Religious Studies is the academic study of religion and spirituality. We explore texts, histories, and ways in which humans from various cultures have understood their world. We study the beliefs, ethics, rituals, artifacts, and organizations of religions, and we consider the changing relationship between religion and elements of the wider culture--including politics, art, economics, literature, and society.

We use the methods of the humanities and behavioral sciences. Some of us use literary tools to study sacred texts.Others draw on philosophical and theological insights. Some of us are primarily historians, studying the changes in religious groups over time. Some apply the theories and techniques of sociology, psychology, and anthropology.

The department offers the B.A. degree but has no graduate program. Some of our graduates go on to study to be leaders of religious communities, but most do not. Rather they apply to graduate or professional schools, with many attending medical school. As required by the charter of the University of Miami, our courses are non-sectarian in nature.