The contemporary approach to the academic study of religion is both multidisciplinary and multicultural. Religious traditions that were formerly associated with particular social, historical, and cultural contexts and studied in isolation are now seen to be interacting with other traditions that differ in their approaches to such areas as belief, ritual, scripture, or sacrifice. The study of a single religious tradition, or even solely of historically related traditions, is insufficient if one is to understand the complexity of religion. Similarly, the use of a single methodological approach to the study of religion is insufficient.
The Columbia University Department of Religion is committed to the comparative and interdisciplinary study of religion. This commitment is reflected in the areas of research encompassed in the work of its faculty and the wide range of methodological and theoretical approaches to the study of religion to which faculty members subscribe. This commitment also informs the department’s curriculum for undergraduate studies, designed to enable students to explore multiple religious traditions and methodologies while focusing on particular areas of interest.
The undergraduate curriculum encourages you, through comparative study in the philosophy, history, and theory of religion, to balance in-depth study of religion in a particular focus area with broad investigation into a wide range of religious phenomena, ideas, histories, and texts. A solid foundation in the study of religious traditions in their historical contexts is an essential part of the department’s instruction, but your studies will also provide you with a critical introduction to important themes related to the contemporary study and practice of religion, enabling you to engage in current theoretical debates in the field of religious studies with a deeper awareness of the issues involved.
As a student in the Department of Religion, you will develop this “double vision” of depth and breadth by constructing a unique Plan of Study designed to address your particular needs and interests while acquiring the tools and knowledge with which to engage important questions about religious life.
Required Courses
“Juniors’ Colloquium”
All students in the Religion Department are required to take V3799, the “Juniors’ Colloquium,” in their junior year, if possible. This course, offered annually, surveys important theoretical and methodological approaches to the academic study of religion. The Colloquium also provides a valuable opportunity for you to interact with other majors and concentrators in your class.
"Advanced Seminar"
All students in the Religion Department are required to take an “Advanced Seminar” during your junior or senior year, preferably after you have taken Juniors’ Colloquium. Each year, several courses within the department are designated as fulfilling this requirement. Each of these adopts a comparative approach to the study of religious traditions. The subjects of these courses and methodologies vary with the instructors. The purpose of the Advanced Seminar is to foster interaction between you, other students of religion, and faculty members in a small discussion group. Having taken the introductory course and several other courses focusing on particular topics and traditions before enrolling in the Seminar, you will have the opportunity to apply your knowledge in new contexts and to learn more about your own focus of study by studying the contours of religious experience in other traditions.
