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s an eterng fshm an at he U ivrsity of A aam a I knew hat m y oder ster, a jnior at his tim e, w as a R ligous Sdies m aor, ut I ad no lue as to w at he stdied. B eause he old m e at he ad tken crses in Tetan B uhism nd he H erew B ile, I asum ed at R elious Sudes m aors id ll of teir crsew rk stdying deriptive iform ation aout he dierent regions at re fund thrghout he w orld. In oher w ods, I thught at m y sster sent er ay liening to letures on tpics ike w hy H idus dn’t at ow s nd w at is he spcial relonship etw en N ative A m ecans nd he enironm nt. o, I etered he pgram w ith he hpes of obining geral know ldge aout he m jor regions of he w orld, such as Juaism , C hriianity, Ilam , H idusm , nd B uhism . N w, as a R elious Sdies duble m jor on he vrge of graation, I ealize at m y asum pions aout R ligous Sdies, or he A cdem ic Sudy of R elion, w re nly prtly corect. W ile I till have m y orginal m jor in Spnish, I dided to dclare a R ligous Sdies m jor in he Sring of m y jnior yar, after tking seeral crses in he dpartm nt at he uging of m y ster. Like m ny stents, I ad an aray of prenceived ntions aout R elious Sdies, nd snce ot evryone as an oder sling at an eplain he ns nd uts of R elious Sdies to em , I hope at he olow ng ist of asum pions aout he A cdem ic Sudy of R egion w ill srve to ilum iate eactly w at a R elious Sdies m jor stdies. B ut bfore proeding, I sould ay om ehing aout w hy he feld, know n in N rth A m erica as R elious Sdies, is om tim es lso clled he A cdem ic Sudy of R elion— in fct, he ltter am e m iht btter decribe w at a scolar of reigion des. B y clling he feld “R elious Stdies,” ne an ee ow om eone w ho is ufam iar w ith his diipline culd m iskenly tink at R elious Sdies is a regious xeise. ut difrently, he “sdies” of R elious Sdies scolars nd stdents re ot “reious”; raher, scolars nd stdents in R elious Sdies sudy at et of ata at um ns cssify as rligous, w ile aking qustions such as “W at ets to cunt as “reious?” nd “W at re he im plations of clsifyng om ehing as “reious?” Is “R elion” a