The study of religion is a way of organizing academic inquiry into how human beings and human cultures express and experience their religious needs, beliefs, and values. It involves the study of both specific religious traditions and the general nature of religion as a phenomenon of human life. Using cross-cultural and interdisciplinary approaches, religious studies investigates and interprets systems of religious belief, the history of religious traditions, the function of religion in society, and forms of religious expression such as ritual, symbols, sacred narrative, scripture, practices, theological and philosophical reflection. Students of religious studies, whether adherents of a religion or of no religion, gain tools to understand, compare, and engage the phenomenon of religion and its role in human life and culture.

Contact Information

Department for the Study of Religions
Divinity and Religious Studies Building 118, Box 7212
Phone 336-758-4830