Interdepartmental Program
College of Letters and Science
378 Kaplan Hall
Box 951511
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1511
Study of Religion
310-206-8799
Exploring varieties of religious traditions with an eye toward the historical and lived experience, the Study of Religion Interdepartmental Program at UCLA is committed to teaching about religious diversity in order to draw attention both to differences that distinguish religious traditions from one another and commonalities that provide deeper appreciation for shared ethical norms and values. The undergraduate major in Study of Religion equips students to understand and compare creatively the worldwide varieties of core convictions, stories, texts, rituals, and practices known collectively as religion. Students complete courses in a wide range of departments in which religious phenomena are analyzed, including anthropology, art history, Asian languages and cultures, classics, English, history, Near Eastern languages and cultures, philosophy, political science, and world arts and cultures/dance. Students can anticipate gaining versatile intellectual tools for approaching, analyzing, and appreciating the deep roots, human motivations, and history of the formation of religious traditions in their respective cultural contexts. Within this interdepartmental program, students may focus in depth on one or more specific religions. Students may wish to select this major in combination with a second major field, a minor, or related language study.
