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By studying different religious doctrines, rituals, stories, and scriptures, we can also come to understand how different communities of believers—past and present, East and West—have used their religious traditions to shape, sustain, transform themselves.
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Majors can customize their focus within Religious Studies by...
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As a major source of inspiration and meaning in human...
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Religious Studies Courses. Discover your next favorite...
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Professor of Religious Studies (by courtesy) Director of...
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These ideas are developed through an analysis of the Islamic...
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Religious Studies Washington University in St. Louis MSC...
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Emily Greenwood, James M. Rothenberg Professor of the...
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Jun 20, 2024 · While religious practices have changed, the essential aspects of each religion are ancient. By studying ancient religious ideas, we are compelled to study other disciplines such as history, philosophy, and sociology.
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Want to grapple with profound ethical and theological questions? Or learn about the ideas, people, and rituals that shape religion? Begin with our gateway course Religion Around the Globe. Or try Is Stanford a Religion?, which examines how the university's culture resembles a religion through its myths, rituals, and taboos, or The Religious Life of...
Our Exploring series introduces the world's great religious traditions, like Exploring Zen Buddhism, Exploring the New Testament or Exploring Islamic Mysticism. Follow up with courses that examine how religion relates to essential aspects of culture, gender, politics, and identity, such as Buddhist Philosophy, the Language of Islam, or Malcom X and...
From exploring sacred sites around the world to participating in lively events on campus, there are myriad opportunities for enhancing your understanding of religion's role in history and society. In addition to events supported by the department, we also work closely with several affiliated centers.Read more about our affiliates.
Sep 5, 2023 · This essay will examine the role of religion in society, considering its historical context, impact on culture and identity, role in social cohesion, implications for politics and morality, and the ongoing debate surrounding its place in modern society. A nuanced analysis highlights religion's complex and multidimensional influence.
Aug 21, 2016 · We train our students to read closely, think deeply, write cogently and, above all, analyze carefully the important -- and sometimes decisive -- role that religion plays in the lives of cultural actors across the globe.
Religious Studies is academically enriching because it is a transdisciplinary mode of inquiry that engenders deep intercultural literacy. Serious study of the world's religions inculcates unique cultural sensitivities among students.
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Why should we study ancient religious ideas?
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Why is religion important?
Religion is a key mechanism for the transmission of cultural memory and tradition, but it is also a site of profound human creativity. The study of religion offers an extraordinary window into how human beings give structure to their personal identities, their communities, and their understandings of the cosmos around them.
