The Department for the Study of Religion is a vibrant site of research and teaching that includes diverse theoretical and methodological approaches spanning many religious and spiritual traditions. Our researchers are active across an amazing range of areas: ancient papyrus fragments, medieval manuscripts, Indigenous creation narratives; the lives and works of philosophers of religion; and present-day ethnographic and oral history research in places such as Egypt, Lebanon, Guatemala, Nigeria, and North America/Turtle Island. We teach students to think critically about how religion is a powerful concept at work in the world, as well as a way that people organize themselves through communities, texts, material culture, and rituals. DSR faculty and students have learned many different languages to do their work, including Sanskrit, Pali, Hebrew, Tibetan, Arabic, ancient Greek, and Syriac. Our faculty expertise is particularly clustered in the areas of Mediterranean Antiquity, Buddhist Studies, Islamic Studies, Jewish Studies, South Asian religions, global Christianities, and the anthropology and philosophy of religion.
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Questions about the department? Check out our staff listing and contact details.