Welcome to the Southwestern Religion Department.
Southwestern’s Religion program introduces students to a variety of global religious traditions, experiences and expressions, with the goal of creating an empathetic understanding of differences.
We encourage you to explore the specific Religion pages for more information relating to your interests.
Two members of our faculty have recently published books, for more information you can access the publisher's websites:
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What our Former Students Say About the Religion Program:
"As a 2009 graduate from Southwestern University, I have learned that there are few things comparable to the preparatory knowledge one receives through the religion department. Majoring in Religion was the single best education-related choice I could have made. In doing so, I was exposed to the highest level of academic expectation, the most challenging environment within which to cultivate and articulate my ideas, and the most comforting place to be myself.
When I came into Southwestern, I thought I would major in Religion and go on to a position in the United Methodist ministry. My plans changed while there, as I grew amongst students of the highest caliber and learned to challenge my perspectives. Southwestern, and the Religion department, did not teach me what to think or what to believe, but my personal faith grew stronger as I learned how to effectively communicate what I believed and why, a skillset I can definitively tie to the education provided to me by my distinguished professors.
Southwestern is a hub of some of the greatest, most astounding minds in the world. I consider myself lucky to have not only gained admission but to have been treated as if I deserved to be there as much as any other student, staff, or faculty member. There is no "one thing" in the department that made me the thinker I am now, but rather a culmination of a great many ideas and methods gained throughout my adacemic, intellectual and personal development. The department made me a better writer, a more curious researcher, a more comprehensive reader, and a more compassionate learner. The department and the university fostered within me an understanding of diversity that I do not believe I would have gained elsewhere. I am forever indebted to the program for leading me to challenge my assumptions, investigate my biases, and strengthen my abilities. It is that education which has inspired me to pursue higher education in social work and to live a life based on the constant pursuit of knowledge."
Porscha Williams, 2009 graduate
