Religion is an age-old phenomenon.
Religious Studies is not.
Founded in the past century, the field of religious studies endeavors to better understand religion by means of modern academic approaches. Philosophical questions are considered, such as are all mystical experiences in essence the same, and can we reconcile evil with the existence of god(s)? But the field also asks anthropological, sociological, political, literary, and historical questions: How have the beliefs and practices of Shinto shaped the modern Japanese corporation? Why did first-century Gnostic Christianity lose out to what we would eventually come to know as Christian Orthodoxy? What is the meaning of the "Epic of Gilgamesh"? Who was the Buddha?
Religious Studies is not only a new discipline; it is new to Georgia State University. The Department of Religious Studies, established in 2005, offers both B.A. and M.A degrees, over fifty different courses, as well as the opportunity for students to explore the interdisciplinary nature of the field by taking additional courses from the Departments of Anthropology, African-American Studies, Art History, History, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, and Sociology. The focus of the program is the comparative study of religions. Faculty members--holding degrees from institutions such as Harvard, Princeton, Emory, and Santa Barbara-have won some of the most prestigious awards in the country (the Fulbright, the NEH, and both the State of Georgia's and the American Academy of Religion's Awards for Teaching Excellence). They hold specialties in Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and other world religious traditions. Students majoring in Religious Studies at Georgia State have gone on to study at some of the top graduate programs in the world, including Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard, Brown, Columbia, Chicago, Berkeley, and Princeton.
To learn about the Department of Religious Studies, explore the following pages and come visit us on the 11th floor of 34 Peachtree Street.
The Department of Religious Studies hires two new faculty members. Learn more.
Student Awards List of summer courses offered List of fall courses offered
Faculty Openings in the Department of Religious Studies.
Subscribe to the religious studies listserv.
Religious Studies faculty members are also affiliated with the
Asian Studies
Center, the Jewish
Studies Program,and the Middle
East Institute