Undergraduate Concentrations
The Department of Religious Studies offers concentrations in Religion and Nonprofit Leadership and Religion, Race, & Ethnicity.
Faculty & Research
The faculty and students of the Department of Religious Studies at University of Tennessee, Knoxville engage is a wide range of research. We specialize not just in a diversity of geographical areas and historical religious traditions, but also a variety methods and approaches.
Events & Programs
The faculty and students of the Department of Religious Studies at University of Tennessee, Knoxville engage is a wide range of research. We specialize not just in a diversity of geographical areas and historical religious traditions, but also a variety methods and approaches.
Charles H. Reynolds Distinguished Alumnus/a Award
Charles H. Reynolds served as department head from 1980 – 2001. In the wake of his passing on January 25, 2017 [TN Today | Knoxville News-Sentinel] the Department decided to create an award in his honor. Because he stayed connected to many of his former students, we decided to honor a distinguished alumnus or alumna each year. The award is handed out at the Graduation and Awards Ceremony in the spring.
Our 2023 winner is Steven Trotter, an alumni from the class of 1976.
Religious Studies in the News
- The Conversation: What Taoism teaches about the body and being healthyWhat Taoism teaches about the body and being healthy Daoism, which emphasizes harmony with nature, can inform individuals on their relationship with the environment. Ma Yuan ‘Walking on Path in Spring.’… Read more: The Conversation: What Taoism teaches about the body and being healthy
- Megan Bryson Published in ‘The Conversation’The Lotus Sutra − an ancient Buddhist scripture from the 3rd century − continues to have relevance today A Lotus Sutra scroll praising the manifold mercies of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. Universal… Read more: Megan Bryson Published in ‘The Conversation’
- Michael Naparstek Published in ‘The Conversation’How sacred images in many Asian cultures incorporate divine presence and make them come ‘alive’ A gilded statue of the Buddha at Wat Phanan Choeng Temple in Thailand. Kittipong Chararoj/ iStock… Read more: Michael Naparstek Published in ‘The Conversation’
Upcoming Events
Podcasts
- The Atrocity of Hunger
- Interview with Melissa Wilcox on Queer Religiosities
- Spirit Guide: African Islam, Social Justice, and the Rub of Modernity
- Spirit Guide: Tracy Pintchman on the Goddess Without Boundaries
- Kline Interview with Adam Kotsko: What is Political Theology
- Interview with Marla Frederick on Religion, Race, and Education