Religious Studies

Purpose: To support research and instruction leading to the undergraduate degree in Religious Studies. Departments and programs interested in the study of religion include the departments that constitute the Religious Studies curriculum: Anthropology, English, Fine Arts, History, Humanities, Philosophy, and Sociology. Other departments and programs with an interest in religious studies include American Studies and Asian Studies, Comparative Ethnic Studies and Education, Literary Studies, Architecture, Foreign Languages, 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 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, 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.
7. Other General Considerations: Additional works of interest to Religious Studies are purchased for the departments which constitute the Religious Studies curriculum. See also: Anthropology, English and American Literature, Fine Arts, History, and Philosophy