RELI 130 - Asian Religions

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The course surveys six religious traditions founded and developed in Asian including two from India: Hinduism and Buddhism, two from China: Confucianism and Taoism, and two from Japan: Shinto and Japanese New Religions. The survey of each religion includes: 1. a primary or sacred text, 2. contemporary practices in Asia, 3. contemporary practices in America, and 4. depictions in modern media. The course studies how the central tenets and teachings of Asian religions create the cultural roots of contemporary Asian cultures and how these teachings have influenced America's religious diversity.

Units
3
Also Offered As
EAS 130
Grade Basis
Regular Grades

Workshop: Write Your Personal Statement

Submit strong applications!

When
12 p.m. – 1:30 p.m., March 19, 2025
Where
Learning Services Building 246

Prof. Daisy Vargas is offering an opportunity to students in the Department of Religious Studies and Classics to get feedback and tips on writing their personal statements for scholarship applications.

This is a great opportunity to polish up your application for these upcoming Religious Studies scholarships:

Majors with significant financial need can apply for our Need-Based Scholarship at any time. 

Questions? Contact Prof. Karen Seat at kkseat@arizona.edu 

Dessert Social

Connect with Religious Studies!

Feb. 27, 2025
Dessert Social

SWEETS | COFFEE | ICE BREAKERS | GAMES

Stop by for refreshments and connect with students and faculty in the U of A Religious Studies Program!

Thursday, February 27
4:00-6:00pm
Main Library Rm 112

Hosted by the Department of Religious Studies & Classics and the student club RELIC.

Dessert Social

Connect with Religious Studies!

When
4 – 6 p.m., Feb. 27, 2025
Where
Main Library Rm 112

SWEETS | COFFEE | ICE BREAKERS | GAMES

Stop by for refreshments and connect with students and faculty in the U of A Religious Studies Program!

Thursday, February 27
4:00-6:00pm
Main Library Rm 112

Hosted by the Department of Religious Studies & Classics and the student club RELIC.

Congratulations! Fall 2024 Rombach and Bretall Scholarship Award Winners

Dec. 11, 2024
2024 Fall Rombach and Bretal Scholarship Winners. Congratulations!

The Department of Religious Studies & Classics is happy to announce the winners of the Fall 2024 Lionel Rombach and Ora Bretall Scholarship Awards.

Ora Bretall Scholarship Awardee: Melissa Baker

Lionel Rombach Scholarship Awardee: Annika Rasmussen

Congratulations to our outstanding Religious Studies majors!

Read (in their words) how majoring in Religious Studies has enriched their lives and studies:

For me, studying religious studies has meant peace and understanding. It helped me grow beyond the dogmas and religious abuse of my fundamentalist upbringing. It gave me tools from different faiths to draw from while I suffered extreme hardships in my personal life. I think everyone should do some studies in religious studies as it can increase your resilience in your life and increase your cultural competency and awareness to better function in an increasingly interconnected world where the distances that once separated our nations and ideologies melt into the past.

Annika Rasmussen, Religious Studies Major

I’m an atheist who believes in religion. At least, in what religion could be. We humans are meaning-making creatures, finding and creating patterns and stories and communities. We need these things to be whole, individually and collectively. Without shared meaning-making systems we are fractured from one another. The increasing secularization of Western society has created a need to reimagine new approaches to religion for modern, non-theistic communities. Religion is among the most powerful forces in human civilization, and it is not going anywhere. For good and for ill, religion continues to shape the worldviews of individuals and societies. By studying religion we can better understand humanity. And maybe even create circles within circles of connection we all so desperately need.

Melissa Baker, Religious Studies Major

Study Abroad Funding for Bhutan!

Arizona in Bhutan: Spiritual Ecology & Himalayan Buddhism

Feb. 17, 2025
Bhutan

In Summer 2025, Dr. Rae Dachille will be offering the Arizona in Bhutan study abroad program.  The tentative 2025 dates are June 2-11 for the Live Online virtual course component and June 16-29 in Bhutan. Study Abroad applications are due February 25, 2025. 

Study Abroad Scholarships Available!

Students are welcome to apply for any and all of the funding awards listed below for which they are eligible. 

SILLC Global Award for SILLC Majors (Applications Due February 17, 2025):

Awards of up to $1,500 are available to SILLC majors to support participation in Study Abroad. SILLC majors include Classics, Religious Studies, Religious Studies for Health Professionals, Italian Studies and more. More information and application instructions can be found on the SILLC Global Award Fund webpage. 

