Religion & Society
Overview
When you major in Religion & Society, you learn about world cultures and beliefs as you explore Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and humanity's relationship with God. You will study the history of religion around the world, including wars and crusades and acts of charity and kindness. You’ll be well prepared for a career in ministry, counseling, or diplomacy.
Please review the recommended sequences of courses.
Fast Facts
When you major in Religion & Society, you learn about world cultures and beliefs as you explore Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and humanity's relationship with God. You will study the history of religion around the world, including wars and crusades and acts of charity and kindness. You’ll be well prepared for a career in ministry, counseling, or diplomacy.
Please review the recommended sequences of courses.
Students have interned at
When you major in Religion & Society, you learn about world cultures and beliefs as you explore Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and humanity's relationship with God. You will study the history of religion around the world, including wars and crusades and acts of charity and kindness. You’ll be well prepared for a career in ministry, counseling, or diplomacy.
Please review the recommended sequences of courses.
You could be...
A pastor/minister: Median pay $49,500 per year. Pastors/ministers serve as spiritual leaders of a church. They plan and conduct services and provide religious leadership to a congregation.
A counselor/therapist: Median pay $44,170 per year. Counselors/therapists help people manage and overcome personal problems or issues with relationships. They listen to clients and ask questions to help the clients understand their problems and develop strategies to improve their lives.
A teacher: Median pay $75,430 per year (postsecondary). Postsecondary teachers instruct students in a wide variety of academic and career and technical subjects beyond the high school level. They also conduct research and publish scholarly papers and books.
A lawyer: Median pay $118,160 per year. Lawyers advise and represent individuals, businesses and government agencies on legal issues and disputes (requires a law degree and passing the bar exam).
A social worker: Median pay $46,890 per year. Social workers help people solve and cope with problems in their everyday lives.
(Source: bls.gov and payscale.com)
Requirements
Religion & Society
Division
Program Type
Additional Information
Many courses have prerequisites which are listed in the course description. Please be sure that necessary prerequisites have been taken before enrolling in any course.
Roadmap
Religion & Society Recommended Series of Courses
AT BLOOMFIELD COLLEGE EACH COURSE UNIT IS EQUIVALENT TO 4 CREDITS, .5 COURSE UNIT IS EQUIVALENT TO 2 CREDITS.
FOUR (4) GENERAL EDUCATION COURSES MUST BE TAKEN AT THE 200 LEVEL OR HIGHER
TWO (2) WRITING INTENSIVE COURSE UNITS ARE REQUIRED
Courses
Faculty
- B.A.Salem State University
- M. DivHarvard University
- M. Philosophy,Union Theological University
- Ph.D.Union Theological University
Education
- Dr. Nixon Cleophat holds an M.Phil (Master of Philosophy) and Ph.D. in Systematic Theology and Social Ethics at Union Theological Seminary in New York City (2010 & 2014)
- Attended Harvard University and earned a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) in Biblical Studies and Political Theology (2006)
- Earned a BA in English and Secondary Education at Salem State University’s Honors Program (2003)
Teaching Position at Bloomfield College
- Associate Professor in Religion
Research Interests
- Indigenous religions, including African Religions (West African Vudun) as well as African-derived Caribbean religions such as Haitian Vodou
- Liberation theologies (Black Theology, Latin American Liberation Theology, African Liberation Theology, Womanist Theo-ethics)
- Queer theory
- Ecological ethics
- Systematic theology
- Pneumatology
Book and Chapter Publications
- Recently, he has published “Vodou as the Embryo and Marker of Haitian Socio-historical Identity,” in Shackled Sentiments: Slaves, Spirits, and Memories in the African Diaspora, Eric J. Montgomery, ed. (Lanham: Lexington Books, 2019).
He has co-authored a textbook
- A Critical Approaches to Religion: Race, Class, and Gender. San Diego: Cognella Publishing, 2019
He is a co-editor of two collections of an anthology
- Vodou in Haitian Memory. New York: Lexington Books, 2016.
- Vodou in the Haitian Experience. New York: Lexington Books, 2016.
In the anthology, he also contributed two chapters:
- "Haitian Vodou: The Ethic of Social Sin & the Praxis of Liberation"
- "Haitian Vodou, a Politico-Realist Theology of Survival."
Future Publication
- Dr. Cleophat relies on Haitian Vodou as a critical lens to examine the ethic of social sin and the praxis of liberation in Black Theology and Christian Realism.
Dr. Cleophat’s Likes and Hobbies
- He loves light pink, baby (sky) blue, and white are his favorite colors. He loves different types of red wines as long as they are not sweet or sour. He enjoys taking long walks in the park. He is a decent cook. He finds cooking to be cathartic in times of stress and other life’s ordeals. When he is not in the classroom, he’s often home watching terrible reality tv shows.
- M.A.RIder College
- M.T.H.Princeton Theological Seminary
Program Learning Goals (PLGs)
- Demonstrate knowledge of global religious traditions.
- Explain how religious traditions have impacted and continue to impact societal values, debates, and actions.
- Produce artifacts that demonstrate an ability to integrate academic research and critical analysis of religion.
- Reflect on their own religious/spiritual journey in light of an academic study of the discipline.