Interreligious Studies Minor

The increasing religious diversity of today’s societies calls for better interaction among persons of different religions. Whether you live here or abroad, and whether you take a job in the public or the private sector, you will work for, with, or on behalf of employers, colleagues, clients, customers, students, or patients of different religious persuasions. Interreligious Studies will enhance your ability to use your skills and your knowledge in your professional life, to say nothing of your personal life.

Few Americans have the education and the practical training to work with religion in a socially engaging way. In the Interreligious Studies program, you will think critically and intentionally about religions, not only as beliefs, but also as forms of community at least as important as race, ethnicity, nationality, and other kinds of human collectivity. You will examine the ways in which religious communities influence one another, come into conflict, and find themselves transformed by their encounters and dialogues.

The Interreligious Studies minor emphasizes

• recognition of differences as well as similarities, with profound respect for religious diversity,
• promotion of healthy, peaceful, and mutually enriching interreligious relationships,
• commitment to the common good, and
• appreciation for the importance of religious pluralism, especially the kind of pluralism that emphasizes the civic good.

This program is interdisciplinary, considering concepts, themes, and issues through the application of various lenses, the practice of distinct approaches, and wide exploration of pertinent materials.

Requirements for the IRST minor

Students wishing to minor in Interreligious Studies must take a total of 15 credits from at least two but preferably three disciplines. You may earn three of your 15 credits in an internship with one of our faith-based community partners (e.g., Auberle, the Immigrants and International Initiative of the Allegheny County Department of Human Services, Catholic Charities, and Elliance). Six of the credits should be earned in two of the following courses:

IRST courses

You will have the following course options besides. We encourage you to consult with one of the program’s directors or advisors about which courses and internships best complement your major and further your goals.

African Studies

Communication & Rhetorical Studies

History

International Relations

Jewish Studies

Public Health

Philosophy

Political Science

Psychology

Sociology

Theology

Nursing

For more information…

• Dr. Marinus Iwuchukwu, Department of Theology, program director
• Dr. Gita Maharaja, McAnulty College, advisor