Religious Studies Major (BA) and Minor
More than 80% of the world’s population identifies as religious. Religious studies majors learn about the world’s religions — from Christianity to Islam to Buddhism — to better understand how spirituality and religion act as hubs for medicine, politics, history, art, and culture. In this program, you’ll learn about different practices and beliefs of Western and Eastern religions.
Religion courses at Lynchburg build broad skill sets and comprehension through studying comparative religions, religious ethics, and religious cultural factors. You’ll gain an understanding of important aspects of lived religion: how humans experience the sacred, engage in meaning-making activity, and think about the self. Religious Studies majors take an in-depth study of sacred texts, traditions, and ethics, investigating how religion affects culture and history.
As a Lynchburg religious studies student, you’ll:
- Gain a deep understanding of religious diversity by exploring world religions.
- Get the tools to communicate your knowledge about religion and apply it in different contexts.
- Analyze various religious perspectives and experiences and connect them to medicine, politics, history, art, and culture.
- Learn outside the classroom through day trips and study abroad opportunities.
- Get hands-on experience through an internship or chaplaincy.
Faculty Contact
Amy Merrill Willis, PhD
Associate Professor of Religious Studies
Chair of the Religious Studies Department
Interim Director of General Education
