Religion

Requirements

Students are required to take three courses in religion prior to Moderation, and three elective courses in religion thereafter. In total, courses must be taken in at least three of the religious traditions offered in the Bard curriculum: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism. After Moderation, enrollment in Sacred Pursuits is required of juniors, while seniors must enroll in Religion Colloquium both semesters in addition to the Senior Project.
Requirements for concentration in the program include any two courses in religion prior to Moderation, and two elective courses in religion thereafter. In total, courses must be taken in at least two different religious traditions.
Students are encouraged to take courses relevant to the study of religion offered by other programs, such as anthropology, sociology, psychology, theology, literature, historical studies, philosophy, and gender and sexuality studies. Courses outside the program that centrally involve religious issues or texts may, in consultation with the adviser, be counted as religion courses. Students are also expected to study a language relevant to the particular religion or area of study upon which they intend to focus for their Senior Project. Relevant languages taught at Bard include Arabic, Chinese, Greek, Hebrew, Japanese, Latin, and Sanskrit.
The Senior Project in the Religion Program will ideally be the culmination of the student’s investigation of religion at Bard and should reflect a sustained analysis of a carefully defined topic in the critical study of religion.

Recent Senior Projects in Religion

“Guru Nanak: Life, Lessons, and Relevancy”“The Holy Ghoul and Lalla: Bhakti and Medieval Poetic”“Image of Yoga: Instagram, Identity, and Western Imagination”“What Is to Be Done? Contesting Modernity in Sayyid Qutb and Ali Shariati’s Islamic Revival”