About Religious Studies
The UNF Program in Religious Studies offers courses and programs toward the Minor in Religious Studies;in support of programs throughout the University, such as the Cultural Diversity course requirement as part of the General Education program, of the Foreign Culture course requirement in the College of Arts and Sciences, and the UNF Honors Program; and for students who seek elective courses in the study of religion.
In 2001-2002, the Program in Religious Studies had (in a regional, comprehensive, state university of about 13,000 students):
- 14 faculty members within the College of Arts and Sciences; approximately 74 Religious Studies Minors;
- 16 courses counting toward the Minor;
- courses focusing on the traditions of Islam, Judaism, Christianity, and Buddhism; courses on American religions, comparative religion, religion and culture, folk religions, and various related phenomena such as myth, ritual, mysticism and magic;
- several guest lectures by nationally renown scholars;
- participation in panels on the significance of the events of 9/11 and on Islam.
The Religious Studies Program at the University of North Florida has several qualities that make it noteworthy:
- It introduces students to the study of religion in an impartial but thoroughly engaging manner.
- Its faculty actively conduct research that contributes to the understanding of religions and keeps them aware of the state of the art in their fields.
- It teaches students in relatively small classes, usually of 20 to 40 students, and professors are more available to students than they might be in large research universities. The professors keep a minimum of five office hours a week.
- It includes courses taught from a variety of perspectives and disciplines, including religious studies proper, philosophy, anthropology, history, literary studies, and sociology.
- It offers topical courses, such as religion and violence and religious nonviolence, and sponsors symposia and lectures on topics of current interest for the wider Jacksonville community.
- It is a rapidly growing program with the promise of instituting a major in the near future. Furthermore, with the addition of new faculty comes the addition of many new courses, both as additions to the catalog and as additions to each semester's philosophy course offerings.