BOSTON — In a nod to the growing significance of religion in world affairs, a Harvard University faculty committee is recommending that all undergraduates be required to take a course in “reason and faith.” The recommendation was part of a report issued Oct. 3 by Harvard’s Task Force on General Education. In the report, the nine-member faculty panel also recommended a required course in ethics and two under the rubric of “The United States and the World.”
In recent decades, Harvard students haven’t had to take a religion class in order to graduate. But that should change, according to the faculty panel, because religion affects so many areas of life.
“Harvard is no longer an institution with a religious mission,” the report says, “but religion is a fact that Harvard’s graduates will confront in their lives both in and after college.” Courses fulfilling the requirement will “examine the interplay between religion and various aspects of national and/or international culture and society.”
The recommendation comes as Harvard undergoes a curriculum review that has been years in the making. In addressing religion, the committee noted that Harvard students already engage the subject widely. Surveys of incoming students say 94 percent discuss religion either “frequently” or “occasionally,” and 71 percent say they attend religious services.
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