About Religious Studies
What is Religious Studies?
Religious Studies at Canterbury aims to rethink our understanding of religion. We do so by engaging with two major traditions - Christianity, Hinduism - and also by the critique and analysis of issues through contemporary cultural and religious theory.
Our courses place the study of religion in the context of the 21st century, at a point in history where we can see institutional and personal religion both on the decline and on the increase. People everywhere continue to be challenged by the difficult and inspiring questions that have always faced us as human beings:
- Who are we?
- What are we doing here?
- Why is the world the way it is?
- Is it all real?
- Can we be truly free and happy? If so, how?
We look at issues like these from the point of view of the great religious traditions of the world. Our courses provide pathways to understanding these traditions both at a conceptual and an experiential level. Innovative and stimulating, our programme provides a study of religion which is both critical and empathetic.
We do not set out to judge whether the beliefs and practices of particular religions are true or false, right or wrong, but we do seek to understand them through rigorous analysis and disciplined imagination, informed by cutting-edge scholarship.
Different academic disciplines use different methods. Religious Studies is particularly challenging, since it draws on a number of disciplines, including anthropology, cultural and literary criticism, history and sociology. Whatever approach we use, however, we aspire to the same ideal which applies to all scholarly work: to be open, critical, thorough, contextual, and honest.
Why should I study religion?
Religion is as important today as it ever was. Both the Pope and the Dalai Lama are influential world figures who draw huge crowds wherever they go, resurgent Islam has changed the political face of the world, and Christian fundamentalism has continued to be a force to reckon with in American society. Likewise popular culture is increasingly infused with religious ideas, images and sounds. In fact, for the great majority of people in the world, today as well as in the past, religion is the most important influence on their ideas of who they are, where they come from, and why they are here. Without some understanding of religion we cannot hope to understand humanity.
What can I do with Religious Studies?
In a globalising world Religious Studies is a crucial component for understanding the various cultural and political issues that we all encounter. To ignore the impact that religious beliefs, practices and ideas have upon our lives is to seriously misunderstand the world we live in. We can only be culturally literate and informed if we understand the various roles that religion plays - and critically engage with them.
People planning careers in international commerce, politics and policy-making, tourism and travel, social services, teaching, the media and so on will find Religious Studies to be valuable. Those interested in careers within religious institutions will find that it affords them a valuable perspective, complementing their faith-based education. Former graduates of our programme have gone on to become journalists, artists, musicians, film directors, teachers, gallery directors, librarians and academics. Many of our students take double majors in Religious Studies and Anthropology, Art History, English, History, Political Science, Sociology, and many other subjects.
Why Canterbury?
Canterbury is one of the leading universities in New Zealand, and has a small but highly-regarded, research-led and teaching-focused Religious Studies programme. It was also New Zealand's first Religious Studies programme, having been established in the mid-1960s and so has had time to build up an excellent research environment and library resources.
A strength of our programme is the range of disciplines in which our staff have been trained: anthropology, history, literary criticism, philology, and theology. This enables students to approach the subject from a variety of standpoints, enhancing their critical analysis and intellectual development.
Students may also take courses in Sanskrit, while Hindi and Urdu are all available informally. This sort of opportunity is very important for students contemplating advanced study.
Students taking Religious Studies at Canterbury can also take advantage of the links with other disciplines taught here at Canterbury. There are scholars specializing in and offering courses relevant to the study of religion in Anthropology, Chinese, Classics, History, Maori, Philosophy and Political Science.
Canterbury has one of the best libraries in Australasia for the study of religion. This includes the world-renowned de Jong Collection, part of the personal library of Jan Willem de Jong (1921-2000), Professor of South Asian and Buddhist Studies at Australian National University, Canberra. As well as incorporating Professor de Jong's personal papers, the collection consists of approximately 11,000 volumes relating primarily to the fields of Buddhist Studies and Indology, but other cultural and religious traditions of Asia are also well represented. Students taking Religious Studies at Canterbury thus find themselves supported by library holdings that no other New Zealand university can match.