More Info 

Donna Swaim International Award for Religious Studies & RSHP Majors:

Majors in Religious Studies and Religious Studies for Health Professionals (RSHP) who apply for the SILLC Global Award are automatically considered for the Donna Swaim International Award for Religious Studies. Award amounts are typically $600.

More Info 

College of Humanities Scholarships (Applications Due February 17, 2025):

Numerous scholarships are available for College of Humanities majors (Classics, Religious Studies, Religious Studies for Health Professionals, etc.), including the FEARLESS INQUIRIES ABROAD scholarship ($2,000) and other study abroad scholarships.

More Info 

UA Study Abroad Office - Scholarships and Financial Aid:

Please contact the Study Abroad office to discuss additional funding opportunities to make your study abroad dreams a reality!

More Info 

 

Questions? Contact Dr. Karen Seat at kkseat@arizona.edu

Rombach/Bretall Scholarship for Majors

November 1 and March 18 application deadlines

When
All Day, Nov. 1, 2024
Where
Email Application or Visit LSB 201

Religious Studies is now accepting applications for the Rombach and Bretall Scholarships from students with a major in Religious Studies OR Religious Studies for Health Professionals (RSHP). Applications can be submitted in either the Fall or Spring semesters, by either November 1 or March 18. 

Awards will be made based on academic achievement, need, and seniority in the Religious Studies Program (the number of courses taken toward completing the major in Religious Studies or Religious Studies for Health Professionals).

Value of Scholarship: $1,000-$2000

Eligibility Requirements:

  • Applicants must be majoring in Religious Studies OR Religious Studies for Health Professionals (RSHP).
  • Applicants must have a minimum 3.0 GPA.
  • NOTE: Students can receive only one Rombach/Bretall Award. Once a student has received a Rombach or Bretall Award, they are ineligible for future Rombach/Bretall Awards. (Those receiving "emergency" scholarships CAN apply for a Rombach/Bretall during the regular award cycles.)

Application Instructions:

To apply for this funding, please email the following with the subject line "Rombach/Bretall" to Hector Silva (religious-studies-classics@arizona.edu) by the deadline:

  1. Your University of Arizona transcript. It is fine to send an unofficial transcript.
  2. A 1-to-2-page letter of application, addressing the following points: 
  • Why did you choose to major in Religious Studies or Religious Studies for Health Professionals (RSHP)?
  • What has the Religious Studies or RSHP major meant to you? In other words, what impact has the major had on your experience as an undergraduate at the University of Arizona?
  • How will this scholarship help you to achieve your goals as a Religious Studies or RSHP major?
  • NOTE: At the top of your letter of application, please include the following information: your name, your university email address, your major(s), your expected graduation date, and the Religious Studies courses you will have completed by the end of Spring 2024.

Questions? Contact Prof. Rae Dachille (raedachille@arizona.edu) 

History of the Lionel Rombach Scholarship

In 1978, Lionel England “Lee” Rombach donated funds to Religious Studies at the University of Arizona for the purpose of supporting upper-level undergraduates pursuing the study of religion. He endowed this scholarship in memory of his parents, Lambert Rombach and Anna England Rombach. For nearly half a century, the Rombach Scholarship has been distributed to Religious Studies majors to help with their educational expenses. Until the end of his life, Lee Rombach enjoyed luncheons each year with recipients of the Rombach Scholarship. Mr. Rombach passed away in 2008 at age 93, and his legacy continues to benefit Religious Studies majors at the University of Arizona. His obituary can be read here.

History of the Ora Bretall Scholarship

Religious Studies received a generous donation to establish this endowed student scholarship from the estate of Ora Bretall. She was predeceased by her son, Dr. Robert Bretall (1913-1980), who was a faculty member at the University of Arizona from 1949-1976.

Study Abroad Funding for Italy!

Arizona in Orvieto, Italy Summer 2025

Feb. 17, 2025
Orvieto at sunset

In Summer 2025, Dr. Philip Waddell will be offering Classics and Religious Studies courses through the Arizona in Orvieto, Italy study abroad program, and the Department of Religious Studies and Classics is offering scholarships for students enrolling in these courses.  

The program dates in Italy are mid May through late June, 2025, and the Study Abroad application deadline is February 25, 2025. The beautiful, historic town of Orvieto is only one hour from Rome. The program will include field trips to Rome and other locations in Italy. 

Courses

Dr. Waddell will be offering the following courses for the summer 2025 Arizona in Orvieto, Italy study abroad program:

  • CLAS/RELI 305: Greek and Roman Religion (Gen Ed: Building Connections / Tier 2 Individuals & Societies). Description: This course covers the many facets of Greek and Roman religion(s), beginning in Homeric Greece and continuing to their receptions in Christianity.

