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January 14, 2021 at 7:09 pm

Why Study Religion in College?

Grace Eberly Visiting the Taj Mahal in Agra, India during a study abroad experience (2015).

Grace Eberly visiting the Taj Mahal in Agra, India, during a study abroad experience in 2015.

When I was an undergraduate student majoring in World Religions, people often asked me what I expected to be able to do with this degree. In my case, I always knew that I wanted to go into medicine but, in retrospect, I truly believe there is nothing you can’t do with an education in Classics & World Religions.

The value of a CLWR degree extends far beyond the classroom. Religion is simply the medium through which you get to practice questioning ideas and unpacking complex issues. Furthermore, you become more comfortable communicating with people whose beliefs and life experiences are vastly different from your own.

Dr. Grace Eberly, D.O.
Resident Physician, Nationwide Children’s Hospital
B.A. in World Religions ’15

Studying religion is not just for religious people or those who aspire to go into the fields ministry or interfaith work.

It’s for anyone who wants to understand…

  • the role religion plays in politics in America and across the societies
  • intersectional identities with a religious component (e.g. Queer identities in Muslim societies)
  • current events like recent Supreme Court decisions and Hindu nationalism in India
  • the ways in which religious idea have already shaped the ways we think about ourselves and our place in the world, whether we are religious or not
  • how the academic study of religion can complement a major in history, anthropology, sociology, classics, English, and fine arts.

Also see Notable Alumni | Grace Eberly Works at the Intersection of Religion and Healthcare.

Grace Eberly meeting with female health center workers in the village of Marsul, India during a study abroad experience (2015).

Grace Eberly meeting with female health center workers in the village of Marsul, India during a study abroad experience (2015).

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