Welcome to the Religious Studies Department
(Formerly: Comparative Religion (CPRL))
At the Department of Religious Studies, we approach religion via understanding rather than belief. It is our intention to promote the study of religion but not its practice; to expose our students to all religious views but not to impose any particular view; to instruct in all religious beliefs, codes and practices without indoctrination in any belief system; to educate about all religions without a hint of trying to convert someone to any one religion; to present the academic approach to religion not a devotional one; to be accurate in presenting a religious tradition as held by most of its adherents but not to pursue questions about the truth of a particular belief or its propriety or goodness. Our basic requirements are sound scholarship, openness, and the willingness to learn without feeling hostile or threatened in any way.
Thank you for visiting our site. You may also be interested in the Religious Studies section of the university catalog.
Programs offered:
- B.A. Religious Studies
- Minors in: Religious Studies; Christian Studies; Islamic Studies; Jewish Studies; Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA)
