The Department for the Study of Religion offers a wide range of courses covering all of the major religions of the world and exposing students to a wide variety of methodological and theoretical approaches to the academic study of religion. The Department offers undergraduate Majors and Minors in the Study of Religion, and Master of Arts and Ph.D. degrees in the Study of Religion. Students at all levels have the opportunity to explore in-depth the diverse social, intellectual, ethical, and theoretical issues that arise when studying the manifestations and impacts of religion today and throughout human history.

Faculty members are active scholars in the field of the Study of Religion and command a broad spectrum of scholarly approaches to a wide range of religious traditions. Throughout the year, the Department hosts an active calendar of lectures, conferences, and other events centered on the interdisciplinary academic study of religion. The Department also hosts large, biennial international academic conferences on Sikh Studies and South Asian Religions sponsored by the Dr. Jasbir Singh Saini Endowed Chair in Sikh and Punjabi Studies and on queer and transgender studies in religion sponsored by the Holstein Family and Community Chair in the Study of Religion.