Religion - Nyack College

Religion from Nyack College is a Campus Bachelor Religious Studies degree that prepares you for a Liberal Arts career. Mission The Religion major is designed to prepare students intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually for personal encounters with adherents of the major world religions as well as of the smaller groupings known as alternative religious movements. Intellectually, students will be equipped with a working knowledge of the histories, worldviews, doctrinal beliefs, and ritual practices of these peoples. Emotionally, students will be prepared to meet such persons fearlessly, empathetically, and compassionately. Spiritually, students will be able to recognize and evaluate similarities to and differences from their own faith, thereby enhancing their Christian experience. Student Learning Goals In keeping with Nyack College?s Core Values of Social Relevance, Academic Excellence, Global Engagement, Intentional Diversity, and Personal Transformation, the Religion Major seeks to fulfill the following goals for its students. By the final semester of his/her senior year, it is intended that each Religion major will: 1. Demonstrate familiarity with the basic concepts, themes, and approaches involved in comparative religious studies. 2. Be able to discuss in an organized and transferable manner the chief characteristics of and define the chief concepts involved in ?primal religion.? 3. Be able to discuss in an organized and transferable manner the basic historical development of the religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism, Daoism, Confucianism, Shinto, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity in its Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant forms. 4. Be able to discuss in an organized and transferable manner the basic doctrinal beliefs of each of the above-mentioned religions. 5. Be able to discuss in an organized and transferable manner the basic rituals and practices of each of the above-mentioned religions. 6. Be able to restate textual concepts from written literature dealing with comparative religious studies in his/her own words and select data accurately. 7. Be able to discuss in an organized and transferable manner the theories and postulates?including implications for his/her personal faith?of approximately twelve leading sociologists of religion. 8. Be able to discuss in an organized and transferable manner the theories and postulates?including implications for his/her personal faith?of approximately eight psychologists of religion. 9. Be able to discuss in an organized and transferable manner the effects of his/her social environment upon his/her personal faith and be able to make Biblically-informed decisions with respect to. a. His/her general participation in the social order of his/her country (i.e., his/her behavior ?on the street?). b. His/her development of ?family values.? c. His/her involvement in the institutional church. d. His/her convictions regarding a proper ? read ?Biblical? ? socio-economic status. e. His/her views of race, ethnicity, and gender roles. f. His/her role as a Christian in the political process. g. His/her intake of and attitude toward audio-visual media. h. His/her understanding of the differences existing between ?secularism? and ?secularization,? ?pluralism? and ?pluralization,? and ?privatism? and ?privatization? (as essentially defined by Berger and Guinness). 10. Be able to discuss in an organized and transferable manner the effects of his/her psychological make-up upon his/her personal faith and be able to make Biblically-informed decisions with respect to: a. The distinction between ?internal-personal? approaches to spirituality and ?external-institutional? approaches. b. The distinction between the religious conversion process as described by the New Testament and the processes found in other religious systems. c. The development of his/her religious life, called in Christianity the process of ?sanctification?. d. The observations of James Fowler with regard to ?Stages of Faith.? e. The current search for and occurrences of the phenomenon known as ?revival.? f. The current interest in the ?supernatural,? ?signs and wonders,? and ?the miraculous? in general. g. The internal and emotional aspects of the approach to religion known as ?mysticism.? h. The benefits and disadvantages of the states of asceticism and celibacy. 11. Be able to discuss in an organized and transferable manner five approaches that Christians have historically taken to the non-Christian religions. 12. Have produced at least ten essays of significant length dealing with some of the most basic questions involved in the study of non-Christian religions from the standpoint of evangelical Christianity. 13. Be able to initiate and lead discussions regarding issues of religious significance. 14. Be able to recite from memory at least fifty passages from the Bible and show how the content of those passages reflect upon the various topics covered in the courses. 15. Have developed a resume or curriculum vitae for the purpose of ?marketing? himself/herself in an appropriate field related to his/her undergraduate education . 16. Have developed a set of short-term and long-term goals, as well as other instruments, pertinent to a productive and satisfying ?life after college.? View more details on Nyack College . 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