Religion Department

The study of religion is among the oldest pursuits in human intellectual history. Each of the world's living religions has a long and rich history of scholarship on its sacred texts and interpretive traditions. The curriculum in the Department of Religion involves a dynamic combination of traditional textual study, ethnographic engagement, historical reflection, and theory-practice learning. Courses are designed to introduce students to the origins and historical developments of ancient religious systems as well as the living religions of the world. Equally important, courses in the department and related programs provide a context for stepping back from the "inside" of a particular religion in order to study aspects of religion comparatively and thematically across traditions (e.g., religion in public life, religion and gender, religion and culture, religion and conflict). Religion majors and minors include students seeking careers in medicine, law, and the sciences, as well as those whose interests lie more in the humanities and liberal arts. Faculty in the Department of Religion are deeply committed to interdisciplinary work and thinking, and expect the same of their students. Many of our faculty members co-teach their courses with faculty in other disciplines in order to enliven their thinking about a particular topic. Faculty are also engaged in the Emory community, working on educational and scholarly projects with student groups. Faculty have designed student internships with the religious communities of Atlanta, and field trips and site visits are a regular component of many Emory religion classes. We are also an intentionally pluralist community--with no single "majority" of scholars studying one particular religious tradition or using one particular method of study. Faculty numbers are equally strong in Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and American studies. There is growing strength in African American religions, as well as ethnography of religions and the study of comparative sacred texts. Thanks to the high engagement of faculty in interdisciplinary work, the department now is participating in several University initiatives in contemplative studies; religion and conflict; religion and health; religion and sexuality; and religion and the arts. Students are highly encouraged to take part in these initiatives. More than half the faculty members have been recognized for excellence in teaching. The department also hosts fifteen associated faculty from other departments, including History, Classics, Political Science, Art History, Philosophy, Women¿s Studies, and Middle Eastern and South Asian Studies. The Graduate Division of Religion, the Institute of the Liberal Arts, Candler School of Theology, the Marial Center (Myth and Ritual in American Life), The Carter Center, The Center for Law and Religion, and the American Academy of Religion at Emory University enrich the academic environment and provide additional faculty resources for undergraduate students of religion. The department also has important connections with centers of learning from within the religious traditions, such as the Aquinas Center for Catholic Studies, the Drepung Loseling Institute for Buddhist Studies, and the Jewish Community Center of Atlanta