Department of Religious Studies - School of Arts & Sciences

The Department of Religious Studies offers Richmond students the opportunity to study a broad range of religions from an academic perspective.

Religious Studies Feature Stories

UR's Longest Tenured Professor Frank Eakin Awarded Who's Who Lifetime Achievement Award for Achievements in Religious Studies

Frank Eakin, Weinstein-Rosenthal professor of Jewish and Christian studies at the University of Richmond, has been awarded an Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who’s Who, a publisher of biographical profiles.

University of Richmond Professor Receives 2018 Book Award by The New England Society

University of Richmond religious studies and American studies professor Douglas Winiarski has been awarded a 2018 Book Award for nonfiction by The New England Society for his work, Darkness Falls on the Land of Light: Experiencing Religious Awakenings in Eighteenth-Century New England.

Etelson Wins 2018 Dickerson Award

Jeremy Etelson, '18, was the recipient of the 2018 Lynn C. Dickerson Award. He is now pursuing an M.Phil. in political thought at the University of Cambridge.

"Religious Studies has been an intellectual haven for me since my arrival, offering a place where I have felt safe and encouraged to approach material honestly and with real curiosity," said Etelson. "Whether it be from-critical and literary analyses of biblical text, historical examinations of occult practices in early America, or studying and questioning the bases of religiously founded ethics and epistemologies around the world, the Department of Religious Studies has offered me a versatile and deeply contextual way of looking at the human condition."

University of Richmond professor Douglas Winiarski awarded 2018 Bancroft Prize in American History and Diplomacy

University of Richmond professor Douglas Winiarski, who teaches in the Department of Religious Studies and the American Studies program, has won a 2018 Bancroft Prize in American History and Diplomacy for his book, “Darkness Falls on the Land of Light: Experiencing Religious Awakenings in Eighteenth-Century New England.”

University of Richmond professor Douglas Winiarski named as finalist for prestigious book award, the George Washington Prize

University of Richmond religious studies and American studies professor Douglas Winiarski has been named as a finalist for the 2018 George Washington Prize for his book, “Darkness Falls on the Land of Light: Experiencing Religious Awakenings in Eighteenth-Century New England.”

Experiencing a religious revolution

Douglas Winiarski explores how 18th century Americans experienced religion differently than previous generations.

Hannah Verrette, '18

Over the summer, junior Hannah Verrette, ’18, had the opportunity to job shadow alumnus Dr. Dylan Tierney, ’95, at his job as an infectious disease physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, through the Office of Alumni & Career Services’ Spider Shadowing program.

University of Richmond professor awarded $40,000 research grant

Mimi Hanaoka, an assistant professor of religious studies at University of Richmond, has received a $40,000 grant from the Social Science Research Council.

Sam Bell, '17

As a religious studies major, one would assume Sam Bell's research had some connection to the field. Instead, he spent his summer studying ESB construction of bent functions in conjunction with math professor James Davis.

Learning from the Dead

Faculty and students from a variety of disciplines find fertile ground for learning in a long-neglected cemetery.

University of Richmond hosts series of events focusing on Bosnia

The University of Richmond will host a series of events throughout the fall semester to commemorate two important anniversaries in recent European history. The series, “20 Years After Srebrenica: Bosnia and Herzegovina Today,” will explore the past and current state of Bosnian society. The scheduled events include lectures, films screenings, a poetry reading and a photography exhibition, all exploring the Srebrenica Massacre and Dayton Peace Accords and the state of culture and education in Bosnia today.

Will Kelland, '15

Rare access to Aboriginal Australian tribal lands while studying abroad opens door to deep cultural learning for leadership studies major.

Religious studies professor receives competitive NEH grant to research early Christian martyr texts

The National Endowment for the Humanities has awarded University of Richmond professor Stephanie Cobb a $6,000 summer stipend grant to support her work for a book about early Christian martyr texts.

Wesley Meredith, '15

Junior explores ideas of religious and cultural diversity through his academics and involvement on campus.

Dreaming of the Prophet

In the First-Year Seminar Dreaming of the Prophet, students see the impact of religion in the world while learning the ins and outs of college-level scholarship.

Scholarship Repository Readership

The University of Richmond's Scholarship Repository shares faculty publications with a world-wide audience. The map below shows where articles from religion faculty are being read around the globe.

Faculty Highlights

Eakin Award
Religious studies professor and master of liberal arts program chair Frank Eakin was awarded an Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who’s Who, a publisher of biographical profiles.
Winiarski New England Society Book Award
Religious studies and American studies professor Douglas Winiarski has been awarded a 2018 Book Award for nonfiction by The New England Society for his work, Darkness Falls on the Land of Light: Experiencing Religious Awakenings in Eighteenth-Century New England.
Winiarski Book Wins Bancroft Prize
Religious studies professor Doug Winiarski's book Darkness Falls on the Land of Light: Experiencing Religious Awakenings in Eighteenth-Century New England won the 2018 Bancroft Prize in American History and Diplomacy, presented by Columbia University.
Winiarski Book Finalist for George Washington Prize
Religious studies professor Doug Winiarski's book, Darkness Falls on the Land of Light Experiencing Religious Awakenings in Eighteenth-Century New England, was named one of seven finalists for the 2018 George Washington Prize.
Davis in Christian Science Monitor
Dr. Scott Davis was quoted in the Christian Science Monitor, in a piece about on Buddhism and violence.
Winiarski Book
Dr. Doug Winiarski published the book, Darkness Falls on the Land of Light: Experiencing Religious Awakenings in Eighteenth-Century New England.
Cobb Book
Dr. Stephanie Cobb recently published Divine Deliverance: Pain and Painlessness in Early Christian Martyr Texts.
Hanaoka Book
Dr. Mimi Hanaoka recently published her first book, Authority and Identity in Medieval Islamic Historiography: Persian Histories from the Peripheries, which explains themes and literary strategies that “centered” texts from “peripheral” regions in medieval Persia.
Hanaoka Fellowship
Dr. Mimi Hanaoka received the Transregional Research Junior Scholar Fellowship in InterAsian Contexts and Connections from the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) for 2015-2016.
Winiarski Fellowship
Dr. Doug Winiarski has been awarded a semester-long Residential Fellowship from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities to support his project, “Shakers, Jerkers & the Shawnee Prophet: Religious Encounters on the Early American Frontier.”

Upcoming Courses

The Bible as Literature
Sex & Salvation in 19th Century America
Introduction to the New Testament
Islam in America
Buddhist Philosophy
Foundations of Social Ethics
Asian Ethics: Dao of Living
A History of Antisemitism
Marx, Nietzsche, and Freud (FYS)
Cultural History of Sex (FYS)
Dreaming of the Prophet (FYS)
Anxiety and Ethics (FYS)

Learn more

Resources

Library Research Guide

Speaker Series

Office of Sustainability

Contact Us

Mailing address:
Department of Religious Studies
Weinstein Hall, Room 102
231 Richmond Way
University of Richmond, Virginia 23173

Phone: (804) 289-8325
Fax: (804) 287-6504

Chair: Stephanie Cobb
Administrative coordinator: Carolyn E. Smart