Student Perspective
“It connects to so many different facets of life, politics and the environment and the way different societies work and language. I’m super interested in etymology and the way that language shapes our understandings of the world around us, and religion plays a huge role in that.”
Maddy Tevonian ’24
Religious Studies
Wilmette, Illinois
Unbagging First-Year Studies
Martyn Smith, director of First-Year Studies, unbags the 10 works being used in First-Year Studies during the 2021-2022 academic year.
Buddhism and Gender
This discussion-based course investigates the ways in which women and gender minorities participate in Buddhist culture around the world. By reading texts by and about Buddhist women, this course will explore the extent to which gender affects social status, leadership roles, and access to education in Buddhist communities in South Asia, East Asia, and the United States.
Experience religion through travel
Widen your cross-cultural understanding of religious expression through opportunities to visit regional religious communities and international sites in places like Nepal and Senegal.
Connect the dots of human faith and culture with self-directed research
Delve deep into your particular interest within religious studies with independent research.
The Chandler Senior Experience
The Department of Religious Studies’ Senior Experience is a one-term senior seminar (usually taught in the Spring Term) that examines approaches to the study of religion selected from a school of thought or a more eclectic group of authors. Seniors will participate in an informal departmental colloquium, in which your work is presented and discussed by majors, minors, and faculty.
If you are pursuing double majors, double degrees, and education certification, we encourage you to consult with your advisors and relevant department plans to negotiate your overall Senior Experience as early as possible, especially if you're interested in pursuing an interdisciplinary capstone that integrates your majors or student teaching project.
Recent Senior Experience projects include:
- I Love You God (P.S. We’re Breaking Up): How Emerging Adults are Navigating Religious Ambiguity Through Taizé
- What Is the Meaning of Life? An Examination of the Nature and Ramifications of the Pursuit of the Meaning of Life
- The “Pure” Gods: The History of the Far-Right’s Longstanding Love Affair with Norse Neopaganism
Religious Studies Outcomes
Studying the rich world of faith creates a solid foundation for a variety of advanced study and career paths.