Religious Studies
The root concern of religion is the quest for the ultimate meaning of reality. How this Ultimate is understood structures and gives meaning to the human world. Religion is, as such, one of the most important pursuits of humankind, having a profound impact on human history through art, philosophy, politics, and the way societies and groups are organized and behave.
The Religious Studies Program at Purdue University offers students the opportunity to investigate how the different religious traditions of the world seek and understand Ultimate Reality, how this understanding influences human action and belief about the world, and how historical contexts influence religious thought and practice. By learning about the different religious traditions of the world and their historical contexts, students will cultivate a critical appreciation of diverse religious traditions.
Students will have the opportunity to conduct this study from the perspective of different departments at Purdue, such as English, History, Philosophy, and Sociology and Anthropology. Such an interdepartmental approach is designed to help students tailor the program to their special interests.
The Religious Studies faculty is composed of associated faculty in the departments of Anthropology, English, Languages and Cultures, History, Philosophy, and Sociology. The program currently has roughly 50 majors and minors. Faculty members are active with the American Academy of Religion.
News & Events
SPRING 2022
Wednesday, March 9: 7:00 p.m..., St. Thomas Aquinas Center Church
"How Does God Create through Evolution?"
Rev. Nicanor Austriaco, OP
FALL 2021
Olga Louchakova-Schwartz (Sophia, U.C. Davis Medical School, and Graduate Theological Union Berkeley) presents a virtual lecture on the phenomenology of religion titled "Lux ex Oriente on an Occidental Luminary: Suhrawardi and Husserl."
SPRING 2021
All lectures will be virtual
Friday, April 22: VIRTUAL
"St. Catherine of Sienna: Doctor of the Catholic Church/Doctor of Friendship."
Fr. Thomas McDermott, O.P.
Thursday, April 7: 7:30 p.m..., VIRTUAL
"'An Endless Amatory Flirtation:' Jewish Influences on the Theology of Teresa of Avila."
Martha Reineke (University of Northern Iowa)
Tuesday, March 22: 7:30 p.m..., VIRTUAL
“Migrating Images and Ritual Effects: A Mimetic Take on Aby Warburg.”
Tania Checci Gonzales (Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City)
Wednesday, March 2: 7:30 p.m..., VIRTUAL
"Hallowed History: Willa Cather's Death Comes for the Archbishop."
Ann Astell (Theology, University of Notre Dame)
October 2019
Thursday, October 24: 7:30 p.m..., RAWL 1057
"Atonement in the Bible: The Notion and Its Relationship to Easter and the High Holy Days"
Gary A. Anderson (Theology, University of Notre Dame)
Co-sponsored by the Purdue Jewish Studies and Religious Studies Programs
September 2019
Wednesday, September 25: 4:00 p.m... - 6:00 p.m..., Director's Room, Purdue Memorial Union
Religious Studies Program fall gathering
12th Annual Larry Axel Memorial Lecture in Religion
April 2019
Spring lecture series
Thursday, April 4: 7:30 p.m..., BRNG 2280
“Unsettling Translations: Postsecular and Decolonial Contributions Toward an Indigenous Phenomenology”
Sol Neely, Associate Professor of English and Philosophy, University of Alaska Southeast
Thursday, April 18: 7:30 p.m..., Grissom Hall 103
"Common Humanity, Religious Particularity, and the Virtue of Hospitality"
George Dunn, Professor of Philosophy and Religion
NOVEMBER 2018
Monday, November 12: 7:00 p.m...
Ecumenical Evening
Thursday, November 15: 4:30 p.m..., Stewart 314
"Religious Sacrifice and Its Functions: Frazer vs. Girard"
Robert Segal (University of Aberdeen, Scotland)
Sponsored by: Purdue’s Religious Studies Program, the Metanexus Foundation, the Aquinas Educational Foundation, the St. Thomas Aquinas Center, and the Frank J. Lewis Foundation
OCTOBER 2018
Wednesday, October 24: 4:00 p.m... - 6:00 p.m..., Director's Room, Purdue Memorial Union
Religious Studies Program Fall Gathering
APRIL 2018
Tuesday, April 17: 7:00 p.m..., Wetherill Hall 104
"Sacred Violence and Islamic Extremism: A Totalitarian Response to Modernity"
Joel Hodge (Australian Catholic University, Melbourne)
This lecture is sponsored by the Religious Studies Program and the School of Interdisciplinary Studies at Purdue, the St. Thomas Aquinas Center, Metanexus, and the Frank J. Lewis Foundations.
