Study of Religions

The two-year Master’s degree study programme in the Study of Religions develops the understanding of religious traditions of the world and deepens student insight into the theory, methodology, and history of the study of religions. In a wide interdisciplinary context, the programme develops students‘ competences in qualitative and quantitative approaches (and their combination) to the study of religions. Along with a focus on theories of religious representations and behavior, the programme includes systematic mentoring of students in transferable skills that include the organization of basic research, applied research, and popularization of the study of religions in the public sphere. The programme is based on an interdisciplinary integration of the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. In addition to established perspectives in the study of religions, it offers innovative approaches from actor-network theory, digital humanities, and the cognitive and evolutionary sciences of religion.

The curriculum is organized on the basis of a credit system, offering individual choices concerning the study timeline and thematic modifications according to the individual field of interest. Compulsory courses mostly cover theory in the study of religions, research management and popularization, and also include four practical seminars related to preparation of a thesis. Optional courses develop competences in qualitative and quantitative approaches in the study of religions and their combinations. These courses are taught in close connection with topics from different religious traditions.

The Master’s degree study programme is suitable for graduates of the Bachelor’s degree programmes in the Study of Religions and related fields such as anthropology, archaeology, sociology, ethnology, cultural studies, history, and psychology who intend to deepen their understanding of religious traditions viewed in the light of current international debate and from a fundamentally interdisciplinary perspective. It prepares students for occupations requiring excellent analytical skills, presentation skills and insight into the religious, cultural, and ethnic contexts of the operation of human societies and changes taking place within them.

After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

• use the concepts of historiography, sociology, anthropology, ethnography, archaeology, digital humanities, the cognitive and evolutionary sciences, and psychology for a critical understanding of thought and social behavior in the context of religion;
• search for information in various sources and both evaluate and synthesize it;
• systematically collect, categorize and analyze data in accordance with established practices in Human sciences;
• understand essential dimensions and dynamics of religion as a phenomenon of human thought and culture;
• prepare a high-quality research, applied or popularizing project;
• evaluate applied, popularizing, and research projects from the point of view of feasibility, social impact, and ethics;
• write formally and factually correct, useful, and original texts on phenomena of human culture using relevant sources;
• consider phenomena of human culture from a local, global and deeply interdisciplinary perspective;
• apply social scientific approaches and knowledge in professional activity as well as in the personal understanding of religious phenomena as part of human culture in a nuanced way.

Graduates are qualified for positions requiring critical thinking and cross-cultural adaptability. At the same time, graduates of this programme have an interdisciplinary outlook towards related social sciences and humanities as well as relevant natural sciences. Besides academia, they usually work in teaching, journalism, administration, specialized sectors of the tourist industry, non-governmental organizations, the media, data analytics, project writing in both the public and private sectors, companies focusing on the development of games and on leisure activities, and start-ups requiring creative thinking. They can offer employers strong analytical skills, creative thinking, presentation skills, know-how in work management, intercultural orientation, familiarity with the assumptions and methods of several disciplines within the humanities and the social sciences, the skill of writing texts that are both formally and factually correct, the capacity to think in local, global and interdisciplinary terms, and the ability methodically to pursue complex, demanding, and long-term projects.

The study programme does not involve compulsory practical training.

The Master’s thesis in the Study of Religions involves the ability to formulate and pursue a long-term project involving basic, applied, and popularizing research with the help of a supervisor. There are four Master’s thesis seminars, which cover all four semesters of the standard time of study and concern in chronological order the submission of (1) a structured and annotated bibliography, excerpts from literature, and summary of the intended topic, (2) a research project proposal, (3) proofs of substantially developed research project, and (4) a final text. Students choose the topic from topic lists published by individual supervisors or propose and gradually specify their own topic.

The length of the Master’s thesis is 120,000 to 140,000 characters (ca. 65-80 standard pages). The thesis contains: title page with the name of the university, faculty, and department; title of the thesis; name of the student; name of the supervisor; seat of the university (Brno) and year of submission; statement of originality; table of contents; bibliographic references throughout the text; list of sources and literature; Czech and English summary (1,800 characters each); and list of key words in Czech and English. Depending on the nature of the thesis, a reference to the repository of data used, a reference to the software used, a declaration of settlement of license conditions, and, if applicable, a documented opinion of the ethics committee is attached. The thesis has to be paginated. It is not necessary to physically hand in the work. Submit the electronic version to the thesis archive in IS.

After completion of Master’s studies, graduates can continue further studies in a doctoral degree programme in the Study of Religions or, depending on their focus during Master’s studies, in related fields such as anthropology, sociology, ethnology, cultural studies, history, archaeology, and psychology.