{"id":8803,"date":"2026-02-09T15:57:44","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T20:57:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/academics\/?page_id=8803"},"modified":"2026-04-23T15:37:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T19:37:29","slug":"religious-studies","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/academics\/majors-and-minors\/religious-studies\/","title":{"rendered":"Religious Studies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Visit the full Religious Studies site<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Religious studies is a discipline that explores the spiritual and religious practices of individuals and cultures around the world.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The Department of Religious Studies offers powerful opportunities for developing a student\u2019s ability to analyze, communicate, collaborate, and continue to learn over the course of a lifetime. Students work closely with faculty to design their program of study, and all students in the major take classes across introductory, intermediate, and advanced levels, providing them with a wide breadth of knowledge on the topic.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Contact Us<\/h5>\n\t

Jeanne Beliveau, Academic Administrative Assistant
\n7 Andrews Road
\nHedge Hall
\n Phone: 207-786-8204\n<\/span>jbelive2@bates.edu<\/a><\/span><\/p>

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What You Will Learn<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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To gain breadth and depth in the understanding of a variety of religious traditions and practices<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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To apply both theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of religion<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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How to develop language, insights, and frameworks for understanding individual experiences<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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To communicate and act on the deepest sense of meaning and purpose<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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How to analyze the ways in which ideologies and institutions shape and animate the world<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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How to develop critical thinking skills<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Life After Bates<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Students leave the religious studies department with a deep cultural understanding and analytical skills that help them excel in a variety of fields, including medicine, law, business, the arts, teaching, social work, nonprofit administration, and beyond. Recent graduates have gone on to successful careers as research fellows, financial managers, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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94%<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

of 2020-2024 Bates graduates are employed and\/or attending graduate school \u2014 settled into their next opportunity within 6 months of graduation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cReligious studies taught me that \u2026 you can have faith and<\/em> question it at the same time. The community engagement projects I worked on as part of my courses were so meaningful that I knew I had to have a service component to my work post-Bates.\u201d <\/em>

\u2014 Phoebe Uricchio \u201910<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Selected Places of Employment\/Service<\/h6>\n\n\n\n