Welcome to the Program in Religious Studies at UC Irvine.
Since the earliest days of humankind, religion has sought to answer our most enduring questions: Why are we here? What is the origin of evil? What happens to us once the body is gone? What awaits at the end of time? In wrestling with these questions, those who have thought deeply about religion have shaped the history of human ideas — and, through it, our understanding of the world itself.
But religion is not only about ideas. It is about humankind and society. Religions offer different models for living together, imagining what we owe one another, and organizing human relationships. In a word, religion is as much about society as it is about spirituality.
The Program in Religious Studies approaches this vast and deeply human subject from every angle — historical, philosophical, anthropological, and linguistic. Here, you will engage firsthand with a wide range of religious traditions and learn to navigate the religious dimension of human life with openness, rigor, and cultural fluency. You will discover how to bring that understanding of religion, diversity, and inclusion into your own profession, wherever it leads you — not as a narrow specialization, but as a transferable skill that will serve you in any career and any community you join.
Above all, we are building something larger than a curriculum: a Southern California community — home to one of the most religiously diverse populations in the nation — that speaks about, studies, and understands religion in all its dimensions. We invite you to bring your own questions, curiosity, and traditions into conversation with others — and to discover how the study of religion can illuminate not only the past but the world you are inheriting.
If you are drawn to these questions — about meaning, ethics, history, and the societies we build together — we invite you to explore our courses, meet our faculty, and join a community of students asking them with us. I look forward to welcoming you to the program.
Carlo G. Cereti Director, Program in Religious Studies University of California, Irvine
Student-driven ResearchConduct your own research project with a Religious Studies Faculty mentor.
Student-driven ResearchConduct your own research project with a Religious Studies Faculty mentor.
Student-driven ResearchConduct your own research project with a Religious Studies Faculty mentor.And check out the UCI Jao Family Sculpture Garden featuring Laozi.
Student-driven ResearchConduct your own research project with a Religious Studies Faculty mentor.
Student-driven ResearchConduct your own research project with a Religious Studies Faculty mentor.
