Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies

at Navitas Group - Queens College, City University of New York USA

Physics is one of the most demanding majors offered at Queens College, and it attracts exceptional students. In small classes taught by distinguished faculty, students benefit from an adaptable curriculum of theory and applied science, including courses that teach experimental skills, mathematical physics, and the principles of both classical and modern physics, such as mechanics, thermodynamics, electromagnetism, and special and general relativity. Electives explore connections between physics and other sciences, such as telecommunications and computer science. Students are encouraged to participate in the faculty’s internationally recognized experimental and theoretical research programs in optics, magnetic thin films, polymer surfaces, quantum dots and nanowires, multiple quantum wells, and photonic integration.

The program in East Asian Studies is flexible and interdisciplinary, combining language instruction with the humanities and social sciences. Students become proficient in one or more languages and acquire knowledge of the history, cultures, and societies of Asia.
In a globalizing world, this field has become increasingly relevant to students interested in such fields as law and policy, the arts, secondary education, and business and the professions.

The department offers a wide variety of coursework, with an emphasis on cultural, biological, and archaeological anthropology. The curriculum provides foundations in the study of human origins and development, varieties of human culture, and the cultural and social complexities of the human species.

The Latin American & Latino Studies (LALS) program offers disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches to understanding Latin America and the Caribbean, and the movements and settlement of the peoples and cultures of those regions in the United States. It combines Latin American, Puerto Rican, and Latino ethnic studies.

Courses give students a detailed knowledge of the development, institutions, language, and customs of Latin America. They cover such topics as the physical environment, arts and music, culture, and economic and political history. Most courses are conducted in English, with the exception of those on language and literature.

For those who are passionate about cinema, the college offers a multidisciplinary program in Film Studies. Students explore the aesthetic, cultural, sociological, political, philosophical, and psychological elements of cinema—analytically, critically, and historically. They study film aesthetics, technology, and the industry cross-culturally as well as in mainstream and alternative traditions and movements. They may also connect film studies to areas of modern art, music, history, language, and literature. Coursework emphasizes writing—through academic approaches to film analysis and research projects, and in professional approaches such as screenwriting and film criticism.

The Department of Drama, Theatre & Dance is a highly respected program that offers an excellent liberal arts curriculum, a balanced combination of theory and practice in the arts, and a competitive degree. The faculty, as well as the many choices of concentrations and minors, support student aspirations for performance, production, and teaching careers. Drama and theatre courses cover history, literature, acting, directing, stage management, design, and technical theatre, while dance includes modern, ballet, tap, Asian, and African dance, choreography, and dance history. Students’ experience on and behind the stage is enriched by use of professional performance spaces, dance studios, and a lively calendar of productions.

Africana Studies brings a global reach to the liberal arts curriculum, educating students in the civilization, history, literature, culture, and institutions of the peoples of Africa and people of African descent in the Americas.

As an interdisciplinary field, Africana Studies provides an excellent foundation for graduate work and an entrée to numerous disciplines and careers. Many prominent people in the United States hold degrees in Africana studies—including doctors, lawyers, scientists, business people, politicians, athletes, social workers, actors, journalists, and ministers.

Russian is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. It also is important in diplomacy, science, business, finance, and sports, serving as an official language in such forums as the United Nations, International Atomic Energy Agency, the World Bank, the International Olympic Committee, and many other organizations. Russian also is the language of great arts, including literature, dance, music, and painting.

The Russian program has been part of the curriculum at Queens College for almost fifty years. It instructs students in reading and speaking the language, and introduces them to the arts and culture of the Russian-speaking world. It also offers courses in Belarusian, Polish, Serbo-Croatian, and Ukrainian language and literature, and sponsors a chapter of Dobro Slovo, the National Slavic Honor Society.

The major and minor in environmental sciences reflect the college’s commitment to interdisciplinary learning and research on the earth and its processes across geologic time. With a choice of concentrations and coursework, students plot a course through a curriculum that addresses the challenges of environmental quality and sustainability. The faculty support this commitment in hands-on courses, laboratories, and fieldwork, with research conducted in the atmospheric sciences, biogeosciences, geochemistry, geology and geophysics, and water resources.

There is a global need for environmental scientists in both the private and public spheres. Upon graduation, majors may enter the technical workforce for corporations, governments, international agencies, or nonprofit organizations.

Religious Studies involves the interdisciplinary investigation of religious concerns throughout history and around the world. Religions are studied as text, experience, practice, and theology. Coursework explores themes and questions in comparative religion; religion, literature, and the arts; religion and culture; and religion and philosophy.

The program draws on multiple disciplines, including anthropology, art, history, philosophy, psychology, sociology, and language and literature. Students are encouraged to study relevant ancient and medieval works in the original classical Chinese, classical Arabic, biblical Hebrew, and Latin.

A degree in religious studies is of interest to students planning to continue on for theological or ministerial training, religious research, or teaching. Its cross-cultural sensibilities, moral concerns, and linguistic expertise also are useful in such areas as development work, community advocacy, social care and counseling, public policy, journalism, and librarianship.