Welcome to the Department of Religious Studies!
The academic study of religion is a vibrant and vital part of OU’s liberal arts curriculum. It is in this discipline that we attend to the ways humans all over the world think about questions of life and death; engage in processes of making meaning, manifesting joy, and of grieving; and create and respond to cultures and institutions of power. Students emerge from our major with a strong foundation in deeply culturally-grounded critical thinking, an ability to interrogate and critique forms of power, and a nuanced understanding of the human condition. Our majors and minors have gone on to pursue careers in a wide variety of fields and professions including especially law, medicine, nonprofit work, and education. No matter what their line of work, our alumni are prepared to honor difference, embrace complexity, and lead with integrity.
It is very important to all of us in Religious Studies to see students develop intellectually, find and follow their intellectual and academic interests, and develop their personal and career aspirations during their undergraduate years. We are a warm and welcoming community of scholars and mentors with a commitment to education as well as to the success of the students who pass through our courses and our doors on the way to becoming educated and critically-thinking citizenry, whatever their career choices. Our commitment to your education is directly linked to our hopes and aspirations for the quality of your life, including the quality of your intellectual life after you leave OU and for years beyond.
We take great pride in our graduation rates; we have no attrition and we invest in the success of our students at several levels. What that means is simply that you're not a statistic. We are interested in far more than checking you off a list or clicking on an online box once you've graduated. We measure success by a host of factors beyond the achievement of a diploma.
Please explore this website to learn more about the Department of Religious Studies at OU. Our faculty offer courses in a variety of specializations leading to a BA degree, and we offer an inviting, welcoming, and rigorous scholarly community. Welcome!
Make Your Mark on the World with a Religious Studies Degree!
Prospective Students: Learn all about the Department of Religious Studies at OU and everything we have to offer.
Make Your Mark on the World with a Religious Studies Degree!
Also, you can check out how to set yourself apart with RELS & Pre-Law or RELS & Pre-Med.
Religious Studies majors and minors: Access more information on degree requirements, scholarships, study abroad, available courses and more on our Religious Studies Student Resources page.
Check back here for upcoming Department of Religious Studies events!
Mother, Creature, Kin: A Reading and Conversation with Chelsea Steinauer-Scudder
On April 15th, the Dept. of Religious Studies, the Dept. of Women's and Gender Studies, and Environmental Studies at OU had the pleasure to host author Chelsea Steinauer-Scudder in a reading and conversation of her book, Mother, Creature, Kin: What We Learn from Nature's Mothers in a Time of Unraveling with Rev. Barbara Boyd, D.Min. as moderator. The event was packed, and the discussion was engaging. Thank you to Chelsea, Barbara, and to everyone who made this such a successful event.
Mother, Creature, Kin: A Reading and Conversation with Chelsea Steinauer-Scudder
The Department of Religious Studies, the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies and Environmental Studies at the University of Oklahoma invite you to join us for a conversation with author and University of Oklahoma alumna Chelsea Steinauer-Scudder on her publication, Mother, Creature, Kin: What We Learn from Nature’s Mothers in a Time of Unraveling at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 15 in the Bartlett Room at the Oklahoma Memorial Union. Snacks will be provided.
True Family Lecture Luncheon
RELS students,
You are invited to a special opportunity to have lunch with the Agnes & Herbert True Memorial lecturer Daniel De Haan at noon on Thurs., April 3 in the Community Room in Dale Hall Tower. The title of his lunchtime talk will be "Can AI Become a Human Common Good?" Please RSVP using the QR code.
True Family Lecture with Daniel De Haan
Daniel De Haan on "Offloading Human Intelligence: Does AI Threaten Our Common Goods?"
The Department of Religious Studies at OU along with the Shyam Dev Patwardhan Department of Philosophy invite you to attend the Agnes and Herbert True Memorial Lecture at 7 p.m. on Thurs., April 3, 2025 at the Sam Noble Museum auditorium with Daniel De Haan, the Frederick Copleston Senior Research Fellow and Lecturer in Philosophy and Theology in the Catholic Tradition at Blackfriars and Campion Hall at the University of Oxford. De Haan will speak on "Offloading Human Intelligence: Does AI Threaten Our Common Goods?" We hope to see you there.
