Missouri State University religious studies professor Dr. Stephen Berkwitz and associate professor Dr. John Schmalzbauer are the figureheads behind the development of a new curriculum offering courses on religion and health to undergraduates at Missouri State University.

New curriculum, new perspective

According to Berkwitz, it’s not every day that professors get to introduce a new curricular emphasis to an institution. In fact, the process is more tedious than people think. Finding external funding, developing course work and securing materials is difficult and time-consuming, but the endgame is always the same: provide undergraduates with valuable and applicable knowledge that will help them excel in their field.

The curriculum is still in the process of being finalized, but some courses that will be offered range from Religion, Health, and Spirituality, to Yoga and Meditation to Death, Dying and the Afterlife.

“These are things that people in health-related fields need to know, but rarely get the opportunity to learn,” Berkwitz said. “Students in this program will be gaining knowledge that will transfer over to real-world situations.”

Connecting health and religion

People often view health-related fields as purely objective, but the truth is that a certain degree of subjectivity exist in these fields as well, according to Berkwitz. In addition to anatomy and biology, he said students should be well-versed in ethics, spirituality and religion. The latter, sometimes overlooked in the professional and academic world, deserves more attention.

“Health and religion are intimately intertwined, whether we choose to acknowledge it or not,” said Berkwitz. “I believe that students will benefit greatly from this program.”

The program, which is set to begin fall 2016, was made possible by a grant from the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion, funded by Lilly Endowment Inc., located at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana.

For more information, contact Berkwitz at (417) 836-4147.