Program overview
Religious studies is not about converting you to a religion, but about studying religion from an academic perspective. You will learn about the history, scriptures, rituals, and ideas of major world religions (Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, Islam, etc.), as well as interdisciplinary fields like sociology of religion, psychology of religion, and anthropology of religion. Core courses include Introduction to Religious Studies, World Religious History, Philosophy of Religion, and Chinese Religious Studies. Chinese universities have unique advantages in Buddhist and Taoist studies due to rich textual resources and living traditions. If you are interested in cultural differences, philosophical inquiry, and the belief-driven motivations behind human behavior, this major is a great fit.