The religion–political science interdisciplinary major offers students an opportunity to acquire a firm foundation in both fields during the normal four-year college program without sacrificing electives.
Increasingly over recent years, political scientists have applied their skills to the study of religion and conversely scholars of religion have become sensitive to the political dimensions of religion. Religion–political science does not have a specific area focus; that is up to the student’s choice. Because the student will be taking the junior seminar in both departments, the student will develop a range of analytical, hermeneutic, and quantitative skills to study issues from any area of the world. While this major is intrinsically valuable for students interested in focusing their undergraduate studies on religion and politics, it also prepares students who intend to do further graduate work in political science, religion or area studies—for example, Middle Eastern, South Asian, American, Islamic, or Jewish studies.