RELS March Student Lunch Featuring Guest RELS Alumni on "Life After OU"
Religious Studies students and friends,
You are invited to March’s Religious Studies Student Lunch, featuring Religious Studies alumni, Cole Cloyd, Rhea Brown-Bright, and Lauren Gastineau on “Life After OU.” Please join us! Hideaway Pizza will be provided.
Thurs., March 27
12:30 p.m.
Robertson Hall 118
RELS Students Attend Annual American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting
This semester, four Religious Studies students were awarded travel grants to attend the American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting in San Diego on November 23-26. This opportunity was made possible by the generous support of Reverend Larry Angus. Students attended panel sessions on everything from religion in the ancient world to contemporary politics and social justice movements. They networked with students and faculty from across the United States and came back buzzing with new ideas for their own research projects. Thank you, Rev. Angus, for providing our students an unforgettable experience!
November RELS Student Lunch with Guest Prof. Marie Dallam
The Department of Religious Studies invites all interested students to attend our monthly RELS Student Lunch with guest Prof. Marie Dallam on Friday, Nov. 15 at 12:30 p.m. in the RELS Conference Room (Robertson 118). Lunch is provided. Prof. Dallam, Professor of American Religion and Culture in the Dept. of Religious Studies and the Honors College at OU, will discuss on "Religious Studies Classes in Prison: The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program."
RELS and OU's 2025 Giving Day
Greetings OU RELS community,
As many of you know, OU’s Giving Day is coming up on Tuesday, April 8.
It is through donations made by alumni and supporters like yourself that, over the past few years, we have been able to greatly enhance our undergraduate programming through speakers, social events, and travel opportunities. If you feel so moved, we would be honored to receive your donation and to put it toward providing more of these kinds of transformative experiences for our students.
For Giving Day this year, the Department of Religious Studies is highlighting our Student Enrichment Fund. This fund directly benefits our RELS majors and minors through the creation of unique student opportunities. This past year, the department was able to fund four students' travel expenses and conference fees for them to attend the American Academy Annual Meeting in San Diego from November 23 - 26. Students were able to attend panel sessions on everything from religion in the ancient world to contemporary politics and social justice movements. They networked with students and faculty from across the United States and came back buzzing with new ideas for their own research projects. All of this was made possible by generous donors.
We in the Department of Religious Studies at OU are grounded in our mission to study and understand what matters most to people, to train students be critical interpreters of the world around us, and to prepare them for a life of meaning and success. Your donations are a pivotal part of helping us live out that mission.
With joy and gratitude,
Deonnie Moodie
Associate Professor and Chair,
Department of Religious Studies, University of Oklahoma
RELS Senior Caroline Perkins Presents at UReCA Forum
Congratulations to our very own Religious Studies senior Caroline Perkins for presenting research-in-progress at the OU UReCA (Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity) Forum last Friday! 
UReCA provides financial support, mentorship, and presentation opportunities to undergraduate students of all disciplines who wish to engage in research and/or creative activity. You can find out more here: https://www.ou.edu/ureca
RELS Fall 2024 Newsletter
Religious Studies Student Awarded Council on Undergraduate Research Arts and Humanities Scholarship
The Department of Religious Studies is proud to announce that Camille Carlington, a University of Oklahoma multidisciplinary studies spring 2024 graduate with a focus on religious studies and psychology, has been awarded the Council on Undergraduate Research arts and humanities scholarship for 2024. The CUR supports undergraduate student research and creative inquiry projects at any stage of development up to and including presentation. The goal of the funding is to encourage diverse, innovative, and engaged undergraduate research in arts and humanities. (You can find out more about the CUR arts and humanities student scholarships here: https://www.cur.org/.../arts-and-humanities-student.../ .)
Camille's project is called 'Reverence Reimagined: Opening The Pews For Diversity.' It aims to highlight how marginalized communities, specifically Black queer communities, navigate traditional religious paradigms and cultural resistance within normative spaces. This exploration underscores the importance of Black performance art as both a beacon of defiance and a vivid display of art imitating life. Congratulations, Camille and well done! 
