Reddit mentions of Studying Religion: An Introduction

I apologize in advance for the length of this reply. I didn't think I'd have this much to say.

I got my BA in Religious Studies in 2014, just graduated with my MA in Religious Studies this past May, and I start a PhD in Religious Studies at UNC Chapel Hill in a few weeks.

The field of religious studies is more than just reading a bunch of religious texts. One can examine sociological aspects; theorists of religion(s); anthropological approaches; critical approaches that examine intersections of gender, race, and queerness, etc. (My specific work, for example, is on US-Mexico borderland religious traditions and decolonization.)

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I also think it's important to stress that "Religious Studies" is different from "Theology." RS is the study of religion(s) and largely how they affect and are affected by culture and society. Theology is the study of the nature of the Divine. At the risk of sounding like a reductionist, RS might ask, for example: "What does the effect of US legislation on peyote use tell us about modern colonization?" whereas theology might ask: "Would God be angry if I used peyote?" There are students and professors in RS that do work on theology, but not everyone does.

Religious Studies is A LOT of reading, which most of us find pretty enjoyable - especially since it is so interdisciplinary, like /u/smittenkitten97 has already mentioned. It's great to read the Quran and the Tanach and so forth, but I would highly recommend starting works on critical theory if you are serious about getting into the field. It will give you a leg up should you decide to go on to graduate work in the future, and it really enriches your education. Reading J.Z. Smith is a great place to begin, and Russell McCutcheon has written this book which I cannot promote enough: https://www.amazon.com/Studying-Religion-Introduction-Russell-McCutcheon/dp/1845530128

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As far as what to expect going down the road:
It is good you're thinking of a double major because Religious Studies in and of itself is not the degree sought after by most employers. That's not to say you won't find work; the glory of RS being so interdisciplinary enables you to market yourself in a variety of ways that can appeal to many job openings. But honestly, in my experience, if you want to continue on to do graduate work, it's really only worth it if you want to become a professor. And even then, it's a hard road to follow. The market is over-saturated with RS PhD-holders, and there aren't enough job openings to accommodate them all. It is very competitive. You constantly have to justify who you are as a scholar and why your work is worthy of funding. I've been pretty lucky in my journey so far - my project is highly relevant thanks to this dumbass administration, and there was already a rising desire and need for people who work on US borderlands material. Thus, I've gotten into almost every school I applied to from undergrad to PhD, and every admission came with remarkable funding. I do not bring this up to gloat or show off. I bring it up because it is very much an exception. All of my professors in undergrad told me it is not worth getting a graduate degree if you are not offered funding. It's a ton of work, and the prices are exorbitant.

All this is to say, the texts you've listed have no substantial cohesion; do you have a specific area of focus in mind? Did you just want to do comparative studies? If you have a focus, that can help you in your search for undergraduate programs, especially since application time is right around the corner. I was lucky enough to tour a few campuses this year, and I've met professors from all around, so if you have any questions about a campus or a program, I'd love to help if I can.

I think that's all for now. Sorry for being so long-winded. Feel free to reply or PM me if you there's anything you'd like to know more about.