Religious Studies Department

Mission

The Religious Studies Department identifies religion as a constitutive feature of human experience whose study fosters the intellectual, moral, and spiritual development of our students. Therefore, the Department invites students to a critical and appreciative engagement with the myriad expressions of religion. Further, the Department is committed to educate students to work for the integrity of creation, justice, and the reduction of violence in our world.

The Religious Studies Department strives to:

1. engage students in a critical synthesis of faith and reason as an integral part of a liberal arts education in the Catholic intellectual tradition;
2. develop a sense of religion as a multi-cultural phenomenon while fostering the skills necessary for understanding and relating to the religious diversity of the 21st Century with tolerance and appreciation;
3. introduce students to the broad spectrum of approaches which comprise the academic study of religion: spirituality, ethics, history, sacred literature, and theology

The Religious Studies Department is the academic discipline which explicitly serves the fundamental identity of Iona University in light of its mission as an institution in the tradition of the Christian Brothers and American Catholic higher education.

Rev. 4.20.07; 3.9.10; 10.4.10

Revision adopted 10.18.12 in response to new University Mission Statement 5.2.12.
(Revised, February 2013)

Student Outcomes

• R1 Express substantive knowledge of the beliefs and practices among various religious traditions through analyzing religious texts, especially primary sources. [Knowledge]R2 Compare the fundamental insights shared by the many religious traditions while distinguishing the historical and cultural contexts of the different religious traditions. [Critical thinking]
• R3 Synthesize an informed appreciation for religious diversity, a sensitivity to the demands of living within the ambiguity of multiple religious traditions while exhibiting a willingness to promote mutual respect, interreligious tolerance, and dialogue. [Diversity and Tolerance]
• R4 Identify the critical religious responses to the social issues of violence, injustice, poverty, and ecological degradation, and evaluate competing ethical claims among and within religious traditions. [Ethical Awareness]
• R5 Experience the affective power of the religious traditions and differentiate the rich and diverse religious practices in our world. [Affective and Practical Experiences]