The goal of the Religion and Health minor is to prepare students entering healthcare professions to recognize, understand and show concern for varying religious beliefs, traditions, and values at the intersection of a patient’s individual healthcare needs.
With courses such as World Religions for Healthcare Professionals, Health, Ethics and Religion, and Religious Perspectives on Health, Death, and Dying, the minor provides students with courses addressing general understanding of the intersection of religion and health such as issues surrounding sickness, health, birth, and death. While it is impossible for healthcare professionals to be familiar with all religious traditions, this minor exposes them to a variety of traditions as well as teaching self-awareness and willingness to make decisions reflecting concern for a patient’s needs and desires. The most important translatable skill from this minor is the recognition and respect for varying cultures, beliefs, ways of life, religions, and the way those impact healthcare decision making. This minor prepares students for their lives as members of communities, professionals in society, and as individuals part of the larger global world.
This minor provides directly translatable skills to complement a wide variety of majors related to the healthcare profession including, but not limited to, Health Sciences, Public Health, Nursing, Pre-Med, etc.