You might not think that nursing or marketing would have much of a connection with religious studies, but Dr. Matthew Robertson, coordinator of the Religious Studies minor and faculty member in the Department of History, begs to differ. “A nursing major might want to better adapt to the beliefs of their patients,” says Robertson, “or a marketing major might want insights into the ultimate concerns driving human behavior.” Almost any career that leads students to work with others could benefit from a religious studies minor.
The Religious Studies minor at Murray State is interdisciplinary, and any student — not just students in CHFA — who sees the study of religions as important for their growth and educational development is welcome to take it. In the minor, students discuss a wide variety of subjects to help them understand how the things we believe impact the world. Classes in the program are taught by professors from History, English and Philosophy, Art & Design, Archeology, Anthropology, Theatre, and Social Work.
The minor is a total of 21 hours: two required courses (6 hours) and 5 elective courses (15 hours). The two required courses are RGS 305: Studying Religion and RGS 209: World Religions. After completing those courses, students can choose from a wide range of complementary electives. For instance, students can explore religion as culture in a Medieval Art course, or learn about specific religious traditions in courses like Religions of Asia.
“At the core of the minor is the goal to instill a deeper awareness of the world’s religious traditions and the people who take part in them,” says Robertson. Studying the world’s religions also gives students an outside perspective on their own field from a different discipline, and teaches them to see the world with understanding and empathy, which changes their approach to others. It opens doors for students’ futures and leads them to other paths that would have otherwise been closed.
The possibilities are almost endless for students wanting to make connections and go deeper into world religion. Dr. Robertson highly encourages all students who are interested to check the full list of classes in the course catalog, so they can see all their options and find which one interests them the most. Interested students can also contact him at mrobertson13@murraystate.edu.
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