MISSION STATEMENT
Religious Studies Department Mission Statement and Learning Goals
The Religious Studies department’s scholarship and programming strive to inform conversations on religion and civic life, with an emphasis on issues of race, sexuality, workforce diversity, and social change. As a department in Atlanta, a city that is religiously diverse and social justice oriented, we encourage the public, fellow scholars, and our students to think differently about religion, specifically regarding how religion plays out in day-to-day life outside institutional walls, by engaging with community partners and to be conscious consumers of culture and participants in civil society.
Our work advances the academic understanding of how religion informs and shapes public life, with particular attention to religious diversity in political, scientific, media, non-profit, health care, and educational settings. Our faculty have been recognized locally and nationally for scholarship and teaching, receiving National Endowment for the Humanities, American Academy of Religion, and The Henry Luce Foundation funding. We offer leadership in the American Academy of Religion and other guild organizations, playing key roles in shaping the conversation about the discipline of religious studies in the academy. The department’s faculty are engaged and award-winning teachers, who facilitate active interdisciplinary learning, help students to develop strong writing and research skills and demonstrate how the content and skills we teach are transferable. We offer personalized attention to our students. Our students feel supported by us, and many find a home in our department at Georgia State University.
Program Learning Goals:
- Students will be able to distinguish between public, lived religion and academic approaches, becoming aware of and engaging critically the knowledge of religions that they bring into the classroom.
- Students will apply what they learn to daily public conversations about religion and its influence on societal change through engagement with community partners, scholarly debates, and cultural representations of religious traditions.
- Students will think intersectionally, understanding the embodied nature of religion, the interplay of religion, race, gender, class, and science.
- Students will develop a transferable skill set, including critical reading, strong writing and research skills, that can be used across the curriculum and for personal and professional pursuits. Students will express themselves clearly and persuasively in written and oral communication.
- Students will be able to recognize and critically engage scholarly conversations in Religious Studies.
Contact Us
The Department of Religious Studies
Office Hours (Available Remotely):
Monday - Friday
8:30 a.m. - 5:15 p.m.
Office Hours (In Person):
By appointment
Department Chair
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Director of Graduate Studies
Department Specialist
Department Specialist
Office/Delivery Address
Department of Religious Studies
Georgia State University
25 Park Place, Suite 1700
Atlanta, GA 30303
Mailing Address:
Department of Religious Studies
Georgia State University
P.O. Box 3994
Atlanta, GA 30302-3994