Theology and Religious Studies are terms conventionally used to refer to the study of religion from two different perspectives.

Theology studies the truth claims and practices of a particular religious tradition in depth and critically, but from a standpoint of faith. Fordham’s Theology program focuses on Christianity. It is possible to do “comparative theology,” looking at two or more religions, and Fordham’s Theology majors and minors are encouraged to become knowledgeable about at least one other major world religion. If you are interested in pursuing a major or minor in Theology, please contact Patrick Hornbeck at Rose Hill (hornbeck@fordham.edu) or Karina Martin Hogan at Lincoln Center (kahogan@fordham.edu).

Religious studies looks at the phenomenon of religion from an interdisciplinary perspective. In this program, students take courses in Philosophy, Psychology, Anthropology, History, Comparative Literature, or Political Science as well as Theology courses, to look at religion and religious phenomena from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. In addition, a student majoring or minoring in Religious Studies may choose to focus on Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, or Christian texts and traditions. Students in Religious Studies design their own program with advice from the Director of Religious Studies, Kathryn Kueny (kueny@fordham.edu). For more information on Religious Studies, see the Religious Studies program page.