A multidisciplinary approach to the study of religion
This certificate, offered in collaboration with Harvard Divinity School, gives teachers a multidisciplinary foundation for approaching the study of religion in the classroom. Through courses on history, world politics, and religion, you learn to approach religion through a cultural studies lens.
- Earn professional development units for each course.
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Complete the courses on religious studies online, on campus, or both.
Courses
Take 5 courses from the following list for graduate credit and register for graduate credit. No application is required. Most students take 1 or 2 courses on religious studies online or on campus each term.
Required courses
- RELI E-1505/W Religion, Education, and Democracy (online web-conference course)
- RELI E-2000 Methods in Religious Studies and Education: Integrating the Study of Religion into Curricula (online web-conference course)
Elective courses—choose 3 courses
These courses must focus on 2 different religious traditions or areas of study within religion:
- ENGL E-230 The Rhetoric of Belief
- GOVT E-1182 Muslims in the West after 9/11: Between Islamophobia and Radicalization (online option available)
- GOVT E-1962 Islam in World Politics
- HIST E-1010 History of Western Christianity, 100–1100
- HIST E-1015 History of Western Christianity, 1100–1500
- HSCI E-200 Crusades, Plagues, and Hospitals: Medicine, Religion, and Society in the Medieval Mediterranean
- RELI E-1010/W World Religions (online option available)
- RELI E-1016 Angels: Messengers of God
- RELI E-1047/W Religion, the Arts, and Social Change (online option available)
- RELI E-1050 Apocalypse Now: How the World Ends (or Doesn’t) in World Religions (online option available)
- RELI E-1070 Children’s Literature and Religion
- RELI E-1420 History of Ancient Christianity
- RELI E-1500 Growing Up In America: Religion, Identity, and Race in the Lives of Teens
- RELI E-1550 Understanding Islam and Contemporary Muslim Societies (online option available)
- RELI E-1555 Introduction to Islamic Mysticism: The Sufi Tradition
- RELI E-1700/W Buddhism and Social Change
Getting started
Choose the course you’d like to take first and register for graduate credit. No application is required. Most students take 1 or 2 courses on religious studies each term. Download a certificate course tracker form to keep a record of completed courses.
To earn the certificate:
- Take all 5 courses for graduate credit.
- Earn at least a B in all 5 courses.
- Complete all courses within 3 years.
- E-mail ishikawa@hudce.harvard.edu to request a certificate (this must be done within 2 weeks of the award of the final grade).
Contact us with questions
We are happy to answer general questions about the certificate. E-mail us at professional_certificates@dcemail.harvard.edu.
Considering a master’s degree?
If you would like to pursue religious studies further, you can apply these certificate courses toward a Master of Liberal Arts degree. The courses must apply toward degree requirements. You can use the degree course search to find courses that fulfill those requirements.
For more information
Contact Diane Moore, Senior Lecturer on Religious Studies and Education, Harvard Divinity School, at (617) 495-4486 or dlmoore@hds.harvard.edu.
Requesting your certificate
During the semester that you are completing your final course, download and complete a certificate request form and send it to Diane Moore, (617) 495-4486 or dlmoore@hds.harvard.edu.
After you complete your final course, you will receive your certificate in the mail, and the credential will be noted on your transcript.