Dobkowski and Salter

Religious Studies

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perceptions on faith

Explore the phenomenon of religion as well as religious traditions throughout the world with a major or minor in Religious Studies. You’ll study religion through different lenses including historical, theological, sociological and ethnographic and graduate with a diverse awareness of religion’s role in the lives of individuals and the greater society.

 

Religious Studies News

Student SpotlightSophia Mughal '25

majors: religious studies, political science

"Religious Studies has expanded my knowledge of different faith traditions, which has allowed me to better understand the foundations of various societies and how many choose to make meaning. One of my favorite classes has been "Torah and Testament," co-taught by Professor of Religious Studies Michael Dobkowski and Professor of Religious Studies Richard Salter, which explores seminal texts, fictional works and academic commentaries from Christianity and Judaism to explore the similarities and differences between these traditions.

I also had the transformative experience of participating in the biennial March: Bearing Witness to Hope Trip in Germany and Poland, which provided us with the opportunity to learn about pre-WWII Jewish life, the Holocaust, and engage in remembrance, preserving memory, and carrying it forward. Through the Religious Studies department, I have also become involved with the Human Rights and Genocide Symposium, which hosts events each semester to educate and engage our HWS community on issues relating to human rights." 

 

Honors
Honors

And Research

 

Religious Studies students looking to engage more in their work can study and complete Honors and research projects in their chosen topic with the guidance of a faculty mentor.

Past examples of Honors projects include:

  • Ashley Marie Aronson '24: Sex and Hatred: Including Religion in the Discourse of Incel
    Blaize Gervais, Adviser 
  • Florence Rodman Stout '24: Parallel Narratives in Christian Extremism and The Dobbs v. Jackson Decision
    Shalahudin Kafrawi, Adviser 
  • Andrew Frank Broering '22: The Fray
    Richard Salter, Adviser 
  • Walker Anderson’21: An Examination of the Role of Clergy Spouses in Two Churches in the Finger Lakes
    Janette Gayle, Adviser
  • Liam Sullivan ’20: Faith in a Deeper World: The Vision and Praxis of Deep Ecology in Buddhism and Islam
    Shalahudin Kafrawi P'20, Adviser
More on Undergraduate Research

 

Experiential EducationBuild Connections& Explore Beliefs

Shabbat Dinner

Attend Shabbat dinners at the Abbe Center for Jewish Life or explore various faiths through the Office for Spiritual Engagement.

At Hobart and William Smith, learning goes beyond textbooks and classrooms. You’ll gain high-impact practical experience that deepens learning and opens doors.

Experience and Explore at the HWS Centers

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No Borders:Global Education

Explore religion’s influence on cuisine in Argentina or multiculturalism in the Czech Republic.

Hear the stories and visit monuments, museums and memorials of the Holocaust in Germany and Poland through The March: Bearing Witness to Hope.

Wherever you go, our top-ranked global education program will allow you to apply classroom knowledge, develop cultural understanding and build global connections that expand your personal capacity and sense of purpose

Study Abroad Options The March: Bearing Witness to Hope

 

Czech

 

  • Rel Class
  • Rel Class
  • Rel Class
  • Rel Class

Gain insight into faith, religious texts and how religion shapes people – and people shape religion.

REL 109 – Imagining American Religion(s)

Explore the question: what does it mean to imagine an American religion?

Rel 211 - Buddhism

Discover the rise and historical development of Buddhism in South Asia and its spread into Southeast, Central and East Asia. 

REL 279 – Torah and Testament

Become familiar with central texts of Jewish and Christian traditions and key methods of reading and interpreting those texts.

REL 286 – Islam and Environment

Learn key concepts in Islamic environmental ethics, Muslim responses to environmental catastrophes, and the link between local and global forces in Islamic societies and their impacts on environment.

Religious Studies Courses and Curriculum Religious Studies Faculty Directory
 

Alum ImpactBridging the Liberal Arts and Mental Health

Rodman Stout '24 

Building off an academically strong liberal arts education as a religious studies and psychological science double major at Hobart and William Smith, Rodman is getting hands-on mental health care experience at McLean Hospital as a post-baccalaureate clinical fellow for children with irritable or disruptive behavior. 

Read Rodman's Story

Companies That Employ Our graduates

  • Bard College
  • Breier Group Concepts 
  • Getty Images
  • InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington
  • National Geographic
  • Northeastern University 
  • NYS Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services
  • Peace Corps
  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • University of California - Davis
  • University of Southern California
  • Wesleyan University  

universities where our graduates are studying

    • Columbia University
    • Duke University Divinity School
    • Emory University
    • Loyola University School of Law
    • Syracuse University Law School
    • University of California - Berkeley
    • University of Chicago Divinity School
    • University of Connecticut
    • University of Maryland 
    • University of Michigan Law School
    • Xavier University
    • Yale Divinity School