An understanding of religion is essential to a true comprehension of human culture, world history, global politics, and international conflict—not to mention the worldviews of billions of people.

The Religion Department at Middlebury seeks to acquaint students with the world’s major religious traditions, with varieties of global religious experience, and with religious approaches to a broad range of topics and questions.

We emphasize the study of individual religious traditions, because we hold that a solid understanding of one is crucial for developing an appreciation for other traditions and for religion as a fundamental human experience. We also maintain, however, that it is important for students to have experience with comparative approaches to the study of religion.

A religion student at work in the library.

Why Study Religion?

Are you interested in how religious traditions have shaped, enhanced, hindered, and otherwise influenced human civilizations and cultures? Our curriculum strives to balance intellectual immersion in the thought and history of distinct traditions with comparative analysis across multiple religions. Explore the major.

Courses

Our courses invite students to immerse themselves in the rich and varied texts and traditions of Buddhism, Confucianism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and Taoism (among others). They also challenge students to see the complex relationship these religions have had with each other in the arenas of politics, morality, and culture in the United States and the world.

Religious studies is a vital component to liberal arts education in today’s world, and the Religion department actively contributes to interdisciplinary programs at Middlebury like American Studies, Environmental Studies, Women and Gender Studies, and International Studies.

Our Alumni

A major in religion is an excellent foundation from which to pursue training and careers in medicine, law, education, business, religious leadership, and journalism. Middlebury alumni who majored in religion have been accepted into prestigious schools in each of these fields, as well as into the best programs in religious studies in the U.S. and Europe.

Because of its interdisciplinary nature, as well as its focus on critical reading and thinking, a religion major at Middlebury College is quintessential liberal arts education—superb intellectual preparation for an endless variety of career and life pursuits.

Read more about Our Alumni.

Upcoming Events

  • "Bending the Biotechnological Arc Back Toward Justice: A Critique of Rhetorics of Scientific Progress”

    This talk by Emma McDonald Kennedy, Ph.D (Assistant Professor of Christian Ethics at Villanova University) considers the history of the eugenics movement and its links to contemporary biotechnological innovation. With resources from Christian ethics, reproductive justice, and disability rights, this talk will sketch a more inclusive vision of social progress and argue for regulation and public consultation in biomedical research.

    Axinn Center 219

    Open to the Public

  • Platforming Extremism: How Social Media Reshapes Christian Nationalism

    Mark Douglas (Associate Professor of Christian Ethics at Columbia Theological Seminary) will deliver the second talk in the 2025 Scott Lecture Series, which invites a variety of scholars to explore the theme of Christian nationalism. 

    Axinn Center 219

    Open to the Public

  • Fantasizing Christian America: A Queer Take on Christian Nationalism

    Daniel Miller (Professor of Humanities at Landmark College) will deliver the third talk in the 2025 Scott Lecture Series. Christian nationalists insist that the US was founded by and for Christians. As a resurgent populist movement in contemporary American politics, Christian nationalism aims to establish the legal, moral, and cultural dominance of an ultra-conservative, exclusivist interpretation of the religion, and it views diversity and pluralism as existential threats to that objective.

    Robert A. Jones '59 Conference Room

    Open to the Public

  • The Kingdom of God and Modern Nation State: A Response to christian Nationalism From a Christian Perspective

    R. Ward Holder (Associate Professor of Theology at St. Anselm College) will deliver the final talk in the 2025 Scott Lecture Series. Christian nationalists insist that the US was founded by and for Christians. As a resurgent populist movement in contemporary American politics, Christian nationalism aims to establish the legal, moral, and cultural dominance of an ultra-conservative, exclusivist interpretation of the religion, and it views diversity and pluralism as existential threats to that objective.

    Franklin Environmental Center, The Orchard-Hillcrest 103

    Open to the Public

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