Religion

Undergraduate Study: Bachelor of Arts (BA), or Minor in Religion.

Academic Program

In keeping with the goals of UH, the Department of Religion takes advantage of the state’s strong social and cultural ties with Asia and the Pacific and seeks to enhance those ties. Within this extraordinary multicultural milieu, the Department of Religion serves as a link between the academic community and the many Asian and Pacific religious communities that flourish in Hawai‘i. Most of the major religious traditions—Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Shinto, Hinduism as well as Hawaiian and Polynesian religions—are represented and make Hawai‘i an ideal site and context for a study of Asian and Pacific religious communities and activities.

The Department of Religion is dedicated to the cultivation of a humanistic understanding of a wide range of religious traditions, ritual practices, philosophical speculations, ethical imperatives, and institutional histories. Its investigative approach is interdisciplinary and intercultural.

Major-Related Skills

In addition to discipline specific content, religion majors have the ability to:

pursue, explore, and explain intangible ideas.

analyze situations from multiple perspectives.

communicate diplomatically and effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds.

generate and implement ways to meet human, spiritual, and social needs.

view the world from the perspective of other individuals and cultures.

evaluate personal biases and make appropriate decisions.

Declaring Religion as a major

Click here for a form-fillable major declaration form. Complete the first page of the Declaration of Major form and print two copies. Make an appointment with a faculty advisor in the Religion Department to discuss your interests, major requirements, and course selection. The advisor will complete the second page of the form. Two copies of the completed form should then be turned in to the service counter for Arts & Sciences Student Academic Services.
Note: Click here if you are adding a second major - you will need to use a declaration of major form that has not been pre-filled to declare Religion as your first major. Click here for concurrent degree requests (i.e., between A&S and another college or different degree programs within A&S, such as concurrent BA and BS degrees).

Created by Lynne Higa, Michael Kirk-Kuwaye

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