BA in Religion (Barnard) in New York United States | Columbia University

In the early 2000s, religious beliefs remain fundamentally influential across all spheres of global human society. The Religion department's academic program enables students to investigate the historical developments, sacred writings, and traditions of numerous faith communities worldwide, while examining religion's enduring historical impact and its ongoing relevance to contemporary cultural, political, and moral discussions. Furthermore, our coursework encourages students to grapple with complex theoretical issues surrounding the very concept of religion - an abstract classification with its own intricate historical background. As an academic discipline, religious studies inherently bridges multiple fields, incorporating methodologies and perspectives from literary analysis, historical research, sociological examination, and cross-cultural comparison. The field also emphasizes how religious affiliations require thorough critical assessment, as they intricately intertwine with race, socioeconomic status, gender, ethnic background, and other markers of identity. Through instruction, scholarly initiatives, and community events, the Religion department fosters rigorous intellectual exploration of religious organizations, practices, ideologies, and communities throughout history and in modern times.

Barnard and Columbia's Religion departments employ diverse scholarly frameworks for examining religious traditions, reflecting the breadth and complexity of global faith systems across different eras. Concepts like religion itself - along with associated terms such as faith, spirituality, mystical encounters, and ceremonial practices - emerge from specific historical and cultural contexts; many courses critically analyze these terms and their conceptual foundations. Nevertheless, we remain dedicated to studying religion as it continues to hold significant meaning in everyday language and public discourse, while resisting simple classification within any single academic framework or theoretical model.