Religious Studies: World Religions in the Past and Present

More than just gods, spirits and higher beings!

The world’s religions play a role in our everyday lives, sometimes through obvious symbols like crosses, kippahs and hijabs, but sometimes more inconspicuously through customs and ways of thinking.

The bachelor’s programme in ‘Religious Studies’ mainly focuses on the five major religions: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism. You will explore what people believe(d) in and the extent to which cultures and societies are influenced by religion. However, you will also look at the world’s minor religions.

You definitely won’t get bored, as every religion has its own cosmologies and ideas on the role of mankind in the world, as well as its own ethical principles and philosophies on the meaning of life, earthly existence and the afterlife.

Of course, an important role is also played by various rituals, scriptures, buildings and paintings, and these will be examined in greater detail to identify similarities and differences between religions.

Religious studies is an interdisciplinary field that studies religious traditions of the past and present, identifying their historical development, emergence and passing with a range of qualitative and quantitative methods.

• knowledge of the world’s religions and their ethical ideas 
• interest in religious issues and popular traditions
• sensitivity to issues in multi-faith societies

‘Religious Studies: World Religions in the Past and Present’ is a field of study open to members of all religions and denominations, as well as non-religious students.