problems constructively,
• the ability to apply strategies for acquiring information on self-selected issues, the capacity to critically assess and contextualize sources of different kinds, the skill to present the acquired knowledge through different media formats and the competency to transfer this knowledge to other fields,
• the broadening of one’s horizon, the development of one's own personality and a general understanding of intellectual complexity and relationality,
• the acquisition of cognitive-rational strategies to find one's way in a diverse, plural, and increasingly globalized world and to act tolerantly and responsibly in it.

The successful completion of the BA program in the Study of Religions opens up various career paths. In many cases, further academic qualification through the completion of a master’s degree is helpful.

Academic careers and science management

With an additional master's degree and a doctorate in the Study of Religions, graduates may consider going into academia. Options in the larger field of academia include science administration and science management as well as general quality management at universities.

An academic career in a narrower sense includes positions as researcher and lecturer, as well as positions as junior, associate and full professor. Requirements for a career in research and teaching at university level are extensive and include quite specific qualifications. In the Study of Religions, extended language skills for studying primary sources of a specific religious tradition are often expected.

Professional fields covering aspects of the Study of Religions

Graduates might consider going into the following professional fields outside of academia:

• scientific communication, journalism, adult education, working in think tanks and as speakers and influencers,
• publishing and editing, media design,
• museums and cultural management,
• interreligious and intercultural mediation, integration work,
• political consulting, jobs in non-governmental organizations (NGOs), international cooperation, diplomacy, and jobs in the Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development,
• diversity training, coaching, and consulting.

Other professional fields

Graduates in the Study of Religions may also go into the fields of business, politics, media, and culture management, where acquired skills help in dealing with aspects of internationalization and diversification.

Additional qualifications

For all professional fields outside of academia, further qualifications are required in addition to those gained in the study program itself. An interesting portfolio in your CV with solid extra qualifications increases your chances of being hired for a job. We therefore recommend reflecting on your own career ideas early in your university studies, completing relevant additional qualifications and gaining professional experience, for example, in internships.