The Department of Religious Studies examines religious beliefs, institutions and practices using approaches from the humanities, arts, social sciences and sciences. The academic study of religion, combined with appropriate courses in other fields, provides an excellent background for any professional career—including law, engineering, medicine and health care professions, journalism, social work and others—and for graduate studies in a number of fields.
A major in religious studies provides a well-rounded liberal arts education or can be combined conveniently with a second major. Minors or sequences in religious studies complement and broaden any field chosen as a major.
Baker-Nord Visiting Scholar: Diana Walsh Pulsuka 9/29
What happens when a scholar of religion is confronted with evidence that challenges the boundaries between science, belief, and the unexplained? In this provocative talk, “When the Evidence Changed: A Humanities Professor’s Encounters with Aerospace Insiders – and How They Transformed Her Scholarship and Belief“, Dr. Diana Pasulka, professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, recounts her unexpected journey into the world of aerospace insiders and emergent technologies that blur the line between the natural and the supernatural.
Monday, September 29th
12:45 pm
TVUC Ballroom C
Boxed lunches will be provided at 12:30pm. Registration requested.
Deepak Sarma on Ideastream – Clinical trials for pyschedelics
On September 4th, 2025, Dr. Deepak Sarma was featured on Ideastream’s Sound of Ideans, “Clinical trials and political will could mark new landscape for psychedelics.” The discussion centers around the landscape of psychedelics and how they’re being used in the medical sphere, clinical trials happening here in Northeast Ohio, and what mental issues are being targeted.
Dr. Justine Howe named faculty director of the Flora Stone Mather Center for Women
The Office of the Provost at Case Western Reserve University recently announced that Dr. Justine Howe, associate professor and chair in the Department of Religious Studies, has been appointed as the new faculty director of the Flora Stone Mather Center for Women.
A respected scholar and engaged campus leader, Howe brings a thoughtful, collaborative approach to this role, along with a deep commitment to teaching, research and fostering meaningful community connections.
From all of us in the Department of Religious Studies, congratulations Dr. Howe!
To learn more, read the newsroom’s announcement here:
2025 Inkubator Writing Conference – Panel Moderated by Dr. Joy Bostic
At this year’s Inkubator Writing Conference 2025, Dr. Joy R. Bostic, Associate Professor of Africana Religion and founder of the Minor in Africana Studies will moderate Dr. Eve L. Ewing and Dr. Imani Perry in their Virtual Fiction Panel, Stories We Tell: How History Shapes Us
Monday, September 8th at 7:00pm ET
The Inkubator Writing Conference is Literary Cleveland’s FREE annual festival for writers and readers.
From September 8-10 we will host virtual panel discussions with national authors all leading up to the big two-day in-person conference at the Cleveland Public Library September 11-13. The conference will feature writing workshops, panel discussions, craft talks, a book fair, a party, and a keynote address. See the full schedule at inkubator.litcleveland.org.
Altogether, the Inkubator is a public celebration of writing in Cleveland that advances writers’ individual abilities, furthers artistic dialogue, fosters a more connected literary community, and invites more people to tell their stories.
Highlights
RLGN 249: Sacred Places and Pilgrimage in Buddhism
Mondays & Wednesdays 12:45pm – 2:00pm
Professor Jue Liang
RLGN 249 is one of our newest courses being introduced this fall. Seats are still available!
What makes a place sacred? How do people interact with these sacred places and build community around them? What does it mean to be present? And what are the different expressions of presence in pilgrimage? It engages with practices of space and movement in its rich expressions — literary, artistic, somatic, and psychological, to name a few. Together, the instructor and students will construct a toolkit for experiencing bodily agency, empathy, and community building by approaching the themes of place and movement from a multitude of perspectives.
This course counts as UGER Human Diversity & Commonality
Questions? Email Professor Liang at jue.liang@case.edu
Alumni Spotlight 2025
Welcome to the Religious Studies Alumni Spotlight, where we celebrate the diverse successes and outstanding talent that define our alumni community.
This edition focuses on Chloe Gerus, a 2021 CWRU alumna and Religious Studies major, who has navigated her post-graduate journey with exceptional accomplishments