Welcome to the Department of Religious Studies!
Course Schedules
Religion continues to be a powerful force for shaping human societies and cultures across the globe. It can inspire the full range of human activities – from marvelous acts of generosity and kindness to terrifying acts of pain and violence. Religion in its multiple expressions directly addresses what it means to be a good human being¸ and often lies at the root of an individual’s personal quest for meaning. In contemporary times, the study of religion is also an essential passport to intercultural understanding across the globe.
The Department of Religious Studies at UTK promotes the critical and comparative study of religion, and does not favor one religious tradition at the expense of others. Drawing upon a range of perspectives – historical, anthropological, textual, and theoretical – the Department highlights both the variety and complexity of religious beliefs, practices, communities, and institutions. The faculty’s expertise is wide-ranging. Their research and teaching interests span religious traditions such as Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism; geographic regions such as the Americas and Africa, the Ancient Mediterranean and Asia; and thematic topics such as the relationship of religion to politics, gender, violence, sport, media, and the arts.
Student Spotlight
Alissa Reeves
Religious Studies Major Turned Undergraduate Researcher
Alissa Reeves, Senior with a Double Major in Religious Studies and English Rhetoric Writing
presented her paper entitled “Doña Gracia Nasi: Worship, Study, Tzedakah” at the North Carolina Religious Studies Conference at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington.
Alumni Spotlight
Jenny Bledsoe
Religious Studies Major Honored with Torchbearer Award
Jenny Bledsoe has been honored with the University of Tennessee Torchbearer award, the highest honor a UT student can receive.
Faculty Spotlight
Erin Darby
Professors Make Archaeological Finds in Jordan
Erin Darby, assistant professor of religious studies, and Robert Darby, a lecturer in art history and classics, have spent the past three years excavating an archaeological site in southern Jordan. What they’ve found there, Robert Darby said, is “remarkable.”
Religious Studies in Action
