Minor Religion

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What You’ll Study in the Religion Minor

Study religious traditions of the world and explore how these belief systems have shaped identities, economies, and politics in the past and present. Our comparative approach promotes a deeper understanding of the complexities and diversity within religious traditions.

Why Take Religion Courses at Reed College?

Interdisciplinary Perspectives

Reed College’s religion department takes pride in its intentional interdisciplinary and cross-cultural approach. Our curriculum explores the dynamic role of religions in shaping cultures, laws, and norms.

Our faculty draw on fields like anthropology, art history, literary studies, and philosophy to provide a holistic understanding of religion’s influences. By embracing diverse perspectives and methodologies, our religion program equips you to navigate the complexities and profound impact of religion in our society today.

Teaching and Research

Our professors are first and foremost dynamic and effective teachers. The esteemed faculty in Reed's religion department specialize in diverse religions—Buddhism, Christianity, East Asian religions, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism—and they bring their deep understanding and nuanced perspectives to the classroom. As scholars, they actively engage with students in collaborative research; whether you join their projects or want to create your own, they provide guidance and support throughout the process.

Teaching Religion

Professor of Religion Steve Wasserstrom has published two field-changing books, the second of which, Religion after Religion: Gershom Scholem, Mircea Eliade, and Henry Corbin at Eranos (1999), resulted in a panel at the 1999 AAR annual meeting devoted to it and its implications for the study of religion. To celebrate Wasserstrom's extraordinary career and mark his 30th anniversary at Reed, 13 of his former students as well as religion scholars from around the world convened a conference and contributed essays to a festschrift, All Religion Is Inter-religion: Engaging the Work of Steve Wasserstrom.

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