This lecture is free and open to the public.
March 2018
Monday, March 26, 4:30 PM, STEW 314
Compunction and Conversion in Henry James's "The Alter of the Dead"
Ann Astell (Theology, University of Notre Dame)
Sponsored by the Religious Studies Program and the School of Interdisciplinary Studies at Purdue, the Thomas Aquinas, Metanexus, and Frank J. Lewis Foundations, and the English Department at Purdue.
This lecture is free and open to the public.
November 2017
Thursday, November 9: 5:00 p.m..., Stewart 279
Medieval and Renaissance Studies Annual Symposium
"The Meaning of the Reformation: A Medievalist and a Modernist Discuss."
Kathryn Kerby-Fulton (English, University of Notre Dame) and Thomas Pfau (English, Duke University) will discuss the meaning and significance of the Reformation from both sides of the period divide. Co-sponsored by the Department of English, the Department of History, and the Program in Comparative Literature.
October 2017
Tuesday, October 31: 3:30 p.m... - 5:00 p.m..., Stewart 278
CLA Faculty Forum on the Reformation. Faculty members from across the CLA will speak about the significance and meaning of the Reformation. Presentations from: James Farr (History), Ashley Purpura (English), Jacqueline Marina (Philosophy), Stuart Robertson (Religious Studies), and Thomas Ryba (Religious Studies)
Tuesdays 3:00 p.m... - 4:00 p.m.., BRNG 1284
3 October: Chapter 4 & 5
17 October: Chapter 6 & Conclusion
Join us for reading and discussion of Brad S. Gregory’s The Unintended Reformation: How a Religious Revolution Secularized Society. Coffee and refreshments provided by the Religious Studies Program RSVP to Ashley Purpura apurpur@purdue.edu, all are welcome!
September 2017
Tuesday, September 26: 7:00 p.m..., Krannert Auditorium
Axel Memorial Lecture in Religion
"Why the Reformation Matters, Whether We Like It or Not"
Brad S. Gregory (Department of History, Notre Dame)
The Protestant Reformation began 500 years ago with Martin Luther's Ninety-five Theses, and the changes it set in motion continue to influence the present in multiple ways that affect everyone--most of which Luther and other Reformation leaders would have deplored. From a man, to a German movement, to an era of European history, to Western modernity as a whole, this lecture spans half a millennium and argues for the Reformation era's enduring and unavoidable significance.
Tuesdays 3:00 p.m... - 4:00 p.m.., BRNG 1284
5 September: Introduction & Chapter 1
19 September: Chapters 2 & 3
Join us for reading and discussion of Brad S. Gregory’s The Unintended Reformation: How a Religious Revolution Secularized Society. Coffee and refreshments provided by the Religious Studies Program RSVP to Ashley Purpura apurpur@purdue.edu, all are welcome!
March 2017
Wednesday, March 8: 4:00 p.m..., Black Cultural Center
Gallery Talk with Iris Dawn Parker 4:00 PM Documentary photography workshop at 6:30 PM at the Black Cultural Center
Thursday, March 23: 3:30 p.m... - 4:30 p.m..., RAWLS 1071
"The Case for Stability, Alasdair Macintyre, the Benedictine Tradition and Qualitative Research on Catholic Parishes". Dr. Gwendolen Adams recently conducted a study at three Catholic parishes in the Diochese of Lafayette-in-Indiana, exploring parish life and the experience of long-term members.
Wednesday, March 8: 4:00 p.m..., Black Cultural Center
Gallery Talk with Iris Dawn Parker 4:00 PM Documentary photography workshop at 6:30 PM at the Black Cultural Center
Tuesday, March 7: 5:30 p.m... - 6:30 p.m..., Honors College STEAM Lab
Join Iris Parker in 'The Kiss Series' using Gustav Klimt Painting - The Kiss- to contextualize and compare the historic social movements of resistance, love, and coming together. Focusing on The Peoples' Pride movement in South Africa, Ms. Parker documents groups with diverse interests uniting to strive for equality and respect. She will also address working overseas and using photography as a medium for social change.
Monday, March 6: Black Cultural Center
"Mouride Muslims in South Africa" Exhibition opens. Ms. Iris Parker's series 'Mouride Muslims in South Africa' documents a celebration of Chaikh AamaduBakke by one of the Mouride Muslim Mosques in Johnnesburg. Parker seeks to demystify this particular branch of Islam, provide insight into their religious practices, and unpack the xenophobia they face as immigrants.