Undergraduate Plan of Study
The Department of Religion's curriculum is designed to engage students in critical, comparative, and interdisciplinary exploration of religious life. Our faculty's research and teaching build upon the shared understandings that religion continues to be a central and influential component of human life, society, and politics—and that, furthermore, religious transmission and authority are constantly being shaped in dynamic interactions with other religious traditions, societies, and cultures. Our courses and seminars introduce students to the work of analyzing and investigating religious texts, histories, beliefs, bodies, and communities using a variety of disciplinary and methodological approaches.
In addition to offering courses on a wide range of topics, traditions, and concepts, many of the Department of Religion’s courses integrate one or more broad frames (zones of inquiry) that complement tradition-based approaches to religion. The zones of inquiry introduce students to alternative frames that aim to identify problems, chart trajectories, and set parameters for theoretical and methodological questions. The zones are: Time (History, Modernity), Transmission (Tradition, Memory, Institutions), Space (Place, Geography, Virtual Space), Body (Materiality, Mind, Bio-ethics), and Media (Transportation, Information, Communication).
Majors and minors in religion gain a foundation in the study of religious traditions in both historical contexts and zones of inquiry, all grounded in theoretical and methodological debates that shape academic and public discussions about religion. Lecture courses, seminars, and colloquia are designed to balance students’ growing understanding of particular religious topics, dynamics, and traditions with intensive engagement with critical theoretical, political, and philosophical debates. Students are encouraged to pursue a course of study in which they develop breadth and depth, as well as the tools and expertise to pose (and even answer) necessary questions about religious phenomena of the past or present.
As the study of religion is truly interdisciplinary, students find their work in the department enhanced by their coursework in the University's core curriculum as well as related departments. Many Religion courses are listed in the University's Global Core requirement, and numerous religious works are central texts in Literature Humanities and Contemporary Civilization. Majors and concentrators are required to take courses outside of religion in related fields to expand their vision of approaches to religion.
In addition, the University's wide offerings in the languages of various religious traditions (including Arabic, Chinese, Greek, Hebrew, Japanese, Persian, Latin, Sanskrit, and Tibetan) augment many students' abilities to conduct research in religion. Students likewise are actively encouraged to explore the world-renowned archival resources within Columbia's libraries (including the Rare Book and Manuscript Room, the Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, and the C.V. Starr East Asian Library), and to explore and investigate the equally wide range of living religious communities represented in New York's global neighborhoods.
Prospective majors and minors should first arrange to meet with the Director of Undergraduate Studies. After agreeing upon a plan for the major or concentration, students may officially declare their major or minor plan of study. For students who entered before the 2023-2024 academic year a concentration is available.