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With particular strengths in the study of Christianity, Judaism, American religions, Islam, secularism, Buddhism, and other Asian religions, the Department of Religious Studies emphasizes descriptive, historical, and theoretical approaches to the study of religion.

Upcoming Events



Wehshat: Or, the Poetry and Ethics of Living with the Unbearable.

RELS Colloquium
Anand Vivek Taneja (Vanderbilt)
Feb 13, 2025 at - | Cohen 204

This talk centers on the social, political, and affective consequences of living with growing Islamophobia for Indian Muslims. In the years after 2014, memories of riots and…



Modern Day Abolitionism: Carcerality and Black Radical Resistance through Grassroots Organizing, Prison Activism, and Spiritual Liberation

Africana Studies Spring Symposium, Co-sponsored by Religious Studies
Timothy Malone, Rima Vesely-Flad, Lydia Pelot-Hobbs, Laura McTighe
Feb 13, 2025 at - | McNeil Building, 4th Floor: PSC Commons
3718 Locust Walk

Meet the Speakers



Premeditated Indifference: Shadowboxing the Ridiculous

American Lectures in the History of Religions
Emilie M. Townes, Boston University School of Theology
Feb 19, 2025 at - | Kislak Center, 6th Floor of Van Pelt Library

The University of Pennsylvania Department of Religious Studies is thrilled to host the first of three Philadelphia-area lectures as part of the American Academy of Religion's prestigious…