Religion

We are a world religions department. Our approach is multi-disciplinary: we engage the full range of human activity commonly deemed "religious," seeking to understand how religions function, how religious discourse evolves, why certain religious perspectives gain prominence and how they are contested. We research and teach about a range of religions, past and present, from around the world, investigating the language, ethical systems, practices, organizations, and institutions within which religions are defined, refined, rejected, or renewed. Given the diversity of this study, we foreground theoretical and methodological questions as central to the coherence of our courses, programs, and fields.

Field of study: Religion/Religious Studies