The principal aim of the Religious Studies Department is to help students at Siena understand and appreciate the meanings and roles of religion in human culture. The academic investigation of religion is a component of a liberal arts education and clearly has an important function at a college sustained by the Franciscan tradition. The Department presents in its courses a critical study and appreciation of the various religious traditions of the world. Through this approach to Religious Studies, the Department provides students with an opportunity to explore the significance of human existence in its relation to the sacred, and alerts them to the importance of religious beliefs and practices in the political, social, aesthetic and economic arenas. Our courses are designed for all students, regardless of their personal religious stance, and approach religious experience from cross-cultural, multidisciplinary and global perspectives.
All students are required to take one course in the Department of Religious Studies (RELG 101 through RELG 181). It is recommended that the course be taken during the freshman or sophomore year. Transfer credits in religious studies may count towards the core requirement.
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