A Learning Community Committed to International Understanding,
Academic Excellence, and Public Service

WREL Chair: Dr. Stephen Healey  (healey@bridgeport.edu)

and Dr. James Thrall (jthrall@bridgeport.edu)

Phone: 203-576-4966

The World Religions nourish the deepest and broadest values that shape culture, life, language, and identity. It's impossible to understand the news, or the direction of contemporary affairs, without some knowledge of these traditions. In the World Religions Program, we study all of the world's major religions from a non-sectarian point of view, and we engage in comparative analysis.

The Program cultivates historical, social scientific, and philosophical reflection upon core religious values, both in areas where there is consensus and in areas where there is conflict.

The curriculum focuses on the interaction of religions with their social contexts (e.g., politics, economy, and culture) and with each other (e.g., dialogue, conflict, and peace-making). Examples of offered courses include Comparative Religious Ethics; Internet Religion; Religion and Fiction; Religion, Conflict Analysis, and Mediation; and Religion, Peace, and War.

The program is flexibly designed. In consultation with an advisor, students can prepare for a career in business or law, journalism or international politics, graduate school or seminary. Program graduates have been admitted to the most prestigious graduate schools in the country.

• Summary of Requirements
• Suggested Program