Religious Studies

Religious Studies is a challenging, research-oriented Master's programme that prepares you for participation in international research and for a career in domains where religious diversity and difference are significant factors - in culture, art, and politics. Together, we use religious studies to think about hard questions fueling the fire of public debates. What should museums do with religious objects collected in the colonial past? How and what should children learn about religions in schools? What are the limits of religious tolerance? How do we create a society that is more welcoming to the stories of Others? 

The Religious Studies programme at Utrecht University has a strong emphasis on transnational approaches and the multidisciplinary use of methodology - you will learn to work with theories and methods from Anthropology, History, Philosophy, Comparative Literature, and Media Studies. 

The programme focuses on Christianity and Islam, but also addresses Jewish and Buddhist traditions, local traditions (e.g. in Africa), and hybrid religious phenomena in contexts of diversity and in popular culture. 

The programme engages with the central themes and theories of religious studies, offering opportunities for focused research in the following areas:

• Material and Embodied Religion
• Ethics and Politics in Plural Societies
• Religion and Heritage
• Religious Texts and Practices