Why Study Religion?
International and Interdisciplinary Scholarship
Religion shapes, and is shaped by, every other dimension of human society. It is impossible to fully understand politics, law, history, or science without understanding religion. We invite you to learn more about the most interdisciplinary field in the university: Religious Studies.
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Graduate Program
Featured Story
Religious Studies Major Stella Zhu's Study Abroad in Vienna!
We're excited to share the reflections and photos from Religious Studies Major Stella's Zhu Fall quarter abroad in Vienna, Austria!
"I studied abroad in Vienna in Fall 2025 and took five courses. Two courses that stood out most to me were “Jewish Life in Vienna: Past and Present” and “Religion and Multiculturalism.” Both were far more transformative and immersive than I initially expected.
I visited synagogues in Hungary and Slovenia, as well as Jewish museums, concentration camps, and former ghettos across Germany, Austria, Poland, and beyond."
Click the link below to read more of her story!
Find Your Direction
Alumna Adina Goldman had a path that led her from pre-med to English literature and biological anthropology and then to religious studies and music.
News and Events
Faculty in the News
Professor Kevin Buckelew's new book Discerning Buddhas was recently published! Congratulations!
Click below to read more about Professor Buckelew's book Discerning Buddhas, which explores themes of authority, agency and masculinity in Chan Buddhism.
Upcoming Events
May
18
2026
Inventories of Ruin: The Demise of the Mexican Jesuits, in Three ...
12:30 PM - 2:00 PM, Evanston
Please join the Colonial Latin American Studies Working Group for a book presentation of Inventories of Ruin: The Demise of the Mexican...
May
19
2026
Religious Studies Grad-Faculty Reading Group Series
12:30 PM - 2:00 PM, Evanston
The series brings together faculty and graduate students to read and explore a work of theory together in relation to religious studies...
May
26
2026
“Another World to Live In”: The Relationship between the Imaginar...
12:30 PM - 2:00 PM, Evanston
A graduate Colloquium with Pema McLaughlin, Ph.D. Candidate in Religious Studies.