Philosophy & Religious Studies : Student Travel Opportunities

Baoguo Si, China

The Department of Philosophy & Religious Studies is committed to offering a variety of travel opportunities throughout the year for students enrolled in its majors and minors. The Department actively encourages and supports students who routinely travel with faculty members to professional Conferences in Philosophy and Religious Studies; recent trips have included the Regional meetings of the American Philosophical Association, and the American Academy of Religion/Society of Biblical Literature, in addition to the 2004 UNESCO Conference on the Comparative Studies of Spiritual Traditions, Their Specific Cultures and Interreligious Dialogue. In some cases, students also presented research papers on the conference programs. Faculty also have arranged study trips in conjunction with courses offered on campus. For example, Dr. Szpek concluded her course on the Holocaust with a week long trip to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. 

In cooperation with the Office of International Studies and Programs, Asia/Pacific Studies Program and Department of History, the Philosophy Department has been active in creating and providing faculty mentors for a variety of short-term study abroad programs. In recent years, students have had the opportunity to visit the historic Hindu and Buddhist temple complexes of Angkor Wat and environs in Cambodia, Buddhist sites in Vietnam, and hike up one of China's five sacred Buddhist mountains, Emei Shan. During the hike, participants stayed overnight in two Buddhist monasteries. In addition, students attended the birthday celebration for Daoism's reputed founder, Laozi, while visiting Azure Ram Temple in Chengdu, PRC, along with numerous Buddhist and Confucian sites.

These experiences greatly enrich the educational and intellectual goals of the department, providing students with first-hand, on-site opportunities to actually witness what they have read about in the classroom. As one recent participant noted: "Third greatest experience of my life thus far, second most liberating experience of my life thus far, first most eye opening experience of my life thus far, not likely to ever drop off the top ten." Another student who traveled to China wrote that "the program totally exceeded all of my expectations. Absolutely mind blowing experience!" In addition to the travel itself, students earn academic credit applicable as electives in their majors or minors in Religious Studies and Philosophy.