Degree programme specification
Do you want to understand the value foundations of human cultures and navigate information about the problems of the contemporary world?
By studying religious studies at Masaryk University you will gain a comprehensive knowledge of the main religious traditions of the past and present in their societal context. In addition to a basic overview of the main traditions, a wide range of elective courses allows you to focus on a specific area and religion of your own interest.
Practically, you will learn to locate reliable sources of information, use them critically, and apply your knowledge in quality oral and written expression. You will gain insight into the basic procedures of religious studies and, if you wish, you will have the opportunity to learn the basics of any of the source languages offered. These include Arabic, Latin, Sanskrit, Japanese and Chinese.
In the single-subject study and master plan, you will also acquire the basics of scientific work, including knowledge of specialized research methods. You will learn the basics of qualitative and quantitative research methods. You will have the opportunity to learn about experimental research and work with historical sources.
By fostering an interdisciplinary approach, you will become familiar with the practices of several humanities and social science disciplines.
During your studies, you will have the opportunity to participate in regular field trips and engage in student activities. For example, the film club or the student-run departmental journal Sacra.
The study also includes the opportunity to go on an internship abroad through the ERASMUS+ and CEEPUS programmes.
Is studying the programme for you?
Answer these questions:
- Would you be interested in exploring religion as phenomena of human culture that are reflected in various areas of human activity?
- Would you like to understand the problems of today's world where many different cultures meet in peace and conflict?
Study plans
Studies
- Objectives
The three-year Bachelor’s degree study programme in the Study of Religions pro-vides a comprehensive overview of the main religious traditions of the past and pre-sent, and the fundamentals of the theory, methodology, and history of the discipline. In addition, the main study plan enables students to acquire basic knowledge of a se-lected source language. The study plan also includes practical training in writing and presentation skills as well as in the selection of methods of historical, comparative, sociological, anthropological, and psychological research into religion. This practical training places an emphasis on identifying relevant sources of information, the devel-opment of analytical skills, the formulation of coherent and well-founded attitudes to phenomena of human culture both orally and in writing, creative thinking, and the adoption of an interdisciplinary mind-set. Attention is also paid to the development of skills necessary for the application of the study of religions in social practice.
The curriculum is organized on the basis of a credit system, offering individual choices concerning the study programme timeline and thematic modifications accord-ing to the individual area of interest. Type A/compulsory courses cover the main reli-gious traditions of the world, an introduction to the discipline and its transformations, and practically oriented methodological training. The vast range of optional courses on offer further develop and enrich the programme.
This study programme is suitable for graduates of all types of high schools who are interested in the dynamics of religion and in its functioning in both historical and con-temporary societies. The study programme provides a high-quality Bachelor’s degree education in the humanities and the social sciences provided by an internationally well-recognized department. The programme’s graduates are qualified for positions requiring analytical skills and orientation in the religious, cultural, and ethnic contexts of functioning and changing human societies.
- Learning Outcomes
After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:
- understand the basic social scientific assumptions and approaches in the study of human culture
- characterize the major religious traditions of the world
- search for information in various resources and both evaluate and synthesise it
- make correct use of the basic terminology of the most important religious traditions and of their historical and social scientific study
- differentiate and use various basic methods of data collection in humanities and the social sciences
- analyse different types of resources from the perspective of the social sciences and humanities
- write formally and factually correct texts on phenomena of human culture using relevant resources
- consider phenomena of human culture from a global and interdisciplinary perspective
- apply social scientific and humanities-based approaches and knowledge in professional activity as well as in the personal understanding of human behaviour
- Occupational Profiles of Graduates
Graduates are qualified for positions requiring critical thinking and cross-cultural adaptability. They usually work in teaching, journalism, administration, specialized sectors of the tourist industry, non-governmental organizations, the media, project writing in both the public and private sectors, companies focusing on the develop-ment of games and on leisure activities, and start-ups requiring creative thinking. They can offer employers strong analytical skills, creative thinking, presentation skills, flexibility, intercultural orientation, familiarity with the assumptions and meth-ods of several disciplines within the humanities and the social sciences, the skill of writing original texts that are both formally and factually correct, the capacity to think in global and interdisciplinary terms, and the ability methodically to pursue complex, demanding, and long-term projects.
- Practical Training
The study programme does not involve required practical training.
- Goals of Theses
The Bachelor’s thesis in the Study of Religions involves the ability to formulate and pursue a project involving basic or applied research with the help of a super-visor. There are three Bachelor’s thesis seminars, which result gradualy in (1) a structured and annotated bibliography, excerpts from literature, and a summary of the intended topic, (2) a research project proposal, (3) a finalized text. Stu-dents choose the topic from topic lists published by individual supervisors or propose and gradually specify their own topic.
The length of the Bachelor’s thesis is 70, 000 to 80, 000 characters (ca. 40-45 standard pages). The thesis compulsory contains: Czech and English summary (1,800 characters each, including spaces, i. e. around 30 lines); and list of key words in Czech and English. These parts of the thesis are also submitted separately to the relevant IS MU files.
Obligatory parts of the thesis are: title page with the name of the university, faculty, and department; title of the thesis; name of the student; name of the supervisor; seat of the university (Brno) and year of submission; statement of originality; table of contents; bibliographic references throughout the text; list of sources and literature. The work must be paginated. It is not necessary to physically hand in the work. Submit the electronic version to the thesis archive in IS.
- Access to Further Studies
After completion of the Bachelor’s studies, graduates can continue further studies in the Master’s degree programme in the Study of Religions or any other Master’s degree programme (after satisfying the admission requirements).
Basic information
Czech