Menu
School of Arts and Humanities
School
Off
Academic Department
On
Administrative Department
Off

Jewish Studies

Ornate door

Explore the History, Religion and Culture With a Minor in Jewish Studies

Whether you want to learn about your own Jewish background or gain a deeper understanding of Jewish communities around the world, these courses will help you reflect and engage in thoughtful discussions with students from varied religious backgrounds. 

Learn about the Hebrew Bible, Jewish literature and Jewish religion. Understand significant world issues related to Judaism, like Zionism and the Holocaust.

Why study Jewish Studies at St. Edward's?

Gain a better understanding of current events that relate to Israel and the Jewish community, and graduate prepared for any career — teaching, journalism, social work, international relations and more — that serves a diverse population.

Practice interdisciplinary collaboration

Students take courses in a variety of disciplines including religious studies, literature, languages, and history. The Jewish Studies Program helps students explore points of contact between Jewish and non-Jewish contexts. In this regard, there is attention to interreligious dialogue, with a special focus to Jewish-Christian relations. 

Engage with students of various backgrounds

Both The Jewish Studies Club and St. Edward's Hillel chapter, HillelToppers, welcome students from all cultures and faiths to create community and understanding of Judaism. The Jewish Studies Club is a student-run organization that gathers students interested in Judaism and Jewish history. They promote the study of Judaism on campus and beyond, hosting forums, fundraisers, lectures, and other events to educate about Jewish communities and traditions. HillelToppers serves to create community and provide an opportunity to explore spirituality. The chapter also notes important Jewish holidays through events such as Hanukkah on the Hilltop and HillelToppers Passover Seder.

What do our graduates do?

Jewish Studies alumni can use their education in myriad ways. While some may continue in academics, other Jewish Studies alumni are physicians, care coordinators, work with nonprofits and for the US government, work for advertising firms, and serve as lead clinical recruiters.   

Our Jewish Studies graduates have pursued careers at the following:

  • USDA Foreign Agricultural Service
  • UMC Health System
  • Dentsu Creative
  • University of Chicago
  • Duke University
  • University of Tel Aviv
  • ABA Centers of America

Explore Details About a Minor in Jewish Studies

Required Courses

TBA

  1. In RELS 2319/3330 Judaism, students work with classmates in a havruta, a traditional approach to collaborative learning. Through the havruta framework, students engage one another in their learning about Jewish Studies.   
  2. Jewish Studies minors conduct in-depth research that they share at conferences and in student publications.   

At St. Edward’s, our faculty are outstanding scholars, thought leaders, teachers and mentors who bring energy and enthusiasm to our vibrant learning community. They take pride in getting to know you, helping you achieve your goals and celebrating your successes.

View a list of our faculty members and their contact information on the Department of Religious and Theological Studies webpage.

Religious and Theological Studies

Ornate door

Reflect on Questions That Captivate Humankind Through the Lens of Faith

Understand what religion teaches us about justice and how it influences culture, conflicts and current events around the world with a BA in Religious and Theological Studies. 

Study the development of global religions and the role they play in the world today. Learn what religion teaches people about the meaning of life and one's purpose. 

Why earn your Religious and Theological Studies degree at St. Edward's?

The Department of Religious and Theological Studies reflects the university's mission and Holy Cross heritage. Here, you'll gain context to explore questions of faith in a setting informed by the Catholic Intellectual Tradition. At the same time — recalling the hospitable and welcoming ethos of the Brothers of Holy Cross — the department also provides a context for the academic study of religion that extends to all traditions. 

Join the conversation at annual lecture series

Tune in to the university's two annual lecture series: The Nostra Aetate Lecture and The Most Reverend John McCarthy Lecture Series. The Nostra Aetate Lecture explores interreligious dialogue and the values reflected in the groundbreaking Vatican II (1965) document of the same name. The Most Reverend John McCarthy Lecture Series on the Catholic Church in the 21st Century is named in honor of a former Diocese of Austin bishop and features religious and lay experts from around the country discussing issues facing modern and contemporary Catholicism.

Study faith through service

Volunteer and learn about local life through Service Break Experiences, which are built on ongoing relationships between St. Edward’s and the service locations. Give back to the community through S.E.R.V.E Austin, a weekly, semester-long volunteer commitment at a specific site where you’ll develop relationships with immigrants and refugees, children at an after-school program, young adults working on their GED, the elderly or the formerly homeless. S.E.R.V.E. 1 Day events are also offered through the semester and include Saturday-morning service.

Learn and lead with Campus Ministry

Campus Ministry at St. Edward’s offers programs that enhance your spiritual life. Small-group Bible studies and retreats help you meet other students and set aside time to focus on prayer and scripture. The peer ministry program equips student leaders to help plan retreats, interfaith events, and programs that support social justice advocacy.

Apply social justice on and off the hilltop

You’ll be encouraged to put your faith into practice through advocating for a more just world. St. Edward’s students can volunteer or intern with Catholic social justice organizations including Pax Christi, NETWORK and the Campaign to End the Death Penalty.

test

Reap the Rewards of Austin

Austin’s religious community is diverse and offers many opportunities to participate in interfaith dialogue, volunteer or intern at faith-based service organizations, or work at the intersection of religion and politics.

What do our graduates do?

