Department of Religious Studies

Mission Statement

The mission of the Religious Studies Department is to educate people about diversity through study of the many varied religious communities and traditions of the world. Given the abundant worldviews, ritual practices, honored texts, and revered figures that mark religious communities across the globe, and given the pluralistic feature of our region and our world, the importance of understanding differing ways of seeing, valuing, being, and doing cannot be overstated. Our strategies for achieving these goals include the development of empathy and imagination as well as cross-cultural engagement through critical (and self-critical) thinking by way of written studies and oral traditions, book learning and in-person exchange. Students of religions are perfectly poised both to explore and to understand diversity and difference in ways that truly do make a difference.

Diversity Activities

We practice federal affirmative action requirements when hiring; we seek diversity of intellectual interest, expertise, and experience when admitting graduate students; we encourage research and teaching of diverse cultures, religions, and geo-political regions of the world, we mentor educationally- disadvantaged and first-generation college students.

Future Diversity Activities

We are committed to continuing the activities listed above, and being open and receptive to discovering and implementing additional strategies for fostering diversity as a mark of educational excellence.

Contacts

• June O’Connor, Chair
• Andrew Jacobs, Graduate Advisor
• Diana Marroquin, Student Affairs Officer,
• Diane Shaw, MSO