OU Giving Day and Religious Studies
OU Giving Day is coming on Tuesday, April 2! 🧑🎓
Support Religious Studies at OU by visiting: one.givesooner.org/religiousstudiesprogram
You can learn more about OU Giving Day at givesooner.org.
OU Religious Studies Major Awarded AAR Undergraduate Research Grant for 2024
The Department of Religious Studies is proud to announce that Caroline Perkins, a University of Oklahoma junior majoring in Religious Studies and English, has been awarded the American Academy of Religion Undergraduate Research Grant for 2024. This grant program supports undergraduate students conducting research on religion under the supervision of an AAR member. (You can find out more about the grant program here.) OU's Department of Religious Studies Associate Professor and Chair Deonnie Moodie will supervise Caroline's research project, and Caroline will conduct ethnographic research at four different megachurches in the American south in the summer of 2024. Congratulations, Caroline and well done!
Remembering Dr. Tom Boyd, OU Professor in Philosophy and Religious Studies for over 40 Years
Hello Religious Studies community,
Please see this thoughtful tribute to Tom Boyd posted by the Dodge Family College of Arts.
Also, the OU Department of Religious Studies has received a few inquiries on how to donate to the scholarships in Dr. Boyd's name as a memorial to Tom and to his dedication to teaching and his students. If you would like to make such a contribution, The University of Oklahoma Foundation has established a giving page dedicated to Dr. Boyd.
In Memory of Dr. Tom Boyd
Dear OU Religious Studies community,
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Professor Emeritus Tom Boyd. Prof. Boyd was a David Ross Boyd Professor of Philosophy at OU and was an integral part of building the Religious Studies Program at OU along with his partner, Rev. Barbara Boyd. Our deepest condolences go to Rev. Boyd and their family.
In memory of Dr. Boyd's legacy,
The Department of Religious Studies
Prof. Vishanoff and Colleagues Receive Templeton Religion Trust Grant
Congratulations to Prof. Vishanoff and his colleagues for receiving a grant from the Templeton Religion Trust!
David Vishanoff is part of a team of scholars at OU, the University of Kansas, and Pepperdine who have been awarded a quarter-million-dollar grant from the Templeton Religion Trust. The grant will provide extra research time throughout 2024 to read, consult with specialists, and hold a conference on the relationship between the virtue of intellectual humility, the virtue of courage, and interreligious understanding. This interdisciplinary teamwork will bring new perspectives to Dr. Vishanoff’s long-term project on Sacrificial Listening.
Meet our amazing team of faculty and staff.
We are incredibly proud of our alumni and how they represent us in the world. Learn how they are making a difference and the various religious studies career paths that are possible.
The Department of Religious Studies looks forward to more exciting opportunities for our students and faculty in the future. If you would like to support the Department of Religious Studies, you may visit our OU Foundation page devoted to RELS student enhancement at OU.
OU Department of Religious Studies on Social Media
Follow us on your favorite social media platforms here:
Instagram: oureligiousstudies
Twitter: @OUReligStudies
YouTube: OU Religious Studies
The Religious Studies Department at the University of Oklahoma stands against all forms of bigotry and hatred. In this moment, we are united in our commitments to anti-racism in solidarity with the Black communities in our nation and especially our Black students. As a faculty who study religious diversity and who embody difference, we deploy our intellectual training to challenge bias, discrimination, and hate. Our hearts go out to the families of those whose lives have been taken, and we pledge to link arms with those challenging injustice.
Long before the University of Oklahoma was established, the land on which the University now resides was the traditional home of the “Hasinais” Caddo Nation and “Kirikirʔi:s” Wichita & Affiliated Tribes.
We acknowledge this territory once also served as a hunting ground, trade exchange point, and migration route for the Apache, Comanche, Kiowa and Osage nations.
Today, 39 tribal nations dwell in the state of Oklahoma as a result of settler and colonial policies that were designed to assimilate Native people.
The University of Oklahoma recognizes the historical connection our university has with its indigenous community. We acknowledge, honor and respect the diverse Indigenous peoples connected to this land. We fully recognize, support and advocate for the sovereign rights of all of Oklahoma’s 39 tribal nations. This acknowledgement is aligned with our university’s core value of creating a diverse and inclusive community. It is an institutional responsibility to recognize and acknowledge the people, culture and history that make up our entire OU Community.