St. Edward’s Religious and Theological Studies majors go on to a variety of careers. Here’s a sample:

  • Judicial Law Clerk for Supreme Court of Texas
  • Literacy Tutor for AmeriCorps
  • Director of Campus Ministry at St. Mary’s College
  • Ambassador for Poverty Relief with Noonday Collection 
  • Director of Social Justice Ministries at St. Austin Catholic Parish
  • Filmmaker for The Congregation of Holy Cross
  • Director of the Beecken Center for the School of Theology at Sewanee, The University of the South
  • Peace Corps Volunteers, Dominican Volunteers, Jesuit Volunteer Corps
     

Explore Details about the BA in Religious and Theological Studies

Degree Plan

Major Requirements: 
The Bachelor of Arts in Religious and Theological Studies requires 30 hours of major courses. The curriculum introduces students to key facets of the study of religion and theology and our signature courses emphasize clarifying one’s values, experiential learning, and career readiness.

A few examples of courses students in this major take:             

  • Global Religions Understand how religion impacts beliefs and cultural practices by studying the religions of those right here in Austin and around the globe.
  • History of Christian Theology – From the end of the first century to the fifth century, study the development of Christian Theology and dive into the controversies over the nature of God, the divinity of Christ and the structure of the Church and its teachings.  

Skills You Will Gain

Upon completing the Religious and Theological Studies program, you’ll be ready to:

  • Conduct thorough research
  • Critically think and interpret complex texts
  • Construct a reasoned argument
  • Understand different perspectives
     
Degree requirements

At St. Edward’s, our faculty are outstanding scholars, thought leaders, teachers and mentors who bring energy and enthusiasm to our vibrant learning community. They take pride in getting to know you, helping you achieve your goals and celebrating your successes.

View a list of our faculty members and their contact information on the Department of Religious and Theological Studies webpage.

St. Edward's graduates in cap and gown show off their diplomas

Earn Two Degrees in Five Years

With our Accelerated Graduate Pathways, you can complete your BA in Religious and Theological Studies and master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA), Digital Marketing and Analytics, or Organizational Leadership in as little as five years, saving time and money. See details and requirements.

Success coaches and academic advisors guide you through undergraduate and graduate courses to maximize benefits.

UNDERGRADUATE

Catholic Studies

Ornate door

Explore Faith and Tradition’s Impact on Society

From the classroom to the Vatican, study Catholicism through spiritual practice, service and peer discussion.

What will you learn?

Learn to approach Catholicism from the perspectives of literature, history, philosophy and theology. Deepen your understanding of the Catholic faith through spiritual practice, service, peer discussion, and even study abroad.  

A few examples of courses students in this major take:             

  • Justice, Peace and Liberation: This course examines the issues of justice and peace within the context of the Gospel of Jesus. Grounded in the teachings of the Israelite prophets and the New Testament teachings of Jesus, and given theological form in the writings of the great theologians such as Augustine and Thomas Aquinas, this course examines current issues in light of modern Catholic social doctrine. 
  • Catholicism and Literature: This class explores timeless theological questions along with some of the greatest authors of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. All of the texts examined incorporate Catholic concepts and themes. As this is a literature course, students also learn strategies for analyzing fiction, drama and poetry. In doing so, superior analytical reading, writing and thinking skills are developed. 
  • Introduction to the New Testament: This course takes a multifaceted approach to the study of the gospels, the epistles and the Book of Revelation. The course emphasizes the methodology of historical criticism for the purpose of identifying the authors of each New Testament work, as well as their respective theologies and witness to Jesus Christ and considers also the literary genre and cultural assumptions associated with biblical texts, per Dei Verbum.

What skills will you gain?

Upon completing the Catholic Studies program, you’ll be ready to…

  • Think and write analytically;
  • Identify authors in foundational Catholic texts;
  • Examine current issues of justice and peace in light of contemporary Catholic social teaching.

What do our graduates do?

Catholic Studies majors go on to a variety of careers and graduate schools from St. Edward’s. Here’s a sample.

  • Coordinator of Youth Ministry at St. Catherine of Alexandria Catholic Church
  • Campus minister at Gannon University, Pennsylvania
  • Director at the Global Livingston Institute, a Denver-based non-governmental organization that focuses on development in East Africa
  • Teaching fellows with the Alliance for Catholic Education through the University of Notre Dame
  • Year-long volunteer with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps
  • Peace Corps volunteers
  • Recipient of the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship
  • Graduate students at the University of Notre Dame, Boston College School of Theology and Ministry, and Yale Divinity School.
Our Lady Queen of Peace Chapel at sunset
"I think about the idea of educating the heart and the mind a lot. I'm challenged to be a better thinker, and I'm also consistently challenged to confront and understand perspectives that are different from my own—whether it be a classmate or somebody who wrote on a scroll 2,000 years ago."
Natalie Hughes '23 Catholic Studies Major

Explore Details About the BA in Catholic Studies

Major Requirements: The BA in Catholic Studies requires 39 hours of courses offered through the departments of Religious and Theological Studies, Philosophy, and English Literature.

 

View and download the full degree plan for our Catholic Studies major.

At St. Edward’s, our faculty are outstanding scholars, thought leaders, teachers and mentors who bring energy and enthusiasm to our vibrant learning community. They take pride in getting to know you, helping you achieve your goals and celebrating your successes.

View a list of our faculty members and their contact information on the Department of Religious and Theological Studies webpage.

Adjunct Faculty
Office: Andre Hall 221
Email Richard Daly
Adjunct Faculty
Phone:
Office: Premont Hall 212
Email Tiffany Puett
Adjunct Faculty
Phone:
Office: Holy Cross Hall 216
Email Joshua Bertetta
Subscribe to Religious and Theological Studies