Postgraduate Study Abroad on Theology: The Case of USA and UK

Abstract

Ruins of sanctuaries and altars prove that religion was at the center of human life in ancient cities and civilizations. Today, likewise, religion is an element that somewhat determines the route of societies, the politics of the states, and the course of relations among people. Even in some cultures that look very secular, religion is a part of debates in law, education, social policies, and even health services. While even the secularism of France, the homeland of secularism, is a kind of secularism baptized, it is impossible to ignore the significance of religion. Thus, it is entirely appropriate to say that the study of religion is one of the most important and oldest disciplines in the field of social sciences. The main focus of the studies of religion is to research the root, history, content, and borders of religions and their effect on individuals and societies, as well as to share findings with people. In addition, scholars assess the phenomenon of religion in various ways by touching on its different aspects. While determining a religion's content requires a method, determining the effects of the same religion on people requires another kind of method. If the aim is to determine the quiddity of the phenomenon of religion as independent from a specific religion, it requires quite another method. In other words, due to the need to consider religion through various aspects, different methods have appeared in the studies of religion. Today some countries that are pioneers in education consider the varieties of methods in studying religion, as they do in many fields. As a result of this kind of variety, institutions that deal with the study of religion have had different names. When we take the West as a basis, these names are such: Religious Studies, Theology, Divinity Schools, Seminaries, and Biblical Studies/Collages. As for our country, they are İlahiyat Fakültesi, İslamî İlimler Fakültesi, and Dinî Yüksek İhtisas ve Eğitim Merkezi. This kind of classification is expected to base on the different methods in an ideal way. In this way, we may clearly understand the limits and quality of educational services those institutions provide. In this presentation, firstly, there will be some information about the method and content of graduate education in studying religion in the USA and UK. Secondly, we will compare these institutions in the USA and UK with those in our country. This way, this presentation will be helpful to whoever wants to study religion in these countries and whoever wants to know comparatively about the present situation of studying religion in our country.