Where to study religion?

topmanamillion

I'm interesting in teaching/lecturing theology/religion and I'm wondering what's the best way to go about it.
I'm non religious but I am fascinated by all religions. I would like a course that's diverse and doesn't stick to just one religion.
What are the career opportunity like from this area?

Peregrinus

The study of religion as a social and/or philosophical phenomenon is a recognised academic discipline. I'd have thought, though, that outside academia the career opportunities are not huge. Academics working in the fields of sociology, philosophy, history, politics etc could all focus on religion in the context of those disciplines. And of course there are academic theologians - you don't have to be a believer to be a theologian, though it goes without saying that career opportunities would be limited for a theologian who was not at least respectful of belief. (Not that I'm suggesting that you're not respectful of belief!)

If you don't fancy a career as an academic in a third-level institution, I think you're going to struggle to make a living out of this.

FURET

Peregrinus wrote: »

If you don't fancy a career as an academic in a third-level institution, I think you're going to struggle to make a living out of this.

Even as an "academic" he'll struggle to make a living out of it.

Go to a well-stocked library and read all the books you like about religion for zero cost. Or splash out a bit on some books from Amazon. Or watch some university lectures for free on YouTube. You do not need to attend university and pay money to learn this stuff. This degree will be absolutely worthless - worthless because (a) it won't get you a job and (b) because you won't be taught anything you couldn't learn from some self-study.

Peregrinus

I think the point of going to college would be to learn the disciplines of academic history, or sociology, or philosophy or whatever, and then bring them to bear on the study of religion. While the jobs market to which that course lead is thin, it does exist; there are people employed to teach/study the philosophy of religion, etc. And you'll have no chance of finding such a position if you don't have an externally-validated academic qualification.

Still, most people who follow this course of study will not end up as academics. A good degree can open up a wide variety of careers, from management consultancy to journalism, but that's not what the OP wants; he specifically wants to teach or lecture in the field of religious studies. That won't be easy to achieve, but it won't even be possible to achieve if he confines himself to YouTube and freelance browsing in libraries. And pursuing an academic qualification will open up other career possibilities as a fallback.

I'd say to the OP to be realistic. Making a career in religious studies will be a challenge. If you study in this field, but fail to turn it into a career as a teacher or lecturer in the field, will you feel disappointed, or feel that you have wasted your time? If the answer to this question is "yes", then maybe you shouldn't go down this route. But if the phenomenon of religion interests you sufficiently that you feel it's worth studying for its own sake, and if you feel that studying it will give you critical and intellectual skills that you can utilise in a broader range of careers, then go for it.