Religious Studies

Purpose: To support research and instruction leading to the undergraduate minor in Religious Studies or to the General Studies degree with a major in Religious Studies. Departments and programs interested in the study of religion include: Anthropology, English, Fine Arts, History, Humanities, Philosophy, and Sociology. Other departments and programs with an interest in religious studies include American Studies, the Asia Program, Comparative Ethnic Studies, Education, English and American Literature, Architecture, Foreign Languages and Literature, Music, Political Science, and Psychology.

1. Languages: English is the primary language, although materials in any language will be collected if the work is important. The sacred texts of the major world religions (Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism) are maintained in their original languages as well as translations into English, when possible.
2. Chronological Guidelines: No restrictions.
3. Geographical Guidelines: No restrictions. The religions of all countries and cultures are collected. The diverse nature of religion is emphasized, not only in world traditions, but also in American traditions and contemporary movements.
4. Treatment of the Subject: Emphasis is on the texts of sacred works, the works and biographies of major religious figures, histories of religion and of the major religions, works on comparative religion, and anthropological, sociological, philosophical, literary, and psychological studies of religion. Theology, commentaries, concordances, and popular religious literature are collected selectively, but practical theology, missionary and hortatory literature are collected only at the minimal level.
5. Types of Material: Most of the materials acquired are in the form of books or periodicals. Indexes, bibliographies, encyclopedias and dictionaries, atlases and directories are important. The proceedings of conferences, congresses, and symposia are collected selectively. Reprints of important older works are preferred to microforms, but microforms will be purchased when reprints and originals are not available or too expensive. Textbooks are normally not collected. Electronic resources are acquired.
6. Date of Publication: No restrictions, but current and recent titles are emphasized.
7. Other General Considerations: Additional works of interest to the Religious Studies program are purchased for the departments which contribute to the Religious Studies curriculum, as noted above. Audiobooks on compact disc and films are purchased on a highly selective basis.