  • CLAS 335: The Roman Empire: Rulers and Ruled (Gen Ed Exploring Perspectives, Humanist / Tier 2 Humanities). Description: This course explores the Roman empire from the perspectives both of the ruling Romans, and of the non-Roman peoples they ruled in Italy and beyond. 

  • CLAS/RELI 399 - Independent Study. Please contact Dr. Waddell directly to discuss independent study options. (Only for majors/minors who have already taken the courses above and need an upper-level CLAS/RELI course.)

Study Abroad Scholarships Available!

Students are welcome to apply for any and all of the funding awards listed below for which they are eligible. Any questions can be directed to Dr. Karen Seat at kkseat@arizona.edu.

2025 Arizona in Orvieto Awards offered by the Department of Religious Studies & Classics 

1. General Arizona in Orvieto Award:

Awards of up to $500 are available for any University of Arizona student enrolled in CLAS/RELI 305 and/or CLAS 335 through the Arizona in Orvieto, Italy Study Abroad Program. Priority will be given to majors or minors in the Department of Religious Studies & Classics, but all U of A students (with any major/minor) can apply. The number and amount of awards will be determined by the number and quality of applications received.

2. Arizona in Orvieto Award for Majors in Classics and/or Religious Studies:

Additional monetary awards are available for majors in Classics, Religious Studies, and/or RSHP who are enrolled in CCLAS/RELI 305 and/or CLAS 335 through the Arizona in Orvieto, Italy Study Abroad Program. The number and amount of awards will be determined by the number and quality of applications received. Majors in the department will be considered for both the General Award and the Majors Award.

Majors should ALSO APPY for the following study abroad awards (more details are further below):

  • College of Humanities FEARLESS INQUIRIES ABROAD Scholarship ($2,000) and other COH Study Abroad Scholarships (February deadline): Apply here
  •  SILLC Global Award ($1,500 - February deadline): Apply here. 
  • Cynthia White Travel and Study in Italy Award ($250): Apply here. 

Arizona in Orvieto Award Applications are Due March 3, 2025. Application instructions can be found here.

More Info & Application Instructions 

 

See below for additional study abroad scholarships! Once you prepare one good letter of application for a Study Abroad scholarship, you can repurpose that letter to apply for multiple scholarships. UArizona students are warmly encouraged to take advantage of the free services offered by writing specialists at WSIP to help craft a strong letter of application. Help with writing personal statements is one of the many free services WISP offers for UArizona students. Students are welcome to visit WSIP.Arizona.edu or email writingskills@arizona.edu to schedule an appointment.  

ADDITIONAL STUDY ABROAD FUNDING:

SILLC Global Award for SILLC Majors (Applications Due February 17, 2025):

Awards of up to $1,500 are available to SILLC majors to support participation in Study Abroad. SILLC majors include Classics, Religious Studies, Religious Studies for Health Professionals, Italian Studies and more. More information and application instructions can be found on the SILLC Global Award Fund webpage. 

More Info 

Donna Swaim International Award for Religious Studies Majors:

Majors in Religious Studies and Religious Studies for Health Professionals (RSHP) who apply for the SILLC Global Award are automatically considered for the Donna Swaim International Award for Religious Studies. Award amounts are typically $600.

More Info 

Cynthia White Travel and Study in Italy Award 

Several awards of $250 are available for University of Arizona students enrolled in a UArizona Classics course while participating in Study Abroad programs in Italy. 

More Info 

College of Humanities Scholarships (Applications Due February 17, 2025):

Numerous scholarships are available for College of Humanities majors (Classics, Religious Studies, Religious Studies for Health Professionals, etc.), including the FEARLESS INQUIRIES ABROAD scholarship ($2,000) and other study abroad scholarships.

More Info 

UA Study Abroad Office - Scholarships and Financial Aid:

Please contact the Study Abroad office to discuss additional funding opportunities to make your study abroad dreams a reality!

More Info 

 

Questions? Contact Dr. Karen Seat at kkseat@arizona.edu

Take A Break!

Mid-Semester Reception for Religious Studies Majors, Minors, and Friends

When
9:30 – 11:30 a.m., Oct. 18, 2024
Where
Learning Services Building (LSB) Courtyard. 1512 E. First Street

Religious Studies at the University of Arizona is excited to host a Mid-Semester break for all majors, minors, and students interested in Religious Studies! Light refreshments will be available along with opportunities to connect with faculty and fellow students. All are welcome to participate.

Take a Break Fall 2025

RELIC Meeting

Closing Meeting

When
5 – 6 p.m., Dec. 5, 2024
Where
Education building, Room 535
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