Learning Goals for Religion M.A. Students
Our program goals and objectives reflect the range of needs of students moving beyond the program, as well as the expectations of the field. Upon completion of the M.A., we expect our students to be able to do the following:
1) Graduates should be able to identify and engage with a range of theoretical frameworks and critical methodologies employed in the academic study of religion, and to articulate how the field has developed as an academic discipline that stands apart from theology and particular religious traditions.
2) Graduates should possess a developed understanding of the history of scholarship in their subfield (e.g., Judaic and Christian Studies, Chinese Religions, Islamic Studies, and so on), particularly in relation to their areas of research focus.
3) Graduates should be able to critically interpret aspects of the histories, practices, ideas, and/or texts of one or more religions, with attention to how these inform, and are informed by, interrelated cultural, intellectual, social, and/or political contexts.
4) Graduates should demonstrate progress toward language proficiency relevant for academic research in their subfield.
5) Graduates should possess the capacity to identify appropriate research questions and sources, conduct research independently and effectively, and write academic prose clearly and persuasively. Research projects should reflect the ability to develop, articulate, and defend an original scholarly argument on the basis of critical analyses of relevant primary and secondary sources.
