
Our department expects students to engage religion courses with academic rigor and critical inquiry. To encourage both a breadth and depth of study, the department has a wide range of offerings, both within the western traditions of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, as well as courses in the major religious traditions of Asia, especially Hinduism and Buddhism. Courses explore the historical, social, and political dimensions of these traditions, as well as their expression in scriptures, theology and philosophy, ritual, and ethics.
Founded in the Baptist tradition, Furman still stresses the importance of both empathetic and critical approaches to religion. Thus, faculty members seek both to introduce students to the rich resources of religious thought and practice, and to the intellectual tools necessary to critically examine those resources.