Religious Studies: About The Department

As part of the College of Liberal Arts and Science (http://clas.asu.edu/), the Department of Religious Studies pursues the investigation of religious ideas, values and practices from a core perspective in the Humanities that engages the social and behavioral sciences and other disciplines at ASU. From this interdisciplinary approach we study religion through three distinct but interdependent frames: traditions, regional contexts and themes. The department offers over 90 classes per semester, and almost 20% of all ASU students enroll in at least one Religious Studies course during a typical academic year. The faculty consists of twenty full-time professors who oversee an undergraduate major program, an MA program with over 40 students, and a Ph.D. program that began in Fall 2004. Their teaching and research interests explore “religion” defined in the broadest of terms and expressed in texts and contexts from throughout history and across the globe.