Comparative Religion

The interdisciplinary study of religion builds cultural awareness, provides insights into enduring political forces shaping international stuidies, and raises fundamental questions about what it means to live an ethical life. We invite you to explore our courses, undergraduate programs and graduate degrees.

Take a Course in AY '25
Take a Course in AY '25

Graduate Programs

Earn a Masters or PhD

Undergraduate Degrees

Major or Minor in Comparative Religion

Featured courses

  • RELIG 201 Introduction To World Religions: Western Traditions SSc 5

    History of religions, concentrating on religious traditions that have developed west of the Indus. Primary attention to the Semitic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) and to their ancient world background with emphasis on basic conceptual and symbolic structures.

  • RELIG 320 Comparative Study of Death SSc 5

    Death analyzed from a cross-cultural perspective. Topics include funerary practices, concepts of the soul and afterlife, cultural variations in grief, cemeteries as folk art, and medical and ethical issues in comparative context. American death practices compared to those of other cultures.

  • RELIG 334 Gender, Sex, and Religion DIV, SSc 5

    The Bible and its interpreters invented the gender categories and hierarchies that readers take for granted. Employs academic approaches that illuminate the construction of those categories and explores the debates within Judaism and Christianity as well as within academia today about gender, sex, sexuality, and religion.