The latest edition of the Religious Studies' newsletter is now available. View the Fall 2017 newsletter.
A Preview From the Newsletter: "A Word from the Director":
Welcome to the Religious Studies Program at Wash U! We’re delighted in your interest in our course offerings and other activities. In these pages, we will introduce you to a variety of faculty, students, as well as possibilities for study and participation in the coming year.
This is a critical moment for Religious Studies in a university setting. As our world becomes smaller and more interconnected, the fissures and challenges of cultural understanding offer us the opportunity to think critically about the role of religion in society. What is religion? How do people of various faiths and rituals interact productively and meaningfully? Where are the obstacles to understanding? How do matters of everyday life, including food, politics, dress, art, or popular music, shape religious life—and how are they shaped by it? Wash U has a tremendously talented faculty who teach and write about religion in many times and places, from northern India to Eastern Orthodox immigrants in the US, and from ancient Palestine to contemporary diasporic movements around the world. There is a course, a lecture, or a colloquium here for anyone with an interest in how and why different communities pray, vote, heal, or bury their dead. At the same time, work in Religious Studies helps students think critically and engage actively with some of the most pressing issues of the past and present. Our major and minor are practical for many different kinds of career paths, and work well in combination with other areas of concentration.
We invite you to join us in this adventure. Whether you are a faculty member incorporating religion in your research or a student considering medical school, acting, finance, or a further degree in the humanities, we have a place for you in Religious Studies. Come, explore the opportunities!
Warmly,
Laurie Maffly-Kipp
Archer Alexander Distinguished Professor and Director
