Study Religious Studies at Otago

Rosa Flaherty:

Hi, my name is Rosa and I’m a third-year Otago student. I study a Bachelor of Law and Bachelor of Religious Studies.

I went to school here in Dunedin at a Catholic high school, which gave me an interest in religion—although I’m not religious. When I came to Otago, I knew I wanted to do law because it seemed like a somewhat certain choice, and then I figured, why not pick up a religious paper? I already know a bit about Catholicism—let’s go and learn about Hinduism and Buddhism. And then it became my other major.

So here I am in my third year, I’ve done a range of papers. I’ve got to look at how religion, law, and politics intertwine. I’ve got to look at how the West views the East, and most recently, I’ve got to look at how ancient Egypt worked. So there’s an entire range of papers you can do for whatever interest you want.

The thing I love about Religious Studies is that there are so many different approaches to it. So, for example, a paper I’m looking forward to doing is Religion and Identity, in which I get to examine how identity is formed—but it just happens to be through the lens of religious groups. And it’s something I can apply in every other area.

I’m really excited for when I graduate, and I’m going to have a religious background because I hope to work in international law. And so, having a religious background means I can go into areas where I might not be able to speak the language very well, I might not be able to know the place names, but if I know parts of the religion, then I’ll be able to interact with people on more of a fundamental level.

And one of the things I’ve loved in terms of learning about religion—and especially Otago—is the flexibility I have, because I’ve been able to add papers whenever I want, be able to switch things around, and just be able to find something that really suits for me.

Associate Professor Ben Schonthal:

My name’s Ben. I’m an Associate Professor in the Religion Programme. I teach classes on Asian religions and Buddhism, and Religion, Law and Politics.

Religion exists in all human societies and stretches deep into the archaeological record. This suggests that there’s something fundamental about religion to all human societies.

The Religion Programme at Otago is in the School of Social Sciences. We’re not religious. We’re not going to teach you to be religious. We analyse and think critically about religion and its effects on the world. We examine religion as a product of human societies and human minds.

We ask questions like: why does religion exist and what does it do for people? Why might religion lead to violence or promote peace? Why is religion declining in New Zealand but growing in the rest of the world? What are the differences between religions in Asia and those in the West?

In your first year, you’ll learn about the world religions, such as Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam. You’ll also learn about religion from a scientific perspective—looking at experiments and research that measure the effects of religion on people.

Religion is the consummate humanities discipline. If you study religion, you’re not just exposed to one approach to the human sciences, but to many. Our staff are experts in psychology and anthropology, history, law and politics, and we draw on methods and theories from all these disciplines. And our students often combine Religion with other majors, preparing them for many different kinds of careers.

Our graduates work in government and human rights, education and law, media and business. Most importantly, our topics are fascinating—from the effects of Buddhist meditation on the human brain, to the ways that laws governing religion can contribute to civil wars.

By studying religion, you come to understand human culture and human diversity in a deep way. And that’s really never been more important in the world today.