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Department of Religious Studies

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What is religious studies?

Religion asks questions that touch every aspect of human life. The faculty and students in IU’s Department of Religious Studies explore these questions, and proposed answers, across cultures, through time, and around the world, using a mix of historical, textual, philosophical, and anthropological approaches.

Explore Religious Studies

An education to prepare you for life

Our Religious Studies students are equipped to understand our diverse and rapidly changing world while learning much about themselves. This comparative field of study imbues students with the ability to assess diverse actions, traditions, and values. The knowledge and habits of mind learned in Religious Studies remain relevant forever, as key to a life of conscious choice and thoughtful, multi-cultural engagement.

View our undergraduate programs
Learn about our graduate degrees

Understand the world differently

Religious Studies courses help you examine your core values, both objectively and in terms of personal experience. In our classes, you will explore how people make sense of the world and enhance your global cultural knowledge as you engage in a wide variety of topics from barbecue to baseball, magic to mindfulness, and sexuality to the sacred.

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Teaching Religion in Public Series on Things

Teaching Religion in Public (TRiP) spring series on “Things,” explores the meaning of “touch” and its prohibitions in a religious context, as well as discussing objects from the IUMAA, the Kinsey Institute, and the Eskenazi (April 17th) as the semester continues.

See the schedule

Carlson Hasler Publishes on Citation and Memory in the Ancient World

Laura Carlson Hasler published an essay: “Citation, Collection, and the Protection of Memory in 2 Maccabees” in the recent volume, Uses and Misuses of Ancient Mediterranean Sources (Mohr Siebeck, 2022).

Read more

Boss interviewed by AI and Faith

Doctoral candidate Jacob Boss was interviewed by Dr. William Barylo, University of Warwick, for the AI and Faith project. 

Read the interview

Garvey and Slaughter Receive Dissertation Completion Fellowship

The College of Arts and Sciences awarded Hannah Garvey and Maggie Slaughter the College of Arts and Sciences Dissertation Completion Fellowship of $25,000 for 2023-2024. 

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Furey and Velázquez Convene Theory Center Reading Group

This term, the Center for Theoetical Inquiry in the Humanities discusses Volume One of Mystic Fable, de Certeau’s most personal and consequential work. Convened by Constance Furey and Sonia Velázquez.

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A community of support

Our department is home to an incredible community of teachers and students ready to support your intellectual and personal pursuits. We are innovative and open-minded researchers who welcome unconventional ideas to help us better understand the role religion plays in culture and society.

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View publications
Meet our faculty

Being Human

The study of religion broadens and deepens your understanding of the diverse richness and mystery that attends being human. Our faculty is engaged in research through the LUCE-funded Being Human project to learn more about what it means to be human in our rapidly changing world.

Learn about the Being Human project

News

Engaging Religion: Visiting Artist Kelvin Burzon

Nance Presents at Cornell

Carlson Hasler Publishes on Citation and Memory in the Ancient World

See more news

Events

Mar

24

Theory Center Reading Group: Shattered Language — Michel de Certeau’s Mystic Fable

2 p.m.—3:30 p.m.

Gayle Karch Cook Center at Maxwell Hall

-

Mar

31

Theory Center Reading Group: Shattered Language — Michel de Certeau’s Mystic Fable

2 p.m.—3:30 p.m.

Gayle Karch Cook Center at Maxwell Hall

-

Apr

07

Theory Center Reading Group: Shattered Language — Michel de Certeau’s Mystic Fable

2 p.m.—3:30 p.m.

Gayle Karch Cook Center at Maxwell Hall

-

See more events

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The College of Arts & Sciences

  • About
    • Faculty
    • Affiliate Faculty
    • Emeriti Faculty
    • Staff
    • Graduate Students
    • About Bloomington
    • Diversity + Inclusion
  • Undergraduate
    • Religious Studies B.A.
    • Minor
    • Courses
    • Advising
    • Funding Opportunities
    • Scholarships & Awards
      • Senior Honors Essay
      • Mary Jo Weaver Undergraduate Scholarship Program
    • Student Experience
    • Career Preparation
      • Career Advising
      • Marketable Skills
  • Graduate
    • Religious Studies M.A.
    • Religious Studies Ph.D.
    • Ph.D. Minor
    • Fields of Study
    • Courses
    • Financial Support
    • Awards & Essays
    • Student Experience
    • Career Preparation
    • Job Placement
    • How to Apply
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  • Research
    • Research Areas
    • Being Human Project
    • Resources
    • Selected Publications
  • Alumni & Giving
    • Get Involved
    • Alumni Spotlights
    • Alumni Newsletters
  • News & Events
    • Departmental News
    • Event Calendar
  • Contact
  • Student Portal
    • Undergraduate
      • Religious Studies B.A.
      • Minor
    • Graduate
      • Religious Studies M.A.
      • Religious Studies Ph.D.
      • Ph.D. Minor
    • Courses