Why Study Religion?

Our department, like many across the country, is under pressure coming from multiple directions. From above (the administration) to provide metrics that prove our worth in the overall economy of Emory college. From beyond the campus (parents and politicians) to make the education that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars worth something in the pursuit of a good job. We realize there is a perception, especially about those of us in the humanities, that it is time to move on from the naval gazing of the twentieth century and transition into the career building imperatives of higher education today. The perceptions of administrators, families, politicians, and the larger public shape the realities faculty and students have to live with, but we also feel internal pressures that come naturally over time as the composition of faculty evolve with some who leave or retire, and new blood to reinvigorate the larger whole. Intellectual commitments and pursuits are at play in this period of stress and transformation, and we are excitedly reassessing the basics of what we do in a department of religion, especially in terms of the most fundamental staple of any college department, the intro class.