Religion Department

Name of Department/Program:

School of Religion

Email Contact for Religion Department and/or Program: aa152@queensu.ca

Address:

Program Types:
Undergraduate, M.A, Ph.D.

Description:

Religious Studies at Queen’s University has evolved from its 19th-century Presbyterian origins into a multidisciplinary academic program committed to the critical study of religion in all its philosophical, historical, cultural, political, and global dimensions.

Religion has been taught at Queen’s since the university’s first classes in 1842, originally as part of its mandate to train Presbyterian ministers. In 1911–1912, the Faculty of Theology separated from the newly secularized university to form Queen’s Theological College. By the late 1960s, however, growing undergraduate interest in the academic study of world religions led to the creation of the Department of Religious Studies within the Faculty of Arts and Science. This marked a decisive shift from specific confessional training to comparative, critical scholarship spanning diverse traditions, fields, and disciplinary approaches.

In 2010, Queen’s Theological College became the Queen’s School of Religion (QSR), consolidating religious and theological studies administratively while maintaining distinct academic programs. In 2015, the remaining theology degrees were formally closed, and the School committed fully to the academic, non-confessional study of religion. Today, Religious Studies at Queen’s is pluralistic, integrative, and engaged with pressing global questions.

Other Information:

Together, the School of Religion covers a range of:

Traditions: new religious movements, esoteric traditions, Indigenous traditions, ancient Mediterranean religions, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, global Sufism;
Topics: extremism and religion, race and religion, medicine and religion, psychology and religion, ecology and religion, politics and religion, gender and religion, technology and religion; ethnography, embodiment, and contemporary spiritual movements; and
Methodologies: philosophy, philology, ethnography, social theory, political analysis, gender studies, digital research, and critical theory.

Programs Offered
Undergraduate
• Religious Studies major, medial, and minor leading to a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Honours BA with concentrations in religious studies.
• Courses cover world religions, religion and society, religion and culture, film, politics, and more.

Graduate
• Queen’s offers a Master of Arts (MA) in Religious Studies (a 12-month research-oriented program).
o Focus is on religion and culture, with emphasis on contemporary theories and critical methods.
o Graduate students write a research essay and can work as teaching assistants.

Our cohort comprises 6–12 students selected from across Canada and internationally.

All core faculty supervise graduate students.

Doctoral and Postdoctoral Opportunities
Since we do not currently offer a PhD program, our MA graduates often move into PhD programs at Queen’s (typically through Cultural Studies or related programs) and at other institutions, as well as into professional programs and diverse careers.

We regularly supervise postdoctoral fellows and maintain strong interdisciplinary ties across the university.

Our Current Moment
Religious Studies at Queen’s exists within a broader national and global context in which the humanities are increasingly pressured, administratively restructured, and publicly mischaracterized as non-essential. We reject that framing. The study of religion is indispensable to understanding the world, including politics, conflict, identity, ethics, migration, race, gender, technology, and global culture. Our faculty work directly with governments, communities, and international networks precisely because religion remains one of the most powerful forces shaping contemporary life.

Like many humanities programs, we are not immune to institutional restructuring. While there is no specific indication that Religious Studies will be eliminated, the Faculty of Arts and Science is currently undergoing structural review that may alter administrative configurations. We recognize our shared vulnerability within the humanities sector. At the same time, we are intellectually vibrant, internationally engaged, and deeply committed to the future of the discipline. Religious Studies at Queen’s intends not merely to persist, but to contribute actively to the renewal of the humanities in Canada.