Undergraduate Religion at Temple University
The department places major emphases on three dimensions in the study of religion:
- The faculty and course offerings provide an introduction to the major religions of the world, with an
emphasis upon the comparison of traditions and their encounter with one another. Instruction is
offered in African and African American religions, Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism,
Islam, Judaism, and Taoism.
- The program stresses the engagement of religious traditions with the major trends and issues -- social, political, and ethical -- in contemporary culture and society.
- Students are introduced to the major methods of study in religion, with stress on critical analysis of religions by the methods of the humanities and social sciences, including textual and historical analysis, philosophical and hermeneutical studies, and social and cultural analysis.
The program thus ensures that the faculty and students will find themselves involved in a continuing conversation about methods for the study of religion and the multiple relations of religious traditions to one another and to the contemporary world. Course seminars, departmental forums, and faculty-student interest groups serve to engage students in the diversity and dialogue in the study of religion.
Whether it be Buddhist thought, Islamic law, Christian origins, Jewish philosophy, African American spirituality, Hindu metaphysics, Confucian and Taoist classics, religion and contemporary American society, or interreligious dialogue, students can choose from a variety of faculty and courses designing their own individualized programs of study and research.