B.A. in Theology and Religious Studies - Theology and Spiritualities

A major or minor in Theology and Religious Studies prepares students for the demands of a rapidly changing world, keeping with the university’s justice and service-orientated educational mission. Religion is one of the most powerful social forces shaping the world of the 21st century. At the University of San Francisco, we believe that an understanding of religious traditions, a passion for social justice, and sensitivity for cultural difference help students navigate our religiously complex world.The undergraduate major and minor programs explore systematically and critically human religious experiences in different cultures, so that students may become familiar with major religious traditions, values and symbols. Professors encourage students to explore the religious dimensions of their own lives; appreciate the role of religion in life, drawing conclusions about human dignity and rights, human freedom and responsibility; and develop awareness of the relationship between faith and justice. The aim of the program is to foster and deepen an engaged, critical, and integrated understanding of the disciplines of Theology and Religious Studies within the University's tradition of Jesuit liberal education. The program will provide: an understanding of fundamental issues posed by the world's religious and theological traditions: inquiry into the diverse forms and expressions of religious experience; emphasis on the Catholic Christian tradition as well as respectful engagement with other religious, theological, and philosophical traditions of the world. The Learning outcomes are: Human Dimensions of Religion, Theology and Spirituality - Students will be able to understand their own spirituality and recognize how religion, theology, and spirituality underlie and correlate with a broad range of human experience. Religious Diversity - Students will be able to understand, differentiate, and appreciate various religious traditions, as encouraged by Vatican II's stance on the Catholic Church's relationship with other faiths. This understanding will entail the creedal vision, moral teachings, historical context, social expression, and key rites and symbols of these faith traditions. Social Justice - Students will investigate and discuss how religious and theological traditions can work effectively for social justice and for the good of the entire human family and the environment that sustains it.