Department of Religious Studies

J. Long (Chair), Bach, Bucher, Kraybill, M. Long, Sadd, Simes

For more information, please visit the Department’s website or check your course syllabi, which are available through the course instructor or at the High Library.

Religious Studies courses offer all students the opportunity to explore the religious and spiritual dimensions of life, culture and society. The Department prepares its majors and minors to continue theological study and ministry training at the graduate level, to pursue graduate study in religion, and to make meaningful contributions in the vocations to which they feel called. In keeping with the heritage of the Church of the Brethren and the mission of the College, the Department’s courses explore ways in which religious beliefs, practices and traditions promote peace within the human community, commend the use of nonviolent methods of transforming conflict, establish justice locally and globally, proclaim the essential worth of all human beings, and encourage respect for diversity.

Religious Studies is a highly diversified discipline that draws on a variety of scholarly methods and involves the empathetic study of myriad religious traditions. Our Department reflects the historical, theological, scriptural, ethical and comparative aspects of this field. The faculty, therefore, is able to offer a balanced and thorough course of study for students in the areas of Asian religions, biblical studies, ethics and society, history of Christianity, and ministry studies.

Following the Church of the Brethren heritage of Elizabethtown College, the Department emphasizes the study of nonviolence and fosters an understanding of the historical Brethren commitments to peace, justice and service. Thus, the Department contributes to an interdisciplinary minor in Peace and Conflict Studies and sponsors a minor in Anabaptist and Pietist Studies.

Majors Offered

The Department offers a major in Religious Studies with the option of tailoring the major with one of five concentrations.

Minors Offered

The Department offers a Religious Studies minor . Minors in Peace and Conflict Studies , Anabaptist and Pietist Studies , and Asian Studies also are available.

Honors in the Discipline

The Department of Religious Studies participates in the College Honors in the Discipline Program. For guidelines, students should consult the Department Chair.