Student Feedback: In the winter of 2008, we conducted a survey of our undergraduate students. We asked them 7 questions and this is what they had to say:

1.  Based on your experiences thus far, please explain what you think are the department's biggest strengths and the department's biggest weaknesses.

• "Strengths: great, knowledgeable faculty; good assortment of western and eastern classes. 
• Weaknesses: Not enough people know about the classes offered, events going on or the students association; more could be done to let students outside the department know what's going on." (4th Year RLST Student, Minor in Political Science)
• "I really think the biggest strengths of the department are the knowledgeable instructors. I hate to sound like a suck-up, but of the six RLST classes I have taken, I have not had a bad Prof. That cannot be said about the other departments.
• I wish that there was a wider selection of classes to choose from." (Stefan Endsin, 3rd Year Education and Indigenous Studies Student, Minor in RLST)
• "Strengths: educating students about other people and their beliefs rather than remaining stuck in an unchanging, ignorant thought mode.
• Weaknesses: not enough classes (not necessarily variety, but more than one of the same class, in a semester, during different time slots." (3rd Year English Student, Minor in Religious Studies)
• "Classes in RLST seem to deal more in the exposition of facts than the explanation of theoretical backgrounds. A greater priority placed on theory outside of RLST 300 would have improved my knowledge." (4th Year Anthropology Student, Minor in Religious Studies)

2.  What should the department be doing more of and what should the department be doing less of? (Feel free to be as general and/or as specific as you like in this answer.)

• "The department should be doing more to describe and promote the classes being offered." (4th Year Economics Student, Minor in Political Science)
• "The department should continue adding a large spectrum of courses. Giving even focus on all religions, it seems like a lot of courses offered are on Christianity." (Political Science Student, Minor in Religious Studies)
• "In attending a recent Faculty of Arts discussion group, it was brought to the attention of the group that one student, who was a self-proclaimed atheist, said he was reluctant to take a RLST course for fear that a particular type of religion would be pressed upon him. He did take a RLST course and found out that was not the case. A particular focus for promotion might not be the academic aspect of RLST." (Faye Wickenheiser, 3rd Year English Student, Minor in Religious Studies)
• "More exposure to academic articles (as opposed to books). Reading journal articles is aspecial skill." (4th Year Anthropology Student, Minor in Religious Studies)
• "It would be interesting to see a video or some film clips of the religious practices studied in the course." (4th Year Anthropology Student)
• "Offer more scholarships. More information on what a person can do after graduation."(3rd Year Religious Studies Student, Minor in Psychology)
• "Fields trips (may seem elementary-ish) but nevertheless, I think that it would be good, practical experiences." (Adam Mackay, 4th Year English Student, Minor in Religious Studies)

3.  As a student who is/was taking RLST courses, what advice would you offer to either students new to the program/classes, or to students considering taking a RLST course?

• "For those that are considering taking this, I would highlight the fact that RLST courses are important in gaining a deeper understanding and insight for other cultures and it would allow them to see a component that has shaped their worldviews and paradigms from one aspect to another."( Diphile Iradukunda, 4th Mathematics and Pre-Med. Student, Minor in Religious Studies)
• "Its not an easy ‘A', but it is an interesting field to study." (4th Year Psychology Student, Minor in Classical Studies)
• "Take it ... but remember, its religious studies, not theology." (3rd Year History Student)
• "Expect that what you learn in some classes will be contradicted in other classes, which isn't always a bad thing. Take a variety of classes; some of the Nature of Religion classes are great." (4th Year Religious Studies Student, Minor in Political Science)
• "Go in with an open mind and leave all of your preconceived notions at the door, they won't help you here." (Breanna Smith, 4th Year Psychology Student)
• "Keep an open mind and look at the principles behind the religion, not necessarily the people/institutions that run them." (Jerri Light, 4th Year Biochemistry Student)

4.  Do you haveany suggestions regarding courses (i.e. what courses should be offered), RLST activities, student association activities/changes, or guest speakers/presenters?

• "It'd be great to see some different classes in the Nature of Religion stream. Courses I've taken at another University that were great include: Religious Views of Ecology; Perspectives on Death and Afterlife; Nature of Myth." (4th Year Religious Studies Student, Minor in Political Science)
• "Courses shouldbe offered where you can experiences bits. Example: Zen - have a tea ceremony."(3rd Year Psychology Student, Minor in Religious Studies)
• "Courses for degree requirements should be made available: i.e. RLST 100; RLST 200 and 300 level Easter religions; RLST 200, 300, 400 Christian, Islamic, or Judaism religions. RLST student association is not very visible and not everyone is comfortable meeting at the Owl." (Fay Wickenheiser, 3rd Year English Student, Minor in Religious Studies)
• "More Hinduism classes. Stop presenting Christianity in a negative light. More Islam classes."(2nd Year Religious Studies Student, Minor in Political Science)

5. How will Religious Studies contribute to your future - both professionally and personally?

• "Professionally,it will be a great help because I would like to teach in a Catholic high school andhaving a background in Christianity plus other world religions will be a great resource. Personally, it has been very interesting because of a strict Eastern Orthodox background that I grew up in. It has been great to see the other side of things."(Nicole Romanow, 2nd Year Biology Student, Minor in Religious Studies)
• "My RLST training has opened my eyes to the hegemony of Christianity." (4th Year Anthropology Student, Minor in Religious Studies)
• "It helps me seeother people's points of view based on their beliefs." (4th Year Justice Studies Student, Minor in Psychology and Sociology)
• "For my future career as a teacher, it will give me a better understanding of the different religions students will bring to my class. It will also help me incorporate different aspects into my lessons." (3rd Year Elementary Education Student)
• "It will help meto examine things critically, overcoming preconceived notions professionally. Personally, it will help me better understand the world we live in and different view on subjects." (4th Year Economics Student, Minor in Political Science)
• "RLST has made my worldview a lot more complete. I am more aware of diversity and the importance of religion to certain groups of people. This will help me with my Political Science degree because religion rules so many aspects of our lives. So to impose policy, it is paramount to understand the different religions of the people you are deciding for." (3rd Year Political Science Student, Minor inReligious Studies)

6.  Based on your experiences, what is a common misperception about the academic study of religion?

• "That you are studying the religion to convert to it." (5th Year Visual Arts Student)
• "That you can'tdo anything with a Religious Studies major or minor (exception: teaching). However, so far, any other options haven't really presented themselves to me." (3rd Year English Student, Minor in Religious Studies)
• "That it is devotional as opposed to neutral and scholastic. Also that the classes are ridiculously easy - people in the sciences assume we RLST majors are stupid or lazy." (Reed Bosgoed, 4th Year Religious Studies and Psychology Student)
• "That the classes are full of hippies and religious freaks, which is completely untrue." (4thYear Psychology Student, Minor in Religious Studies)

7.  Describe an interesting or humorous experience you have had with one or more of your professors in RLST.

• "Kevin Bond never had a meter stick or pointer to point to things on the projector screen and so he always used a chair to point to things." (1st Year History Student, Minor in Religious Studies)
• "Leona showing the Pepsi commercial over and over again (the one with the monk)." (Breanna Smith, 4th Year Psychology Student)

If you would like to add a comment, please email me at leona.anderson@uregina.ca