Comparative Religion is an expansive, cultural exploration of the world’s religions. If you want to understand our world, study a global phenomenon. Religion is arguably the original global cultural phenomenon and studies show the percentage of affiliation with the world’s four largest religions—Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism—has increased in the last century. We look at religions in three ways. First we compare religions and look for similarities and distinctions. We look deeply into the history of each tradition to see how it developed. And we look broadly at ethics—what do people consider to be good decisions and why? We travel across the globe to places such as Egypt, India, Israel and Italy on Drew International Seminars (DIS) and semester-long programs to see firsthand how others view the world, and to understand our relationship to their views.

Our majors graduate with skills highly sought after in today’s job market. In a 2010 national survey by the Association of American Colleges and Universities, employers said they wanted a college education to emphasize knowledge of global issues (67%) and ethical decision-making (75%). Students intern at a wide variety of institutions, from the Asia Society and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City to the American Medical Association Ethics Group in Chicago. Professions that address a diverse population (such as medicine, education, public policy, law, marketing) and global professions (such as international relations, diplomacy, journalism, the arts and thousands of international businesses) are excellent places for our majors to apply their expertise.